Rookie Challenge Rosters Announced

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• Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jan.28 at 2:49 pm
  FIRST

• ENDS Posted: Jan.28 at 2:49 pm
  uno

• Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jan.28 at 2:49 pm
  This is going to be an AWESOME GAME!

• ENDS Posted: Jan.28 at 2:49 pm
  samn

• ENDS Posted: Jan.28 at 2:50 pm
  its a samn shame courtny lee is not there but the rosters look about right. Where is lebron

• Myles Brown Posted: Jan.28 at 2:51 pm
  Ill let Jones handle this.

• BETCATS Posted: Jan.28 at 2:54 pm
  WHAT!! NO DJ? THIS IS NOT LEGIT

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 2:55 pm
  I’m actually pretty excited about this one. Although, I think the sophmores might have this one in the bag.

• Ryne Nelson Posted: Jan.28 at 2:56 pm
  Wade’s coaching his sidekick.

• Todd Spehr Posted: Jan.28 at 2:57 pm
  Mario Chalmers is a notable omission

• Ryne Nelson Posted: Jan.28 at 2:57 pm
  BET, playing time undoubtedly kept D.J. off the team. Of course, that won’t be a problem in the near future…

• TADOne Posted: Jan.28 at 2:59 pm
  This may actually be better than the actual All Star game.

• RV Posted: Jan.28 at 2:59 pm
  so NOW Scola is a rookie(sophomore)??

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 3:02 pm
  The rookies are deeper, but I think the Sophs have much better frontcourt players, and KD who’s the best player in this game. The rooks have way more backcourt depth (Rose, Gordon, Rudy, Mayo, Westbrook)though

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 3:03 pm
  Should be very exciting…

• ENDS Posted: Jan.28 at 3:03 pm
  No G Oden

• BETCATS Posted: Jan.28 at 3:04 pm
  Kevin Durant and Jeff Green send chills down my spine. That duo will be something amazing in the future.

• Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jan.28 at 3:09 pm
  The rookies are stacked, but just look at the sophomores too. Wilson Chandler, Luis Scola, Kevin Durant, Rodney Stuckey?!?!

• Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jan.28 at 3:11 pm
  O sh!t ! Where’s Oden?

• BETCATS Posted: Jan.28 at 3:12 pm
  Oden doesnt belong on that list Teddy. He is not anywhere near the level the other rookies are playing on. ‘Project Player’ is a good phrase

• LA Huey Posted: Jan.28 at 3:13 pm
  Rookies look great on paper but Horford is going to have his way on the glass. Does SLAM propose drinking games for the Rookie contest? My friend and I used to pick a side and drink for every dunk. I want something a little less insane this year.

• what Posted: Jan.28 at 3:14 pm
  Chalmers definitely deserved a spot, although I don’t know who I’d kick off the squad for him. Also, isn’t Scola like 30 years old? Shouldn’t there be an age limit for this?

• Phil B Posted: Jan.28 at 3:14 pm
  oden is on the list and he deserves it.

• Dark Posted: Jan.28 at 3:16 pm
  Today’s Greg Oden = Kendrick Perkins. He’s got a lil ways to go.

• Phil B Posted: Jan.28 at 3:16 pm
  also, funny lineups. who can even check kd on the rookie team? and who can check the three centers the rookies have?

• Julius J. Hornswaggle IV Posted: Jan.28 at 3:17 pm
  K-Love could use the time off. But, seriously, don’t rebounds count?

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 3:18 pm
  Oden is there and DOES deserve it….as much as beasley anyway

• Eboy Posted: Jan.28 at 3:19 pm
  The Rooks are gonna whoop their ass.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 3:19 pm
  I think the fact that the Rooks have three slow footed bigs (Oden, Lopez, Gasol) and Beasley as their only PF against a team stacked with atheletic frontourt players (Horford, Jeff Green, Thad Young, Al Thornton) could spell blowout.

• Matt Posted: Jan.28 at 3:20 pm
  I got money on the freshman and yes chalmers deserved a spot over westbrook, easy

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 3:20 pm
  Are you serious E? I’ll take that bet.

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 3:21 pm
  The sophomores are going to score like 140 points. The rookie team will probably end up better if they played in like 5 years but right now it is going to be a dunk contest for the 2nd years

• JackBrown Posted: Jan.28 at 3:22 pm
  No rookie or sophomore has more double-doubles than Greg Oden. Stop the hate train.

• Anton Posted: Jan.28 at 3:25 pm
  Mayo or Rose to Fernandez for the alley oop!!!

