anakha
05-05-2007, 09:45 PM
While the draft class last June 2006 was probably the least-hyped in recent memory, I find myself more than pleasantly surprised at how this rookie class as a whole has performed this year. Maybe it's because expectations were that low, but I've been pretty impressed so far.
Some of the standouts for me this year have been:
1) Portland's Roy and Aldridge: Brandon Roy has been completely deserving of the Rookie of the Year award, and is living proof that coaches and GMs should never underrate nor disregard college players who stay the full four years. He's come in and established himself right away as a leader for his young Blazers team, and looks to have been Portland's smartest player transaction in years.
LaMarcus Aldridge, after starting out the season a bit slow while recovering from that shoulder injury, came on like gangbusters in the second half of the season until that issue with his heartbeat cropped up. I remember watching him have that 30-point game against Charlotte and it seemed like he just could not miss whatever shot he took. His play made it all the more unbelievable that Jamaal Magloire stayed the team's starter for so long. Aldridge and Roy are gonna make a very dangerous duo for Portland in the next couple of years.
2) Chicago's Thomas and Sefolosha: I remember posting in the beginning of the season that I was jumping on these two guys' bandwagons, after watching them perform in the Bulls' first game against Miami. Thomas's All-Star gaffe notwithstanding, I find absolutely no reason to jump off just yet. Chicago's success with both rookies should be noted by by the other contenders and would-be contenders in the league: drafting impact role players who can jump in and contribute right away can boost your title chances in a bigger way than waiting for a projected franchise player to develop while you're competing for a title now.
3) Toronto's Calderon, Garbajosa and Bargnani: Calderon's performance all season, and especially during the playoffs, has been very impressive. I'm definitely in favor of making him the full-time starter ahead of T.J. Ford, who has disappointed at times this season, as Calderon just strikes me as the steadier, more consistent player.
Garbajosa's presence was missed during the Raptors' playoff series, as Mitchell was never really able to plug anybody into the SF spot with the same productive minutes that Garbajosa provided
While I was questioning Toronto's decision to draft Bargnani #1 before, I'll admit to being an 'Il Mago' fan now. He's come in and quickly played his way into the Raptors' main rotation, and frequently is part of their crunch-time lineup. While Toronto may have already been eliminated from the playoffs, Bargnani's performance during that series was outstanding, even earning raves from the famously prickly Charlie Rosen.
The thing I liked best about Bargnani's play this season was that even as a rookie, he's already showed an edge in his attitude that does not frequently show itself among European players. I remember watching him trashtalk an opposing team's bench (I think it was Orlando), in Italian, while making shot after shot, and thinking, 'Damn, this kid already knows how to play the NBA game, gamesmanship included'.
While Mavs fans may not appreciate the comparison, what bodes well for Bargnani's career in the NBA is that his production this year has been very much comparable to Nowitzki's rookie stats. Will he develop into the same kind of player? We'll see.
Other notables this year:
- Utah's Millsap: Part of the reason for Kirilenko's struggles this season. AK47 is more comfortable playing the 4 than the 3, but Boozer's and Millsap's play has pretty much gobbled up all available minutes at PF.
- Charlotte's Herrmann: Talk about out of nowhere. Goes from languishing on the bench to having 20-point games left and right. And he's a free agent this offseason, right?
- Boston and LA's Rondo and Farmar: Eventually became their respective team's starting PGs. Whether it was due more to their own talents or the shortcomings of Telfair and Smush Parker, an infusion of young talented PGs is something the NBA can use more of.
- New York's Balkman: Good energy player, good hustle, brings a lot of intangibles. At least Isiah Thomas was somewhat vindicated in his draft choice. Still taken way too high, however.
I guess one word can sum up the performance of the standouts of this year's rookie class: poised. Pretty much all the players I mentioned were ready to contribute right away upon coming into the league, which has been a refreshing change from previous years. While there have been come clunkers this year (Adam Morrison, I'm looking at you), and while there may not be a Hall of Famer that comes out of this bunch, I daresay these guys have more than proven themselves as a whole.
