10B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
BASKETBALL
MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 2008
Former Hawks looking for new homes in NBA
BY JESSE TEMPLE
itemple@ku.edu
Summer league games in the NBA certainly won't be confused with the league's regular season contests that begin in late October.
In the summer, the superstars are still at home. Rosters generally consist of rookies, other young players and basketball journeymen trying to make a team. And the rules are a bit lacking, too, as players are allotted 10 fouls instead of the usual six.
That doesn't mean the Kansas hoopsters taken in the 2008 NBA Draft didn't get anything out of it.
In fact, perhaps no player benefited more from participating in the summer league than former Jayhawk Mario Chalmers.
This year's version of the summer league was split into two sec
tions. The first was a six-team league from July 7 to July 11 in Orlando, which included Chalmers' Miami Heat team. The second was the bigger, 21-team field in Las Vegas, which concluded July 20. Both Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson played in Las Vegas for their respective franchises.
Chalmers played so well for the Heat that he earned second-team all-league honors in Orlando for averaging 15.8 points and 5.4 assists in five games. He also was rewarded for his play with a three-year, $2.3 million contract, even though by getting selected in the NBA draft's second round. Chalmers was not guaranteed any money.
Heat general manager Randy Pfund told The Kansan in July that the summer league played a pivotal role in determining Chalmers' value.
"He kind of proved what we
optimistically thought was good about Mario with his play in the Orlando Summer League", Pfund said. "He handled the ball very well as a point guard, shot the ball well and defended very well against a couple guys drafted very high."
Pfund was referring to Chalmers' match-ups with No. 1 overall draft pick Derrick Rose and No. 4 pick Russell Westbrook. Against each player, Chalmers scored 11 points and averaged five assists.
"We already were very high on him, but it kind of validated the pick we made with Mario and led to us being convinced that doing a three-year contract with him made the most sense," Pfiund said. "Getting those five games under his belt was a great opportunity to get some experience under fire."
jackson made his pro debut at the Las Vegas Summer League
for Cleveland, Selected No. 52 in the draft by Miami and traded to Cleveland, Jackson is expected to sign a two-year contract worth about $1.2 million. Cavaliers assistant general manager Chris Grant
said the summer league was a good opportunity for Jackson to show what made him so valuable while at Kansas.
"We expect him to compete at a high level, defend and be open to coach-
on 4-of-9 shooting with eight rebounds.
Arthur also made his professional debut in Las Vegas, playing for the Memphis Grizzlies. He struggled mightily in his team's first
"We expect (Jackson) to compete at a high level, defend and be open to coaching. It's the first time around the block. So we're learning as much as they're learning."
ing," Grant said. "It's the first time around the block. So we're learning as much as they're learning."
CHRIS GRANT Cleveland Cavaliers assistant GM
In his first game with the Cavaliers, Jackson scored 10 points
his former Jaylawk teammates, Brandon Rush, the No. 13 overall pick, didn't play in an NBA summer league. Rush's Indiana Pacers began the Orlando Summer
three games, committing a whopping 26 fouls. Arthur b o u n c e d back, however, to score 23 points with six rebounds in a later contest, this time picking up five fouls.
Unlike the
League on July 7, but Rush — who was traded from Portland to Indiana on draft night — did not officially join the Pacers until July 9. Shortly after, Rushed signed his contract, which will pay him more than $3.1 million during the next two seasons.
Indiana president of basketball operations Larry Bird said he was certain that missing summer league wouldn't affect Rush's NBA readiness. As a lottery pick, Rush had much less to prove by attending the summer league than other KU players.
"With his talents, I think once real practice starts, he'll get a better feel for it." Bird said. "But he'll be here most of the summer. Just having him here this summer, getting acclimated to the city, that's a major factor."
Edited by Luke Morris
BASKETBALL
Fresh faces with big experience fill young Jayhawk team
The top junior college prospect, a community college national champ and twin tower power forwards are a few of the next big things
BY CASE KEEFER ckeefer@kansan.com
forward
Hometown: Chicago
MARIO LITTLE
(Junior college transfer)
Position: shooting guard/small
Hometown: Chicago
Scouting report: Little could help ease the loss of Brandon Rush, playing the same position and possessing similar qualities. Little, the nation's top junior college prospect, is considered an outstanding rebounder and defender.
Bill Self's take: "He's a very good scorer and he will bring an element of toughness to our program."
TYRONE APPLETON
(junior college transfer)
**Position:** point guard/shooting
guard
Hometown: Gary Ind
Scouting report: Appleton likes to win. He led Midland Community College to a national championship two years ago, and doesn't mind sacrificing his own statistics for the betterment of his team. That's the profile of an ideal player for Self.
Hometown: Gary, Ind.
