Daniel GibsonRemember the NBA’s first All-Star Weekend rookie game? OK, I only barely do myself. Back in ‘94 — the same season Hakeem led the Rockets to the championship while winning League MVP and Defensive Player of the Year — the debut rookie game was known as the Phenoms versus the Sensations, and featured youngsters like Chris Webber, Penny Hardaway and Toni Kukoc. Some things have changed since then; most notably, it went from all rookies to a rookies-versus-sophomore format after it became clear most rookie classes aren’t deep enough to make for a decent game. And some things haven’t changed; like how it’s still decidedly less intense than the big-boy All-Star Game, and often ends up being a blowout.
Last year’s Rookie Challenge was the first one I’d been to in-person, and it was less of a challenge and more of a mercy killing. The sophomores - led Chris Paul, Deron Williams, David Lee and Monta Ellis - destroying the rooks. And as sharp as the CP-to-Monta alley-oop connection was, as dominant as Deron was for about five minutes before getting hurt, and as beastly as game MVP Lee was dunking over everyone, it wasn’t exactly fun to watch.
Will this year be any different? Even though this year’s rookie class was touted as being very deep one and featuring at least two future superstars, and even though this sophomore class is the one that got cracked last year and is coming from what is still seen as a weak draft class, I can see another piecing in New Orleans. Here’s all you need to know: Eight of the nine guys on the Sophomores roster (below) clock significant minutes on NBA teams most likely headed for the playoffs, compared to just three for the Rookies. And three of the Sophomores hold status as the top interior or perimeter option on their NBA teams, whereas just one of the Rookies can say the same thing. Here’s the list:
ROOKIES
Kevin Durant, SF/SG, Sonics (19.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
Al Horford, C/PF, Hawks (9.0 ppg, 9.8 rpg)
Jamario Moon, SF, Raptors (8.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.5 bpg)
Juan Carlos Navarro, PG, Grizzlies (10.9 ppg)
Sean Williams, PF/C, Nets (7.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.1 bpg)
Yi Jianlian, SF/PF, Bucks (9.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
Mike Conley, PG, Grizzlies (8.8 ppg, 4.8 apg)
Luis Scola, PF, Rockets (8.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
Jeff Green, SF/PF, Sonics (8.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
SOPHOMORES
Brandon Roy, SG, Blazers (19.3 ppg, 5.6 apg, 4.5 rpg)
Rudy Gay, SF, Grizzlies (19.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.4 spg)
LaMarcus Aldridge, C/PF, Blazers (17.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg)
Rajon Rondo, PG, Celtics (9.6 ppg, 4.6 apg, 1.8 spg)
Ronnie Brewer, SG, Jazz (11.9 ppg, 1.8 spg)
Jordan Farmar, PG, Lakers (9.8 ppg, 2.9 apg)
Daniel Gibson, PG, Cavs (11.8 ppg)
Paul Millsap, PF, Jazz (8.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
Andrea Bargnani, PF/SF, Raptors (9.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
January 31st, 2008 at 9:31 am
Sam I Am says:
Vegas: Hello?
Sam I Am: yes I’d like to take the Sophmores to win this 103-84.
Vegas: Are you sure that’s kind of a blowout isn’t it?
Sam I Am: Not really, the rooks got Durant and you know he’s a ball hog.
January 31st, 2008 at 9:33 am
Coldchain says:
MVP: Rudy Gay
dark horse pick: Ronnie Brewer
Rookies are gonna get murked
January 31st, 2008 at 9:35 am
Timmy D says:
I think the rookies are going to be just fine. Even with them not logging a ton of minutes they have some pretty experienced guys. Moon, Scola and my boy Navarro are all vets from other leagues and know how to play. Also if Conley is healthy he can run the show and I think the bigs for the rookies are better than the sophs. Sophs will probably win but i think it could be close or an upset.
