Mario Chalmers desperately wanted to be selected in the first round of Thursday’s NBA Draft.
The 30 first-rounders are the only ones in the 60-player draft guaranteed contracts.
Yet don’t for a second think Chalmers, who was selected fourth in Round Two by Minnesota, then traded to Miami, regrets his decision to leave Kansas University after his junior season.
He remains comfortable with his career choice despite the fact he likely would have been a first-team preseason All-American in 2008-09.
“I was a little shocked,” the 6-foot-1 combo guard said at a news conference Friday in Miami, referring to not being taken in Round One. “At the same time, I’m just happy to be in this situation. If I had it to do all over again, I’d do the same thing. I’m just going in with a great mind-set, and I’ll be ready to play.”
KU coach Bill Self on Friday repeated what he said Thursday night: that there’s nothing to be gained from “second-guessing” Chalmers’ decision.
“It’s so easy to do,” Self said. “If I sub wrong, or if I sub the wrong guy into shooting a technical foul and he misses, then, ‘Why’d he sub him? He should have put somebody else in.’
“I think Mario did get favorable reports back (from teams), but I do think it’s a valuable learning experience for everybody and hopefully … you know there’s absolutely no reason for a guy to leave early to be a second-round pick.
“I’ve said that all along. His family would say that. But now that the decision was made, you live with it. I do think he’s going to a great franchise for him to have a chance to really impact it. Miami thought enough of him to give away two second-round picks for him (as well as cash considerations).”
Self said he hopes Chalmers will be one of the rare second rounders soon to be signed to a guaranteed contract.
Miami general manager Pat Riley made it sound as if that will be the case.
“We rated him very high,” Riley said. “He is another of what we call a perfect fit for us. He’s a defender. He’s a combination guard. He can shoot the three. He had more steals in his career than he had turnovers. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He told me last night that he can’t wait to get Michael out on the court in a 1-on-1 game, finally, just the two of them in practice. That’s going to happen.”
Michael is former Kansas State player Michael Beasley, selected by Miami at No. 2 overall.
“He’s a great player, a great point guard,” Beasley told the Associated Press. “There’s a little tension between me and him, him being a Jayhawk and all. We’re going to have to get over that.”
KU coach Self hopes a lesson is learned about trusting all those draft services that had Chalmers listed as high as No. 12 in Round One. Almost all had Chalmers a certain first-round pick.
“The mock drafts were never close to being accurate. We knew that,” Self said. “We talked to teams, and we knew who they were interested in and who they weren’t. So those mock drafts, those guys know about as much as I do because we could all sit around and pretend. It is hard to predict the exact signs and certainly those NBA guys have tough jobs and expect the unexpected of the NBA Draft.”
¢ Darnell Jackson, who was taken 52nd overall by Miami, was traded to Cleveland for a future second-round pick.
On Friday – a day after he watched the draft with family members and friends at his Midwest City, Okla., home – the 6-8, 250-pounder was introduced to Cavaliers fans and media members.
“I didn’t find out until the last minute,” Jackson said of the trade. “I was sitting in a room holding my little niece. Everybody was yelling in the house. They come in busting the door down.
“The baby falls out of my hands and lands on the bed. My mom tells me that I’m going to Cleveland.
“I don’t know what it is about this place (Cleveland),” he added. “I always had it in my heart and on my mind. I told my mom I always wanted to come here.”
That’s because of Cavs’ phenom LeBron James.
“Ever since I started playing basketball and LeBron was here, I thought how great it would be to run up and down the court with him,” Jackson said.
Jackson caught a glimpse of James during one of his two individual workouts with the Cavs.
“He was stretching. I took a little glance over there. Not everybody gets a chance to see the king every day. I said, ‘Is that really him?”‘ Jackson said.
Cavs GM Danny Ferry said he’s elated the team landed Jackson.
“He worked and created himself into a very good basketball player,” Ferry said. “He will bring toughness and energy to everything he does.”
