duncan228
02-24-2009, 02:03 AM
Hill in race for Rookie of the Year ... sort of (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Hill_in_race_for_Rookie_of_the_Year__sort_of.html)
Mike Monroe
The race for Rookie of the Year is between Chicago's Derrick Rose and Memphis' O.J. Mayo, the Nos. 1 and 3 picks in the 2009 draft.
Spurs rookie George Hill is in a rookie race that is just as compelling: Championship Contender Rookie of the Year.
That is a two-man race, as well. The only other rookie making a meaningful contribution on one of the legitimate title contenders is Orlando's Courtney Lee.
Hill has played in all but two of the Spurs' 54 games, averaging 18.0 minutes, 6.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists. His bigger contribution has been at the defensive end, which is the reason Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has given him all that playing time in the first place.
Lee has played in 50 games for the Magic, starting 15. His numbers are similar to Hill's — 7.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
Trail Blazers fans will protest that Nicolas Batum, taken one pick ahead of Hill on draft night, should be on this arbitrary and arcane list. Since it is subjective, we'll wait for the Blazers to actually make the playoff field before considering them a legitimate contender. It's been six seasons.
J.J. Hickson did a nice job filling in for the Cavs when Zydrunas Ilgauskas was out injured, but he averages only 12 minutes and 4.4 points per game.
It's rare when rookies drafted by the league's best teams make immediate contributions, and the reasons are evident. Unless they own the picks of other teams, these teams draft at the end of the first round. They usually have player rotations that are hard to crack, too.
“I've been in the league 15 years,” said Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer, “and Sam Cassell is the only rookie I've seen contribute to a championship team in that time, and I mean the only one.
“Granted, I'm talking about the team that wins it all, but in 15 years he's the only guy I've seen who played a significant role on a championship team.”
Indeed, few rookies in league history have made major contributions for teams that won the title. The exceptions are significant: Boston's Bill Russell, in 1957, along with teammate Tom Heinsohn (who actually beat Russell in voting for Rookie of the Year); Lakers guard Magic Johnson, in 1980 (Larry Bird was that season's Rookie of the Year); and Boston's Kevin McHale, in 1981 (when Utah's Darrell Griffith was Rookie of the Year).
Hill's career path likely won't match those players, all of them in the Hall of Fame, but it is no reach to imagine a career as significant as Cassell's.
Cassell came into the league with a brash personality that exceeded his skill set. His game grew into his own expectations, and he became an All-Star.
Hill lacks Cassell's bravado, but his calm, confident demeanor has allowed him to interact with teammates who expect everyone who shares their locker room to expect success.
“You walk in that locker room and there's huge expectations for everyone,” Spurs general manager R.C. Buford says. “I bet guys like Michael Finley and Brent Barry and Robert Horry walked in there and were a little bit daunted at times by the level that you step into, and it's something this group has sustained for some time.
“It says something about George that he's been able to step in that locker room and not be overwhelmed.”
Manu Ginobili's latest injury likely means a bigger role for Hill over the next couple of weeks. Unless Lee's role for the Magic grows, too, Hill will be a long step ahead in a fictitious Rookie of the Year race that may extend into June.
Mike Monroe
The race for Rookie of the Year is between Chicago's Derrick Rose and Memphis' O.J. Mayo, the Nos. 1 and 3 picks in the 2009 draft.
Spurs rookie George Hill is in a rookie race that is just as compelling: Championship Contender Rookie of the Year.
That is a two-man race, as well. The only other rookie making a meaningful contribution on one of the legitimate title contenders is Orlando's Courtney Lee.
Hill has played in all but two of the Spurs' 54 games, averaging 18.0 minutes, 6.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists. His bigger contribution has been at the defensive end, which is the reason Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has given him all that playing time in the first place.
Lee has played in 50 games for the Magic, starting 15. His numbers are similar to Hill's — 7.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
Trail Blazers fans will protest that Nicolas Batum, taken one pick ahead of Hill on draft night, should be on this arbitrary and arcane list. Since it is subjective, we'll wait for the Blazers to actually make the playoff field before considering them a legitimate contender. It's been six seasons.
J.J. Hickson did a nice job filling in for the Cavs when Zydrunas Ilgauskas was out injured, but he averages only 12 minutes and 4.4 points per game.
It's rare when rookies drafted by the league's best teams make immediate contributions, and the reasons are evident. Unless they own the picks of other teams, these teams draft at the end of the first round. They usually have player rotations that are hard to crack, too.
“I've been in the league 15 years,” said Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer, “and Sam Cassell is the only rookie I've seen contribute to a championship team in that time, and I mean the only one.
“Granted, I'm talking about the team that wins it all, but in 15 years he's the only guy I've seen who played a significant role on a championship team.”
Indeed, few rookies in league history have made major contributions for teams that won the title. The exceptions are significant: Boston's Bill Russell, in 1957, along with teammate Tom Heinsohn (who actually beat Russell in voting for Rookie of the Year); Lakers guard Magic Johnson, in 1980 (Larry Bird was that season's Rookie of the Year); and Boston's Kevin McHale, in 1981 (when Utah's Darrell Griffith was Rookie of the Year).
Hill's career path likely won't match those players, all of them in the Hall of Fame, but it is no reach to imagine a career as significant as Cassell's.
Cassell came into the league with a brash personality that exceeded his skill set. His game grew into his own expectations, and he became an All-Star.
Hill lacks Cassell's bravado, but his calm, confident demeanor has allowed him to interact with teammates who expect everyone who shares their locker room to expect success.
“You walk in that locker room and there's huge expectations for everyone,” Spurs general manager R.C. Buford says. “I bet guys like Michael Finley and Brent Barry and Robert Horry walked in there and were a little bit daunted at times by the level that you step into, and it's something this group has sustained for some time.
“It says something about George that he's been able to step in that locker room and not be overwhelmed.”
Manu Ginobili's latest injury likely means a bigger role for Hill over the next couple of weeks. Unless Lee's role for the Magic grows, too, Hill will be a long step ahead in a fictitious Rookie of the Year race that may extend into June.