There is no slick or clever intro for Brandon Rush. There is no humorous anecdote or delayed punchline. Take him as he is, or remain confounded that he isn’t more. In a few years, at his current rate of production – that, to his credit, hasn’t wavered, though it hasn’t exactly improved — he will be the best Rush in the Rush family. …I’m not exactly sure what that means anymore.First, the things that Brandon Rush does well. He is an excellent three-point shooter and isn’t shy about it. Each year, his percentages from behind the arc have improved, and he shoots 40% for his career. He is a good on-ball defender. Rush could probably ramp up the intensity from time to time to vault him into a more distinguished group, but he’s a fine defender as it stands.

But he’s not getting younger. He entered the league at 23, and now at the age of 26 with precious little to show in terms of improvement, he’ll traverse this plateau until his athleticism begins to diminish. The skills he displays currently would be invaluable to an elite team in need of a quality defender, and floor spacer. But his capabilities, especially on offense, are more multifaceted than his output. Much of it is stymied by his nonexistent ball handling skills, and everything else is neutralized by a lack of consistent effort.

The Pacers are moving on. Paul George is wish fulfillment and George Hill can do everything Rush can, but better. Brandon still has a chance somewhere, but he’ll have to act fast. – DC

39. Jonny Flynn
PG, Houston Rockets

The maddening part of this exercise is that it’s inherently difficult to accurately assess the type of guy that plays 15 minutes a game. It’s easy to establish who’s an A+ player and who’s an F player, but differentiating between a D and a C-? That’s why scouts exist. Turning a C- guy into a B+ guy? That’s why coaches exist.

Jonny Flynn has proven in his two years as a pro that he is far from an A+ player. At times, he’s looked like an F player. As easy as it is to rip on David Kahn, though, I’m not ready to say that he picked a complete dud with the 6th pick in the 2009 draft.

The Flynn we saw at Syracuse had incredible quickness, a natural scoring ability, and that endearing little-guy confidence. The one in Minnesota, in the triangle, had… uh… quickness. When he was healthy. That’s about it.

Flynn could be higher on this list — I’m not going to print last season’s horrendous offensive numbers here and he was one of the worst defenders in the league — but as a Timberwolf he wasn’t at full health and was in the worst system possible. He is now on a team that has a track record of developing its guards and, while it’s going to be difficult to carve out playing time behind Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic, there are raw materials here that are begging to be properly utilized. – JH

38. Darko Milicic
C, Minnesota Timberwolves

I just spent the last half hour watching Darko Milicic clips on Synergy. I think I hate him now.

I don’t understand how Timberwolves fans can watch him shoot another lefty hook without resorting to violence. This is a man who shot 37.6% on post-up opportunities last year when he actually managed to catch and hold onto the ball. I’ve seen him heave a lefty hook from 15 feet away with his defender in perfect position and plenty of time on the shot clock. I’ve seen him turn down an open layup on the right side to go middle and miss a lefty hook over multiple defenders. It doesn’t matter what is happening around him, Darko’s mind is made up: lefty hook.

I want to know what’s going through Wesley Johnson’s head when he reposts Darko. He KNOWS the guy is going to turn left and haphazardly flip the ball toward the basket over three people. I want to know how David Kahn can honestly think we’re supposed to buy the “he picked up the triangle in two days” crap when his basketball IQ on offense has been low for his entire career. I want to know how Kahn can call him a great passer when he is such a black hole and how he can call him a “defensive presence” when he shows such poor understanding of team defensive principles. I want to get Kurt Rambis drunk and have him tell me what he really thinks of Darko.

Darko makes me angry because he’s not just another no-talent 7-footer. The few occasions when he busts out a counter-move in the post, it usually works. At his size, he should be a plus defender and he has the ability to move his feet on that end when he wants to. He just doesn’t do it. He doesn’t help you win. After eight seasons of this, I can’t even imagine Rubio redeeming him. – JH

37. Antawn Jamison
PF, Cleveland Cavaliers

I feel like we’re letting the fine folks over at Cavs: The Blog down with this ranking. If you’ve perused the blog in any capacity, you wouldn’t be able to escape the constant eye-gouging that invariably occurs when Antawn Jamison’s name arises.

The most valuable thing about Jamison? His name (his contract). It’s still worth something. He’ll still be known as a scorer, and with his name alone, he might find his way onto a team in need of his lackluster service. This is how he made it onto the Cavs. The Cavs were in need of offensive support, and they went out and got it.

Jamison was suddenly in the crux of a golden opportunity. How was Jamison to know he’d be the marquee name of the franchise the season after? He was meant to be the bed of parsley to LeBron James’ suckling pig. …Actually, that’s enough defending Jamison. If I walked into a restaurant, and the chefs dropped the suckling pig on the floor and shamelessly served a bed of parsley as the main course, I’d be pissed off too.

