Mayo threatens Rose's top spot

Mayo or Rose? Rose or Mayo?

Six words to summarize the dilemma atop this week's Rookie Rankings.

Grizzlies shooting guard O.J. Mayo averaged an eye-popping 28 points during a road swing through Sacramento (28 points), Golden State (20), Denver (31) and Phoenix (33). And he's adjusted to the NBA three-point line with frightening alacrity, making 14-of-27 attempts (51.9 percent) from beyond the arc.

But I've given the edge to the Bulls' Derrick Rose, the point guard, on degree of difficulty. Plenty of NBA-quality athletes can get buckets playing off the ball -- but it takes a special player to run the offense at 20 years young. Call it a matter of point over points.

(Statistics and records are through Monday's games.)

NBA Rookie Rankings

1 Last Week: 1	Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls The No. 1 pick continues to shine running the point for his hometown team, averaging 18.3 points and 7.3 assists (against 3.0 turnovers) in three games last week. With Kirk Hinrich expected to miss up to three months after thumb surgery, the Bulls have become even more dependent on their 20-year-old floor general overnight. They entered Tuesday having yet to fill Hinrich's roster spot, making Rose the team's only true point guard. "We're looking at [free-agent or trade options] but nothing's jumped off the page," coach Vinny Del Negro told the Chicago Tribune. "We'll just take it one day at a time, see what's available, see how our team does and go from there."
2 Last Week: 9	O.J. Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies Mayo's gaudy stat lines continue to turn heads around the league. Take his most recent outing, Monday night in Phoenix, where he finished with 33 points, three rebounds, five assists and three steals in 44 minutes. One night earlier in Denver, the USC product scored 20 points in the first quarter on his way to a game-high 31. (Said teammate Kyle Lowry to the Memphis Commercial Appeal: "It was one of those nights when you're like 'Whoa, get him the ball.") With those two outbursts, Mayo became just the sixth rookie in the last 35 years to score 30 or more points in consecutive road games.
3 Last Week: 4	Rudy Fernandez, Portland Trail Blazers The Spanish sharpshooter offered reliable production off the bench throughout Portland's perfect week, helping the Blazers knock off the Rockets, Timberwolves and Magic to climb above .500. Fernandez seems to be growing comfortable with his spot in Nate McMillan's rotation, chipping in around 30 minutes each night as the first guard off the bench. He continues to realize his promise from the perimeter, canning 10-of-19 three-point attempts in those three games. While McMillan values his energy off the bench, it might not be long before Fernandez gets a shot in the starting lineup.
4 Last Week: 5	Michael Beasley, Miami Heat Offense comes easy for B-Easy. The No. 2 pick got to the stripe like an old pro in last Friday's victory at San Antonio, converting 10-for-10 from the line and finishing with 20 points. Defense remains a weak area, but Beasley is showing improvement. He finished with two blocked shots and two steals (in addition to 20 points and eight rebounds) against the Spurs. ''The better defense I play, the longer I stay on the floor,'' Beasley told the Miami Herald. "I'll be completely honest: I've never got down and completely grinded it out on defense like I do here. Now is a good time to start. It's a defensive organization, so I don't have any choice but to improve.''
5 Last Week: 3	Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies Gasol suffered a bit of a hangover after exploding for 27 points (on 9-of-11 shooting), 16 rebounds and three blocked shots in his final Week 1 outing, against the Warriors. In last Friday night's rematch at Golden State, Pau's younger brother fouled out in just 17 minutes. His averages in four games -- 8.5 points and 6.5 boards -- slipped from the double-double pace he'd set through the first four games. But the 7-footer finished strong Monday, scoring 15 points against the Suns.
6 Last Week: 7	Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves Love's uneven weekend was typical of a rookie's ups and downs. Last Friday, the 20-year-old power forward made his first career start and had a personal-best 20 points (on 6-for-7 shooting) and eight rebounds in Sacramento. The following night, the Lake Oswego, Ore., native endured a chilly reception in Portland and finished with two points in his homecoming. It seems many local hoops fanatics still resent Love -- a three-time state champion at nearby Lake Oswego High and Oregon's all-time leading scorer -- for attending college in Los Angeles instead of Eugene.
7 Last Week: 2	Jason Thompson, Sacramento Kings The Kings won their first three games of the season over the past week, but Thompson's minutes took a considerable dip as the big man from Rider found himself stuck behind Brad Miller (who returned after serving a five-game suspension) and Spencer Hawes in the rotation. But with shooting guard Kevin Martin expected to miss a week or more with a sprained left ankle, Thompson could benefit: Coach Reggie Theus may insert small forward John Salmons at the 2, opening an opportunity for Thompson at the 3.
8 Last Week: 8	Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat After setting a franchise record with nine steals in a rout of the 76ers last Tuesday, the pleasant surprise of the rookie crop struggled a bit (4.8 points and 4.8 assists in three games). Foul trouble has been an issue, and he's also started conceding playing time to third-year reserve Chris Quinn. But his aggressiveness on the defensive end has been universally lauded. "I didn't know if he could play [point guard] full-time, but he seems to have acclimated himself," New Orleans coach Byron Scott told the Miami Herald. "Defensively, he just gets after you. He doesn't back down to anyone. He's going to grow up a lot quicker than a lot of other rookies will."
9 Last Week: NR	Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Milwaukee Bucks Mbah a Moute, a second-round pick, earned his opportunity by impressing coach Scott Skiles with his Ben Howland-instilled commitment to defense. But the 6-8 forward has also demonstrated his offensive abilities off the bench, scoring a career-high 17 points on 8-for-10 shooting in last Wednesday's victory over the Wizards. Three days later, Mbah a Moute finished with 14 points and seven rebounds in 35 minutes against Phoenix.
10 Last Week: NR	D.J. Augustin, Charlotte Bobcats The 6-foot point guard is producing as a reserve (behind starter Raymond Felton) for demanding coach Larry Brown, averaging 13.0 points, 4.0 assists and only 1.0 turnover in 24.0 minutes. "You can learn a lot from each player every game," Augustin told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "That's how I'm looking at it. I go out each game and try to learn from my teammates and other players. It's always a learning experience. ... You've got to be ready any time you get an opportunity. You go in and do what the coach needs you to do. In this league, you've got to be ready at all times."
Honorable Mention Darrell Arthur, Grizzlies (9.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.8 blocks in four games); Russell Westbrook, Thunder (10.0 ppg in four games); Bobby Brown, Kings (10.3 ppg, 3.3 apg, 6-of-8 from three-point range in three games).
Dropped Out Brook Lopez, Nets (3.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 14.0 mpg in three games).