Thomas Robinson just caught a huge break. With the possible exception of Austin Rivers, Robinson had been the most disappointing 2012 lottery pick this season. An All-American and the Big 12 Player of the Year, he went fifth overall to the Sacramento Kings, who weren’t exactly loaded in the frontcourt. There appeared to be an opportunity for Robinson to make an impact as a rookie, but he did not. He has averaged 4.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in just under 16 minutes.
Last week, rookie big men Tyler Zeller and Andrew Nicholson weren’t even in these rankings. This week, they are in the Rising Stars contest that kicks off All-Star Weekend on Friday night. Zeller, the center of the Cleveland Cavaliers, was among the original field of nine rookies chosen for the game. Nicholson, a power forward for the Orlando Magic, was added this week to replace injured Detroit Pistons big man Andre Drummond. [Read more…]
Damian Lillard’s path to Rookie of the Year just seems to get easier every week. In addition to his unwavering play at the game’s toughest position, the point guard of the Portland Trail Blazers has yet to miss a game this season, which many of his fellow classmates have been unable to say lately. [Read more…]
There were more than a few folks wondering if Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal had hit the Rookie Wall. To silence those folks, Beal broke through it. Right about the time rookies start to feel the rigor of their first NBA season – somewhere between 30 and 40 games, with back-to-backs and extended travel college players don’t face – Beal produced his best week of the season and showed why everyone was so high on him in June. [Read more…]
Pity the poor Bobcats, losers of 18 straight. They had a 21-point lead and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (22 PTS, 9 REB) was outplaying his Kentucky teammate Anthony Davis (8 PTS, 10 REB, 3 BLK). Then Eric Gordon took over. [Read more…]
Given his precocious play and the piles of praise he is receiving, Damian Lillard appears to have a stronghold on this season’s Rookie of the Year. And the calendar hasn’t even changed. Some of that recognition came recently from San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who along with a national TV audience watched the point guard light up his squad for 29 points last week. “I think he’s a wonderful player,” said Popovich, who normally isn’t prone to effusive praise. “His skills
Way back in September, we published our first depth chart. We’ve tried to keep it reasonably accurate with weekly updates, which on most Saturday afternoons are just one part of the Weekly Fantasy Planner by Jeff Nichols. Last week, with Jeff — who does the lion’s share of work tracking changes — on a foreign business trip, I forgot to fill in. Today, there simply isn’t time for much insight. [Read more…]
Here at Sheridan Hoops, we’d like to think that we’re a little ahead of the NBA curve. Case in point: This morning, most of the basketball world is talking about how the Golden State Warriors went into Miami and stunned the defending champions by making more plays down the stretch of a hard-fought game. Three days ago, however, we already had made the case that the Warriors have been the biggest surprise of this season and have been flying under the mainstream