• Ryan Jones Posted: Jan.28 at 3:25 pm
  Kevin doesn’t need to be in this game. People want to see above the rim sh*t. Besides, it’ll only motivate him more, which will be good for him.

• Ryan Jones Posted: Jan.28 at 3:27 pm
  Whoever the Rookie coach is needs to run some small-ball lineups with Mayo, Rose, Gordon, Westbrook and Beasley, though. Would LOVE to see that.

• niQ Posted: Jan.28 at 3:33 pm
  WHERE IS CHALMERS?!

• niQ Posted: Jan.28 at 3:34 pm
  the rookie team has a VERY good chance to win this year.

• niQ Posted: Jan.28 at 3:35 pm
  oh. and kevin love deserves to be there!

• Eboy Posted: Jan.28 at 3:35 pm
  Yes coilk, I was serious. And co-sign Ryan…..’cause there’s no way K-Love would have made it through the game without a ball being bounced off his head before someone crossed him over.

• WhaHuh Posted: Jan.28 at 3:41 pm
  Beasley is the only forward on the rookie team. Love was snubbed. I pedict a sophmore win

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 3:46 pm
  Russel Westbrook, OJ, and Derrick Rose are going to get to the hoop so much it is going to look like a layup drill and they are still going to get blown out….But there is no sophomore that can guard Westbrook and Rose, Stuckey might be able to stop OJ

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 3:51 pm
  not having kevin love on that list reasserts my opinion with new resolve- Kevin Love being drafted that high was pointless, OJ is obviously the better player both now and in the future in reference to the trade, and wow I’d love to say that DJ and Chalmers deserve to be on that team, but when I look to someone to take out of the roster to replace them with, I can’t name one.

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 3:53 pm
  and if I look at just pure talent on the rosters, I think the Rooks are going to blow out the soph’s unless Durant can pull a 40+ game out of his hat. Yes, Stuckey can contribute a lot as well but he isn’t a 40+ threat in a game like this.

• killianc14 Posted: Jan.28 at 3:54 pm
  This one shoud go to the rookies there way more athletic and lets face it have much more potential than the sophs…….B-EASY FOR GAME MVP!!!!!!!!!!!!

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 3:57 pm
  THe chance of the Rookie’s winning is the same as the Hawks winning the title this year

• Kevin Posted: Jan.28 at 4:00 pm
  i don’t think Greg Oden should be on the Rookie squad.. but, the NBA’s hellbent on marketing him, so obviously he’s there.

• TADOne Posted: Jan.28 at 4:09 pm
  Justin, you obviously never saw Stuckey in college. Or the NBA for that matter. He can put 40 up on those rook guards. However, I don’t ever remember anyone putting up those numbers in this game, especially with all the talent around.

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 4:12 pm
  Someone always has a big game, its like the opposite of the all star game, someone has a huge night individually, and it started with Penny in 94.

• Tyler Posted: Jan.28 at 4:19 pm
  Come on Chalmers, and Love deserve to be in this game. And agustin got snubbed because he has not been doing well as of late. I was hoping to see a rep. from either of my favorite teams (warriors and kings) but oh well. Anthony Morrow and Jason Thompson should be in there…haha maybe next year.

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 4:20 pm
  TAD, I did watch him play in college. In fact, I saw a few HS games films of him- He went to Kentwood HS (Josh Smith currently goes there). I’m not saying he can’t fill it up. I am saying he can’t drop 40 points on Derrick Rose or Rudy Fernandez. Period. Also, I agree with killianc14 about B-Easy going off in this game- The pace suits his skill set very well (If you need further reference check the Elite 24 game when he destroyed it).

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 4:21 pm
  I see Durant dropping 40 pretty easily. Who is going to guard him? Rudy? All the other rookie SGs are like 6’4″ at best(Rose, Gordon, Mayo, Westbrook) Durant will just raise up. But the Rooks will have a chance if they shoot the lights out. They do have a bunch of scoring guards and a couple of lightning-quick PGs. I still think the Sophs win it going away.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 4:25 pm
  Beasley could go off, but the Sophs have a ton of uber-atheletic 3/4s (Jeff Green,Thad Young, Al Thornton, or even Wilson Chandler) that could potentailly make life very difficult for him.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 4:27 pm
  I think this game IS going to be better than the ASG.

• Z Posted: Jan.28 at 4:27 pm
  Love, Chalmers and Augustin would deserve to be on a rookie all-star squad… but who do you take off?! Maybe Love over Gasol, but that would still be a stretch. And over what guards do you take Chalmers or Augustin?

• TADOne Posted: Jan.28 at 4:28 pm
  Um, Fernandez and Rose are not exactly known for defense. I would have took it more serious if you said Westbrook. He is the Rooks best perimeter defender.

