The 2008 NBA Draft has been over for nearly 48 hours.
The top prospects are working on their contracts in their new cities of residence.
The rest of the players are doing the same, all the while wondering if they'll be part of possible trades.
Right now, though, things are somewhat quiet around the league--behind closed doors, if you will.
That makes it as good a time as any to reveal the top impact rookies for the 2008-09 NBA season.
1. Michael Beasley, Miami Heat: Beasley will see more than adequate playing time right away for a team that won just 15 games a year ago. He can score so many different ways, no matter if he's playing small forward or power forward.
2. Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves: After being drafted by Memphis, Love was traded to the T'Wolves. He should put up great rookie numbers alongside future All-Star Al Jefferson.
3. Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazers: Remember Oden? He was taken first overall in 2007, but missed all of last season with a knee injury. Assuming his knee is good to go, he should be a beast in the middle.
4. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls: Rose may not start from day one, but he'll make practice difficult for Kirk Hinrich and Larry Hughes. The former of those two could end up in a new city before the season begins, though, allowing more minutes for the No. 1 pick.
5. Danilo Gallinari, New York Knicks: Knicks fans that attended the draft should apologize to Gallinari for the boos and jeers heard throughout the Garden. With his talent, he won't be booed like that again.
6. OJ Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies: Mayo was sent to Memphis in the aforementioned Kevin Love trade. Because of a couple previous lottery picks by Memphis, Mayo's minutes may be somewhat limited. He'll still have a big impact, though.
7. Rudy Fernandez, Portland Trail Blazers: Fernandez, like teammate Oden, was drafted in 2007 but didn't play in a single NBA game. He will, however, suit up for Portland this season. He's quite possibly the best player overseas, and I'm not willing to bet against his talent.
8. Brandon Rush, Indiana Pacers: Rush should provide instant perimeter defense and makes from beyond the arc. His length and athleticism will serve him well in Indiana.
9. Russell Westbrook, Seattle Supersonics: Westbrook should get significant minutes from the get-go in Seattle or Oklahoma City. He may very well lead all rookies in steals, and will surely tally up some assists dishing the rock to Kevin Durant.
10. Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies: Marc, Pau Gasol's brother, was drafted in 2007 but chose to stay in Europe. He should be with the Grizzlies this season, and should be one of the top bigs in the rotation.
11. Eric Gordon, Los Angeles Clippers: Gordon will have to learn some point guard responsibilities, but his ability to stretch the defense is what will make him a solid rookie. Opening things up for Elton Brand and Chris Kaman in the middle is a must for the Clippers' success.
12. Courtney Lee, Orlando Magic: Don't be surprised if Lee earns the starting spot at the 2 for Orlando this summer. He fits Stan Van Gundy's system perfectly, and should be a nice complement to Dwight Howard and company.
13. Brook Lopez, New Jersey Nets: The Nets have needed a go-to guy in the post for a couple seasons now. Lopez is their guy, despite needing to vastly improve his rebounding at the next level.
14. Donte' Greene, Houston Rockets: Tracy McGrady needs some help on the offensive end, and Greene has no problem putting up shots.
15. Jason Thompson, Sacramento Kings: I was high on Thompson throughout his senior year and draft workouts. I didn't expect him to go as high as No. 12 overall, but his ability to bang in the post and shoot jumpers from the outside makes him an intriguing rookie for the Kings.
There you have it. Those are my top candidates for Rookie of the Year honors.
Let me know who yours are.
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3 months ago
this is a pretty solid list, with the exception of Rudy Fernandez in my opinion. No question, Fernandez has talent, but he'll be battling both established starter Steve Blake and 2008 first rounder Jarryd Bayless for PT. I personally think that Bayless is the future at the point for Portland, and there just aren't enough minutes in a game for Fernandez to make an impact.
also, Eric Gordon isn't a point guard, no matter what the Clippers want. The guy can't handle the ball. However, I agree with his inclusion on the list, because the guy can flat out score. I also really like Courtney Lee. Good selection
I have Beasley, Love, Gallinari, Rose, and Mayo in that order. Mayo was #2 on my list until the trade to Memphis. The overcrowded backcourt could create issues.
