It stinks seeing bad things happen to good people.Recently, nothing bad has happened to Julian Wright. He’s finishing his second year of classes and in about two months, he’ll realize his dream, which he said was hatched as a little kid when he’d hit game-winners on the driveway just like Michael Jordan.So let me say this instead: It stinks seeing good people get misunderstood.If you’re half-way decent at reading people, it’s hard to misunderstand Julian Wright, who for as highly-decorated a player as he was coming out of Homewood-Flossmoor High in suburban Chicago two years ago, is as humble and unique of individual as you’d find. The problem, though, is that in this basketball-obsessed state, it’s hard for anyone to overlook the insane vertical, the ability to play five positions, the status as a potential All-American and the nightly name-drops on SportsCenter’s Top Ten.But the majority of Jayhawk Nation it seems cannot view him as the kid that he is. If they could, they wouldn’t be so bitter with him leaving.On the court, he’s known for his ‘beast mode.’ Off of it, he’s a gentle giant, a great person and a true student-athlete. He’s an outstanding teammate who sometimes is _too_ unselfish (yes, it’s possible), a solid University ambassador and deserves to be a fixture in KU hoops lore not just for his play, but for being so different than many others to come before him.Even though Wright hasn’t officially entered the professional world yet, though, he’s already learned one very valuable, albeit tough, lesson – complete honesty always pays.Sitting among the mass of media at [Wright’s April 9 press conference][1], announcing his intentions of going to the Association, one quote made a louder bang than all the others…well, to me, at least._”Money has never been my motivation,”_ Wright said at the time. _”It’s not my family’s motivation. It’s not about the money.”_Two of the three sentences in there – those being the first two – were entirely true. One had shades of grey.Up until the ‘It’s not about the money’ part, Wright was completely honest. He’s not a materialistic person, and his family is in no way driven by the almighty dollar or in desperate need of it.The third part came under great scrutiny over the past three weeks, though, and Wright fired back at all critics on his [Facebook][2] page over the weekend, and the excerpt was posted on every KU hoops message board under the sun.In his piece, Wright said that to an extent, _it is_ about the money, but not in the same way that it’s about the money for others. Instead of using the money to live the lifestyle most of his college classmates only dream of and see on MTV – Escalades, a 14-bathroom mansion and flashy jewelry – his money will be used for the right reasons. He wants to set up his family and a future someday for his children.So, to a certain degree, yes, _it is_ about the money. But why wasn’t that just said in the first place?Every year, there’s these guys who hold big press conferences flanked by their college coaches, saying their reasons for leaving are that they want to prove they can play at the next level, they want to compete with the best and blah blah blah.While those factors might be true, pride is never a good enough reason to go to the NBA. Guys go to the NBA because of other reasons. The big one, in one way or another, is money. But can you blame them? It’s their careers we’re talking about. If they want a pro career, and they’re in a position to set themselves up nicely for a pro career, then they embark on a pro career.(**_Sidenote to those folks who criticize his choice_**: Julian Wright owes you nothing. It’s his life. If you’re that upset with a life decision made by a college student you have no blood relationship to, well, then you need to find a hobby.)And while people in the know with Wright are well aware what his monetary intentions are, not everyone else is. Those are the ones who see just the athlete and the Kansas jersey.But next time Wright wants to get a point across to the masses – media, fans, etc. – he just needs to be completely candid. Then he won’t have any need for the damage control and the stress.In the end, no one can blame his decision or his reasoning – just the manner in which it all came to the surface.He now knows that, I’m sure.**_-Oh boy. Here we go. Start the hype machine. Thanks to [SI.com][3]._**The web home of _Sports Illustrated_ was the first outlet to begin talks of the 2008 NFL Draft following this weekend’s seven-round session, naming its [25 top prospects][4] for next April’s selection.Among the big names – Michigan quarterback [Chad Henne][5], Arkansas running back [Darren McFadden][6], Texas receiver [Limas Sweed][7], etc. – is Kansas junior-to-be Aqib Talib.Now while the folks at the country’s premier sports publication couldn’t get a photo more recent than 2005 for the gallery, they do point out just why this prediction is not be too far of a reach._”A shutdown cover man with terrific size and athleticism, Talib has the ability to play cornerback or safety.”