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 4:30 pm
  no I know TAD, I just dont see Westbrook guarding Stuckey- I see Westbrook manning up Jeff Green or maybe even Durant. Yeah, it’d be a size disadvantage, but athletically it fits.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 4:30 pm
  ^ Which is why Durant and Stuckey will torch them.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 4:32 pm
  Jeff Green is 6’9″ and so is Durant. Westbrook on either guy is not a good idea.

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 4:32 pm
  I don’t think Stuckey will torch them, I do think Durant will. I just don’t see Stuckey making the attempt to assert himself THAT much offensively from a shooting standpoint. Not with the way he’s played in Detroit, his game is more even keeled than the days in Eastern Washington and Kentwood High..

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 4:33 pm
  Actually, I’m not sure anyone will be playing much defense in this one. 150 to 140 could happen, and the rooks will definitely have a chance in a scoring fest.

• TADOne Posted: Jan.28 at 4:34 pm
  Either way, i’m actually more excited about this game then the actual All Star game.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 4:35 pm
  But thats just it. Stuckey is playing more conservatively BECAUSE he’s in detroit, in that ofense with established guys around him. I can see him deferring to KD, but the Sophs will need Stuckey to score. The Sophmores have a huge frontcourt advantage though.

• Tzvi T Posted: Jan.28 at 4:35 pm
  Not sure that Gasol belongs ahead of some of the people that were omitted. I guess that’s the globalization of the game for ya. The NBA is trying to appeal to an international crowd. If they just wanted National fans Chalmers would be up there (or Love).

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 4:35 pm
  So am I TAD.

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 4:37 pm
  The game is going to be a dunkfest like every year. It will not be competitive until the last 2 minutes if it is even close, which it probably wont be. One team might score 150 points

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 4:37 pm
  Idk Tzvi, I just don’t think Kevin Love deserves to be ahead of Gasol outside of the fact that he’s the big man version of the American “great-white-hope” and ESPN desperately wants him to succeed.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 4:37 pm
  Unless Beasley plays the entire game, the Rooks are going to have to play 2 of these guys at the same time: Oden, Brook Lopez, Marc Gasol. Not great in a super fast paced matchup.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 4:38 pm
  Gasol has had a better seasopn than Kev Love, he has played a lot more minutes though.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 4:39 pm
  I’ll be interested to see if these guys take this game as seriously as we already are…

• miggy Posted: Jan.28 at 4:40 pm
  ROOKIES BY FIVE.

• mr. carter Posted: Jan.28 at 4:41 pm
  WHERE IS JOEY DORSEY!!!!

• mr. carter Posted: Jan.28 at 4:42 pm
  (just kidding)

• Julius J. Hornswaggle IV Posted: Jan.28 at 4:44 pm
  K-Love deserves to be on the list. “Just a month ago, many experts were bashing the Wolves for the Mayo-Love trade. I, too, admitted that it looked like a big mistake, even though I loved the deal on draft night. The thing is, we forgot how long the season is and how special a player Love is. What Love has really shown lately is his incredible combination of skill and size, and his feel for the game — he’s often in the perfect position to make a play. He’s now No. 2 in Player Efficiency Rating for rookies and is tops in all three rebounding metrics (offensive, defensive and total rebound rate). That’s impressive, considering his poor start. (David Thorpe – ESPN – 1.29.2009)

• Wiz Posted: Jan.28 at 4:46 pm
  WHERE THE HELL IS NICK YOUNG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 4:49 pm
  Wow! All 3 rebounding metrics!!!

• TADOne Posted: Jan.28 at 4:49 pm
  Actually, Nick Young should be there over Aaron Brooks. Good call Wiz.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 4:51 pm
  I thought about Nick Young as well(instead of Aaron Brooks), but that would’ve left Stuckey as the only PG. I dont understand why there’s only 9 spots on these teams. Seems like it should atleast be 10.

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 4:52 pm
  I hate the PER. I really do. ESPN has partially ruined basketball with that ANNOYING stat.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 4:53 pm
  PER can be useful, but it obviously over values players who are productive in limited roles.

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 4:54 pm
  exactly. which is why I don’t like that PER is the best stat ESPN touts.

• Tarzan Cooper Posted: Jan.28 at 4:55 pm
  the sophs will destroy, they have thornton, horford, green, thad, and scola. blowout!

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 4:55 pm
  but the rookies have the oscar nominee for best actor in the movie benjamin button

• doi Posted: Jan.28 at 5:00 pm
  isn’t al horford injured?
  who should be his replacement if he doesn’t play.
  carl landry maybe?

