I think Collison has proven a lot more! Jennings shot 37% FG for the year and Collison was 47%. Ten percent better than Jennings! The difference in points was only 3 points. Their assists and steals are pretty much the same. The major difference is that Collison accomplished this by starting only 36 games, where as Jennings started all of his games! That's a classic example where you can't go completely from stats, especially since Collison has been competing with Chris Paul for time! I think Collison will be heavy candidate for MIP next year.
How good exactly is Taj Gibson? I haven't really seen him play so I was surprised as heck to see him in the first team.
Anyone that thinks Serge Ibaka doesn't belong on this list, you need to watch the Thunder in the playoffs. Serge will be top 5 in this class IMO.
Whatever the ranking, this rookie class is pretty amazing. Can't think of another year where so many rookies have contributed so much...
It's like the Rockets didn't exist this season. No all-stars, no 1st/2nd team, no one in the rookie/sophomore game, no playoffs, no stars, and no national tv games. They were the best team that didn't make the playoffs. Show them some love.
People need to understand that even when havng a better team (Blair). Playoffs positions count a lot. While Jennings was not a better player than Collison (arguably) he was a big part in Milwakee making the PO, that counts. Blair getting the minutes in the Spurs, one of the most difficult systems in the league to be inserted and to get minutes under Popovich and be a contributor, also counts. The last two rookies that were able to do that were Ginobili and Parker. And to a lesser extent Hill. And the opnly one to get the coach trust in his rookie season was Ginobili. What Blair did is a lot more impressive considering his coach and teammates, as impresive as is playing PG for a PO team that many people considered the worst team in the league before the season started (Bucks).
Before the draft, Chad Ford and I had dinner together to discuss this class. Chad made an excellent argument supporting the claim that even though this class was considered weak, there would still be 15 or so players who would go on to have productive NBA careers. We went through the past five drafts and had no problem picking out at least 15 or so per class whom we could label as rotation guys. Despite this year's class missing two of its "stars," it has produced just as Chad expected. We'll be watching many of these guys do special things for years to come. With that said, here are my All-Rookie team selections, plus a few other notable guys. First team G: Brandon Jennings, Bucks Jennings' ability to quarterback the Bucks has probably been one of the five most surprising storylines of the entire NBA season. While it was obvious in summer league that he had talent and was fun to play with, running a team coached by Scott Skiles would be a much tougher assignment. But Jennings has been up to the task from day one, and the future of this franchise looks brighter because of him. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR We were deprived of seeing Blake Griffin and Ricky Rubio -- the players that compelled many experts to proclaim this a "two-player draft" -- but this class still produced three strong ROY candidates. • Golden State's Stephen Curry struggled early, with poor shot selection being his biggest problem. But as 2010 arrived, his shot discipline and game management improved, his scoring average and assist rate jumped, and suddenly Curry looked like a veteran. His numbers have to be taken in the context of how the Warriors play, but he is without a doubt one of the league's elite shooters. And he keeps improving: April has been his best month, averaging 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds, with the Warriors winning four of seven games. Still, he and his team have not done enough overall to push him to the top of this class. • Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings had a strong start that had NBA executives thinking, "How many more guards from Europe can look average over there but dominate over here?" It wasn't just the 55-point game; he shot lights-out from deep for five weeks and orchestrated the Bucks' offense beautifully most nights. He also has been one of the top two defensive guards in this class (Jrue Holiday is the other), which has greatly helped him lead the Bucks into the playoffs. However, the fact that he struggled mightily from the field for most of the season and had strong teammates helping to carry the load ultimately left him a bit short for the ROY award on my ballot. • Sacramento's Tyreke Evans was ready to be a big contributor from the start, thanks to his size and basketball savvy. And once the reins were handed over to him, he pounded his way to an excellent season. He scores over smaller players with brute force. But he combines that force with craft and feel, and some excellent footwork, too. The Kings were the surprise story for the first couple of months of the season, thanks mostly to Evans. And though they fell apart just before Christmas, Evans continued to do his thing, averaging 20, 5 and 5 for the season. He made many big plays on defense as well, including a memorable strip of Gilbert Arenas in the open court as Arenas was working for a game-winning basket. In the end, Curry showed he's a very special player, and Jennings proved to be special enough to lead his team to the playoffs. But Evans' overall body of work was the most special indeed. He's my Rookie of the Year. -- David Thorpe • Rookie 50: Final rankings G: Stephen Curry, Warriors Memo to all of the NBA scouts who strongly suggested Curry could not be a point guard in this league: That's a swing and a miss. He projects to be a special player with the ball in his hands. That he can play off the ball as well only adds to his value. Although his puffed-up statistics are partly due to Golden State's style of play, make no mistake that Curry would be excellent playing in any system. G: Tyreke Evans, Kings It's still unknown what his best position will be going forward, but he proved that