_Talib is 6-foot-2, 200 pounds (beastly size for an NFL corner) and will enter the year as, according to numbers, the country’s top cover corner. In 2006, he had 22 passes broken up and 28 passes defended. Both were tops in Division-I. The next closest total amount of passes broken up was 18, and no one else had more than 22 passes defended. His average of 2.8 passes defended per game was more than one a game greater than the next closest mark – 1.69 per game by Texas’ [Aaron Ross][8] (20th overall, Giants), who it should be noted was selected in the first round of last weekend’s NFL Draft. Also worth mentioning is that two more top-10 placers on that list – Cal’s [Dameyion Hughes][9] (95th overall, Colts) and Michigan’s [Leon Hall][10] (18th overall, Bengals) – were also taken in the first day of the draft.There’s three things Talib will have to do to make this more realistic for the masses to believe, say, nine months from now:**1) He’ll have to run a 4.4-4.5 40-yard dash** at the combine or at KU’s pro day (should he come out a year early, that is). As sad as it is, the NFL relies on this more than anything now, it seems like. They love, love, love, looooooove the so-called ‘measureables.’ If I were running a team, I’d rather have known playmakers and producers (you know, the Jon Cornishes and Aqib Talibs of the world). I’d say screw measurables. I’d base it on playmaking and character. But, then again, there’s a reason I don’t run a team, and maybe they know something I don’t. So just for good measure (yes, pun intended), he needs to flash the feet.**2) He’ll have to take advantage** of just about every defensive opportunity next year. Given his stats a year ago, teams will do everything humanly possible to throw the ball to the side of the field opposite Talib. The only way to make scouts and analysts think that his potentially lowered production isn’t from a recession in effort is to pick off every pass and swat away every duck in sight. No pressure, Aqib. Just sayin’.**3) Stay out of trouble**. This can be said of any NFL prospect. The last thing anyone needs is red flags. Just toe the line for a year.As an NFL prospect, you’ve got to love Talib. On top of the size, speed and talent, he has the gift of gab, making him a perfect potential Sunday afternoon entertainer. He has better hands than most cornerbacks, and he can even play a little receiver for you.So let the hype machine start. And get used to it, because it’ll last a full calendar year. Woo hoo!**_-Hey! Guess what?_** Time to share with you all a few more of my YouTube favorites. I know, it’s been awhile. Hopefully these make up for it somewhat:**-I’m pretty new to liking _[Scrubs][11]_**, but man, [this clip][12] had me almost literally fall off the couch a couple of weeknds ago.**-Two days later**, I was refreshed with another sitcom classic…check [this clip][13].**-As a Bears fan**, [this clip][14] already has me jacked up for next Fall.**-In a related clip**, EA Sports announced that Hester in Madden 2008 will be the first player in the game’s franchise history to have a [100 rating for speed][15]. When I hear that, I imagine myself lying around all weekend pulling repeated XBOX 360 versions of [this clip.][16]**-I bet every Royals fan** who watches [this clip][17] has the same reaction: _”Man, why can’t he just HIT?!?!”_ (Note: I’m not a Royals fan, I just like poking fun…but who am I to speak? I have [Alex Gordon][18] on my fantasy team…and it’s _not_ a keeper league…eek).See you next week, folks.**_KUSports.com editor Ryan Greene can be reached at rgreene@ljworld.com, or by phone at (785) 832-6357._** [1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2007/apr/10/its_official_wright_enter_nba_draft/?mens_basketball [2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook [3]: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/ [4]: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_blogs/sioncampus/vent/index.html [5]: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=160898 [6]: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=170928 [7]: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=145643 [8]: http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft/tracker/player?id=11096 [9]: http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft/tracker/player?id=10801 [10]: http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft/tracker/player?id=10731 [11]: http://imdb.com/title/tt0285403/ [12]: http://youtube.com/watch?v=BwU2MdQ3c_0 [13]: http://youtube.com/watch?v=bfumlySE_uw [14]: http://youtube.com/watch?v=smy72-FpgBM [15]: http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/news/story?id=2826180 [16]: http://youtube.com/watch?v=hAAgfY_NHzw [17]: http://youtube.com/watch?v=cySfw8f0beg [18]: http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=460086