January 31st, 2008 at 9:39 am
Coldchain says:
You’re right the rookies bigs might be better. Horford is way tougher than Lamarcus. Millsap is nice, but Bargnani isn’t an inside player. Sean Williams and Scola are more of a presence inside than him.
January 31st, 2008 at 9:49 am
Sam I Am says:
You all are crazy about this being close…it’s gonna be a blowout, WATCH!
January 31st, 2008 at 9:55 am
Prof. TX says:
Man, I miss Hakeem. Nobody has even come close to playing like him since. Nobody can terrify like that on defense and then move like an all-star guard on offensive end.
It’s hard to read the Dime article where Shaq talks about how much better he is than all the other centers he faced. I remember Olajuwon embarrassing Shaq on alot of occasions, and that’s when Shaq was having his best years statistically.
January 31st, 2008 at 10:08 am
Celts Fan says:
MVP of the game: Rajon Rondo. I think Roy is a real All Star, so won’t play a ton of time, and Rondo’ll be setting up Gay and Aldridge all game (both of whom could EASILY take MVP from him with a big day.) Not even being a homer, but the PG’s tend to run these types of games, and Rondo’s got a ton of weapons to run with, and most guys won’t get a ton of burn…
January 31st, 2008 at 10:18 am
SWAT says:
Prof TX i have made that same point before…not only do I miss Hakeem but i also miss my 94 & 95 rockets. ahhh those were the days. This maybe a little of topic but i used if we would have won the chips if MJ had never left…hmmmm?
January 31st, 2008 at 10:23 am
K-Dizzle says:
Celts
I don’t think B-Roy is gettin ahead of Nash, Paul and Diddy so this will be his game.
You’re right about team play being dependent on guard play in all-star games and the rookies have 2 guards??? from Memphis??? Ain’t Conley hurt right now? The only healthy rookie guard is JCN…
The sophs roll out 3 point guards that get major tick. This WILL get ugly
January 31st, 2008 at 10:32 am
Amar says:
rooks have only won twice in this contest (in this format). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rookie_Challenge#Past_results after this game, it’ll still be only two rookie wins.
January 31st, 2008 at 10:35 am
Celts Fan says:
I think he is K-Dizzle, guess we’ll see later today, to me though, there’s no question at all that Brandon Roy is an all star.
January 31st, 2008 at 10:37 am
Prof. TX says:
I’m with you SWAT.
With Olajuwon in the middle and guys like Horry and Vernon Maxwell (or Drexler in the second year) hitting 3’s, I think it would have been a great series against the Bulls.
January 31st, 2008 at 10:49 am
Myrie says:
Brandon Roy’s addition to the Sophs just cements the fact that we won’t be on the all-star team.
This game is a good idea. Back before ‘94-95, this was an old timers game. Yuck….talk about a game not fun to watch…UGH!
January 31st, 2008 at 10:53 am
Myrie says:
Acie Law and Joakim Noah couldn’t make the rookie squad?
But….Luis Scola and Juan Carlos Navarro did?
DIME: who makes these selections? Is it the coaches or members of the sports media?
January 31st, 2008 at 11:47 am
doc says:
I think Mike pulls it out because he was the best ever in championship situations and nobody never seen him lose one. So he woulda average 41 against Keem and them with wrinkle head backin him up. Bulls in 6.
January 31st, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Myrie says:
Swat–
No chips for Rudy T or the Rockets if Jordan was still balling in ‘94/’95. They would have made the finals, but I doubt they would have won a series.
Michael Jordan’s will to win is just too strong. If Stockton/Malone couldn’t beat him in ‘98 with homecourt, no way the Rockets beat the Bulls 4 times.
January 31st, 2008 at 12:14 pm
heavy d says:
Rather than make keep it as a Rookie-Sophomore game, I think they should make it an East-West game and keep the limit as first 2 seasons with a minimum 3 rookies per team. Call it the Young Stars game. This year it is still a blowout for the West, but I think in most years it should be more competitive.