Self's take:"Tyrone has been well drilled and I am sure the transition will be smoothed with him coming into our system."
TYSHAWN TAYLOR
Position: point guard/shooting guard
Hometown: Jersey City, N.J. Scouting report: Taylor has
caught the attention of all who have watched him play in scrimmages or the Kansas City Pro-Am League this summer. Taylor, a guard known for versatility, scored 47 points and recorded 17 rebounds in one of the Pro-Am league games.
Taylor speaks:"I've never been on a losing team in my life. I just can't do it."
MARCUS MORRIS
Position: small forward/power forward
Hometown: Philadelphia
Scouting report: Marcus Morris has a smooth shot that can be
lethal from anywhere on the floor but he's also big enough to grind out points in the paint. He averaged 27 points per game in high school.
Self's take:"Marcus is a very skilled, do-everything wing when he has the ball. He is a tall perimeter player that can also go inside."
MARKIEFF MORRIS
Position: power forward/center
Hometown: Philadelphia
Scouting report: Markieff Morris should add depth to the depleted Jayhawk frontcourt. Markieff may not be as skilled a scorer as Marcus, but is known for rebounding. He averaged 15 rebounds per game as Marcus' teammate at Prep Charter High School.
Self's take: "Markieff is a big forward that can play either spot on your front line. He is a very good low post player."
HALL CENTER for the HUMANITIES Humanities Lecture Series 2008-2009 KU HALL CENTER FOR THE HUMANITIES The University of Kansas
Susan ESTRICH Professor of Law, University of Southern California
September 23,2008 Woodruff Auditorium
"The 2008 Election: What's at Stake"
October 27,2008 Kansas Union Ballroom
Michael CHABON Author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
November 18,2008 Woodruff Auditorium
"Conquering the Wilderness: Imaginative Imperialism & the Invasion of Legoland"
Supported by the Sosland Foundation of Kansas City
Jeannette WALLS Author of The Glass Castle
"The Glass Castle: Hunting Demons and Other Life Lessons"
February 5, 2009 Alderson Auditorium
Anthony CORBEILL Professor of Classics, University of Kansas
February 24, 2009 Woodruff Auditorium
Award-Winning Writer, Composer, and Saxophonist
McBRIDE
James
"Androgynous Gods, Androgynous Nouns, & the Invention of Heterosexuality in Ancient Rome"
Supported by the Friends of the Hall Center
The Frances and Floyd Horowitz Lecture devoted to issues related to our multicultural society
Distinguished Professor of History, University of Chicago
"The Color of Water: Search for Identity"
April 20, 2009 Woodruff Auditorium
Dipesh CHAKRABARTY
Dipesh
"The Decline and Prospect of Universal History"
TRAVIS RELEFORD
**Position:** shooting guard/small forward
**Hometown:** Roeland Park
**Scouting report:** Relefond is a streaky shooter who can be deadly when he finds his shot but is also prone to slumps. He spent part of his summer in Argentina playing in the FIBA Americas Under 18 Championships.
**Self's take:** "Ever since we came to Kansas, Travis has been a target and we feel very fortunate to get him to come to our program."
No longer do the Royals and their owner view the free agent draft as a way to save money rather than acquire greater talent.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The longwoefel Royals and their put-upon fans may look back on Aug. 15, 2008, as one of their best days ever, a 24-hour period that signaled the end of an era, the death of a dark and dreary time.
Remember Dermal Brown? Dan Reichert? Has anyone heard lately from Juan LeBron? Those are just a few of the first-round picks who were drafted way too high because Royals officials were forced to concentrate on signability.
QUINTRELL THOMAS
QUINT TRELL THOMAS
Position: power forward
Hometown: Elizabeth, N.J.
Scouting report: Thomas hasn't developed into a consistent scoring threat but is a physical rebounding force below the basket. Former Jayhawk and current NBA player Julian Wright raved about Thomas' board-grabbing abilities after playing with him this summer.
Self's take: "Quintrell will give us an element of toughness and his defensive rebounding will be something we look to early in his career."
MLB
Royals sign 2 marking big day for KC
BY DOUG TUCKER ASSOCIATED PRESS
But now KC has a new general manager, Dayton Moore, and a new philosophy of spending money.
Nothing illustrates the new way of doing business at Kaufman Stadium than the signing, on the same day, of pitcher Tim Melville and powerhitting first baseman Eric Hosner.
Hosmer, drafted third overall, is a 6-foot-4 first baseman who dominated high school pitching. He goes into a minor league system that already features Mike Moustakas, another power-hitting infielder. There's no way of knowing whether Moustakas, Melville and Hosmer will ever be stars, or even advance to the majors.
But at least the Royals are back in the game.