NBA: TOP ROOKIES ON DISPLAY
The three leading candidates for the NBA Rookie of the Year award are all on display Tuesday night in a mammoth 12-game schedule.
The NBA is off on Wednesday for Christmas Eve but will resume on Thursday with five nationally televised games including the huge one between NBA Finalists, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.
Tuesday night though is a great showcase for the NBA Rookie of the Year candidates. Chicago’s Derrick Rose and Memphis’ O.J. Mayo are currently tied at +150 odds. Portland big man Greg Oden is third on the list at +350.
Note that Miami’s Michael Beasley is the only other serious contender right now at +500. However, the scoring (13.6) and rebounding totals (5.0) are lower than expected for the former Kansas State superstar.
You can see all the odds for Sportsbook.com’s Rookie of the Year and place your wagers now to get the best value.
Rose and the Bulls are in Detroit for an 8 pm ET Tuesday start. The 20 year-old point guard from Memphis was the #1 pick in the draft and he has not disappointed. Rose’ 17.7 PPG is second to all rookies behind Mayo, while his 6.2 assists per game is tops.
One of the most impressive parts of Rose’ game is his 47.4% shooting, which means he isn’t forcing a lot of bad shots, rare for a rookie. The Bulls will be going against a Pistons team that is hungry after two straight losses, so expect them to be a solid favorite.
Mayo and the rest of the Grizzlies travel to Dallas to take on the Mavericks Tuesday night at 8:30 pm ET. The USC and high school legend has exceeded all expectations with a 20.3 PPG average that leads the team and all rookies.
There was a question of whether he was a point or shooting guard during draft time, but he clearly fits as a ‘two’ and does a nice job filling in the stat sheet with four rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
The Grizzlies have played over .500 basketball since starting 4-14, and continuing to win games will help his chances to win the award. Still, it’s hard not to think that Rose would win the award if the season ended today.
Oden and the Trail Blazers have a big 10 pm ET Tuesday night game hosting the Denver Nuggets. These two teams played in Denver on Monday night which adds intrigue.
The seven-footer from Ohio State has shaken off some early season injuries to become a key cog in Portland’s success. However, his rebounding total of 7.7 per game is just about where Minnesota’s Kevin Love and New Jersey’s Brook Lopez are. Oden’s 1.4 blocked shots per game is actually behind Lopez (1.96).
Oden also averages only 8 points per game. Part of that is due to the fact he only averages 22.7 minutes and part of it is he’s developing as an offensive player. If he doesn’t come on strong quickly, then it’s hard to imagine him winning the award.
