Collison’s decade of dirty work makes him indispensable in OKC

Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol fights for a loose ball against Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Nick Collison during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Sunday, March 9, 2014. The Lakers won 114-110. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

All the NBA talk around Lawrence the past few days has centered on Kansas University freshmen and their decisions — Andrew Wiggins is officially entering the draft, and everyone is waiting to hear if Joel Embiid will do the same.

This time next year, we might be debating whether Wiggins or Embiid deserve to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year.

But for now, with the 2013-14 NBA season winding down, we’ll check in with a couple of veterans and a current rookie.

Mr. Reliable

When your career averages are 6.6 points and 5.7 rebounds, you have to be doing something right to stick around in the NBA for a decade.

For 10th-year power forward Nick Collison — selected 12th overall by the Seattle Supersonics in the loaded 2003 draft –becoming the ultimate role player enticed the franchise that picked him (Seattle relocated to Oklahoma City and changed its name to the Thunder following the 2007-08 season) to keep him around.

As Darnell Mayberry points out in his profile on Collison for The Oklahoman, the veteran out of Kansas is one of those rare NBA players who have spent the past 10 seasons with the same franchise.

FYI, some of those other names are: Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade.

Collison told Mayberry:

“I know it’s really rare for somebody
to be able to stick that long. And
now, to be successful at the end part
of it, too, to build up to being a
really good team at the end, that’s
how I would want it to go.”

The reliable backup big man averages just 4.2 points and 3.7 rebounds in 17.0 minutes a game for OKC (54-19), but general manager Sam Presti calls him a “founding member” of the Thunder, along with superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

“He represents the type of player that we want to ultimately have our organization embody,” Presti told Mayberry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGS-0iCOxfo

Between charges, screens, hustle plays, easy second-chance buckets, and defensive stops, you can see why the Thunder have kept Collison around.

And why he has become a fan favorite. Here’s what Collison said to Mayberry on that subject:

“I feel like they really appreciate
what I do, and I know that’s rare for
a player like me. A role player like
me who averages four (points) and four
(rebounds) or whatever it is, no one
really thinks twice about him. But I
know that I have kind of a special
place here. So I really appreciate
that.”

The Thunder currently hold the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and are one of the favorites to win the 2014 NBA title.

Finishing strong

Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore (16) shoots between Oklahoma City Thunder guard Derek Fisher (6) and guard Jeremy Lamb (11) during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game in Oklahoma City, Friday, March 28, 2014. Oklahoma City won 94-81. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

It would be a stretch to say Ben McLemore’s rookie season in Sacramento has been a complete success.

Even though the Kings have shown their commitment to the young guard, he hasn’t separated himself as one of the league’s very best first-year players.

Still, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee wrote that the youngster out of Kansas is settling in to his position as the Kings’ starting shooting guard.

Sacramento spent the opening months of the season bringing the rookie along slowly, but McLemore told Jones his confidence began to grow after the franchise dealt starter Marcus Thornton, opening a spot in the starting rotation for the former Jayhawk.

“It’s an opportunity for me. Why not
take it? That’s what I did, and I just
want to keep doing that. I’m not
finished. I just want to keep working
and finish this season out strong and
in the offseason work on my
weaknesses.”

The best news for McLemore and Sacramento? He is starting to take his game to another level in the closing weeks of the season.

In his previous 10 games, the rook with huge upside averaged 11.8 points, while hitting 40.9% of his shots and 33.3% of his 3-pointers. Those numbers get even better in his past five outings: 14.6 points, 41.3% field goals and 42.9% 3-pointers. Compare those numbers to his season averages of 8.2 points, 37.3% shooting and 32% from 3-point range.

Monday night at New Orleans, McLemore scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds (he has only averaged 2.8 boards on the year).

In Jones’ feature on the developing shooting guard, Kings coach Michael Malone said McLemore knows these late-season games with Sacramento (26-48) are his chance to shine.

“He’s just kind of relaxing, stopped
putting so much pressure on himself
where he feels he has to make every
shot, and he’s just going out there
and playing,. And he’s taking the shot
and shooting it with great
confidence.”

Hungry for minutes?

Utah Jazz guard Brandon Rush (25) shoots against San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014, in San Antonio. San Antonio won 109-105. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

When you’re an NBA veteran at the end of a team’s bench, often picking up the dreaded DNP in the box score, it has to get under your skin.

Utah shooting guard Brandon Rush is living out that reality. He has played in 38 games, and averaged a minuscule 2.1 points and 1.2 rebounds in 11.0 minutes a game — far below his career averages of 8.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 24.9 minutes.

So Rush will have to forgive Desert News reporter Jody Genessy if he truly misinterpreted this tweet from the sixth-year pro following another DNP against Memphis last week.

Won't let me eat

— Brandon Rush (@BRush_25) March 27, 2014

Genessy asked Rush about the meaning of his four-word declaration a few days later. Rush told the reporter he was communicating with a cousin in that particular message.

But Rush admitted to Genessy that this season with Utah (23-52) has been “a little frustrating.”

“It’s been up and down. It’s not what
I expected. But I just fight through
it and continue to try to get better,
try to get this knee right for
summertime. It happens.”

As noted by Genessy, Rush missed basically all of 2012-13 due to an ACL injury.

He’ll be a free agent at the end of this season. And you don’t have to read into Rush’s tweets to figure out he won’t be in Utah’s training camp next fall.

‘Hawks in the NBA standings

Only a couple of weeks remain in the regular season, so here’s a look at where all of the NBA’s Jayhawks stand in the hunt for the playoffs.

We’ll rank the Kansas products according to their franchise’s record.

No. 1 — Nick Collison/Oklahoma City (54-19)

• Currently No. 2 seed in West

• Clinched playoff berth

No. 2 — Mario Chalmers/Miami (51-22)

• Currently No. 1 seed in East

• Clinched Southeast Division title/playoff berth

No. 3 — Thomas Robinson/Portland (48-27)

• Currently No. 5 seed in West

No. 4 — Markieff Morris & Marcus Morris/Phoenix (44-30)

• Currently 9th in West, with the same record as No. 8 Memphis

No. 5 — Kirk Hinrich/Chicago (42-32)

• Currently No. 4 seed in East

• Clinched playoff berth

No. 6 — Paul Pierce/Brooklyn (39-33)

• Currently No. 5 seed in East

No. 7 — Drew Gooden/Washington (38-36)

• Currently No. 6 seed in East

No. 8 — Darrell Arthur/Denver (32-42)