Top 10 Intriguing Rookies

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Top 10 Intriguing Rookies
By  Joel Brigham
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Aug 30, 2007, 14:13 

Where last year's crop of rookies wasn't particularly interesting, the 2007
group is full of intriguing talent and characters. The following is a list
of ten players that should garner the most intrigue over the course of the
season, including reasons as to why. Those two top rooks from Seattle and
Portland have been left out to avoid the obvious.

Jeff Green - Few people question whether or not Kevin Durant will be a star,
but most of us are still a little unsure about rookie teammate Jeff Green.
Clearly the idea is for these two guys to be the cornerstone of the new
Sonics organization─A modern-day Jordan and Pippen, if you will─but how
great is Green going to be?

There are those that think he could be a fabulous all-around player a la
Brandon Roy, and there are those who believe that he's just not good enough
at any one thing to be an All-Star level player. There was a lot that Seattle
could've done with Boston's #5 pick last June; the world will be watching
Green closely this year to make sure they used that selection properly.

Joakim Noah - Noah will be interesting to follow this year for a couple of
reasons. The most obvious is that unlike most of the other rookies that
participated in summer leagues, Noah’s shoulder injury kept him on the
sidelines, so nobody has seen what he can do against professional talent yet.

We know from summer playing experience that Kevin Durant is going to miss his
fair share of shots, and that Greg Oden is going to give up his fair share of
fouls, but Noah however is a mystery.

The Bulls are a team that could use some energy and personality, and it will
be interesting to see such a competitive, proven college star used to winning
championships get thrown right into the NBA postseason fray. He'll have to
stay healthy for that to happen, however, and some reports out of Chicago are
that Noah may even need surgery to repair his torn rotator cuff. Hopefully
his rehab will be enough, however, and we can all finally get our first
glimpse of Noah in NBA action.

Aaron Brooks - True, Brooks is on one of the most heavily point guarded teams
in the league, but with Rafer Alston committing career suicide lately and the
versatility of Steve Francis as a combo guard, it's not impossible to see
Brooks play the backup point guard role for the Rockets this season.

First and foremost, everybody loves watching a little guy, and at 5'11" Brooks
is one of the smallest players in the league. More importantly though is that
he showed the world during summer league that he's actually got some game.
He's an exciting little guy to watch, only adding to the entertainment value
of sitting through a Houston Rockets game.

Morris Almond - How long has it been since the Jazz had a credible shooting
guard? Gordon Giricek is serviceable, but Almond clearly is the future. While
it may be true that he was picked rather late in the first round, getting one
of the draft's best scoring guards with the 25th pick was a steal. He easily
could have been chosen higher.

Not only is he a talented player, but he's also a pleasant and humble guy.
Who doesn't like watching likeable players succeed? There aren't many people
out there rooting against this kid, and if he's able to fill the hole the
team would like him to fill, the Jazz will be right back where they were last
year─in the Western Conference Finals.

Acie Law - The Hawks have needed a point guard for quite some time, and
passing on Chris Paul and Deron Williams still has to sting a little. Hawks
GM Billy Knight is hoping that Law will be the silencer to those gripes, and
that's exactly what is going to make Law so watchable this year.

He's a taller point guard with a bounty of college ball experience, and he'll
have plenty of athletic swingman to work with, as well as a fellow stud rookie
in Al Horford. Is Law the answer at point the team has longed for, or will
Anthony Johnson be back in the starting role by season's end?

Sean Williams - We all obviously know about the checkered past of this former
Boston College great, but had he stayed on the team all last season it's
likely he'd have been selected in the lottery instead of 17th overall.

One thing is for sure: this kid is a freakish athletic specimen. If he keeps
his nose clean and stays out of trouble, he could be the rebounder and
shot-blocker that New Jersey so desperately needs.

But that's if he stays out of trouble, which is why so many eyes will be on
Williams. We'll hear his name one way or another before this season is out,
but hopefully it will be in the box scores instead of the blotter.

Yi Jianlian - Now that he's finally signed on with the Bucks, all of the Yi
speculation can turn to his actual game. He's the second seven-foot high
lottery pick in as many years to receive Dirk Nowitzki comparisons, and
Milwaukee will be lucky if the Chinese power forward progresses as quickly as
Andrea Bargnani did last season.

Anyone who's seen the YouTube clips of Yi will admit that he looks nimble and
athletic in his chair drills, but the kid weighs about as much as Lindsay
Lohan. There's little question that he will start off as a bench player, but
it will be interesting to see if Yi can gain some weight and have an immediate
impact in the Central Division. China certainly will be rooting for him.

Rodney Stuckey - Detroit is putting a lot of faith into this young man as the
future of the Pistons' backcourt. Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton aren't
old yet by any means, but they aren't getting any younger either. In order to
maintain such an exciting guard corps in Motown, Joe Dumars took an undersized
shooter known for his hot touch.

If comparisons to Ben Gordon come to fruition, however, Stuckey's rookie year
might be a tough one. But that won't stop him from occasionally ripping off
a 30-point game or two when given sufficient minutes. He could shape into a
pretty exciting player to watch.

Kyrylo Fesenko - Steve Kyler called me early in the summer just gushing over
this guy during the pre-draft camps in Orlando. He said the kid is huge but
he moves with grace and poise. Couldn't put a finger on it, but he seemed
pretty sure that Fesenko was going to be one of the big sleepers in the 2007
draft.

It's hard to argue with that because it's hard to argue with Jerry Sloan, who
agreed to sign the second-round pick to a guaranteed contract. If Fesenko is
as good as the Jazz and Steve Kyler believe, then I'm on board. Expert
opinions hold a ton of weight in my book.

Marco Belinelli - This Italian wonder dropped bombs on the summer league,
rattling off a scoring spree that absolutely nobody expected. With Golden
State already an NBA underdog fan favorite with plenty of other exciting
players, adding a potential prolific scorer to the fray makes them even more
interesting.

Many believe that bringing in Belinelli is what allowed for Jason Richardson
to be shipped out. Those are huge shoes to fill, so the world will be plenty
interested in how well he responds to the pressure. It won't be surprising,
however, to see him among the top scorers among rookies this season if he
gets the playing time.


                               http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_23172.shtml 

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