 |
| Look Ma, no hands! |
It’s early Christmas morning and you’ve woken up at 6 am, a whole hour before your parents will even wake and two hours before they will be finished wrapping your last minute gifts. Finally, your father yells up the stairs letting you and your brothers know that it’s okay to come down and open your presents. You shake with excitement, your mouth wide with a grin as you giggle uncontrollably because you are certain that the gift you’ve been waiting for is under the tree; a brand new Xbox 360, with a copy of Madden ‘12 to boot. Only when you open your gifts you find out that your parents went out and bought a refurbished original Xbox and a copy of Madden ‘06.
Your parents respond by saying that it’s the best they could do within their budget and from the research they did, was a comparable option. Then you inform them of the flaws in the original Xbox, how it will probably overheat and that your favorite player, Matthew Stafford, wasn’t even in the league in 2006, a fact that numbs your enjoyment of the game. This is similar to the relationship fans have with NBA general managers.
Every year when the NBA draft rolls around fans have an idea of which player their team should draft. This is hardly ever an opinion based on logic, but rather heavily influenced by the emotions of March Madness and whatever insider information they have gained from ESPN.com. Then draft night comes and though the player they had hoped would be on the board isn’t, the fan has made up their mind that the player their team will wind up drafting is in fact the best possible option and of All-Star caliber. The player survives training camp and makes his way into the opening day rotation.
Come opening day the fan finally gets a glimpse at what he has been waiting for. Off the charts athletic ability, the same flair and swagger that was witnessed months ago in March Madness, only much like unwrapping presents on Christmas morning, the fan is disappointed. He got the refurbished version of what was supposed to be the next Bill Russell only it turned out being Greg Oden’s failing knees.
In the following days the fan falls into a state of denial and becomes delirious, bombarding their teams GM with comments proclaiming that anybody would have known to take Stephen Curry over Johnny Flynn or that Kevin Durant was the sure thing and Greg Oden was certain to collapse. They struggle to make it through the season as their favorite team continues their yearly ride into the lottery with the hopes of drafting the next MJ, fully knowing that the next MJ will not be walking through the door.
Though it’s too early to fully tell how good (or bad) this years class of NBA rookies will turn out, one thing is for certain, the Timberwolves chose correctly in 2009, taking Ricky Rubio with the 5th pick in the draft. The pick was highly scrutinized for several reasons. The first being that many did not believe Rubio would want to play in Minnesota and would hold out for a larger market. The second, some scouts were unsure of how Rubio’s game would translate from Europe to America. And the biggest critique of all was the fact that the Wolves took three, yes, THREE, point guards in the first round.
Rubio wound up holding out, playing in Europe for two more seasons. In the meantime his production worsened overseas and the odds of him jumping the pond seemed like they were slimming. After dealing Ty Lawson to the Nuggets and giving Johnny Flynn his fair shot, space had opened up for Rubio to make his mark. And so, this past offseason, Rubio finally settled on a contract with the Timberwolves and would make his rookie debut in this lockout shortened 2011-12 NBA season of ours.
Only seven games into the season, Rubio has shown why the Wolves took the risk of drafting him, even if it meant waiting a few years for him to arrive. Rubio is averaging 9.4 points, 6.7 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game, showing off a great shot selection and top-notch court vision. He is a player that is going to transform the fortunes of the Wolves for years to come. And though other players are looking strong out of the gate, I have Rubio in the lead for rookie of the year.
Rookie Rankings
1. Ricky Rubio- Rubio’s best line of the season thus far came in a two-point loss to the Miami Heat where he went for 12 points, 6 rebounds and 12 assists.
2. Kyrie Irving- Irving has quickly turned the Cavs from doormats to respectable. He has shown to be consistent thus far, averaging 14.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
3. MarShon Brooks- Possibly the only positive thing that has happened to the Nets this season is MarShon Brooks. The rookie has scored over 20 twice and is averaging 14 points per game.
4. Norris Cole- In what might be the steal of the draft, Cole has shown that he has serious clutch gene and has calmed Miami’s problems at PG. So far this season he is averaging 11.1 points, 1.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
5. Iman Shumpert- He has the potential to climb to the top of this list and if it weren’t for an injury that cost him a handful of games, he might be the best rookie so far this season. In the three games he has played, Shumpert is averaging 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
6. Kemba Walker- Walker has had some inconsistencies thus far in his rookie campaign. When he gets to the foul line he is able to put up points. This season he is averaging 10.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3 assists per game.
7. Markieff Morris- Morris is showing to be the better twin so far this season, averaging 9.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists. Once he becomes more consistent, his stats will dance with a double-double every night.
8. Derrick Williams- His numbers suffer a bit from how involved he is in the offense, but he is making the most of what he is being offered, averaging 7.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Once he earns the minutes over Michael Beasley, we will see the complete package.
9. Tristan Thompson- He has shown promise on the boards, but looks to be a work in progress offensively. What’s most impressive though is his ability to block shots. 7.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 1.4 blocks per game.
10. Jimmer Fredette- Jimmer-time hasn’t quite made an impact on the NBA scene yet, showing up as more of a hot and cold player. His season high is 17, but he is averaging 9.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
No comments:
Post a Comment