NBA Rookie of the Year Watch
1. Derrick Rose – Chicago Bulls
If you haven’t seen Rose shatter Andre Miller’s kneecaps with a cross-over on YouTube, then you’re haven’t seen the highlight of the year in the NBA. The former Memphis point-guard is averaging 18.7 points per game with 5.8 assists. Imagining what he might be able to do with more talent is almost scary. And by “scary” I mean “totally freaking awesome”.
Chicago Bulls 8-10 SU, 10-8 ATS
2. O.J. Mayo – Memphis Grizzlies
Mayo has been a scoring threat his entire life, and starting off your NBA career with a 21.9 scoring average is certainly a nice kick-off. But when you’re averaging just 0.4 more rebounds than Rose, you really need to find some more versatility in your game. I wouldn’t venture in Mayo’s direction until the Grizzlies start winning games…in 2010.
3. Marc Gasol – Memphis Grizzlies
Yep, there’s another Gasol in the NBA, and he’s got a nasty mean streak. When he vowed to make the league pay for adding him as fodder in the trade involving his older brother, Marc wasn’t kidding! Averaging 12 points and 7 boards per game is enough to get Gasol some notice in the Furious Watch on the first-years in the NBA. Gasol and Mayo are set to be a homeless man’s version of the Kobe-Pau combo in LA. Next year they’ll be the poor man’s, and then the year after that they’ll probably be a middle-class man’s. So at least they can only go up!
Memphis Grizzlies: 4-13 SU, 6-11 ATS
4. Brook Lopez – New Jersey Nets
Talk about a hot streak! With Lopez averaging 25-9 in the last couple weeks, the Nets have been on a streak to sink your teeth in to. What’s surprising about Lopez, whose brother plays for the Suns, is that he’s been outperforming other known big men in the league by astounding rates. He beat up on Al Horford, Jermaine O’Neal, Brad Miller and Chris Kaman in one-on-one matchups. Lopez is certainly outperforming the other big center on this list.
New Jersey Nets: 9-8 SU, 10-7 ATS
5. Greg Oden – Portland Trailblazers
A peculiar stat has been haunting the Blazers is that their team field-goal percentage plummets whenever he’s on the floor, which was a strange theory visited by TrueHoop on ESPN.com last week. Well, Oden’s 37% shooting percentage from close-range shots that aren’t dunks may have something to explain for it. But the pre-season favorite to win the ROY award is letting his faithful down in betting pools across the board. Thank goodness the Blazers are rewarding their betting investors as a team. Unfortunately for Oden, that has more to do with Brandon Roy than Oden.
Portland Trailblazers: 13-6 SU, 11-7-1 ATS