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 5:02 pm
  PER should only be used when comparing MVP candidates. Or players who play over 25 minutes a night.

• Julius J. Hornswaggle IV Posted: Jan.28 at 5:03 pm
  Boys, “tops in all three rebounding metrics…is not based on PER.” K-Love even leads in raw numbers despite playing less ticks. Conversely, “Mayo’s shooting only 32 percent from 3 this month, down from 39 percent in December and 42 percent in November.” – Thorpe

• SCHW Posted: Jan.28 at 5:03 pm
  I do not want to read every comment but just this question: Dont you think that this is the year that rookies are the favourites to win this thing? And my thought on the pick: nobody that was picked should be left out but that does not mean some of them should be let in… if there would be a 12 man roster…

• Julius J. Hornswaggle IV Posted: Jan.28 at 5:04 pm
  Like I said, K-Love could use the rest, but he is deserving…

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 5:05 pm
  Also, is that a David Thorpe quote from the future?! (tommorrow is 1.29.2009)

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 5:07 pm
  Julius, that’s all fine and dandy, but Love still isn’t playing better overall than OJ. And if we get off statistics, you can watch a game and see that Kevin Love doesn’t have the same impact in the game positively for his team that OJ does. And if we make the argument for even Big men that some people think K-Love needs to supplant in this rookie challenge, I don’t think he gives the same impact for his team that Gasol does or Oden, and I’m not some huge Oden fan.

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 5:09 pm
  also Julius if everything were based off simple stats in basketball, Zach Randolph would be considered one of the top players in the LEAGUE. He’s averaging 20 and 10 for the past few seasons. Also, Michael Redd would be considered better than Ray Allen- statistically in PPG he gets more, but we all know Ray is a better basketball player. Stats can help you out, but they don’t make you the player. Intangibles, as well as just PLAYING the game make you the player

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 5:10 pm
  Kev Love could be a nice player in a year or two but his FG% is still pretty awful,(43.8%) especially for a guy who is supposedly so “efficient”, and he’s really not a great defender either.

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 5:13 pm
  co-sign ciolkstar. co siiiign

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 5:13 pm
  Here’s a question: should I start Rondo (vs Sac)or Eric Gordon (vs Chi) tonight? Gordon had an off night in his last game but should bounce back, and I think I’m sensing another Celtic blowout. Which, I guess, could be good or bad for Rondo’s prospects.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 5:14 pm
  ^ sorry for the fantasy nonsense. But I’m really torn.

• Jared Smith Posted: Jan.28 at 5:14 pm
  I agree, no Oden for sure

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 5:14 pm
  from a fantasy standpoint, I see Gordon doing WELLLLL tonight against Chitown.

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 5:15 pm
  what matters more in your league, points and 3′s or assists and steals?

• Julius J. Hornswaggle IV Posted: Jan.28 at 5:36 pm
  Justin, you are absolutely wrong. I have NBA League Pass. I watch the Griz, Wolves, and just about every other team. Don’t get me wrong, OJ is a very good player. But his numbers are falling while K-Love’s are going up: in pts, field goal percentage, and rebounds. For all the non-sense about K-Love’s lack of size, he exceeds Brooks Lopez in rebounds (the next highest) even though Lopez plays 7 more minutes per game.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 5:39 pm
  Well, this week I’m way ahead in stls and assists, barely ahead in points and trailing slightly in 3s. I’m just worried Rondo won’t play big minutes in Sactown. Also, I know Granger cut his finger pretty badly last night, anyon know about his statuas for tonight? If he’s out, then I can play both Rondo and Gordon.

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 5:39 pm
  The only STAT rebounding wise that matters is OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS. I don’t know whose rates are higher or anything but honestly think about it O-Reb are all that should be measured.

• Julius J. Hornswaggle IV Posted: Jan.28 at 5:39 pm
  I know, I know, K-Love field goal percentage is only 43.8 while OJ’s is a whopping 44.3. Big difference? Well, no.

• Julius J. Hornswaggle IV Posted: Jan.28 at 5:40 pm
  nbk, K-Love leads in o-boards too. He would lead the NBA when all players are measured for 48 minutes.

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 5:41 pm
  Except OJ shoots more and is a guard while KLove is a low post player.

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 5:42 pm
  I said I didn’t know the stat I was just saying IMO. But Love should NOT be there above Lopez. Love does have all jefferson for all the best post defenders to guard while Lopez is the NETS post threat. You can’t go off of numbers especially when your talking about ROOKIES.