Some of the standouts for me this year have been:
1) Portland's Roy and Aldridge: Brandon Roy has been completely deserving of the Rookie of the Year award, and is living proof that coaches and GMs should never underrate nor disregard college players who stay the full four years. He's come in and established himself right away as a leader for his young Blazers team, and looks to have been Portland's smartest player transaction in years.
LaMarcus Aldridge, after starting out the season a bit slow while recovering from that shoulder injury, came on like gangbusters in the second half of the season until that issue with his heartbeat cropped up. I remember watching him have that 30-point game against Charlotte and it seemed like he just could not miss whatever shot he took. His play made it all the more unbelievable that Jamaal Magloire stayed the team's starter for so long. Aldridge and Roy are gonna make a very dangerous duo for Portland in the next couple of years.
2) Chicago's Thomas and Sefolosha: I remember posting in the beginning of the season that I was jumping on these two guys' bandwagons, after watching them perform in the Bulls' first game against Miami. Thomas's All-Star gaffe notwithstanding, I find absolutely no reason to jump off just yet. Chicago's success with both rookies should be noted by by the other contenders and would-be contenders in the league: drafting impact role players who can jump in and contribute right away can boost your title chances in a bigger way than waiting for a projected franchise player to develop while you're competing for a title now.
3) Toronto's Calderon, Garbajosa and Bargnani: Calderon's performance all season, and especially during the playoffs, has been very impressive. I'm definitely in favor of making him the full-time starter ahead of T.J. Ford, who has disappointed at times this season, as Calderon just strikes me as the steadier, more consistent player.
Garbajosa's presence was missed during the Raptors' playoff series, as Mitchell was never really able to plug anybody into the SF spot with the same productive minutes that Garbajosa provided
While I was questioning Toronto's decision to draft Bargnani #1 before, I'll admit to being an 'Il Mago' fan now. He's come in and quickly played his way into the Raptors' main rotation, and frequently is part of their crunch-time lineup. While Toronto may have already been eliminated from the playoffs, Bargnani's performance during that series was outstanding, even earning raves from the famously prickly Charlie Rosen.
The thing I liked best about Bargnani's play this season was that even as a rookie, he's already showed an edge in his attitude that does not frequently show itself among European players. I remember watching him trashtalk an opposing team's bench (I think it was Orlando), in Italian, while making shot after shot, and thinking, 'Damn, this kid already knows how to play the NBA game, gamesmanship included'.
While Mavs fans may not appreciate the comparison, what bodes well for Bargnani's career in the NBA is that his production this year has been very much comparable to Nowitzki's rookie stats. Will he develop into the same kind of player? We'll see.
Other notables this year:
- Utah's Millsap: Part of the reason for Kirilenko's struggles this season. AK47 is more comfortable playing the 4 than the 3, but Boozer's and Millsap's play has pretty much gobbled up all available minutes at PF.
- Charlotte's Herrmann: Talk about out of nowhere. Goes from languishing on the bench to having 20-point games left and right. And he's a free agent this offseason, right?
- Boston and LA's Rondo and Farmar: Eventually became their respective team's starting PGs. Whether it was due more to their own talents or the shortcomings of Telfair and Smush Parker, an infusion of young talented PGs is something the NBA can use more of.
- New York's Balkman: Good energy player, good hustle, brings a lot of intangibles. At least Isiah Thomas was somewhat vindicated in his draft choice. Still taken way too high, however.
I guess one word can sum up the performance of the standouts of this year's rookie class: poised. Pretty much all the players I mentioned were ready to contribute right away upon coming into the league, which has been a refreshing change from previous years. While there have been come clunkers this year (Adam Morrison, I'm looking at you), and while there may not be a Hall of Famer that comes out of this bunch, I daresay these guys have more than proven themselves as a whole.