All About Rush

[Irish]

There is widely discussed rumor that the Suns have given Rush a promise that they will take him with their #15 pick. Two sources that have plugged this into their mock drafts are draftexpress and Chad Ford of ESPN.com. Many other mocks have him listed going far lower.

Is there a chance that this high ranking will induce some other team to draft him? None of the mocks seem to think so. In any case, this is similar to what went on last yaer when the Pistons were widely reported going after Stuckey and they did. Based on his rookie year, it was a good decision, but as we know that has not always been the case.

Why would the Suns give a promise to somebody who is expected to be there anyway? My best guess is that they think his ranking is depressed by his recovery from ACL surgery of last summer. If this is the case, it would explain why Rush was not tested and measured at Orlando.

PRO RUSH REVIEWS

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Brandon-Rush-78/


http://hoopshype.com/draft.htm

Swingman with excellent size, wingspan, basketball instincts and athletic
ability. Solid perimeter shooter with feet set or off the dribble. Shown great improvement in his defense, but needs to improve his ball-handling skills, particularly with his left hand. Unselfish to a fault at times, refuses to take over games and quickly loses his confidence when things don’t go well. A little bit old for his class. Production was disappointing early on, but really came on late in the season, particularly in the NCAA tournament.

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=420457

15. Phoenix Suns (from Atlanta). Brandon Rush, Kansas. Supposedly the first of the promises. The big pre-draft game is trying to figure out which players have promises from which teams. Everyone's watching who is working out where. There's talk that Rush must have a promise from the Suns, and the seasoned junior seems like a ready-made rookie. Plus, Steve Kerr likes shooters.

http://www.probasketballnews.com/mejia_052708.html

Not based on the "promise" but still favorble.

19. Cleveland - Brandon Rush, G, 6-6, 210, Jr., Kansas: [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]He showed off his versatility and an increased maturity level in bouncing back from a torn ACL that threatened to jeopardize his pro aspirations. The Cavs have plenty of holes to shore up and could do worse adding a multi-faceted swingman who should be able to contribute immediately. [/FONT]

SKEPTICAL REVIEWS

draft review at #22 http://www.thedraftreview.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3776

Weaknesses: A mystery on many levels as Rush has yet to be consistent in how he approaches the game … One game he will play confident and use his talent to dominate, the next he is quiet and unaggressive … Ball handling is suspect - although he is capable of using one or two dribbles for drives, he rarely uses the dribble to create scoring for himself … Perimeter shooting can go through periods of streakiness … When Rush struggles from the perimeter his overall productivity seems to suffer … Hasn’t really lived up to the enormous expectations placed on him as a high schooler … Still learning how to be efficient shooting off the dribble from mid-range … Rush is a highly developed athletically, but rarely shows the willingness to attack the basket … This severely limits his ability to create fouls … Intensity level is very questionable as he can appear to just coast through games … Not a tremendous defender as his anticipation skills and lateral movement are decent, but require refinement on the NBA level … Tends to settle for perimeter shots instead of driving to the basket … Rush’s advanced year of age as a junior, 23, and the improvement he's experienced in college leaves a good probability that he is nearing the ceiling of his development…

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/7966511/

Staying so long in school exposed his flaws a little too much (injuries, no left). A strong national semifinal against North Carolina, however, boosted his stock. Rush isn’t a great player, but above average, which gets him drafted. He can explode over the rim, but he needs to be a better ballhandler and can be indecisive on the wing closing out the break; he looks better coming from the left or down the middle.

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My hope is that this is another Stuckey situation, in this case more about his injury recovery status. In any case, I remain cuatious with so many reviewers down on him, but I can't think that Kerr would give a promise unless he's not awfully sure of what he's doing. Let's hope.

 

[da_suns_fan]

Well, he's definately the fans choice here.

Maybe not the as high of a possible ceiling, but most of the other guys being mentioned who will be available look pretty one dimensional.

 

[Irish]

Well, he's definately the fans choice here.

Maybe not the as high of a possible ceiling, but most of the other guys being mentioned who will be available look pretty one dimensional.

I think so. I always try to look for balance as there is a danger of going from "who's he, he great, he's a bum" in a few hours.

I'll start a different thread on just how big a deal having a good three point shooter is.

 

[Mainstreet]

My hope is that this is another Stuckey situation, in this case more about his injury recovery status. In any case, I remain cuatious with so many reviewers down on him, but I can't think that Kerr would give a promise unless he's not awfully sure of what he's doing. Let's hope.

Griffin commented about Stuckey in the Suns third draft workout video. He said a player like Stuckey would eventually play PG because he defends the PG.

