Brandon Rush analysis

glasket · Post #1 » by **glasket** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:51 am

I'm sure we have covered this before, however with 80% of the season over I would like to get your opinion again one a matter that has bothered me since the TJ Ford Bobcats trade rumour.

This relates to Brandon Rush who may or may not have been involved in that trade. It is fair to say we had higher expectations for him this season (especially after his strong finish to his rookie season) then he achieved.
However when you look at his production he has imporved in his Pts, Reb, Asst and Blks per game this season (if only slightly) and he is one of the better 3pt shooters on the team as well as often taking the best wing defensive assignment.

Do you think the Pacers should be considering trading him or is he more valueable then his numbers suggest and still has upside?

I belive he is part of our young core and should be retained. He will only get better.

RAW · Post #2 » by **RAW** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 3:12 am

I believe, if given the right system and coaching, he could be a bigger, physical Jalen Rose for us. I like Brandon and think he can continue to grow.

Post #3 » by **mizzoupacers** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 1:34 pm

I'm OK with trying to develop Rush as our starting two guard. Not wildly excited, but OK with it.

However, if the Pacers get the chance to draft Evan Turner this summer, and the trade of Rush for Augustin is still on the table, pull the trigger!

MNPacersfan · Post #4 » by **MNPacersfan** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:05 pm

However, if the Pacers get the chance to draft Evan Turner this summer, and the trade of Rush for Augustin is still on the table, pull the trigger!

Oh yeah!

Turner off the bench (for some or all of his first season) with Granger and Jones starting on the wings would be pretty solid.

MUpacersSIC · Post #5 » by **MUpacersSIC** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:20 pm

MNPacersfan wrote:
However, if the Pacers get the chance to draft Evan Turner this summer, and the trade of Rush for Augustin is still on the table, pull the trigger!

Oh yeah!

Turner off the bench (for some or all of his first season) with Granger and Jones starting on the wings would be pretty solid.

Turner would not come off the bench for us. He would be an immediate starter for sure. No one would start Jones over Turner, there's just no way. Turner could possibly be a Brandon Roy type player and you play him right away at the max minutes he's capable of imo.

Crossova21 · Post #6 » by **Crossova21** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:22 pm

MNPacersfan wrote:
Oh yeah!

Turner off the bench (for some or all of his first season) with Granger and Jones starting on the wings would be pretty solid.

If we get a top 5 pick he has to start. What's the point in drafting Turner and letting him ride the bench?

glasket · Post #7 » by **glasket** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:01 pm

haha if Obie is still aorund I bet our first round pick will be benched, especially if he starts showing signs of development and potential :wink:

Post #8 » by **PR07** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 9:19 pm

I'd just keep Rush. It would give us our best sixth man since Al Harrington was here.

Post #9 » by **Gremz** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 1:35 pm

Let's get an uprgade at the PG spot, and I'd predict Brandon's game to flourish. Until that time, he'll probably remain a little flat footed in the offensive flow. His movement over the past few games gives me encouragement though.

Post #10 » by **Miller4ever** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:11 pm

If Brandon Rush starts every season slow and picks up into a 15ppg player towards the end, I'll take it. When we start making the playoffs, he may ramp it up even more. Who knows? The logic is flawed, but I like it.

BTW, Rush was my 6th man in NBA 2k9 and won 6MOY.

Post #11 » by **Grang33r** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 5:17 am

Chad Ford called Rush a bust today on twitter.....

Tournament draft busts? Ed O'Bannon, Sean May, Chris Wilcox, Brandon Rush, Christian Laettner, Mateen Cleaves, Patrick O'Bryant ...

Link- http://twitter.com/chadfordinsider/status/10793539332

Not exactly a list of players i'd want Rush mentioned with.

Post #12 » by **Miller4ever** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 6:45 am

Compared to the other guys on that list, it's WAY too early to label Rush as a bust. It's his 2nd season fer crying out loud.