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 5:42 pm
  Al**

• Julius J. Hornswaggle IV Posted: Jan.28 at 5:43 pm
  If you get off stats? Oh, and the alternative is sooo much more objective…huh?

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 5:44 pm
  Julius, to say I am ABSOLUTELY wrong is a bit overstated. You think I don’t have league pass? And even with OJ’s 3pt% going down, his numbers are stilll a good bit higher than Love, even with Love’s recent improved play. And bringing up Lopez as the argument for Love being a better player, by all means, because I am not a huge Lopez fan. But to say a player deserves a spot in an all-star game setting because his rebounding is higher than somebody on the list isn’t much of an argument. Don’t get me wrong, Love will be a fine NBA player, but OJ is a scorer and can create his own shot as well as play defense decently. The majority of Love’s offense in this league will be second chance shots based off his rebounding. Tell me he’s versatile and can take it outside but he hasn’t done it very often this season. I am not saying there is anything wrong with basing a players entire offense off of rebounds, it shows hustle, but he isn’t very athletic and doesn’t play solid defense. I don’t see how outlet passing by an undersized big man and rebounding prowess deserves a spot in the rookie soph game. that’s all I’m trying to say here. And I still think that the Grizz won in this trade. I also think that having Al Jefferson on the other post makes rebounding and scoring easier for him- the big men focus on the man averaging 20 and 10 numbers each night. Any time he misses or the other team misses the big men are going to focus especially on Jefferson to try and limit him, so Love has some space to grab a board.

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 5:44 pm
  what?

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 5:45 pm
  Also, 43% shooting for somebody who plays INSIDE as a big man, that IS low. 44 percent shooting for a guard on a sub par team that has to put up big numbers for his team to have a chance is just fine for a rookie SG.

• Julius J. Hornswaggle IV Posted: Jan.28 at 5:45 pm
  nbk, K-Love isn’t on the court all the time with Big Al. Moreover, is it K-Love that makes Big Al better when they are on the court? Also, Big Al gets double:double every night. He competes with K-Love for rebounds. Com’on man, get real.

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 5:47 pm
  that was to Julius BTW…and cosign Justin

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 5:48 pm
  “Moreover, is it K-Love that makes Big Al better when they are on the court?” Categorically, no. Proof? Last years production by Al Jefferson was also a 20 and 10 year. Since he came into the league, he’s been rated the best up and coming PF in the past few years.

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 5:48 pm
  julius check Al’s stats before K-Love was even out of high school. YEAH HIGH SCHOOL, Love has not improved Jefferson AT ALL

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 5:50 pm
  Nbk, thank you for further strengthening my previous comment. Julius, we aren’t a K-Love hater. I just don’t sip the Kevin Love kool-aid. I don’t see the Bill Walton superlative laden great-white-hope.

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 5:51 pm
  You get real, so ignorant, you are talking to people that LOVE basketball we know what we are talking about. Justin realizes that just because Love is good at rebounding does not make him a great player. Everything Lopez is showing this year proves he should have been selected BEFORE Love. There is not merit to say Love deserves to be in over Lopez when you factor in all the different aspects of their respective teams, and responsibilities. I could be wrong about the draft idea but I am not the only one who feels that way (professional sportswriter or not)

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 5:56 pm
  nbk, cosign on almost all of it. at the time i was okay with lopez being drafted where he was but i didnt think kevin should have been drafted before him thats for sure.

• Julius J. Hornswaggle IV Posted: Jan.28 at 5:58 pm
  Justin, didn’t mean to say you are absolutely wrong. You are totally wrong. K-Love’s game is his mid range shot and outstanding passing. But the real motivation for you is to try to justify “the trade.” Good luck with that. (see my response to nbk). K-Love is leading all rooks in rebounds despite playing only 23 mpg. This despite having Big Al compete with him for boards (Big Al averages double:double). Roughly half of K-Love’s pt is with Big Al on the pine. Oh, and let me know how Antoine Walker and Marko Juric are doing?

• GotHandles? Posted: Jan.28 at 5:58 pm
  what awful classes

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 5:58 pm
  and im not above not admitting my wrongs from the draft. I thought Westbrook was drafted too high, I had him figured 10-15, but he’s doing VERY well. Also, I didn’t think DJ Augustin was going to do well and I was wrong on that. Had to own up to those incorrect judgement.

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 5:58 pm
  Sorry J – i was not trying to speak for you if thats what it came off as. I just get frustrated when people use rudimentary stats like rebounding rate to justify a allstar/rookie game selection.

