Jimmer Fredette Sets Up Rookie Exhibitions: Why NBA Rookies Should Flock To Join
While it’s not quite summer without the hype and drama of the NBA free agency, even in the midst of the lockout hoops fans have had a lot to be interested in. The matchup between Goodman League vs. Drew League provided an excellent contest on Sunday, and the two games the Kentucky Pros. played against the Dominican Republic squad last week were both hard-fought battles. Indeed, these scrimmages felt less like meaningless contests and more like actual games.
Which is why the announcement that Sacramento Kings rookie Jimmer Fredette was organizing a pair of contests for his fellow rookies should be met with total enthusiasm from fans. The two day event, titled "Jimmer's All-Stars: Presented by Zions Bank" will play September 21 at the Maverick Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and then on September 22 Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
"It will be another chance for fans to be able to come and watch myself and many of the NBA draftees play a couple games here and have a great time," Fredette told KSL TV. “Since there was an NBA lockout, we knew that we weren't going to be able to play much organized basketball, so it might be a good thing to get a couple of games in, in front of fans, especially."
Not only will this opportunity be excellent for fans starved for a chance to see their newest additions play in somewhat meaningful competition, but it’s also an excellent opportunity for rookies to get some playing time in an otherwise bleak summer.
The threat of the lockout kept many prospective 2011 draftees from entering the draft, and those who did enter haven’t had much—if any—meaningful basketball opportunities. While plenty of NBA stars, including Kevin Durant, John Wall and Kobe Bryant have played in exhibition games, the rookies hadn’t even had much of a chance to settle in to their new teams before the lockout started and the teams were forbidden to contact their new players.
Hopefully, Jimmer’s All-Stars will gain lots of attention from rookies. So far only three players are confirmed—Fredette and his two Sacramento teammates, forward Tyler Honeycutt from UCLA and guard Isaiah Thomas from Washington.
Fredette said in the interview he expected Charlotte Bobcats rookie guard Kemba Walker to also participate. Confirmed players will be announced over the next few weeks.
Jimmer and BYU Coach Dave Rose will handle one team, and San Diego State’s Steve Fisher will coach the other. Aside from Fredette, the other participants will be allocated to both teams by a "draft-style" format on the week of the event, which seems a fantastic idea, giving the rookies some motivation if they feel they should have been picked higher.
Fredette comes in as one of the most polarizing rookies of his class, either pegged as a star or a complete bust. But setting up a competition like this shows his leadership, a skill that will hopefully transfer into the NBA. Props to Fredette for setting this up, and hopefully the rest of the rookies will see this opportunity and take full advantage of it.
A portion of the profits from ticket sales of the two contests will to go the Vestibular Disorders Association. Both contests will be broadcasted on KSL Radio, and the second game will be on television through BYUTV.
BYUTV can be seen online, on through a free app on iPads and iPhones.
