Brandon Rush

[bballpacen]

Monroe's now out of the draft. Going back. Thabeet is coming to Indy.

No way do we draft Thabeet, regardless of any other player in the draft... I am getting the feeling that we will try to trade up, or swap this years pick for a pick next year...

[cdash]

Do you guys think Rush has DPOY potential?

[Miller4ever]

Yes.

He just needs to get noticed, and get a rep. WE know him as a lockdown defender, but other teams around the league don't fear him on defense like they do with DPOYs. A big sign of DPOY-ness is when teams have to gameplan their offense to negate a defender.

[chatard5]

I hope so, but I doubt it. He doesn't have the speed, as of now, to get a bunch of steals. He won't get a ton of blocks. Some people have biased votes based on those numbers.

If we can get some nationally televised games, that would sure help. I can see him being 1st-team All Defense. If I had to put a percent on if he wins it outright, I'd probably say 25%. He will continue to get better, though, and hopefully by this time next year I am saying 75%.

[cdash]

I'm just asking if you think he has the potential to be the DPOY. Having the potential to get it and actually getting it are two different things. For instance, I think Shane Battier is one of the best defenders in the league, and he certainly has DPOY potential, but the voting system is flawed and he likely won't ever get it. I think Rush can be like Battier with a better offensive game. Which would be huge.

[chatard5]

Then yes, but I think you could say that about many NBA players to potentially being DPOY. I would say it is not probably, but clearly possible for Rush, but from what I saw in his rookie season I like the chances of him being 1st-team all-defense multiple years.

When I think about it 25% is high. I would say more like 10-15%, not bad though.

[Miller4ever]

Bowen never got the stats, and AK47 had a stretch where for a few seasons he was doing 2 blocks and 2 steals. Yet, Bowen was in the discussion, and AK much less so.

[chatard5]

His chances drastically increase with our team improving (I don't see our D being nearly as good as those Spurs teams anytime soon) and being contenders. To win you need teammates who can defend as well. I don't remember the Jazz having a good defensive team lately, which hurt AK47.

[cdash]

Did you guys know Rush carried a 0.0 GPA in high school multiple semesters?

[DougInOz]

Did you guys know Rush carried a 0.0 GPA in high school multiple semesters?

0.0? So... my exposure to american TV suggests this to be bad thing. Wouldn't a 0.0 indicate not even attending and/or spelling your name wrong on the top of the test?

[chatard5]

Ouch, that makes me feel smart. Did you hear this or read it. If read it do you have a link? I just searched and saw he got arrested, but it was for not showing up to court for a traffic ticket.

[Miller4ever]

Brandon Rush's dark side shows itself....

[chatard5]

Did you guys know Rush carried a 0.0 GPA in high school multiple semesters?

0.0? So... my exposure to american TV suggests this to be bad thing. Wouldn't a 0.0 indicate not even attending and/or spelling your name wrong on the top of the test?

I have never actually received a point for putting my name on a test. They say you get points for putting your name on the SATs. Not actually true. You get 400 points, I believe, automatically, because you get what is the equivalent to 1 point for every correct answer and 1/4 of a point taken off for every question missed. Therefore if you guess on every question and miss them all, you get a 0 (which is hard to do).

[cdash]

It's all part of his shady recruitment (and the shady recruiting of the Kansas program in general). I read it on a college basketball forum, so I'm not sure how reputable the source is, but there were other links involved.

[chatard5]

I did see his high-school GPA was a Harvard-esque 1.9.