FWIW, Chad Ford opines on some of this year's rookies based on summer league and preseason performances. Novak is labeled a "sleeper". http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insi...nist=ford_chad&id=2640525&skipPrestitial=true On draft night, I handed out grades based on potential and fit. Four months later, with summer league and most of the preseason behind us, let's reevaluate the rookies based on what we know now. So far, we've seen the good, the bad and the ugly of the freshman class, with a few in-between guys who deserve a "solid" label. The Good Brandon Roy, G, Trail Blazers Since the draft, I've pegged Roy as having the best shot at the Rookie of the Year award, and his strong play in the summer league and preseason indicate that he's still the leading candidate to bring home the trophy. He's poised to have a big year for the Blazers. It appears that he's won the starting two guard position and even will play some point guard for the Blazers. Rudy Gay, F, Grizzlies Pau Gasol's injury in the World Championship was devastating to the Grizzlies but good for getting Gay's career going. Without Gasol, the Grizzlies will look for Gay to give them scoring punch. After a lackluster sophomore season at UConn, Gay's performance in the summer league and preseason seem to indicate that he might live up to his limitless potential. Rajon Rondo, PG, Celtics I had Rondo ranked at the top point guard in the draft almost all year and thought he should be a top 10 pick. He became the steal of the draft when he fell into the Celtics' lap at No. 21 (via trade from Phoenix). So far in the preseason, Rondo has played as well as, if not better than, Boston starting point guard Sebastian Telfair. Only time will tell whether Rondo will be able to beat out Telfair for the starting job, but the facts are in his favor: Rondo is a much better defender and rebounder, and he has played virtually mistake-free basketball so far. If he can learn to consistently knock down the mid-range jumper, he's got a chance to be a star. Tyrus Thomas, PF, Bulls Thomas had the most upside of anyone in the draft, but I thought he was a year or two away from being an NBA contributor. However, his energy, shot-blocking and athleticism in the preseason indicate that he'll be a solid rotation player this season. Marcus Williams, PG, New Jersey Nets Williams took a shocking draft night nosedive but found the perfect home in New Jersey. The Nets will try to limit Jason Kidd's minutes this season, and Williams has shown in the preseason and the summer league that he's ready to handle the team 15-to-20 minutes a night. He really should rack up the assists in Jersey. The Solid Andrea Bargnani, F, Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo took a pretty big risk taking Bargnani No. 1, and so far the results have been inconclusive. He's looked good in a few games, but lost in others. Right now he's spending most of his time on the perimeter. If he's going to be a star, he's eventually going to have to grab some rebounds and block some shots. Randy Foye, SG, Timberwolves Foye was awesome in the summer league, but his role in the preseason has been limited. Part of the reason is fit. With Mike James gunning away from the point guard position, they can't really play Foye a lot. Second, Foye has been struggling with his shot and committing too many turnovers. It might take him a little longer to get going than we originally thought. Shawne Williams, F, Pacers I wasn't very high on the Pacers pick on draft night, but he's been very solid in preseason play. He won't get much run for the Pacers this year, but so far the word out of Indiana is that everyone's impressed. Renaldo Balkman, F, Knicks Isiah Thomas was blasted by me and just about everyone else on draft night for taking Balkman at No. 20. I still think it was the wrong move, given what the two guys taken directly after him (Rondo and Marcus Williams) have been doing. But Balkman hasn't been the bust everyone expected, either. He's hustled, played good defense and brought some passion to the Knicks. The Bad Adam Morrison, F, Bobcats Morrison looked good in the summer league, but he's struggled mightily with his shot in the preseason, shooting just 32 percent from the field. Considering he doesn't play much defense, grab rebounds or do much in the assist department, he'd better start making his shots. The early word out of Bobcats camp is that the team likes him, but he's going to have make big adjustments to his college game to thrive in the pros. Shelden Williams, F, Hawks The Hawks reached big-time for Williams at No. 5. Yes, they needed rebounding and shotblocking, and Williams has provided some of that. But his awful shooting percentage, combined with the stellar play of several players taken after him in the draft, continues to make this pick the shakiest one in the draft. Kyle Lowry, PG, Grizzlies I was a big fan of this pick for the Grizzlies on draft night and Lowry has shown the Grizzlies his trademark hustle and grittiness. But his high turnover rate and low shooting percentage make you wonder how much he'll play this year. The Ugly LaMarcus Aldridge, F, Blazers Shoulder surgery has kept Aldridge out of the preseason and he'll likely miss the first month of the season. That's usually the kiss of death for rookies. Combine that with the solid play of Tyrus Thomas in the early going and you have to start wondering whether the Blazers made the right call on draft night. Mouhamed Sene, C, Sonics On draft night I said Sene had great talent but was years away. So far, his play in the preseason hasn't shown much of the talent, but has lended credence to the idea that he's years away. J.J. Redick, SG, Magic Back injuries, DWIs and then a foot injury in the summer have limited Redick's time on the court to just one preseason game. The summer and preseason are vital times for the development of rookies and it appears that Redick might end up missing the boat. Quincy Douby, G, Kings I thought this was a questionable pick for the Kings on draft night and I haven't seen anything from Douby to suggest the Kings made the right call here. With Mike Bibby out at least three weeks with a thumb injury, I'm sure Rondo and Marcus Williams are looking better and better to the Kings. The Sleepers Steve Novak, F, Rockets Novak is pretty one-dimensional, but he's been a red-hot shooter in the preseason from just about anywhere on the floor. With Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady commanding double teams all year, this second-round pick could end up having a bigger year than Redick. Alexander Johnson, F, Grizzlies It's hard to understand why so many teams passed on Johnson late in the first round, and so far he's made them really second guess themselves with his solid play on both ends of the floor. With Gasol out for a while, he could be another sleeper who makes a surprising impact his rookie year. Leon Powe, F, Celtics It's doubtful that Powe will see much run on a stacked Celtics squad this year (in fact there's no guarantee he makes the team), but the C's have to be happy about his early play. The last few games he's been a force on the boards and in the paint. Powe has first-round talent. If the knee holds up, he could be a player down the road. Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.
glad we didn't take redick. really glad we got novak. the battier / gay trade is still up in the air. it depends on how good the rockets do with shane on the squad and how good gay turns out.
Yeeeeep. Not much of a reach to suggest the Rockets could have worked to get the Grizz's 2nd round pick in the Battier/Gay trade (whatever now, I'm ready for the season!) Woulda been nice though.
I'm thinking Rondo is going to be ROY. He better, because the Telfair trade is only going to look worse and worse as the season gets on.
