Chalmers to get a shot in MiamikU draft notebook

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Jun 28, 2008 by Asher Fusco

By Asher Fusco

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

If Mario Chalmers was swinging for the fences by entering the NBA draft early, the result might be the equivalent of a ground-rule double.

Chalmers missed earning the guaranteed contract of the first round by four picks, falling to 34th overall and eventually heading to the Miami Heat via trade, but he ended up in what Kansas coach Bill Self called a favorable situation.

"There's absolutely no reason for a guy to leave early to be a second round pick," Self said. "Now that the decision was made, you live with it. But I do think he is going to a great franchise for him to really impact."

Chalmers will compete with veteran Jason Williams for playing time at point guard with Dwyane Wade entrenched at shooting guard.

"When you look at their guard play, they need some help," Self said. "Obviously Miami thought enough of him to give away two second round picks for him."

Chalmers was also pleased with the result of the draft. When asked at a news conference whether he preferred making a big shot or being drafted, he hesitated for a moment and smiled.

"It's a tough decision, but I'd definitely have to say getting drafted to the NBA," Chalmers said. "It's a dream come true for me right now and it's always something I wanted to do."

Kaun's good gig

Sasha Kaun may have been the last Jayhawk selected in Thursday night's draft, but things are looking up for the big man. The Russia native will return to his homeland next week to try out for the Russian national team before joining his new team, CSKA Moscow.

Kaun signed a three-year deal with the Russian team and is eligible to return to play in the NBA after his contract expires. The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired the rights to Kaun from the Seattle SuperSonics late Thursday night.

"Sasha got the best deal of anybody," Self said. "It'd be like somebody moving to Russia, playing over there and not knowing anybody and then the States saying we're going to pay you this much money to come play over here - tax free. It's a pretty good gig for Sasha."

A positive draft

Between Arthur's and Chalmer's drops down the draft board and the trades that affected all of the former Kansas players, the Jayhawks had a drama-filled draft night. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

"If anything, it's positive that we had five guys taken," Self said.

Self said he was disappointed that his former players slipped past their projected spots, but pleased they ended up on the draft board.

"It was a good night overall," Self said. "Their immediate financial windfall is half as much as they had envisioned it could be. That's disappointing, but in the big scheme of things it's not about how much you play next year, how much you make next year. It's about, 'Can you have a career?' "

Asher Fusco is The Capital-Journal's Kansas correspondent.