3 months ago
My top Pick 5 for the 2008 rookie of the year honors are 1. william beasley, 2. derrick rose, 3. o.j. mayo, 4. jarryd bayless, and 5. russel westbrook.
3 months ago
Joe Alexander and Jerryd Bayless do not approve this message.
3 months ago
Gallanari? Are you serious? What position is he going to play? Have you seen how slow he is? he is 6'9 and there is no way he can guard the three and is not physical enough for the four. If oden comes back to full health it will be Oden, mayo, rose and beasley gordon, and bayless. Oden impacts so much on the defensive end and it will not show up in the stat sheet. And as far as mayo goes, even though the backcourt is crowded he is the only one able to play shooting guard. the rest are fighting for minutes at the point. he will definitely shine
3 months ago
So in one post, Westbrook will have a better rookie year than Mayo and in this post he's 3 spots behind? How did you figure that?
Also, be honest, have you ever seen Gallinari, Fernandez, or Gasol play or are you just guessing about these guys from what you heard on ESPN?
from 3 months ago
I've watched enough tapes of those three internationals to have a good idea of what kinds of players they are.
2 months ago
I like this article. I don't agree wth all your picks, but your reasoning makes sense. I'm going to have to take your word on the internationals because I've only seen youtube videos of Gallinari. Here are my picks for Best Rookies next year, which doesn't necessarily mean they will be top contender for ROY honors:
1) Michael Beasley = so much offensive talent. He had a more dominant freshman season than our current ROY, Kevin Durant. He'll put up some great numbers immediately, although I think he will be more use for a fantasy team than his real team.
2) Kevin Love = Watch a replay of the Memphis-UCLA game if you want to know Love's strengths and weaknesses. In that game, he was guarded by the underrated Joey Dorsey. Dorsey is short for a PF at about 6'6", but he's extremely tough, strong and quick. Love had the upper hand in the 1st half because he had the height advantage, and he was very skilled offensively. He really knew what he was doing. He was tired by the 2nd half. Dorsey and his athletic backup (I forget the guy's name, but I know he was quicker than Love) seemed to wear Love down. If Dorsey had any sort of offense, I'm sure he would have gone at Love about every other play.
3) Derrick Rose = I predict he will start off slow, bloggers will start a "FireJohnPaxson" website, but by the end of the season Rose will figure out how to take over games with his quickness like he did in the NCAAs. Again, watch the Memphis-UCLA game if you have the chance. Rose overwhelmed Collison, just like he overwhelmed the #9 pick D.J. Augustin.
4) Greg Oden = He's going to develop like Patrick Ewing IMO. Ewing improved every year from his rookie season to his 5th season when he averaged 29 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks and was named to his only all-NBA 1st team. Oden reminds me of Ewing from his Georgetown days.
5) O.J. Mayo = I don't know about this guy. He's obviously extremely talented and athletic. He can come in on day 1 and be a terrific one-on-one player in the NBA. But, and not to sound too obvious, basketball isn't 1 v. 1; it's 5 v. 5. Whenever Mayo was shut down 1 v. 1 this season like, for example, against Russell Westbrook, he didn't really show any ability to create offense for his teammates. I don't think Mayo is a selfish player at all, and it's a good sign that he works hard on defense, but he is not a point guard. It's not his mind set. Analysts have claimed he could play point in a pinch, but he is a pure shooting guard IMO. In high school, Mayo had never been in a situation where he couldn't just take over the game by himself. In college, he had trouble adjusting to great lockdown defenders. How will he adjust to being guarded every game by someone with similar height and quickness? Keep in mind that at 6'4" with a 6'6" wingspan, Mayo won't be able to physically overwhelm defending SGs like LeBron does to other SFs.
from 2 months ago
I do think, with time, Mayo will develop point guard tendencies since he will be guarded by great defenders. It'll come with time, but Mayo will surprise a lot of people as a teammate.
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