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 6:00 pm
  Julius by what your saying Reggie Evans should be in consideration for greatest PF of all time. He has a career rebound rate of 12.7 per 36 minutes. You are being dumb (no offense, kinda)

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 6:01 pm
  you can say his game is mid range shot and outstanding passing but the only outstanding pass he has is an outlet that he uses well and his shot is not going in as much as K Love fans were hyping it. And I have already justified the trade just by watching the teams play. And my motivation of not thinking K-Love is better than OJ has nothing to do with the trade. I’m not a Wolves fan, not a Grizz fan. Period. I have no stake in justifying it. I am just giving my insight. I’ll vouch for my own motivation, as I am sure nbk, as well as anyone else that visits here alot will attest. I just love the damn game of basketball. It’s my life. Literally.

• Russ Bengtson Posted: Jan.28 at 6:01 pm
  I just want to see Wilson Chandler go off.

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 6:02 pm
  nbk i know you weren’t speaking for me. I also said I co-signed almost all of your statement. I just had to clarify that my thoughts weren’t 100% correct at the time of the draft is all! No worries on that.

• Julius J. Hornswaggle IV Posted: Jan.28 at 6:03 pm
  Boys, what is so difficult for you to understand. Big Al always eats glass. There is only one ball and one rebound at a time. Yet, despite Big Al continuing with his usual high numbers, K-Love still manages to lead all rooks in boards despite playing considerably less minutes. You cats are all over the board. First you say that stats don’t matter than you say that the only reason K-Love gets his boards is because of Big Al (entirely illogical because they compete with one another when in the game together).

• slamfan4life Posted: Jan.28 at 6:03 pm
  Rose is gonna be sick

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 6:03 pm
  I want to see Wilson go bananas on the rim, but if he drops huge numbers I’ll be suprised, Russ. But I trust your judgement so I’ll be taking an interest in his play come game-time.

• Ryne Nelson Posted: Jan.28 at 6:04 pm
  Seeing Wils win the MVP would be amazing, Russ. He’s certainly capable, but I don’t think he’ll get more than 10 shots on that sophomore team.

• Julius J. Hornswaggle IV Posted: Jan.28 at 6:06 pm
  Justin, grab a hold of yourself man. You are not in a position to justify anything except for your own consumption. Opinions are like a-holes, everyone has one.

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 6:08 pm
  Julius, teammembers don’t COMPETE. They just play for the win, play to keep the posession. If you play basketball, you would know that in a structured offense, if a ball is in the air for a rebound, whoever has better positioning in reference to what direction the ball is heading is going to get the board if he works for it. You make it seem like Al and Kevin play on different teams. And I didn’t make the Al Jefferson stat argument to go all over the board. I just said it from your point of view- stats above all else. You haven’t argued any other viewpoint. also , you telling us it’s illogical that kevin might get help because of Al is just hypocrisy considering just earlier in the comments you posed a point of view that said this: “Moreover, is it K-Love that makes Big Al better when they are on the court?”…Posing a question like that isn’t much of a question, it’s as if you are saying it like it’s rhetorical and known knowledge amongst the league insiders.

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 6:09 pm
  first you get in a passioned debate using your opinion against mine, your stat sources against mine (and NBK’s) then later when other people arent jumping at your aid to agree, you tell me that all i can vouch for is an opinion, as to which you eloquently stated “is like a-holes, everyone has one.” Going by your logic, you need to practice what you preach and keep the opinion to yourself if you dont want mine.

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 6:12 pm
  Justin don’t talk to this dude anymore he is just thick headed. Nothing is getting through

• Julius J. Hornswaggle IV Posted: Jan.28 at 6:12 pm
  Justin, how young are you. Here’s your lesson: (1) there are a finite number of rebounds per game that a given team can make; (2) there is a finite number of players on a team who make rebounds; (3) when the ball comes off the glass or rim, only one player can be credited with making the rebound; (4) if one player is credited with a rebound, the other eligible players are not; (5) thereby, each player competes with the others to be credited with a rebound. Any questions?

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 6:14 pm
  in fairness, none of his views are getting through to us either . but I do agree with you nbk. I sure do. Also in fairness, we all have ONE subject in the NBA that we get totally irrational about, no matter how unbiased a sports writer may try to be. I admit my bias to pertain to the LBJ v. KB24 debate. Everyone knows my slanted view on it and I admit it freely. As long as writers admit their bias when it’s blatant, we should be okay!

