Published: June 27, 2008 01:07 pm            

Pacers wheel and deal, land Rush, Hibbert in draft

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers walked away from Thursday night’s NBA Draft with Kansas guard Brandon Rush (Portland’s No. 13 pick) and Georgetown center Roy Hibbert (Toronto’s No. 17 pick), pending trades the team cannot announce or make official until July 9.

“We’ve been in touch with the league all day, we got memos, and they told us what we can say and not say,” Pacers president Larry Bird said. “It’s very disappointing not only for us, but for the guys that we’ve got coming here. I don’t really know what to say about it — I know the franchise is going in the right direction.”

Rush and Hibbert were two of only four top-20 picks with at least three years of college experience in this year’s NBA Draft.

“If you look at some of the guys in the proposed trade, they’re a little bit older and went to school for at least three years and that’s a part of the change — more mature kids with some experience and getting guys that we think can come in here and play right away,” Bird said.

The Pacers originally drafted Jerryd Bayless — a guard out of Arizona — with their 11th pick, but reportedly traded him and Ike Diogu to Portland for Rush, power forward Josh McRoberts, and point guard Jarrett Jack.

Rush (6-foot-6, 210 pounds) led Kansas to a national championship last season as a junior, averaging 13.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for the Jayhawks. Rush is a solid defender and shot 43.5 percent from beyond the arc during his college career. He could play shooting guard or small forward at the NBA level.

Rush originally planned to enter the 2007 NBA draft prior to suffering a torn ACL in his right knee. While speaking to the media about Rush’s brother and current Pacer Kareem, Bird was asked about Brandon Rush.

“Kareem Rush is a hell of a player,” Bird said. “His brother is uh … better. His brother can defend and we like that.”

In the trade for Rush, the Pacers also got Jack (6-foot-3, 197 pounds) — who has averaged 9.9 points and 3.8 assists in three NBA seasons — and second-year forward and Carmel High School graduate Josh McRoberts (6-foot-10, 240 pounds), who played in just eight games for the Blazers last season.

Along with Hibbert, the Pacers will reportedly acquire T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and forward Maceo Baston from Toronto in exchange for Jermaine O’Neal and the Pacers’ second-round pick — forward Nathan Jawai (Australia).

Hibbert (7-foot-2, 278 pounds) played four years of college basketball for Georgetown and averaged 13.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game for the Hoyas last season. Hibbert ranks fifth all-time in blocked shots (259) for Georgetown and will help the Pacers replace O’Neal’s defensive presence in the post.

When the trades are made official July 9, the Pacers’ will add Rush, Hibbert, Ford, Nesterovic, Baston, Jack, and McRoberts, while they will part ways with O’Neal, Diogu, Bayless, and Jawai — indicating more Pacers will be on their way out in the near future.

While addressing a crowd of more than 4,000 watching the draft at the Conseco Fieldhouse Thursday, Indiana head coach Jim O’Brien said when the dust clears this summer, he thinks Pacers fans will be “very, very pleased” and quoted a Bob Dylan song in saying, “The times, they are a-changing.”

As expected, Memphis guard Derrick Rose was selected first by the Chicago Bulls and Kansas State forward Michael Beasley was taken second by the Miami Heat.

Three players from state colleges were selected in the first round — Indiana University guard Eric Gordon (7th, Los Angeles Clippers), IUPUI guard George Hill (26th, San Antonio Spurs), and Indiana University forward D.J. White (29th, Detroit Pistons). White was later traded to Seattle.

todd.taylor@flyergroup.com

        

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