Perhaps an analogy to Rush?

 

[carey]

Griffin commented about Stuckey in the Suns third draft workout video. He said a player like Stuckey would eventually play PG because he defends the PG.

Perhaps an analogy to Rush?

Rush will never be an NBA point. Why do we keep trying to turn players into things they aren't. If we want a real PG go draft or sign one.

 

[Mainstreet]

Rush will never be an NBA point. Why do we keep trying to turn players into things they aren't. If we want a real PG go draft or sign one.

You can take whatever meaning out of it you like, but Griffin did take time to discuss Stuckey and how he would eventually transition to a PG. It's just ironic that Griffin took the time he did to discuss Stuckey in this manner.

 

[Irish]

Rush will never be an NBA point. Why do we keep trying to turn players into things they aren't. If we want a real PG go draft or sign one.

Rush is not a PG.

In other threads I suggested trying to convert Diaw to a PG (the position he played in France before he became a PF). Diaw's main issue is that he has too high a dribble which limits him hanging onto the ball when being attacked by a quick PG. Ideally, a PG should keep the ball very close to the floor to create a tougher target for guys trying to knock it away.

One aspect of the signing Porter as head coach is that he proved himself capable of training PG's. He turned Mo Williams into a credible PG for the Bucks in 2004-05. Mo Williams was the 47th pick in 2003 and played sparingly for the Jazz in 2003-04 (1.3 assists per game). In 2004-05 he filled in for the injured TJ Ford and averaged 6.1 assists per game and a 2.49 assist to TO ratio. He became good enough that the Bucks traded away Ford.

I don't know if he can do it again, but I'm going to be interested to see if his skill at building PG's might help solve the Sun's problem

 

[cly2tw]

Rush is not a PG.

In other threads I suggested trying to convert Diaw to a PG (the position he played in France before he became a PF). Diaw's main issue is that he has too high a dribble which limits him hanging onto the ball when being attacked by a quick PG. Ideally, a PG should keep the ball very close to the floor to create a tougher target for guys trying to knock it away.

One aspect of the signing Porter as head coach is that he proved himself capable of training PG's. He turned Mo Williams into a credible PG for the Bucks in 2004-05. Mo Williams was the 47th pick in 2003 and played sparingly for the Jazz in 2003-04 (1.3 assists per game). In 2004-05 he filled in for the injured TJ Ford and averaged 6.1 assists per game and a 2.49 assist to TO ratio. He became good enough that the Bucks traded away Ford.

I don't know if he can do it again, but I'm going to be interested to see if his skill at building PG's might help solve the Sun's problem

In that case, we should go all the way to get Lowry who has Tim Hardaway with better defense all over his head. Maybe Porter could get him that far.

 

[Irish]

In that case, we should go all the way to get Lowry who has Tim Hardaway with better defense all over his head. Maybe Porter could get him that far.

Lowrey may be available, but I don't know for what price.

 

[Russ Smith]

I always liked Rush' overall game with one exception which is mentioned in the reviews on this thread, he doesn't take over games he's not the guy that wants to be the man he wants to blend in. Maybe that works better in the NBA but in college they often had to tell him to shoot. Exceptional athlete even post knee surgery, very long, very smooth player.

He was one of the kids that decided late to pull out of the draft out of HS and then everyone expected him to be one and done at Kansas so he's actually stayed a lot longer than expected.

 

[Irish]

I've noticed that the tendency of draft reviewers to reward guys who dominate the ball and downplay wings who play off the ball and play in a team concept.

Being able to beat ones man off the dribble is great, but it can easily come at the expense of ball movement. I hate passivity on the dfensive end, but I'm not turned off by the phrase "unselfish" on the offensive end as long as it it not a code word for timity.

 

[DWKB]

Brandon Rush was regarded as the best defensive player on the Hawks. I have to believe any report that questions his defensive ability to be rather suspect.

 

[Irish]

Brandon Rush was regarded as the best defensive player on the Hawks. I have to believe any report that questions his defensive ability to be rather suspect.

It may also be a reflection of the reviewer seeing early season games. Seeing him in the tournament would give a very different impression.

 

[cly2tw]

How does Rush compare to Battier and Brewer from Utah? Or even Posey?

 

[Irish]

How does Rush compare to Battier and Brewer from Utah? Or even Posey?

Brewer was not known for his shooting and Battier was an inside guy who never was know for having much quickness. The Posey comparison might be credible.

 

[Bigdez22]

no no no no noooooooooooooooooooooooo

I like Rush but not at 15. There will be better talent then Rush at 15.

