Kyrie Irving and the 10 NBA Rookie of the Year Candidates for 2012-13 Season

After talks broke down Monday, NBA commissioner David Stern decided it was time to take action.

The action he took was canceling the first two weeks of the regular season.

If things don't get better, and they don't seem to be, one could only assume that the season will continue to be cancelled week by week.

So what does that mean for all those rookies, especially the ones taken in the first round? Well, they are going to have some extra competition next year in trying to win the Rookie of the Year award.

If the NBA never comes to play this season, it will be the biggest and most competitive rookie classes in history. The talent combined could possibly be better then the 2003 draft class, but we can't go that far yet.

It will be interesting to see what happens.

Will the NBA give out a 2011-12 and a 2012-13 award, or just make them one entire class?

Who knows, but these 10 players have a shot at winning ROY if we have to wait till 2012.

Note: These are in no particular order

Derrick Williams

Draft Class: 2011

College: University of Arizona

NBA Team: Minnesota Timberwolves

Picked: First Round, Second Overall

Why

Derrick Williams was one of more electrifying players in college basketball. He is a power forward who is coming to a team that is young, but still very raw. And has a lot of power forwards.

Williams finds himself in a crowded group in Minnesota with Kevin Love, Michael Beasley and Darko Milicic.

Williams could possibly play the small forward position, so look for him to either start at power forward or be the first guy off the bench.

A lineup of Ricky Rubio, Wesley Johnson, Williams, Beasley and Love could be dangerous. Could also be very small towards the center position.

Harrison Barnes

Draft Class: 2012

College: North Carolina

NBA Team: N/A

Picked: N/A

Why

Since Barnes hasn't been drafted, it is difficult to say where he will land and that is half of the story. What we do know is that Barnes was one of the most talked-about players in college basketball last year, but he never seemed to fulfill expectations.

Coming back for a sophomore season, Barnes will be looking to fulfill the hype and build his draft stock for the 2012 NBA draft.

Barnes is a great utility player, and he will likely fit into a system with many teams. The question is if Barnes will be able to take over, or just become an average role player.

Kemba Walker

Draft Class: 2011

College: UConn

NBA Team: Charlotte Bobcats

Picked: First Round, Ninth Overall

Why

Kemba Walker is coming into an extremely favorable situation. The Charlotte Bobcats are in rebuilding mode. I know, how can a team be in rebuilding mode if if they have only been around for seven years? But they are.

Michael Jordan is looking for his new leader, and he likely sees that in the man that led UConn to a national title in 2011. Walker will be entering a situation like Derrick Rose did in Chicago (not nearly as good, but you get the idea). They have certain pieces in place, but they are expecting him to take over this team.

I know many of you are wondering about DJ Augustin, but I expect him to be shipped off for a shooting guard or big man. He could also be paired with Kemba, but that would leave Charlotte incredibly short in their starting backcourt. 

Jared Sullinger

Draft Class: 2012

College: Ohio State University

NBA Team: N/A

Picked: N/A

Why

I think many were bewildered when Ohio State's dominant power forward decided to stay another year. From the looks of it though, Sullinger perhaps made the right choice. In his freshman year, Sullinger put up 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. 

Sullinger would fit well in any system, but he would play best in a city like Charlotte with Kemba Walker or New Orleans with Chris Paul if he is still there.

It will be interesting though to see what Sullinger does, as it seems he decided to stay because he had unfinished business. If Ohio State doesn't win it this year, will he stay once again?

Brandon Knight

Draft Class: 2011

College: University of Kentucky

NBA Team: Detroit Pistons

Picked: First Round, Eighth Overall

Why

Many were unsure if Kentucky's young freshman point guard Brandon Knight was wise to leave Coach Calipari after one season. We will have to see, but he certainly did come up big for Kentucky in their Final Four run.

Knight is kind of a question mark. Throughout the college season, he was extremely inconsistent. In the tournament though, he became alive and he was making the clutch shots that propelled Kentucky into each round.

Knight has a favorable situation in Detroit, as they are freeing things up. Question is if they keep Rodney Stuckey. That decision will either put Knight on the floor at tipoff, or on the bench waiting.

Andre Drummond

Draft Class: 2012

College: UConn

NBA Team: N/A

Picked: N/A

Why

The sensational power forward has yet to step onto the college floor, but many perceive the freshman to be the top of the 2012 class. 

Drummond has a lot of hype to fulfill at UConn this season. Expectations are high, especially coming off of a championship season. He also has some big shoes to fill, as he will be following in the steps of and will be often compared to UConn great Emeka Okafor.

Hopefully, he will have better success than Okafor. Okafor was Rookie of the Year though.

Drummond would fit well with the Houston Rockets, who are likely going to still be looking for a replacement due to the retirement of Yao Ming.

Kyrie Irving

Draft Class: 2011

College: Duke

NBA Team: Cleveland Cavaliers

Picked: First Round, First Overall

Why

I mean, come on, he is the first pick. We have to include him. Right?

Kyrie Irving was taken first overall by the Cavs, and they hope that he can turn things around after a man named LeBron James left the entire city in dismay. 

Irving has a chance, as he has shown signs of greatness. The only thing holding him back is that he only played 11 games in college. He did average 17.5 points per game, but his sample number just isn't big enough to actually project how he will translate to 82 games.

Then again, it is tough to determine how to judge any player compared to the NBA schedule.

There is a lot of room for Irving to succeed though, as he will be the starting point guard right out of the gate.

At least for Irving, he doesn't play nearly the same position as James did, like this guy...

Tristan Thompson

Draft Class: 2011

College: Texas

NBA Team: Cleveland Cavaliers

Picked: First Round, Fourth Overall

Why

Oh boy, an athletic small forward in Cleveland. How expectations are going to be high for Tristan Thompson.

Not saying Thompson is comparable to LeBron, but playing around the same position, people will wonder if he can fill somewhat of the void that James left.

Hopefully, the pressure will not be too much weight for the young Texas product to carry.

Thompson, like his fellow rookie teammate, has a nice situation working for him as there is a lot of opportunity to play and succeed. 

Anthony Davis

Draft Class: 2012

College: Kentucky

NBA Team: N/A

Picked: N/A

Why

Along with Drummond, Anthony Davis is the other big boy of the draft class. At 6'10", Davis has been one of the more talked-about players.

That is mostly because over the last year, he grew seven inches.

He is highly skilled, but his body is a little out of form. Still, he has supposedly developed his game well with his growth.

Initially, he would draw comparison to Hasheem Thabeet, but websites compare him to Kevin Garnett.

We will just have to see how he translates to competitive play in his new form.

Jimmer Fredette

Draft Class: 2011

College: BYU

NBA Team: Sacramento Kings

Picked: First Round, 10th Overall

Why

You have to include Jimmer on this list because you have to believe that somehow the guy is going to find a way to get things done.

He may not be a starter, or perhaps just off the bat, but after averaging 28.9 points per game in his senior season at BYU, it is hard to say right away that Jimmer wouldn't be able to assist this team.

Perhaps he will be their designated sixth man, and that role could still score him a ROY nod. Ben Gordon almost pulled it off, so it isn't such a long shot that Jimmer could see himself in that spot.