Jayhawks in the Pros (NBA Edition - Week 3)
Nov. 15, 2010
Cole Aldrich
Center Cole Aldrich, who played at KU from 2008-10, is in his first season with the Oklahoma City Thunder after being traded on Draft Day this summer. Aldrich played limited minutes in one game with the Thunder last week, and recorded two rebounds. He is averaging 1.0 points and 2.2 rebounds this season. Aldrich was originally drafted by the New Orleans Hornets with the 11th overall pick in this year’s draft, but was traded to Oklahoma City on draft day.
Darrell Arthur
Forward Darrell Arthur, who played at KU from 2007-08, is in his third season with the Memphis Grizzlies. Arthur played in all three games for the Grizzlies last week, highlighted by a nine-point performance at Dallas on Nov. 10. Arthur is averaging 10.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game this season. In his two professional seasons, he has averaged 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while appearing in 108 contests for the Grizzlies. Arthur was selected by Memphis with the 27th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
Mario Chalmers
Guard Mario Chalmers, who played at KU from 2006-08, is in his third season with the Miami Heat. Chalmers, now fully recovered from his ankle sprain, played in two games for the Heat last week. Now that he’s healthy, Chalmers can begin to compete for the starting spot with current point guard Carlos Arroyo. “I’m still trying to get my rhythm, find out where my spots are going to be on the court, that’s the main thing right now,” Chalmers told Fox Sports Florida in an interview. “My ankle is feeling pretty good. I’m just trying to get back in the groove.” Chalmers is averaging 1.3 points and 1.5 assists on the season while playing limited minutes for the Heat. In two seasons with Miami, the former Jayhawk has averaged 8.6 points and 4.2 assists per game, while playing in 155 games. Chalmers was drafted by the Heat in the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft.
Sherron Collins
Guard Sherron Collins, who played at KU from 2006-10, is in his first season with the Charlotte Bobcats. Collins played four minutes in a 95-91 loss to San Antonio on Nov. 8. Collins looks to work his way up in the depth chart where is currently third among point guards behind D.J. Augustin and Shaun Livingston. Collins was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Bobcats this summer.
Nick Collison
Forward-center Nick Collison, who played at KU from 2000-03, is in his seventh season in the NBA, and his third with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Collison made his season debut to a standing ovation from the Oklahoma City fans in a 117-104 loss to San Antonio. Collison played 11 minutes and contributed two points and three rebounds. In his six seasons in the league, Collison has averaged 7.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He was the 12th overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Seattle Supersonics.
Drew Gooden
Forward Drew Gooden, who played at KU from 2000-02, is in his ninth season in the NBA and first with the Milwaukee Bucks. Gooden started in all three of Milwaukee’s games last week, highlighted by a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) in a 79-72 win over Golden State on Saturday and a game-high 10 rebounds in a 108-81 win over Atlanta on Wednesday. He brought his season averages to 9.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists. In eight NBA seasons, Gooden has played for seven teams and has averaged 11.9 points and 7.9 rebounds. He was the fourth overall pick of the 2002 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies.
Xavier Henry
Guard Xavier Henry, who played at KU during the 2009-10 season, is a rookie with the Memphis Grizzlies this year. Henry saw playing time in all three games for the Grizzlies last week, including a career high 25 minutes against Phoenix on Nov. 8 where he tallied 14 points and two steals. Henry is now averaging 14.4 minutes, 6.8 points and 1.5 rebounds per game on the season. He was the 12th overall pick of this summer’s NBA Draft by the Grizzlies.
Kirk Hinrich
Guard Kirk Hinrich, who played at KU from 2000-03, is in his eighth NBA season overall and first season with the Washington Wizards. Hinrich played the first seven years of his pro career with the Chicago Bulls. Henrich started all three games for the Wizards last week; including a 14-point, eight-assist game in a 93-85 loss to Charlotte on Friday night. He brought his season averages to 36.5 minutes, 11.0 points, 4.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game on the season. In his first eight NBA seasons, Hinrich averaged 13.4 points and 5.8 assists per game, along with 1.2 steals per contest. The former Kansas guard was the seventh overall pick by the Chicago Bulls in the 2003 NBA Draft.
Darnell Jackson
Forward Darnell Jackson, who played at KU from 2005-08, is in his third NBA season and first with the Sacramento Kings. Jackson played in two games for the Kings last week bringing his season averages to 5.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. He played 23 minutes and contributed 11 points in Sacramento’s loss to Minnesota on Wednesday. In two NBA seasons, Jackson has averaged 1.2 points and 1.4 rebounds per game, while appearing in 79 contests. Jackson was a second round selection by the Miami Heat in the 2008 NBA Draft, but was traded to Cleveland Cavaliers shortly after the draft.
Paul Pierce
Forward Paul Pierce, who played at KU from 1996-98, is in his 13th season with the Boston Celtics. The former NBA Finals MVP started all three games for the Celtics last week, including a 116-110 overtime win against Memphis on Saturday, where he tied his season high of 28 points and had four assists and three rebounds. Pierce brought his season averages to 21.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. In his 12 NBA seasons, Pierce has averaged 22.5 points, 6.1 boards and 3.8 assists per game, played in eight All-Star games and made two appearances in the NBA Finals (2008 and 2010). Pierce was the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Celtics.
Brandon Rush
Guard Brandon Rush, who played at KU from 2006-08, is in his third season with the Indiana Pacers. Rush made his season debut against Denver on Tuesday night where he scored 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had two assists in a 114-113 win over the Nuggets. Rush also played in two other games last week and is averaging 8.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists on the season. He has averaged 8.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in his first two NBA seasons, which included a 29-point game against Chicago during his rookie season. Rush was originally drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 13th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft before being traded to Indiana.
Julian Wright
Forward Julian Wright, who played at KU from 2006-07, is in his fourth NBA season and first with the Toronto Raptors. Wright saw playing time in three games for the Raptors last week. He played 21 minutes, scored nine points, grabbed four rebounds and had two assists on Wednesday in a 101-96 loss to Charlotte. Wright is averaging 5.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game for the Raptors this season. In three previous seasons with the New Orleans Hornets, Wright averaged 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, while appearing in 179 contests. He was originally drafted by New Orleans with the 13th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft following his sophomore year at KU.