EAST
Al Horford, C/PF, Hawks (9.0 ppg, 9.8 rpg)
Jamario Moon, SF, Raptors (8.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.5 bpg)
Sean Williams, PF/C, Nets (7.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.1 bpg)
Yi Jianlian, SF/PF, Bucks (9.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
Daequon Cook SG, Heat (7.8 ppg)
Daniel Gibson, PG, Cavs (11.8 ppg)
Andrea Bargnani, PF/SF, Raptors (9.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
Rajon Rondo, PG, Celtics (9.6 ppg, 4.6 apg, 1.8 spg)
Tyrus Thomas, SF/PF, Bulls (pickings are slim)
WEST
Kevin Durant, SF/SG, Sonics (19.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
Juan Carlos Navarro, PG, Grizzlies (10.9 ppg)
Mike Conley, PG, Grizzlies (8.8 ppg, 4.8 apg)
Luis Scola, PF, Rockets (8.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
Brandon Roy, SG, Blazers (19.3 ppg, 5.6 apg, 4.5 rpg)
Rudy Gay, SF, Grizzlies (19.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.4 spg)
LaMarcus Aldridge, C/PF, Blazers (17.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg)
Ronnie Brewer, SG, Jazz (11.9 ppg, 1.8 spg)
Paul Millsap, PF, Jazz (8.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
Snubbed
Jordan Farmar, PG, Lakers (9.8 ppg, 2.9 apg)
Jeff Green, SF/PF, Sonics (8.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
January 31st, 2008 at 12:17 pm
GEE...What is Fandango? says:
Wait till Beasley, O.J., and Hibbert and crew come next year I think they will make some noise!
January 31st, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Prof. TX says:
…and Oden might be joining next year’s rookies too
January 31st, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Lee says:
Houston wouldn’t have beaten the Bulls … after that season the Bulls added Koukoch to their Championship team.
January 31st, 2008 at 1:18 pm
K-Dizzle says:
Celts
Brandon Roy absolutely deserves to be an all-star but what I was sayin was I think he’ll get screwed cuz there’s only 7 spots left and only 3 of them can be guards so I don’t think he’s more likely than Nash, Paul and Diddy, but he deserves to go. So does Ginobili and S-Jack and D-Williams but this is a bad year to be out west.
I woulda loved to see Bulls - Rockets back in the mid 90’s. Mike’s never lost but my question is: Who guards Hakeem? Bulls never beat a team with a legit center in their 6 championship runs. Sam Perkins, Duckworth, whoever Seattle had(Brickowski, McIllvane?), whoever Phoenix had(Mark West, Andrew Lang?), whoever Utah had(Ostertag, Foster? damn) garbage all around. Hakeem, in ahis prime, wqs the Jordan of big men. Destroyed Shaq, destroyed D-Rob(right after he got his MVP award lol), destroyed Ewing. and you know Wennington, Purdue, Williams, Dele wasn’t gonna be phuckin with the dream shake. Damn baseball cost hoopheads some big time finals matchups
Speaskin of snubs - where Al Thornton at? He doin better than Jeff Green and Yi right?
January 31st, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Myrie says:
K-Dizzle,
I don’t think anyone on the Bulls would have been able to handle Olajuwon. Maybe the Bulls would have put Horace Grant on him (remember, Horace was 6′9 while Hakeem was really only 6′10).
But consider this…..in 1996 (yeah I know…after Houstons run), the Bulls defeated Miami in the 1st round with Mourning as their center. They defeated the Knicks in the 2nd round, with Ewing as the center. And defeated Orlando in the conference finals with Shaq as the center.
Read again….Mourning, Ewing, Shaq. Back to back to back.
Although the Bulls would not have had an answer for Hakeem, they have shown that they could beat teams who had all star caliber centers.
