After yet another talent-laden NBA Draft class, it's now time to look ahead to who the best rookies will be out of the Class of 2009. There have been numerous projections, but I will take my best shot at making the top three ROY candidates list too.
3. Kevin Love
Call me crazy, but I think Love will be a very good NBA player. He has the outside game to put up a nice number of points, and will be a great sidekick to budding superstar Al Jefferson in Minnesota. Besides Jefferson, the T'Wolves don't have a whole lot of offensive options, so Love will certainly get his fair shake at putting the ball in the basket.
Predicted Statline: 13.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 36 percent three-point shooting
- B/R Ticket Guide
2. Derrick Rose
This Chicago-bred sensation is sure to light up the Windy City with his magic moves, but it will be interesting to see how much time he gets with the plethora of guards wearing the red and black. He will be an amazing facilitator for an offense that should thrive with the young talents of Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, and Tyrus Thomas to compliment the veteran guard play.
If the Bulls were supposed to be a playoff contender last year, they should be once again this year for sure will the addition of Rose.
Predicted Statline: 12.7 ppg, 6.2 apg, 4.6 rpg
1. Michael Beasley
I think Beasley will be eager to go out and show the doubters that his college stats were no fluke. So what if this kid is only 6'8" as opposed to the 6'10" that Kansas State listed him as, he can flat out play. Dwayne Wade and Shawn Marion when healthy are good enough to make Beasley the third option, which means he will have a much weaker defender to play against. He has an inside-outside game that is more polished than anyone else in this draft class, heads-and-shoulders better than Love.
Predicted Statline: 16.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 39 percent three-point shooting
Hope you liked it, tell me what you think!
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6 months ago
Kevin Love, not so much, O.J. Mayo and Jerryd Bayless yes. Both players are in much better situations to play well during their rookie season. I would even make a case for Brook Lopez as a better candidate with the new look Nets than Kevin Love. Sophomore of the year, possibly.
from 6 months ago
I know I'm going out on a limb with Love, but I really think he will make a nice addition with Jefferson.
from 6 months ago
You are right. Love and Jefferson will complement each other very nicely.
6 months ago
Don't overlook players like Brandon Rush and Eric Gordon, a couple of players that should have the chance to come in, log tons of minutes, and hopefully make a difference. I agree with Rose and Beasley at the top though, obviously. Look out for Greg Oden, too...I'm pretty sure he's eligible.
6 months ago
Top 5 ROTY contenders:
1). Michael Beasley
2).O.J Mayo
3).Greg Oden
4).Eric Gordon
5).Courtney Lee
P.S. Kevin Love will be servicable at best. It never fails to amaze me how white players supposed " intelligence " or basketball iq and "superior" skill set somehow dispells any concerns about their athleticism or toughness in professional sports, most noticably the NBA. On his behalf Kevin Love's only season at UCLA was by all accounts tremendous and he was a great college basketball player but let us not forget so was JJ Reddick, Adam Morrison,Christian Laettner, Keith Van Horn etc. All of whom went on to enjoy marginal success if any at the next level. Furthermore Kevin Love's not even the second best post player on the team as Craig Smith is a beast and his tenure in the starting line up will in my "humble" opinion will be brief to put it mildly. Kevin Mchale once again bungled another draft and ardently defended his claim as "Worst GM in the NBA". Minnesota fans will regret the O.J Mayo trade for years to come.
from 5 months ago
One other thing -
McHale has positioned himself with the OJ trade to grab Demar DeRozan from USC in next years draft.
Grabbing Love & Miller for OJ makes sense longterm.
Demar DeRozan might be better than OJ right now ( 6'6 SG with NBA Body / athlete ) who would be a great fit next to Foye.
When you look at the West, the Timberwolves will be one of the teams in the lottery for the next 2 years so they will be able to add 2 more young talents to the core group.
IMO - Kevin McHale has finally earned his paycheck and has given the TWolves a chance at a great future.
6 months ago
Kevin Love will start and play big minutes in Minnesota along with Beasley, OJ Mayo and Greg Oden.
I don't see Gordon and Lee getting the same amount of minutes as the other guys so they won't be in the mix for ROY.
Love is better than the other "white players' you mentioned above and he makes everyone around him a better player.
None of those guys had the smarts or talent Love brings to a team.
IMO - if a GM can get Kevin Love's overall game & Mike Miller's outside shooting for "OJ Rider" that GM got the better deal. This trade also puts Minnesota under the cap in 2 more seasons when they need to be. Love will be one of the Summer League All-Stars when it's all over.
5 months ago
I think it is Beasley going away...especially if he remains the third option. On a side note, those jerseys are pimp.
from 5 months ago
Interesting POV. Yeah, I think Beasley will be a hoss, but we shall see.
5 months ago
I just don't know of alot of defenders that can guard Mike. Especially if the keys of the defense focus more on the duo of Marion and Wade. Truly, alot of people look only at statlines unless Tyler Hansborough is involved and this trend would seem to point favorably to Mike's game. He was an absolute stat-stuffer at K-State and I believe he will continue that trend in the big boy league.
5 months ago
the 3 that u mentioned plus bayless, oden, mayo, gordan all have a shot...
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