Give Rush some space

We need to back off Brandon Rush. His two years at Kansas have gone smoother than any of us could have anticipated.

He’s taken care of his academic responsibilities, embraced being a Jayhawk, avoided off-court embarrassment, and blossomed as a player and a person.

There’s no reason for this relationship to turn ugly or end with sour feelings just because Brandon Rush exclusively shared his intention to enter the draft with The Kansas City Star, his hometown newspaper.

OK, Bill Self had a right to be upset. He and Brandon Rush had agreed two days before to make the announcement in a Friday news release. Self had a right to express his displeasure to Brandon Rush.

It should’ve ended there.

Self didn’t need to share his displeasure with the reporters who were embarrassed they got beat on a major story. By sharing his displeasure/frustration with reporters, Self unwittingly set into motion a media whine session that has made Brandon an undeserved target of criticism.

It’s not just fans and reporters who want their information spoon-fed from the sports information office who are mad at Brandon Rush. Freshman point guard Sherron Collins was quoted in a local paper suggesting that Brandon Rush treated his teammates poorly by not telling them face to face.

(Someone might want to tell Sherron that carrying 20 extra pounds all season was a major disservice to his teammates and hurt KU’s title hopes.)

Everybody, take a deep breath. There’s too much emotion in this story.

I spent a good deal of time on the phone with Self and Brandon Rush’s summer-league coach/mentor John Walker on Tuesday. I talked with each man separately. They both love Brandon Rush and want what’s best for him.

Having talked to Self and Walker, I believe there’s a small chance Brandon Rush will return to Kansas for another season … as long as everyone is mature enough to deal with the facts and listen to what each party is really saying.

I’m not going to quote Self or Walker. I’m going to offer my interpretation of what each man wants for Brandon Rush.

If Brandon hears from NBA scouts and executives that he’s not a surefire first-round pick, Self desperately wants Brandon Rush to return because Self believes Brandon Rush could develop into a 2008 lottery pick by playing one more year at Kansas. Self also believes Kansas could win the national championship next year, which would enhance Brandon Rush’s stock.

Self understands that there’s a gigantic difference between a “stint” in the NBA and a “career” in the NBA, and that difference for some players is one extra year of development before entering the league.

Walker believes, as do I, that there is absolutely nothing wrong with Brandon Rush testing his NBA stock this summer, and that Kansas should be totally supportive and patient while Brandon Rush determines his NBA value at camps and workouts.

Brandon Rush was wise enough to pull out of the draft as a 19-year-old high-schooler, and he’ll be wise enough to do it again if the evaluation reports are not favorable. What could interfere with that are hurt feelings and pride.

Brandon Rush is a different kind of cat. He’s shy and honest to a fault. When forced to talk, he says exactly what he thinks. And he’s just like 99 percent of America. You can tell him 98 positive things, and he’ll remember the two negative things you said in the middle of the conversation. That’s human nature.

Brandon Rush doesn’t need to be coddled. He’s highly coachable. You can ride him and he won’t fold.

But this is different. He believes he’s making the decision of his life, a decision that will impact his family, friends and the course of his life. He’s freaking out.

If we back off, I’m confident he’ll make the right decision. I say that because the two guys influencing his decision — Self and Walker — genuinely have Brandon Rush’s best interests in mind.