January 31st, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Prof. TX says:
I think it would have come down to the benches with Rockets/Bulls. Hakeem would outclass any center, but Jordan would have an edge on Drexler at SG. Horry and Pippen match up well at SF. Rodman would be up against someone like Otis Thorpe. The Bulls couple of point guards would be against Kenny Smith and Sam Cassel for some even matches. I think it might be close enough that the top 3-4 bench players make the difference.
We were robbed, could have been some classic games.
January 31st, 2008 at 2:06 pm
K-Dizzle says:
Myrie
I see what you sayin but Hakeem took out Robinson(HOF) Ewing(HOF) and Shaq(HOF)easily and I think it’s safe to say Shaq’s Magic team and Zo’s Heat weren’t as good as Keem’s Rockets even before they added Drexler. We’ll never know but I woulda loved to watch that
January 31st, 2008 at 2:28 pm
SWAT says:
“Never underestimate the heart of a champion”-good ol’ Rudy T. In the 92-93 regular season we swept the MJ led bulls twice! I know i know it wasn’t the playoffs but for the cats that dismiss Houston like we wouldn’t have shown up, get real . It would have been a great series but i think Houston would have done the impossible! Clutch city.
January 31st, 2008 at 2:32 pm
dagwaller says:
Myrie, I’m with you on the Bulls beating the Rockets back then. BUT…
Noah or Law on the Rookie team over JCN or Scola? I don’t think so.
Noah: 5 and 4.6 in 15 mpg.
Law: 4.3 and 2.3 in 17 mpg.
JCN: 10.9 and 2.2 in 25 mpg.
Scola: 8.2 and 5 in 21 mpg.
Those two are borderline starters for their teams, which are decent teams in the WEST (well, Memphis might not be decent). Noah and Law play sub minutes for a bad team (Chicago) and a decent team (Atlanta) in the EAST, and don’t really do much while they’re in. I’m not saying that they’ll never be good, but for this year? Please.
January 31st, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Gregg says:
I really would like to see it change back to a rookies east vs. rookies west format. I understand that the depth might not be there but it does help those (who aren’t utilized a la Corey Brewer, Gabe Pruitt, Brandon Wright or those who are not considered all hyped in the NBA Glenn Davis, Joakim Noah). I don’t think there should be a sophomore series. It sort of ruins the chances for sophomores to be included (voted in by coaches) in the Big Boys ASG if they know that they’ll already be there in the soph/rookie game.
January 31st, 2008 at 3:38 pm
GEE...What is Fandango? says:
Ok
LOL I got BLASTED about my idea for some NBA cats vs. And 1. Rightfully so. I still stand by my ish, even if it do stank lol but anyway.
I got some new ish though, so smell this.
How about just getting rid of the rookie game period.. It’s corny and I never watch it anyway. Sorry, I just don’t see the fun in watching rookies and sophmores. I can watch the McDonald’s All American game and get just as much out of that.
Anyway (I know I might get blasted for this) you all know they have an all NBA 1st team and a 2nd team. So why not do the same with the stars. Have an All Star J.V. game if you will (we def. wouldn’t call it that) with players who came close and got snubbed, and then have your regular All-Star game.
This way you also have 2 more coaches getting credit for having a good season thus far. Players shouldn’t mind doing it considering they would get paid something. Then you have those who would want to drop 50 or so just to show they should have played in the main All-Star game.
More players get a chance to play and get recognized, and coaches too. Still keep it on a different day than the regular one, to still give more credit to the Top All-Stars.
I know I would rather watch a game of players who got snubbed and still had a good year go at it than some rooks and sophs.
Just Gee. I like it though.
Let the flood gates open.
January 31st, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Myrie says:
The NBA should just allow MTV to bring back the Rock-N-Jock basketball game with celebrities and the 10pt shot!
January 31st, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Myrie says:
…or was it the 25pt shot that came into play for the last 2 minutes of every quarter?
January 31st, 2008 at 7:18 pm
BlazeMcHerbs says:
MVP = Aldridge, he’s gonna eat their food, just give him the rock - not bobby’s.