It's been an up-and-down season for Heat guard Daequan Cook. Cook, the 21st pick in the 2007 draft, quickly got a chance to play off the bench for Pat Riley. In the first 12 games, the Ohio State product averaged 10.6 points in about 21 minutes, but the Heat struggled to a 2-10 start. Cook continued to see playing time, albeit sporadically, until Feb. 27, when he was assigned to the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League for a three-game stint. But now, with NBA-worst Miami playing out the string and Dwyane Wade shelved for the rest of the season with a knee injury, Cook has returned to the Heat as a starter. "These are important games for him," assistant coach Ron Rothstein told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "He has shown the ability to compete at a pretty high level in this league. There's a lack of consistency, but he's 20 years old." In five games since his return, Cook has averaged 10.8 points in 37.8 minutes. He has been inconsistent from the floor, hitting just 23-of-62 attempts (37.1 percent). Still, the potential is evident to the Heat. "If we think he's going to be the finished product next year, we're kidding ourselves," Rothstein said of Cook, who is 11th among rookies in scoring and third in three-pointers. "But there's big upside there, potentially a very bright future." (Send comments, complaints or hype for your favorite rookie to Drew Packham at drew.packham@turner.com.) | NBA Rookie Rankings |
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Entering Sunday's game against the Nuggets, Sonics coach P.J. Carlesimo said that -- despite the team's struggles -- he wasn't worried about the psyche of his young players. "It's a challenge, especially for the veteran guys. I think with the younger guys, there's still the enthusiasm and a lot of it's new to them," Carlesimo told reporters. Well, maybe giving up 168 points to the Nuggets (most allowed in Sonics history) will change that. Still, for Durant, it was just the nadir of one of his better weeks, a rare time his critics can't rip on his poor shooting. In four games, Durant (a 41.4 percent shooter on the season) was 31-for-55 from the field, good for 56.4 percent, while averaging 22.5 points.
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With less than five weeks left in the season, it's crunch time for those pushing Durant for Rookie of the Year honors. Horford picked a bad time for a drop in production. Granted, Horford's contributions don't always show up in the box score, but in four games last week he averaged just 8.5 points and 6 rebounds, both under his season averages of 9.6 and 9.7, respectively. Despite the dip, the Hawks went 2-2 and finished the week in a tie for the eighth playoff spot in the East. Horford surely would trade any rookie honor for a chance to play in the postseason.
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Thornton was rolling along last week, averaging 19 points and 6.6 rebounds through the Clippers' first three games. But Thornton, arguably the hottest rookie, suffered a bruised right leg in the second quarter against the Wizards on Saturday, ending his game and potentially slowing his progress. If Thornton misses more time, we'll be left to watch highlight reels on YouTube. And if you're wondering, another good one popped up this week.
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You know you've made it big when the ABC crew asks you to wear a mic for a big-time Sunday showdown against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Or, the novelty of hearing a non-native speaker complaining to a referee is just too good to pass up. Still, it was interesting hearing the Argentine forward interact with his English-speaking teammates. We also learned during the telecast that Scola learned his English -- which is pretty good, by the way -- by watching DVDs of his favorite American sitcom: Friends. There's a funny joke here; I just can't think of it.
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Much has been made of the Sixers rookie's age -- he was the second-youngest player drafted in 2007 -- but the 19-year-old's inexperience certainly hasn't shown. On the contrary, Young has been one of the most important pieces for the Sixers, who were seventh in the East through Sunday. "I believed that I would've fit in anywhere," Young told Today's Sunbeam. "But these guys have made me feel at home. They are my brothers now. We all do a lot of talking when we are on the road, so the fact that this team is young has helped me." In the Sixers' 3-1 week, which included wins over title contenders Detroit and San Antonio, Young averaged 7.8 points and 2.3 rebounds.
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Defenders have learned the hard way not to leave Navarro open. Now, Navarro is learning the hard way that he's no longer a secret weapon in the Grizzlies' attack. "People are loading up on him [defensively]," coach Marc Iavaroni told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "If we're not running, then they have more chances to slow him down. They have a book on him ... it's don't leave him. He's got to be more creative and stay positive." Navarro bounced out of a recent shooting slump last week, averaging 13.6 points while hitting 8-of-19 three-point attempts.
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Moon's scoring may be down (he's hit double digits only twice in his last 10 games), but his defense is still there. He leads all rookies in steals and ranks second in blocked shots. He has at least one block in 15 consecutive games. Moon's defense has been his calling card all season, and if he hopes to stick around the league, that's what will keep him there.
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There's being humble, and there's being humble. In an interview Sunday with Hoopsworld, the former Georgetown star said this year's Hoyas (who earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament) are better this year without him. Not sure about that -- after all, Georgetown went to the Final Four last season -- but the Sonics' future is definitely looking better with Green in tow. In four games last week, Green averaged 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2 assists. I guess when your current team is 16-51 and has lost its last eight, it's easy being humble.
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Entering last week, I was playing a wait-and-see game with Young, who had begun to see increased minutes for the Wizards. OK, the waiting game is over. Young averaged 14 points last week, has six straight double-digit scoring games and has provided a spark with his aggressive play. "I'm tired of [teammate] Brendan Haywood calling me a practice dunker and all that kind of stuff," Young told the Washington Post after a win over the Bucks in which he dunked over center Andrew Bogut. "It's my way of showing them that I belong here. I can jump a little bit."
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Noah was excused from practice last Wednesday. He spent part of that day giving a pep talk to his alma mater, Florida, before the SEC tournament. Maybe he should have stayed in Chicago. The two-time defending national champions lost their opening-round game to Alabama after Noah's visit, ending their hopes for an NCAA tournament berth. Last week wasn't much better for Noah on the floor, where he averaged 4.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in the Bulls' two games. Still, not many other rookies are making a big push, and with the Rockets' Carl Landry sidelined by a knee injury, the Bulls' big man keeps his spot in the top 10.
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Honorable mention: Mike Conley, Grizzlies (6.3 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 apg last week); Corey Brewer, Timberwolves (11.5 ppg, 4 rpg in final two games last week); Landry, Rockets (dropped out of list after missing fifth straight game) |
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