• Todd Spehr Posted: Jan.28 at 6:15 pm
  From looking at the rosters, it occurred to me: Who will guard Durant? Rooks have either guards or bigs, no in-between outside of Beasley. In this type of game, Durant could go for like 80… well, not really, but at least the rookie game record

• Julius J. Hornswaggle IV Posted: Jan.28 at 6:17 pm
  Justin, I don’t need others to support (i.e. cosign) my opinion. You shouldn’t either if you are confident in your determination. As I said before, K-Love is better off getting the rest but he is wholly deserving of being on the list. Frankly, so is OJ, but Thorpe mentioned (and I have seen) his numbers fall off lately. I also saw him clank five shots in OT against the Wolves. nbk, I love ya man. you make my bunions sizzle.

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 6:18 pm
  Julius, you aren’t my mentor or teacher. I am well aware of how rebounds are tallied. I am also well aware that your knowledge of basketball is limited to statistical information seeing as it’s all you seem to talk about. Asking my age wont get you anywhere, I know 50 year olds who don’t know what the hell they are yapping about with basketball, I know teenagers who have more basketball IQ than many that open their mouth or lay hands on a keyboard about basketball. And vice versa of course. Age is irrelevant. Intelligence isn’t based off of age, it’s based off of experience learned. And to answer your question in part, I’m an adult.

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 6:19 pm
  Julius, I dont NEED to have others support my opinion by any means. And what is your infatuation with Thorpe’s statistical analysis of Kevin Love and OJ Mayo? Is John Hollinger your religious diety by any chance?

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 6:22 pm
  Dude HAS been slurping Thorpe all day

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 6:23 pm
  Uh Oh justin its not all stats this guy reads ESPN too.. Hahaha like we don’t have the same access to these articles as him. Julius your ideas are truly original and uneducated. You did not even read all of Thorpes article for example “Lopez showed enough talent that people around the league are now wondering if he should have been a top-3 selection on draft night.”

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 6:23 pm
  anywho, this debate has ran it’s course. neither you or I will change our opinion based off of anything we have presented one another. Enjoy a good night of basketball Julius, an exciting Duke/Wake game is going on, along with all the other games scheduled. Enjoy yourself. Nbk, the same goes to you as well as anybody else involved in this commentfest.

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 6:24 pm
  oh ciolkstar i wrote that last comment without a peace out to you. hope you see Jeff Teague go off on the Blue Devils tonight.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 6:25 pm
  Yup Todd, I said that earlier about Durant. Also the rooks only have 1 PF and its Beasley who’s really more of a SF. Then they have 3 lumbering bigs (Lopez, Oden, and Gasol)while the only Center on the Sophmore team is Horford, who can really get up and down the floor. The rooks have some surreal scorers and super atheletic PGs, but the Sophs are more atheletic up front and have WAY more frontcourt talent.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.28 at 6:25 pm
  Arggg… Walshy. I think Singler is going to rip. Teague is a G, though.

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 6:28 pm
  ciolkstar you know I’m a Duke fan, and saw Nolan Smith play in HS in person, but I just dont think Teague will be slowed by Duke. I didn’t say they would lose to Wake though Singler is my dude btw, most SOLID, consistent player on almost every facet in the conference. He is everything good about Grevius Vasquez, and none of the bad, plus more outstanding things he brings to the table that nobody else has at his size in the ACC. His skillset is solid.

• SLAM ONLINE | Posted: Jan.28 at 6:30 pm
  [...] Rookie-Soph Rosters [...]

• nbk Posted: Jan.28 at 6:30 pm
  Before you dip J- who is duke going to put on teague? Paulus? It seems like a good mismatch for wake if thats the case

• Julius J. Hornswaggle IV Posted: Jan.28 at 6:30 pm
  Justin, Thorpe is just one of my resources that help inform my opinion. But, frankly, it is pretty elementary when you look at multiple sources of information and form a judgment. Comparing OJ with K-Love is difficult because they simply are different players in entirely different scenarios. The Griz are heavily dependent on OJ’s production at 37 mpgs even as a rookie. K-Love comes off the bench @ 23 mpg because McHale wants the rookie to earn his minutes. McHale believes when you earn it you work harder to get more and appreciate every extra minute. K-Love had a tough time adjusting to the NBA the first weeks; OJ is falling off a bit right now.

• Julius J. Hornswaggle IV Posted: Jan.28 at 6:35 pm
  Justin, nbk, etc. It’s been fun but I gotta run. Gotta do my grown up stuff. But, relax, I’ll be back again to teach you up on the big leagues.

• Justin Walsh Posted: Jan.28 at 6:38 pm
  Have a great day Julius. Don’t assume I need schooling from you though . nbk, before I dip, I dont think Paulus will-he doesnt start anymore. Nolan Smith is Duke’s perimeter PG defender and he is SOLID in doing so. He is going to give Ty Lawson some issues.

