Guess I could have just posted the article... here ya go. 3-pointers: The rookie race, more MJ and the playoff shuffle April 2, 2003 Print it Tricia Garner Sporting News 1. And the award goes to ... Awards season is nearly upon us, and the crowded MVP race understandably is grabbing most of the attention. But if you're sick of debating which candidate has crappier teammates, which player is better at carrying his team to victory, and so on, there's another tight race worth checking out -- rookie of the year. You haven't heard much about the rookie of the year race lately, and part of that is because, aside from Caron Butler, there hasn't been much to talk about. Yao Ming and Amare Stoudemire both tapered off during March as their teams battled each other for the final playoff spot in the West. Generally, though, it has been a good year for rookies. Drew Gooden and Gordan Giricek have thrived since they were traded to Orlando. Nene Hilario has been solid since moving into a starting spot for the Nuggets. Manu Ginobili has been a key player for the Spurs. But for most of the season, the rookie of the year race has been between two players -- Yao and Stoudemire -- with Butler emerging as a dark horse. Singling out the front-runners is easy, but picking the winner is another story. Yao (13.6 ppg, 8.2 rpg) and Stoudemire (13.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg) have nearly identical stats. Yao has 25 double-doubles this season; Stoudemire has 24. Yao's highs and lows have been more pronounced, but both have experienced bouts of inconsistency. And, on the whole, each has far exceeded expectations this season. Still, don't overlook Butler. The Heat have been out of the playoff race from the start of the season, so he has had room to make mistakes that Yao and Stoudemire haven't had. But, aside from the rookie-wall dip, Butler steadily has improved throughout the season. He averaged 20 points in March and scored a career-high 35 in a rare win over the Timberwolves last weekend. He leads all rookies with 15.6 points per game. When all is said and done, though, it will come down to Yao and Stoudemire. Yao has the edge for a couple of reasons. The biggest is the way he's dealt gracefully with an unbelievable amount of media and fan scrutiny all season. He has been under a ton of pressure, certainly more than any other rookie, and has responded well. Plus, it's a chance to honor a No. 1 pick -- something that hasn't happened often lately. From 1990-1998, a No. 1 pick won the award seven out of nine times, but the only No. 1 pick to win the past four seasons was Elton Brand, who shared the award with Steve Francis in 2000.
How about: he was the only rookie to merit double and triple teams consistently? Or: he was the only rookie to have defenses designed to stop him? These writers don't give Yao half the respect opposing coaches do.
Or: single-handedly made Rudy T to change/try to change the guards ISO game to inside-out game? Then has to deal with clueless LS? Or being Rockets best passer, shooter, low-post player, best court vision, highest BB-IQ? Best money maker for the league?
Or: Being one of the only centers in this league that base their game on skill,, not strength. Or perhaps one that actually shows compassion for opponents, like the time both he and Jermaine O'Neal went down and Yao got up immediately and walked over to J'O to see if he was okay. Or being mature enough to pull Steve away from situations that look like they'd blow up into a fight.
