Kansas University’s basketball players gathered at coach Bill Self’s house Thursday night to watch the NBA Draft on ESPN-TV.
They viewed with interest for more than four hours as KU tied UConn in 2006 and Florida in 2007 for most players selected (five) in a two-round draft.
“We chilled out here, spread out here, cheered when Brandon went at 13 and held our breath when other guys didn’t go as high as we thought they would,” Self said before heading to bed after a long day.
Here’s a quick recap of what happened on a crazy summer evening:
¢ Brandon Rush hit the jackpot as an NBA lottery pick, being tapped No. 13 overall by Portland’s Trail Blazers, who traded him to Indiana and his brother Kareem’s Pacers squad. After that pick, it was sweat-it-out time for two of Rush’s teammates, who despite being seen as possible top-20 picks, didn’t fare as well.
¢ Darrell Arthur still earned a guaranteed contract by being selected at No. 27 by New Orleans, who traded him to Portland for cash considerations, the first of three trades on the night for Arthur. He was in Houston, then got traded again to Memphis early this morning, according to the Associated Press.
¢ Mario Chalmers missed out on the lucrative first round. He was tapped fourth in Round Two by Minnesota, then traded to Miami for two future second-round picks and cash.
As a Round Two pick, Chalmers is not guaranteed a contract.
The good news is, Miami reportedly is high on Chalmers and, considering how much they gave up for him, likely has plans of signing him in coming weeks.
¢ Darnell Jackson was chosen No. 22 in the second round, also by Miami, while Sasha Kaun was selected No. 26 in the second round by Seattle and traded to Cleveland. Jackson later was traded by Miami to Cleveland for a future second-round pick.
Whew.
Self was “disappointed” for Arthur, who was hurt by a report that he had a kidney ailment, a condition Self said never surfaced in two years at KU.
“I talked to Shady about this last night,” Self said. “He told me what he said on TV, that Washington (Wizards this week) did bloodwork on him and everything came back normal. We had our people talk to a couple NBA teams about this. Word did not get out to other teams that his tests came out normal. They were still going off a previous test that was done.
“If that’s the case, somebody (in Arthur’s camp or NBA) really dropped the ball because it cost him a lot of money. I talked to a lot of teams who said they’d loved to have him, but can’t (pick him) because of this health issue.”
Self said Arthur’s kidney was never an issue during his two years of college. “Our medical people ran tests on all our guys. Everything turned out normal in the tests in this particular situation,” Self said of the kidney. “There are rumors some teams tested him and some type of levels were high with his kidney. I was also told the Wizards tested him and everything came back normal from that. He fell to No. 27 but has top-10 talent.”
Chalmers dropped out of the first round into the second, which surprised Self.
“I think he has a great chance to make this team. From the outside looking in, it looks like a good fit,” Self said. “No. 12 (projection) was always high with Mario. I did think he’d go first-round. So many people said they liked his talent. I talked to eight to 10 teams the last two days who liked his talent. Liking him and drafting him are two different things.”
Chalmers had a year of eligibility remaining had he elected to return to KU.
“You are always disappointed a guy with eligibility left would fall to the second round,” Self said. “I’m sure he’s disappointed. It’s not for me to comment if he made the wrong or right decision. I wish him the best.
“I wish the best for all our guys. They have new employers, and they better work their butts off. Second-guessing doesn’t do anybody any good.”
Jackson now will try to play his way onto the Cavaliers’ roster, and Kaun will head to Russia where he’s signed a three-year deal to play his homeland.
He could return to play for the Cavaliers in a couple of years.
“I thought Darnell and Sasha would go mid second,” Self said. “With Sasha no matter who drafted him he’d not go there for a couple years at least.
“As long as he got taken, somebody will retain his rights. I’m happy for all our guys.”