he'll be a huge scoring presence in this league from any of the guard or wing spots. I'm especially impressed with his rebounding talent; the ball doesn't just find him, he goes and gets it. And like with Curry, it helps the team's draft options when its best player can play on or off the ball. F: DeJuan Blair, Spurs He broke into the rotation for a top-level NBA team. Averaged 7.6 points and six rebounds in just 18 minutes a game. Shot 55.8 percent from the field despite being smaller than most other power forwards. Put up 28 and 21 in Oklahoma City. Played in every game this season on ACL-less knees. And made far more fundamental plays on defense than almost any other rookie. Pretty amazing accomplishments. F: Taj Gibson, Bulls The winner for "best draft pick" goes to the Chicago Bulls for their selection of Taj Gibson. There were better players taken later, like Marcus Thornton, but Gibson went higher than anyone expected and was the right call for the Bulls. He's been a perfect fit, both in temperament and play. And the great thing about him is that he has the game and mindset to be an effective player off the bench if the Bulls acquire a great power forward this summer. Second team G: Ty Lawson, Nuggets Lawson would make the first team in many other draft classes. He was such a powerful presence helping the Nuggets climb toward the top of the West, not the easiest thing to do with a team of veterans and a tough-minded coach. More importantly, he has the game to be a difference-maker in the playoffs. Energy, speed, and shot-making -- all can be huge coming off the bench toward the end of a series. G: Darren Collison, Hornets Collison wasn't my "best draft pick" winner only because he was considered by many to be a very solid prospect. As it turns out, he's better than that. The great thing about him is that, like Lawson, he impacts a game with his talent and breathes life into his teammates with his speed and style. There are NBA people who think he's been the best rookie overall in 2010, which is saying a lot because of how well Evans, Curry and Jennings have played. G: Marcus Thornton, Hornets Sometimes I try to imagine what it would be like to combine the heart and head of one player with the body of another. For example, put Thornton's heart and head into the body of Darko Milicic and you'd have an MVP candidate. Thornton has been terrific since earning minutes. He finds a way to score and be effective even when his shot is off because he outworks people and his confidence never wanes. F: Jonas Jerebko, Pistons It's great when a team drafts two guys who have similar size and talent and the lower draft pick outplays the higher pick. Jerebko seized his opportunities by playing like a warrior, something that should inspire Austin Daye. But there's even better news for Detroit: I think Jerebko can greatly improve his skill game. If he can get his 3-point shooting closer to 38 percent (it's now around 31 percent), he'll make as much of an impact on offense as he already does on defense. C: Serge Ibaka, Thunder This is a great example of a team developing a player the right way. The Thunder let Ibaka gain some valuable experience and grow both his body and basketball IQ overseas last year, and now he's doing exactly what they need, especially on defense. Plus he still has huge upside. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My honorable mentions Guys who deserve special mention for what they have done this season. Chase Budinger, Rockets Opposing teams' color commentators will often say this about Budinger: "I didn't like Chase coming out of college; he just didn't bring it very much." I echo that statement. But Budinger has proved to be a far better pro than a college player. Not because he has more chances to show his talent, but because his effort level and confidence to make tough plays are evident every night. Wesley Matthews, Jazz To make a team after not getting drafted is impressive enough. But to be a starter most of the season as an undrafted rookie for one of the league's best teams is almost unheard-of. While it's true that Matthews got his chance partly because of the dearth of shooting guards in Utah, he has owned the starting spot because of his excellent play overall. Terrence Williams, Nets He is the classic case of caterpillar-turned-butterfly. Simply put, Williams' game was ugly during the first few months of the season but has been beautiful since late February. To stage a comeback like this amid the misery and losing in New Jersey is impressive stuff. Suddenly, the Nets feel they have another piece of their foundation in place. Jordan Hill, Knicks Why did a guy so long, athletic and energized play so little in New York? He rebounds, runs and dunks everything inside. Maybe he's more motivated now after the trade, but he also could have shut down mentally once he got to Houston. Instead, he's playing as if he wishes the season still had months to go. Omri Casspi, Kings No rookie has dropped off more than Casspi, but considering all he's had to deal with as a pioneer for his country, he deserves mention. If he can find the confidence and energy he played with in the first half of the season, the Kings will have themselves a gem and Israel will have itself a player in this league for more than a decade.
Ill say this simply Jennings, Ibaka and Heavy D are all on this list because they are in the playoffs and they play disciplined basketball. Jennings in particular is the PG of a playoff team, think Deron Williams in his first couple of years but better. IF none of you have watched Jennings then you have to be kidding yourself if you dont think him and Bogut (and to a lesser extent Salmons) are the bees nees of that team. Take away Chase, Lawson, Hill, and Collison from their team and I still think the results are the same. Lets admit it, the Rockets team are better then the Bucks team, in fact we could have snared 8th spot in the West. If Chase was that good he would have stepped up and done something, same with Hill. We didn't make the playoffs and before you tell me we didn't have Yao Ming I can gurantee you we haven't had it as bad as Portland.