Patrick O'Bryant is a little younger (I think) but Rush is outdoing him by leaps and bounds. Rush is getting 9 and 4 right now, and has shown the ability to be consistent. He rebounds well and blocks shots extremely well for his position, and is draining 40% from deep this season. I'd say there's merit to keeping him around. We're not paying him a super duper amount, so he's a nicely cheap wait-and-see option.

Post #13 » by **PR07** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 4:33 am

I'd definitely call Chad Ford out on that comment. Rush is in what his second year? Give me a break. It's not like he's Patrick O'Bryant where you knew he was bad from the start. I think Rush will still be in the league 10 years from now.

Post #14 » by **Gremz** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 12:35 pm

His defense presence alone should remove him from any such list, and as we know his 3 PT% is getting better and better. To rule him out now is just silly.

jowglenn · Post #15 » by **jowglenn** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 4:51 pm

To the guy above who called him the next Jalen Rose... I see him as more of an Eddie Jones, which would be great. Defense, shooting, solid veteran craftiness.

Post #16 » by **Gremz** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 12:57 pm

jowglenn wrote:To the guy above who called him the next Jalen Rose... I see him as more of an Eddie Jones, which would be great. Defense, shooting, solid veteran craftiness.

I wouldn't complain if it did happen, but that's a bit of a stretch. Jones was a much better at passing/steals even in his rookie years. Brandon just doesn't seem to have those attributes.

Dunthreevy · Post #17 » by **Dunthreevy** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 2:26 pm

mizzoupacers wrote:I'm OK with trying to develop Rush as our starting two guard. Not wildly excited, but OK with it.

However, if the Pacers get the chance to draft Evan Turner this summer, and the trade of Rush for Augustin is still on the table, pull the trigger!

Why? Augustin is not better than Rush, and so far has been no better than AJ Price. I'd rather retain Earl, and have he and AJ run the point, than to trade away our best defender (who also is not terrible on offense) for a PG just for the sake of picking up another PG.

Post #18 » by **Miller4ever** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 4:18 pm

Rush is cranking it up again for the end of the season.

Post #19 » by **Grang33r** » Wed Mar 31, 2010 5:53 pm

Another horrid game by Rush last night. Those thinking he's "turned the corner", read this from John Hollinger.

Brandon Rush has had a forgettable career thus far, but as we head into the home stretch he may be on his way to a milestone of sorts. Rush has a PER of just 9.96 in his second pro season, but somehow leads the Pacers in minutes played with 2,159 --157 more than the next closest player, Troy Murphy.

If he manages to maintain his lead, he’ll claim the dubious distinction of being the worst player ever to lead his team in minutes. My search through the record books unearthed only two other players in the post-merger era to lead their team in minutes with a single-digit PER: Bruce Bowen with San Antonio in 2003-04, and Jason Collins with the Nets a season later.

But those were two of the best defensive players of the decade (if not ever, in Bowen’s case), so it’s obvious why they played so much. Rush is just an average defender, making his usage more perplexing.

Sure, Indiana is a bad team, but even on bad teams, the leader in minutes is usually a player of some accomplishment. The leaders on New Jersey (Brook Lopez) and Minnesota (Al Jefferson), for instance, have stellar PERs despite the woeful state of their teams.

In Rush’s case, injuries to Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy, the frequent use of smaller lineups and the team’s general dissatisfaction with free-agent bust Dahntay Jones have conspired to keep him on the floor for 30 minutes per game in spite of his own mediocrity. He just needs to keep up that pace for a dozen more games to claim this “record.”

Link- http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_ ... production

8305 · Post #20 » by **8305** » Wed Mar 31, 2010 10:37 pm

To Hollinger's point. Rush leading the Pacers in minutes is a fluke. The point guard position has been a "marry go round." Ganager missed about 20% of the season and Murphy and Dunleavy missed significant parts of the season too. Also don't think the Pacers are generally dissatisfied with Jones.

All that said I can't say I see Rush as a starter on a good team. The skills are there but he seems to lack a mental toughness.