I believe successful teams are built around defense and efficiency, especially when they don’t have a superstar. Jamison was not efficient, and his defense was an insult to all that man has achieved since the discovery of fire.

via Giving out grades: Antawn Jamison | Cavs: The Blog

If Jamison does indeed stay with the team, my condolences to the fans. We can only read of your pain, Cleveland. We can’t feel it. – DC

36. DeShawn Stevenson
SG, Dallas Mavericks (FA)

“There’s like 37 people that are acting like me on Facebook,” Stevenson said. “I mean, if you look at me and look at all these tattoos, do you think I’d be sitting on the Internet and typing? C’mon, man. Sometimes you’ve got to look at a person. I would not be in my house on a computer typing nothing about anybody.”
Via DeShawn Stevenson: ‘Let LeBron just chill’, 6/11/11

Sometimes you’ve got to NOT look at a person. This is challenging when the person in question has a president on his neck.

Unlike, say, J.R. Smith, Stevenson’s game has little in common with his personality and appearance. The dude says and does some crazy things, but on the court he’s basically a trash-talking Keith Bogans (more on him below). He’s a tough wing defender, he’ll make threes when open, and he won’t demand the ball. This was enough to earn him a championship ring, but I’m skeptical about it being enough to keep him in that rotation.

Usually a spot on a list of subpar rotation players would indicate that something has gone horribly wrong, but this is rather encouraging news for Stevenson. He was in a rotation last season, despite shooting 28% on threes the previous year and 31% the year before that whilst battling back injuries. He played well enough that he’ll get a new contract once this lockout is over. Good for him. – JH

35. James Jones
SF, Miami Heat

The following is a conversation I had with myself.

Danny #1: Hey Danny! What are your thoughts on James Jones?
Danny #2: Well, to get the obvious stuff out of the way, he’s a great three-point shooter.

D1: Really great. Did you know he is tied for 28th all-time three-point shooting percentage?
D2: Yeah, I did know that because we’re the same person. He’s tied with other marksmen like Dell Curry, Allan Houston, and (surprisingly enough) Brandon Rush, whom you discussed five spots above.

D1: Yeah, he’s been a consistent shooter all of his life. What else can he do?

D2: *is quiet*
D1: Danny?
D2: He has long arms.
D1: …That’s a physical characteristic. What else can he do though?
D2: Did you know he’s tied with Allan Hou—
D1: Alright, nevermind. – DC

34. Keith Bogans
SG, Chicago Bulls

It’s not your fault, Keith. You didn’t force Tom Thibodeau to start you all 98 of those games last season. You didn’t tell Jack Ramsay to vote for you as the Defensive Player of the Year. You didn’t ask to be a punchline. You just really, really should’ve settled in as somebody’s 3rd shooting guard by now.

Bogans proves that If you almost never dribble, shoot, draw fouls, rebound, or create shots for teammates, you can still have a place in the NBA. Above-average perimeter defense has value in this league, as does toughness. It’s just mind-boggling that it has added up to an average of 22 minutes a game over eight years. He’s had a remarkable run as a rotation guy, but you have to think it’ll end soon. – JH

33. Steve Blake
PG, Los Angeles Lakers

Steve Blake must be glad that his first year with the Lakers is over. He struggled to adjust to the triangle, got chicken pox, and was swept out of the playoffs. This could not have been what he had in mind when he signed his four-year deal.

Looking at the numbers from last season, Blake’s three-point shooting was the lowest it’s been in four years and he turned the ball over at a rate higher than any of Jordan Farmar’s final three seasons as a Laker. His greatest value to the team was that he was superior to Derek Fisher on defense and, unlike the departed Farmar, he knew to get out of the stars’ way.

I’m sure Steve was the same guy he’d always been, but he did not assert himself and did not produce at the level that was expected of him. Perhaps Mike Brown’s offense will give him more responsibility and we’ll see a return to form next season. If not, then get ready to watch him spend 20 minutes a game mostly standing around. – JH

32. Jordan Hill
F/C, Houston Rockets
I wonder if Jordan Hill is an awkward guy in person. He runs up and down the court like he’s stumbling, but when it’s time to call for the ball in the post, he’s moving around like a seasoned pro. …Then once gets the ball, it’s back to stumbling.

His offensive skills may not be fully developed, but that shouldn’t have been expected in the first place. What he does have is a halfway decent hook shot, and he has range out to about 15 feet. It’s a work in progress, and Houston might have the patience to see it through.

But he isn’t on this list for his passable offensive repertoire. He’s on here because his defense is atrocious. Any player with any semblance of a post move will get by Hill and score, and if you’re lucky, he’ll be clueless enough to foul you while you’re at it.

If this seems too high for such a young player, it might be. But the Rockets are now packed with young talent at the frontcourt positions, and I’m not sure Hill is leading the pack by any stretch. His offensive potential says he’s a rotation player for years to come. His defense (so far) laughs at that. It laughs so hard. – DC

31. Willie Green
G, New Orleans Hornets

– DC