Why teams passed on Arthur

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06:37 AM ET 06.27
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By the time Darrell Arthur was taken with the 27th pick of the first round, the raucous crowd at New York's Madison Square Garden was relieved. His embarrassment was even too much for them to endure. What happened? How did a player projected by many to go in the teens barely squeeze into the first round? Why did he wait hours for his name to be called, then had it called again and again and again as he went from New Orleans to Portland to Houston before landing in Memphis. The easy explanation is the kidney. Nothing showed up on the NBA's physical. Arthur played with this undisclosed condition at Kansas. But when teams heard about it and requested lab work, Arthur declined. Red flags were raised. He relented and allowed Washington's medical staff to do a complete workup. He was cleared. It came too late. As one general manager told me late Wednesday evening, Arthur was, "dropping like a stone." But there is more to this. French forward Nicolas Batum failed a stress test in one of his workouts and was forced to undergo a battery of cardiological tests. He went two spots ahead of Arthur. Arthur is an excellent athlete. He has a nice touch and a beautiful turnaround jumper. He can knock down the 17-foot jumper and finish around the basket. But he's not much of a rebounder and is a poor passer. Some personnel people mentioned that he seemed to coast through parts of games. Arthur did not impress at the combine or in his individual workouts. A bad back kept him from practicing for some teams. It was no way to win the hearts and minds of NBA general managers.

Dallas Morning News

Darrell Arthur, Jamie Squire/Getty Images

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June 27, 2008 08:11 AM ET

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Poor kid, I felt bad for him. He's the NBA's Brady Quin

Hank Hill

Arlen, TX

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June 27, 2008 08:13 AM ET

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i agree.. poor kid.. but i don't mind watching them fall. brady quinn and matt leinart falling were classic.

BruceLeeRoy

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June 27, 2008 08:28 AM ET

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Don't feel bad for him, he is playing in Portland. A team that has Oden and Bayless playing as rookies is nothing to feel bad about.

Ratchet

Iowa City , IA

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June 27, 2008 08:32 AM ET

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Too bad. Who's advising this kid? With millions at stake, why would he refuse to turn over the lab report? It probably doesn't help that at 6'9 he doesn't rebound and can't pass. He's lucky to be drafted at all.

Hllywd: Old…

Columbus , OH

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June 27, 2008 09:16 AM ET

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maxwellinformed

Big D, TX

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June 27, 2008 10:33 AM ET

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Don't feel bad for him, he is playing in Portland. A team that has Oden and Bayless playing as rookies is nothing to feel bad about.

I Like Turtles | 06/27/08, 08:28 AM

Great Post! I agree 100%. Nothing to feel sorry about. Let's see if he turns out to be the dud or stud.

maxwellinformed
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I concur. In three years this will be forgotten and he'll either be an all-star (if he gets dedicated) or an also ran (if he doesn't get serious off the court).

Petey024

New York , NY

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June 27, 2008 10:47 AM ET

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Did you guys even read the article? Arthur was traded to Memphis. He won't be playing for Portland.

I do wonder though what would have happened if the Rockets had kept him once they acquired him...

madhatter

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June 27, 2008 10:48 AM ET

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hes not even in portland you dumb ****. If im correct I believe he is in Houston or Memphis the latter i think it is. Anyways Portland does have a potent young team for the future or even next year I think they can qualify for the playoffs.

ak47

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June 27, 2008 11:26 AM ET

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he will make much more money than i will

salvaje50

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June 27, 2008 11:47 AM ET

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i agree.. poor kid.. but i don't mind watching them fall. brady quinn and matt leinart falling were classic.

RocketOJBarryAreGuilty
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But Rashard Lewis falling was a sad scene.

Petey024

New York , NY

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June 27, 2008 05:19 PM ET

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Just wanna let everyone know, that after watching this guy abuse Joey Dorsey in the tournament final, we few remaining Grizz fans are stoked that we got him. I just wish he would have fallen to 28 so we wouldn't have had to go through all that mess.