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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM Sports WEDNESDAY, JULY 2.2008
SPORTS
NBA DRAFT
Falling into the right fit
BY JESSE TEMPLE
jtemple@kansan.com
While Darrell Arthur and Mario Chalmers never envisioned slipping as far as they did in Thursday night's NBA Draft, a silver lining still remains.
They may actually be better fits with their respective teams than if they had been drafted earlier - despite being a bit lighter in the wallet.
Arthur, who lost about $1.5 million by dropping out of the top 14 to No.27, finds himself with a chance to play the forward spot right away in Memphis. And Chalmers, who fell from his projected spot in the first round to No. 34, could take over point guard duties in Miami. By being a second round selection, however, Chalmers is not guaranteed a contract until making the regular season roster.
A projected top 15 pick, Arthur suddenly and inexplicably began dropping off the draft board like a stone on Thursday.
The New Orleans Hornets finally took Arthur at No. 27, but that was merely the beginning of his night. By early Friday morning, Arthur had been sent to Portland, Houston and finally the Memphis Grizzlies.
The cause of the freefall stemmed from a mix-up on his blood tests, which was said to reveal kidney concerns. Upon taking another test for the Washington Wizards to clear up the matter, Arthur never had the results sent to other teams.
College basketball analyst Dick Vitale said Arthur also was hurt because he struggled during his individual workouts for NBA teams. He said too much emphasis was placed on one day rather than the total resume over the course of a season, which showed Arthur was a proven talent.
By ending up in Memphis, however, Vitale said Arthur helped his chances in the league.
"He has great skills," Vitale said. "The big thing for him is he's going to an environment where he's going to get playing time."
Chalmers originally was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 34th pick before he was traded to the Miami Heat for two future secondround selections and cash considerations.
Heat general manager Randy Pfund said the organization wanted a point guard prospect and was surprised to see Chalmers still available after the first round.
Pfund, who visited Allen Fieldhouse for senior night in early March, said Chalmers was high on the team's draft board. He said Miami head coach Pat Riley even took time off during the season to see Kansas play.
"He's a guy we obviously scouted well," Pfund said of Chalmers. "There was no question that if we got in a position to draft Mario, we would do it."
Pfund said that because of the teamoriented game that Self's Jayhawks played, Chalmers' offensive numbers
did not accurately reflect his potential. In a three-guard lineup with Sherron Collins and Russell Robinson, Chalmers finished his junior season tied for second in scoring at 12.8 points per game. He led the team in both steals (97) and assists (169).
The Heat's current starting point guard, 6-1 Jason Williams, missed part of last season with injuries and will turn 33 next season. Pfund wouldn't comment on the likelihood of Chalmers starting next season.
"I know he'll come in thinking he can do that," Pfund said. "That's one of the things you like about him. He's a confident kid, and that's good. You need a little swagger in this business, and you need to believe in yourself"
Self said the chances of Chalmers playing in Minnesota did not appear very good initially. When he was drafted, Chalmers would have been playing behind No. 3 pick O.J. Mayo, who was traded later on. In Miami, however, Chalmers will face less pressure with Wade as a teammate. Chalmers could find himself wide open for jump shots as Wade draws double teams from defenders.
The only underclassman from Kansas to go where he was projected, Brandon Rush, has less to worry about.
Rush was drafted 13th by the Portland Trailblazers, then shipped off to the Indiana Pacers in a five-player deal.
— Edited by Brenna Hawley
Former Kansas basketball player Mario Chalmers goes up for a layup during the NCAA tournament last March. The Miami Heat selected Chalmers with the 34th pick in Thursday's NBA Draft.
COMMENTARY
Chalmers' draft night a costly, cautionary tale
JaVale McGee is guaranteed $2.4 million, Alexis Ajinca: $2.1 million. Nicolas Batum: $1.8 million, George Hill: $1.7 million.
Mario Chalmers isn't assured a single cent.
The former Kansas guard, who rode his championship-game heroics out of college and into the NBA Draft one year early, fell past the no-names into the second round
and out of a guaranteed contract in last Thursday's draft. That's not the
way this whole early entry thing is supposed to work.
"There's absolutely no reason for a guy to leave early to be a second-round pick." Kansas coach Bill Self said. "I've said that all along, and his family would say that. But now that the decision was made, you live with it."
Mario's miracle shot pulled Kansas to a national title, left
Memphis devastated and pulled him into the national spotlight. But it might have dented Chalmers' pocketbook.
Chalmers is a long-armed ball of energy with springboards for legs and elite defensive instincts. He was the perfect college two-guard. As a junior, Chalmers shot 51 percent from the field and 47 percent from three-point range. He averaged better than two steals per game in each of his three seasons. Chalmers isn't short on athleticism and skill.
But he is short. At 6-foot-1, he's too small to thrive as a shooting guard in the NBA, where he would match up against players 6-foot-5 or taller. To boot, Chalmers didn't
SEE FUSCO ON PAGE 29