Give Me The Rock
this is fantasy basketball
So this years rookie class has been, well… lackluster? The largest contribution any rookie has made this year is Adam Morrison’s contribution to the Tom Selleck Fund. I am of course referencing his mustache, not his desire to reprise Selleck’s previous role of Mr. Baseball in an upcoming big screen debut.
Despite an underachieving rookie class the NBA is holding it’s annual Sophomore Rookie All-Star festivities in Las Vegas on Feburary 16th. From a fantasy perspective this would be a three man roster, but alas, the roster consists of nine players and I will fill it out as such. By the way, I say three players while referencing my league which has 17 man rosters.
The Starting Line Up
PG – Randy Foye
MPG 18.9 PPG 8.4 RPG 2.1 APG 2.1 SPG .71 FG% .421 FT% .847
Let the out of position festivities commence! Foye has shown good promise in Minnesota’s backcourt. His numbers are on target considering his measly 18.9 mpg. I would laud his production and claim that if he received 30 mpg he would be winning rookie of the year, but Foye’s inconsistency rivals Ben Affleck’s. Loved him in Good Will Hunting, hated him in Armageddon, loved him in Chasing Amy, hated him in Pearl Harbor, hated him in Dogma, but loved the movie, hated him in Reindeer Games, The Sum of All Fears, Daredevil, Gigli, Jersey Girl… Ok, i have not seen any of the movies i just listed, but I can assure you, i have not liked any movie Ben Affleck made post Dogma.
SG – Brandon Roy
MPG 31.1 PPG 13.4 RPG 3.7 APG 2.9 SPG 1.0 FG% .413 FT% .870
I don’t really care if Roy missed 20 games this year. He is the only rookie this season to show any inkling of consistency. This, makes him the best rookie in my opinion. Recall how Adam Morrison was the ’scoring machine’ of this draft? Well Roy averages only .3 PPG less and he has actually heard of the other categories, especially the percentiles.
SF- Adam Morrison
MPG 32.9 PPG 13.7 RPG 3.1 APG 2.1 SPG 0.34 BPG .09 FG% .374 FT% .745
Morrison leads all rookies in scoring at 13.7 ppg and All-Star games/festivies are not won with defense. Morrison has had a successful rookie campaign this year, we expected him to score and so far he has delivered. The only thing that worries me is that his ppg is a little low for a ’scoring machine’ receiving his allocation of minutes.
PF – Andrea Bargnani
MPG 23.1 PPG 10.4 RPG 3.7 APG 0.7 SPG 0.43 BPG 0.95 FG% .412 3P% .350 FT% .820
Darko be damned. Andrea Bargnani AKA the NBA’s Marshall Plan; the best international player taken since Darko’s disastrous flop was Andris Biedrins in 2004; Fran Vazquez did not help either. Bargnani’s seven foot frame has made him tops in the rookie class in blocked shots. Coincidentally the same seven foot frame has made him tops in the rookie class in 3P%. Bargnani is making a great first impression, the only problem he raises is, what position does he play? Not PF as long as Chris Bosh is in town.
C -
The Bench
F- Shelden Williams
MPG 22.4 PPG 6.6 RPG 6.3 APG 0.5 SPG 0.7 BPG 0.6 FG% .467 FT% .869
Williams has faced adversity so far this year. He leads rookies in rebounding, but only receives 22.4 minutes a game. Marvin Williams continues to get hurt allowing Shelden to post solid numbers. Despite Shelden’s production Atlanta keeps bringing Marvin back to cancel out Shelden’s production. At this point it appears that the two are the same player. Until something gives at this position Shelden is relgated to the verge of being a fantasy commodity.
F- Paul Millsap
MPG 15.3 PPG 6.0 RPG 4.1 APG 0.5 SPG 0.7 BPG 0.9 FG% .559 FT% .686
Millsap was performing great at the start of the year. He had two double doubles and frequently pulled down 7 or 8 boards. Field Goal percentage is always an issue with rookies, but Millsap leads the class. He had a brief 3 week stint with my fantasy team, but has lost fantasy value.
F – LaMarcus Aldridge
MPG 18.8 PPG 7.1 RPG 3.9 APG 0.4 SPG 0.3 BPG 1.0 FG% .489 FT% .790
He may not be at the game, but in my opinion he has been one of the best rookies this season. His 18.8 MPG is ridiculous. Aldridge has shown his viability through his 48mpg averages, but Nate McMillian is not paying attention. It seems that Aldridge will start getting more run, as he does pick him up.
F – Craig Smith
MPG 16.8 PPG 6.5 RPG 4.7 APG 0.6 SPG 0.7 BPG 0.2 FG% .552 FT% .638
Ok, I know, this is Rudy Gay’s spot. But everyone talks about Rudy Gay and what a good player he will be. I have never been in a conversation about the NBA (not college) and heard Craig Smith’s name come up. He is quietly braving the constant Minnesota cold with 6.5 and 4.7. Not to mention, he earned all his playing time. Craig Smith did not show up at training camp with any degree of clout. He was the 36th pick of the draft, he showed up and KG put a collar on him. NBA.com referenced his play as an “Unheralded Rookie Looking Good.” This is basketball’s David Eckstein, I am calling that here. Craig Smith for All Rookie Team 07!
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