Imagine (OK, dream) for a moment that you're an NBA rookie. Now picture yourself taking the floor as a teammate with the likes of Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning OK, nervous yet? Well, it's been an eye-opening experience for Daequan Cook, the Miami rookie out of Ohio State, who just debuted his blog on Slam. Among the tidbits was this gem: "If you screw up a play, especially a play for Shaq or Dwyane, they'll get mad at you. They look forward to plays getting called for them, especially Shaq. D-Wade can kind of create his own shot if he has to, but Shaq, he gets upset if you mess up on a play for him. He'll joke around with you but he also lets you know that you can't be on the floor if you're going to mess up the team's plays." No pressure, kid. So far, though, Cook has played without fear, which is a big reason why he's getting so much playing time in Miami, a rare feat for a rookie on a Pat Riley-coached team. Cook has provided a spark to a squad struggling to find answers, chipping in 10.2 points per game (third among rookies) in only 19.2 minutes. All while trying not to screw up Shaq's plays. (Send comments, complaints or hype for your favorite rookie to Drew Packham at drew.packham@turner.com.)
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Durant's absence from the top spot didn't last long. (Actually two weeks, but that's only because of my Thanksgiving vacation -- hopefully my only extended break this season.) Durant took back the No. 1 ranking with a nice stretch of games last week, highlighted by a career-high 35-point performance against Indiana to help Seattle get its first win at KeyArena this season. Of course, he followed that up by scoring six points on 2-of-12 shooting in Sunday's ugly loss to the Warriors. Better watch your back, kid.
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Horford has established himself as the premier rebounder of the rookie class. He entered the week averaging 10.2 boards, tied for 12th in the league and first among rookies by a long shot. Last week he had games of 14 and 15 rebounds. Now Horford just needs to work on his free throws. Shooting 55 percent isn't going to cut it.
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Yi is continuing his solid season. His numbers aren't eye-popping, but he's started every game and averaged 9.5 points and 5.3 rebounds during the Bucks' 7-8 start. "When you draft a rookie, you never know exactly how that person is going to respond when they come into the NBA," coach Larry Krystkowiak told reporters recently. "I think it's safe to say he's one of those people who has surprised some people, opened some people's eyes." No doubt about that, and he's only going to get better.
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You'd think tallying your first double-double would be something to remember. Not for Moon, whose 16-point, 13-rebound performance came in a 91-87 loss to the Wizards on Saturday. As a team, the Raptors allowed the Wizards to shoot 57 percent from the field, which didn't sit well with the defensive-minded rookie. "Defense is something I take pride in and so does the team, so we know we have some stuff to work on," Moon said after the loss.
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Navarro is fast becoming one of my favorite rookies. Not that I play favorites, of course, so I should clarify and say he's one of my favorites to watch. Navarro blossomed in his brief starting role when coach Marc Iavaroni went small while Darko Milicic was sidelined with a thumb injury (Milicic returned as a starter and Navarro came off the bench in Saturday's win against Minnesota). Navarro has proved he's not afraid to launch from three-point land or take it inside. To honor Navarro's surge, he gets a new mug shot this week, which shows off maybe his best feature -- the European five o'clock shadow.
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To get a feel for the Sonics' plight, check out this great column from Seattle Times columnist Steve Kelley. It's sad, really. The Sonics finally have a young, exciting lineup (don't look at their record) with Durant and Green, and it might not last past this season. Enjoy it while you can, Sonics fans. And keep those "Save Our Sonics!" chants coming.
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I don't know what to think of Scola. With Tracy McGrady out, the Argentine power forward showed he can put up big numbers, then he comes back to earth with two zero-point nights in the last two weeks. Granted, Scola's role isn't as a scorer, but I expect at least one bucket a game from the big man.
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After hyping Williams in my previous rankings, the lanky big man out of Boston College has dropped off a little bit, but still averaged 6.0 points and 2.0 blocks while playing about 21 minutes over the last two weeks. With center Nenad Krstic out for at least two weeks as he continues his recovery from a torn ACL, Williams has a chance to show that the Nets got a bargain with the No. 17 pick.
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Of the three rookies out of Ohio State, who would have imagined Cook would make the biggest splash? Portland's Greg Oden is shelved for the season. Mike Conley is buried on the Grizzlies' depth chart and recently injured his shoulder. So maybe it's Cook's secret weapon: Skittles. I feel an endorsement deal coming.
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With Gilbert Arenas on the bench the past two weeks (with many more to follow), Young has stepped up and provided a spark to the Wizards' offense. In a nine-game stretch, Young scored in double figures four times, including a career-best 18 points Nov. 23. So what can we expect from the rookie out of USC? If you ask coach Eddie Jordan, it's going to be an up-and-down season. "You know the direction the roller coaster goes, right? That's what we expect," Jordan said. "He had some tough nights, moments, early in the season. All of a sudden, he's at the top of the game, we hope he stays up there for a while."
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Honorable mention: Al Thornton, Clippers (6.5 ppg, 3.3 rbg); Jason Smith, 76ers (5.1 ppg, 3.1 rbg); Jared Dudley, Bobcats (recent back-to-back games of 10 points and seven rebounds and 11 and nine).
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Drew Packham can be reached at drew.packham@turner.com.
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