Bet on the NBA Rookie of the Year at betED.com

[Shame About Ray]

March 6, 2009
Bet on the NBA Rookie of the Year at betED.com

There’s a lot of young talent in the NBA this season, and that means lots of candidates for the Rookie of the Year Award.

betED.com has Derrick Rose, a point guard for his hometown Chicago Bulls, as the favorite to win the coveted award, at -210 in NBA Rookie of the Year Betting Odds.

Some may argue that Memphis Grizzlies’ guard O.J. Mayo deserves the honor. The former USC Trojans standout is at +100 odds at betED.com.

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook, who recorded his first NBA triple-double in a win against the Dallas Mavericks this week, is at +900.

Further back are three players at +1900: the New Jersey Nets’ Brook Lopez, the Portland Trail Blazers’ Greg Oden, and the Miami Heat’s Michael Beasley.

Rounding out the betting choices at betED.com is Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol.

Rose played just one season of NCAA College Basketball with the Memphis Tigers before declaring for the 2008 NBA Draft, where he was taken first overall.

He helped Memphis record a 33-1 SU record last season, first place in the C-USA, and a berth in the Final Four, and the NCAA Championship Game, which the Tigers lost 85-67 to the Kansas Jayhawks.

After he was picked by the Bulls, Rose was named to the U.S. Select Team, which scrimmaged against the U.S. Men’s Olympic team to prepare for last summer’s Beijing Olympics.

Rose was selected Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in November, when he averaged 18.9 points and 6.1 assists on nearly 50 percent shooting, and then won the honor again in December.

Mayo also played just one year of NCAA Hoops for the Trojans.

He was picked third overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who traded him to Memphis for Kevin Love.

The Trojans lost to cross-town rival UCLA Bruins in the Pac-10 Tournament last year, but Mayo went on to score 20 points in a NCAA Tournament loss to Kansas State.

Mayo is averaging 19.3 points per game in his rookie season with Memphis.