I am not saying Rush wont be a good player but i think at 15 there could be some future all stars in waiting(Green,Batum,Jordan,Mcgee,others)

Why the Suns would tell Rush that they were going to draft Rush at 15 I dont understand

What if Westbrook or Arthur falls to 15? We are going to pick Rush?

 

[nowagimp]

How does Rush compare to Battier and Brewer from Utah? Or even Posey?

Rush is probably a better shooter than Battier and brewer, but I dont know if he can defend top talent after(or before) the ACL injury. Maybe, maybe not.

 

[tobiazz]

Drafting BPA is usually the best strategy in the NBA, but, man, Rush could really help with spreading the offense and defending the perimeter. He could also provide valuable rest for Bell and Hill. Drafting BPA is advisable if the Suns can make some sort of trade for their needs. The Suns lack of depth means that drafting a bust could have serious repercussions.

Having a second PG is a must and I don't see how they are going to make that happen without drafting Lawson or trading Diaw, Barbs, or a TE. In the trade scenarios, Rush would be a useful replacement for some of Diaw or Barb's minutes.

 

[Irish]

Rush is probably a better shooter than Battier and brewer, but I dont know if he can defend top talent after(or before) the ACL injury. Maybe, maybe not.

Here are some comments from draftexpress:http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Brandon-Rush-78/

Rush’s strength and size makes shooting from behind the NBA 3-point line a piece of cake in this setting. He looked effortless knocking down shot after shot, and only needed a glimpse of daylight to spot up while being defended in a fairly competitive pickup game by Bobby Simmons. He also defended him extremely well on the other side of the ball, using his length and height to contest his shots effectively, and not being afraid to fight back when the much stronger veteran took him down to the paint and posted him up.

Less than a year removed from the ACL surgery that forced him to return to Kansas last season and indirectly helped him win a national championship, Rush’s athleticism is slowly returning to the level it was prior to his injury. It wouldn’t be surprising if he looked a lot more explosive in his rookie season than he did in his final year in college, ala Carl Landry, as it often takes up to 18 months to fully recover from the surgery (which many players now return much stronger from.)

 

[Russ Smith]

I've noticed that the tendency of draft reviewers to reward guys who dominate the ball and downplay wings who play off the ball and play in a team concept.

Being able to beat ones man off the dribble is great, but it can easily come at the expense of ball movement. I hate passivity on the dfensive end, but I'm not turned off by the phrase "unselfish" on the offensive end as long as it it not a code word for timity.

There's a big difference between taking over when your team needs you to and dominating the ball. As a soph Bill Self quite often had to literally tell Rush to shoot more because he was so unselfish that his coach thought it was hurting the team. That Kansas team was arguably more talented than the one that won the NC this year but didn't have the same type of balance so at times they struggled to score and needed Rush to take over.

This yeare they were more balanced so they didn't really need Rush to take over and it's hard to argue with the results an NC.

IN the NBA it's far less like someone is going to need Rush to take over, he's not likely to be the #1 scoring option on a team anytime soon, if he is, that won't be a very good team.

I do agree with the comment that he might be a better athlete next year than this year there were definitely times this year that he didn't look 100% recovered.

 

[Irish]

no no no no noooooooooooooooooooooooo

I like Rush but not at 15. There will be better talent then Rush at 15.

I am not saying Rush wont be a good player but i think at 15 there could be some future all stars in waiting(Green,Batum,Jordan,Mcgee,others)

Why the Suns would tell Rush that they were going to draft Rush at 15 I dont understand

What if Westbrook or Arthur falls to 15? We are going to pick Rush?

Arthur is a smallish PF who is listed at 6.8.5" in shoes and a 6.77" standing reach, 215 lbs, and only a 30" max verticle. Last season Arthur averaged 6.3 rpg playing inside while Rush averaged 5.0 rpg on the wing.
http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-draft-measurements/

IMHO Westbrook only makes sense if he's a real poing guard. I'm skeptical.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Russell-Westbrook-5062/

This came from a Cleveland area newspaper, http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19756908&BRD=1698&PAG=461&dept_id=21848&rfi=6

Brandon Rush, Kansas, shooting guard, 6-7, 211 - The Suns likely will take either Rush or Budinger at No. 15. That might leave the other for the Cavs at 19. Rush helped the Jayhawks win the NCAA tournament this season. His athleticism is slowly returning after his ACL surgery. He was a 13-point scorer for Kansas. He has the potential to be a lock-down defender.
Comment: "He's made a good comeback from his knee injury," Monter said. "He does everything well. Teams are still concerned about his knee."

The knee issue is one that may be scaring off some teams and is why he is ranked lower than his ability by many mocks.