Impact rookies My 10 first-year players who'll yield quick dividends Posted: Wednesday October 11, 2006 12:24PM; Updated: Wednesday October 11, 2006 2:42PM Sudden impact. It's more than the name of an old Clint Eastwood film. It's what NBA rookies dream of making when they lie awake in their beds at night during training camp. But how does one define "impact"? Does it mean putting up big numbers on a bad team? Or does it entail making a positive contribution in limited minutes for a contender? Even though training camps are only a week old, it's never too early to project how the first-year players will perform. Here's a look at the 10 rookies we expect will make the biggest impact, ranked 10 through 1. Some are big names, right off the top of the draft board. Others are lesser-known, but could play a key role for a contending team. 10. Jorge Garbajosa, Raptors At age 29, the former Spanish League star is more mature and ready to contribute. Even if the 6-9 forward doesn't play a lot of minutes, he's already having an impact as a mentor for his former Benetton Treviso teammate Andrea Bargnani. 9. Rajon Rondo, Celtics The Celtics are looking for a fast-paced playmaker to spark their attack, and this 6-1 former Kentucky standout has shown signs he can provide that dimension. He'll have to share time with Sebastian Telfair, but look for him to work his way into the rotation. 8. Steve Novak, Rockets The 6-10 second-rounder from Marquette is already being hailed by his Rockets teammates as one of the NBA's best pure shooters. He could be a valuable piece to spread the floor and make foes pay for double teams on Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. 7. Ronnie Brewer, Jazz Jazz coach Jerry Sloan would rather dance the lambada than rely on a rookie, but this 6-7 shooting guard from Arkansas fills a need for an athletic wing man. If Brewer can defend at all, Sloan will have no choice but to run him out there. 6. Andrea Bargnani, Raptors The No. 1 overall pick probably won't be asked to do much right away, especially with Chris Bosh and Rasho Nesterovic in the frontcourt, but he'll get enough playing time to make an impact one way or another. 5. Tyrus Thomas, Bulls The 6-9 forward from LSU is raw, so expect the Bulls to remain patient with him. His ability to run the floor, fill the lane, put back offensive rebounds and make hustle plays could make him an X factor on a rising Chicago team. 4. Shannon Brown, Cavs The Cavs need some bench scoring to replace the departed Flip Murray, and this springy 6-4 shooting guard from Michigan State looked good in summer league. The opportunity will be there if he can take advantage of it. 3. Randy Foye, Timberwolves The 6-4 combo guard from Villanova has had a slow start in camp after an impressive summer league. But the T'Wolves need backcourt help off the bench, and Kevin Garnett will push to get the most out of his new teammate. 2. Adam Morrison, Bobcats Maybe the most intriguing rookie in that he could be the next Bird ... or the next Bust. There's no doubt he can shoot the ball, but can he defend? Either way, he's going to be in the spotlight like few other first-year players. 1. Brandon Roy, Trail Blazers Poised. Mature. Multi-skilled. The 6-6 guard from Washington has the complete package, and he'll get plenty of chances to play both guard spots for a rebuilding team. The preseason favorite for Rookie of the Year. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/marty_burns/10/11/inside.nba/
i Picked up Brandon Roy and Morrison on my Fantasy league draft in hope they'll come through as sleepers. I'm crossing my fingers but lets hope its true.
Something must be wrong cause I don't see Rudy Gay in that top 10 list?? hahahhaha sorry I liked the move for Battier right when the trade was announced. But who's to say he's not the next coming of T-mac or MJ
Lots of people expect Gay to be a star. But these are IMPACT rookies. Gay won't start, needs a lot of polish, and doesnt fill a paticular role for them at this point.
Anything's possible, but it's extremely unlikely anything like that will happen this season. Gay's offense is still a work in progress and it's going to take him a year or two to really evolve (if he does). He wasn't nearly as NBA-ready as Roy or Foye or a couple of others. That's what I never understood about the critics of the trade. I totally, totally understand why some people didn't (and still don't) like it from a value perspective. What I never understood was this mentality of "we're going to the lottery" that many fans adopted. There was never any doubt that Battier makes us a better team for this year... the question is down the line.
"Sleepers" is probably the wrong word...since Roy is rated right up there with Baron Davis on a lot of NBA Analysts' Draft Boards.
I just made my own article on my blog for who I think the biggest impact rookies will be. I don't want to be "pushing" my blog on anybody, but I'm kind of having fun with the idea of making my own basketball articles here and there. If you want me to stop posting my blog articles, let me know. Anyways...here's who I think will be the biggest impact rookies: 1. Brandon Roy 2. Randy Foye 3. Adam Morrison 4. Andrea Bargnani 5. Rajon Rondo 6. Rudy Gay 7. Rodney Carney 8. Tyrus Thomas 9. LaMarcus Aldridge 10. Steve Novak http://hoopdime.wordpress.com/case-files/ Those will be the top 10 rookies, in my opinion, however - probably only three to five will have an actual big impact this season.
I am just not convinced about Randy Foye. The guy has too much Stevie Francis in him....me first. Maybe impact rookie for himself (stats)...but does not make a big impact on W-L for Timberwolves. I take out LaMarcus Aldridge and put in Maurice Ager. Take out Tyrus Thomas and put in Ronnie Brewer. And I put Steve Novak in the Top 5. Because he fits the need that the Rox have and I have every confidence in the world that he can drain the 3 against Tier 1 starters in the league.