• Sarah Posted: Jan.28 at 6:57 pm
  No George Hill bastards

• Melo Man TO Posted: Jan.28 at 7:39 pm
  when i saw that Dj wasnt in i thought something was wrong, then i looked at the roster and its hard to take anyone off.
  the deepest draft since 2003

• uptown kid Posted: Jan.28 at 7:59 pm
  its ok nick young aint wanna play anyways..so he let that bum aaron brooks get his spot

• rapsfan43 Posted: Jan.28 at 8:04 pm
  Rockin’ Roko?

• Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jan.28 at 8:47 pm
  @ BETCATS: Greg Oden would still be fun to watch. The only person I see him taking is like, Brook Lopez, but that’s a tough one, considering Lopez is playing really well.

• Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jan.28 at 8:47 pm
  @ uptown kid: I’m pretty sure Aaron Brooks is better than Nick Young.

• dma Posted: Jan.28 at 9:40 pm
  oden isn’t as slow as many of you people think. he may not matter that much in a game like this offensively, but watch him on defense. he’s going to get 10 blocks on these kids.

• Jose Posted: Jan.28 at 9:54 pm
  NO SUPER MARIO!!! DARN IT. i guess i understand though looking at all the rookie guards

• The Last Kings Fan Posted: Jan.28 at 10:10 pm
  No Jason Thompson or Spencer Hawes?

• Cp34mVP Posted: Jan.28 at 11:19 pm
  Spencer Hawes, Sucks!! LOL Greg Oden is there. DJ Augustin… Hmm What happened there. But Sophies have this in the bag… supposedly

• connor m Posted: Jan.29 at 12:11 am
  can’t wait to see stuckey score on d-rose (even though i love rose) again, i know its possible since he already dropped 40 on chicago at christmas time

• Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jan.29 at 2:05 am
  He’s the last Kings fan, dude.

• Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jan.29 at 2:05 am
  Will this be the best ever Rookie vs. Sophomore game we’ve ever seen? Possibly!

• Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jan.29 at 2:06 am
  I know I’m hyping this joint up, but many of these guys are going to be All-Stars in the future, and this is like a preview to that. Which is fricken awesome!

• Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jan.29 at 2:09 am
  Co-Sign Russ Bengston 6:01. Except I’m excited to see EVERYONE go off. Hopefully that will happen in the game.

• GL Posted: Jan.29 at 5:13 am
  rookies are gonna take this home easily..Marco Belinelli for the sophmores instteam?? he has been playing great till he got injured

• Hursty Posted: Jan.29 at 5:55 am
  The 03 vs. 04 game was nice.
  So was 02 vs. 03 Nene, Tay, Amar’e, Wilcox( really?) etc. Vs…03. Nuff said.

• Hursty Posted: Jan.29 at 5:56 am
  Daniel Gibson and David Lee were the winners the last few years/played great. SO don’t worry about Chandler getting the chance to shine Russ.

• Randy Brown Posted: Jan.29 at 6:17 am
  The Sophomore team is gonna KILL!

• ab_40 Posted: Jan.29 at 8:08 am
  132-117 sophmores over rookies. oden will probably get dunked on or he pulls a bynum. 02-03 was the best one I saw so far. a real show

• ab_40 Posted: Jan.29 at 8:17 am
  and can we get a marc gaso vsl rudy fernandez dance off

• Fresh Posted: Jan.29 at 9:39 am
  personally i think Dj augustin should be here he started off the year strong. and an injury has sidelined him for a bit. But eric gordan has only came on strong as of late, might as well put jarryd bayliss on or deandre jordan who have been playing well as of late. Still the rookies will win

• rikson Posted: Jan.29 at 11:57 am
  I know its just one game, but the 40+ night of gordon should separate him from guys like bayless or deandre…

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.29 at 4:07 pm
  I think Hollinger is a dufus, but he brought up a REALLY good point today.
  Ramon Sessions should really be on the Sophmore team ahead of Brooks. Brooks has been more a feel good story (He’s like 5’9″) than a good young pro. While Sessions has shown glimpses of his legit star potential and has even been modestly productive from a (confusing) bench role. His stats are better than Brooks’ across the boarfd and he would provide a bunch of entertainment value while helping the ball move in the ScoreFest that the Rook-Soph game invariably becomes.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jan.29 at 5:06 pm
  If Jason Thompson was on the rookie team I’d give them a much better chance to win. They have NO atheleticism in their frontcourt aside from Beasley.

• MeloMan13 Posted: Jan.29 at 9:10 pm
  @ Rikson: didnt Deandre have like 20 rebounds or wumthin. i think thats harder than 40 points or atleast equal.
  Ps. Nick Young definately should have made it