Pivot Points: Did Stephen Curry Triple-Double His Way To the ROY Award?

With one final rebound as the last horn sounded Stephen Curry erased memories of Brandon Jennings' 55 point night, and simultaneously etched his name in the NBA record books, and became the front-runner for the NBA Rookie Of The Year.

On a night when the Golden State Warriors were without their top two scorers Monta Ellis and Corey Maggette, Curry stole the show recording the first triple-double for a rookie since Chris Webber did it for these same Warriors.

His final tally was a career high 36 points to go along with 13 assists and 10 rebounds, the last which was achieved on the very last play of the game, a sublime performance for a highly underrated guard.

I say underrated because when talk turns to rookie of the year candidates the conversation usually shifts to Jennings or Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings, but Curry deserves just as much consideration.

All three play for terrible teams and Evans is the best athlete of the lot, while Jennings can boast of more experience, but what guard is as exciting to view as Curry, and he is arguably a better playmaker than either Evans or Jennings.

His year started much slower than Evans or Jennings, but once he became accustomed to the Warriors' scheme and grew comfortable in it, he began to blossom.

His shooting average raised to around 46 percent, his mistakes decreased, and his defensive acumen and passing skills started to stand out. Then the most recognizable part of his repertoire began to click, and the rest is history.

The part I speak of is Curry's amazing ability to shoot the ball, a gift which was passed down from his father, long-time NBA sharp-shooter Dell Curry, and one which Stephen has excelled in.

That's another area Curry holds an advantage over Evans and Jennings, and honestly there may not be a more perfectly formed or sweet stroke in the entire league.

His shooting stroke is why Curry was drafted but it is the maturity of his game and his ability to remain calm in the face of constant pressure which is turning heads throughout the NBA.

LeBron James had an idea of what type of player Curry could be after witnessing part of his special run through the NCAA Tournament of 2008, and everyone else is left playing catch-up.

It seems James was on to something then, and it has started to materialize now. He didn't want Curry as a teammate because of his shot, nor did the New York Knicks, although it was certainly a bonus.

They coveted him because of his intelligence and enthusiasm for the game, plus his steely composure which prevented him from wilting under circumstances which would crush regualr rookies.

Even still, his chances of capturing the Rookie Of The Year award are slim because both Evans and Jennings have better numbers than Curry although his statistics do compare favorably.

And in all fairness either Jennings or Evans are more than worthy of the award, and if you throw in Minnesota's Johnny Flynn, the NBA is witnessing one of the better rookie point guard classes in history.

But the joy of Curry's game delves deeper than numbers, because you never get a true understanding of his impact until you actually see him play, and once you do it's a guarantee he will amaze you in some capacity.

Maybe it will be with one of his pretty jumpers, or maybe it will be with a calculated steal, or a no-look, behind the back pass for an assist, but you can bet he will impress you.

For my money I say the award goes to Evans and there is no plausible reason I can give to deny him that achievement, but I did see Curry's virtuoso performance last night, and I couldn't help but feel I was witnessing the birth of possible greatness.