Not much has gone right for the Grizzlies this season, but it was a memorable week for rookie guard Juan Carlos Navarro. First, Navarro helped the Grizzlies end an 18-game road losing streak with a victory at New York last Friday. Then, a night later in Memphis, he scored 11 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Grizzlies beat Sacramento for their first back-to-back victories since November. During Memphis' 3-1 week, Navarro averaged 17.7 points while going 14-for-32 from three-point land. The win in New York was especially sweet for Navarro, who scored 17 points in front of a large cheering section from his native Spain. Navarro was serenaded with songs and loud ovations throughout the game. "I know that in New York there's a lot of Spanish people," Navarro told reporters after the game. "It was like my first time in the Garden. I'm really, really excited. It gave me energy. I'm really happy to bring these people this game." Teammate Mike Miller, who held Navarro's hand in the air triumphantly as the rookie exited the game in the final minutes, said it couldn't have come at a better time for the Spaniard. "I was happy to see that for Juan because he came a long ways over here and then Pau [Gasol] left and he's all by himself,'' Miller said. "[He] came from Spain to help us win games, and to see his fans come out here like this when we came to New York, I'm just happy to see him get a win and happy to see him play well." (Send comments, complaints or hype for your favorite rookie to Drew Packham at drew.packham@turner.com.) | NBA Rookie
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Horford has been instrumental in helping Atlanta get into position to snap an eight-year postseason drought. Last week was more of the same as the double-double machine continued to produce. In three games (all double-doubles), Horford averaged 14.3 points and 13.3 rebounds. More important, he went head-to-head with Orlando's Dwight Howard and held his own. In that game -- a 98-90 win for the Hawks -- Horford had 11 points and 10 rebounds compared to Howard's 11 and 16. No wonder his coach is infatuated with him. "I respect everything he's done for us on and off the floor," Mike Woodson told the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution. "He's never complained about a thing.
He just comes to work every day and gives you his all when he's out there on the floor.
He's been a positive influence on my life; I mean, he's huge. I love Al Horford. I love him."
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It's interesting to look at Durant's trends from the three-point line, where he is shooting only 28.3 percent for the season. In November, Durant shot 70 three-pointers (4.4 per game). In December, he took 41 (3.2), and in January he attempted 46 (3.1). However, last month he took just 12 in 11 games, and he hoisted only eight in the Sonics' first 12 games of March. It's obvious, then, that he's making an effort to create higher-percentage shots -- which seems to be paying off this month. After holding steady at about 40 percent each of the first four months, Durant is hitting 52 percent from the field in March. His improved shooting hasn't led to success for the Sonics, who have lost 11 in a row.
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The Rockets' 27-year-old power forward has a hard time thinking of himself as a rookie. Judging by his deft handling of the media, it's hard to think of him that way, too. When asked in a recent interview with Sporting News whether an NBA championship or an Olympic gold medal would mean more to him, the Argentine was quick to sidestep: "I want to win both," he responded. Scola averaged 13.5 points and 9.2 rebounds last week, but the Rockets lost three of four.
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| 4 | 6 |  | I love seeing old videos of Navarro from his days in Spain. After watching them, it's no wonder the Spaniards won gold medal in the 2006 FIBA World Championships. From this video, which highlights a tournament in 1999, it's clear just how good Navarro is, even at 19 years old, as he hits floaters and consistently gets in the lane. The other noteworthy bit is seeing a young Gasol, also 19 at the time, with a perfectly parted hairdo. Ah, to be young again.
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| 5 | 3 |  | It was a rough week for the Clippers' forward. Not only did the Clips lose all four games (they're mired in a seven-game slide), but Thornton hit just 28 percent of
his field-goal attempts (12-for-43) and scored in double digits in just one of the four games (which came in a loss to the Warriors, against whom he had 24 points and a personal-best 13 rebounds in a career-high 45 minutes). Still, despite the ups and downs, coach Mike Dunleavy is calling Thornton the steal of the
2007 draft. "He's growing all the time," Dunleavy told the Los Angeles Times. "He's an explosive scorer. When he's going good, he's a tough guy to stop for anybody."
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Moon is carving out his place among the top rookies in franchise history. He needs seven more starts to break Damon Stoudamire's rookie record of 70. He also ranks second in rebounds (behind Chris Bosh) and third in blocked shots (behind Bosh and No. 1 Marcus Camby). Moon pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds in Sunday's loss to the Nuggets; he averaged 11.2 for the week.
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The past collided head-on with the future last week with former Sixer Allen Iverson back in town. "They were successful before me, and they're going
to be successful after me," Iverson said after the game. But who really thought the Sixers would be this good, this fast? Well, Sixers fans can thank a 19-year-old rookie for a lot of that success. During the Sixers' 9-2 start to the month, Young has averaged 10.7 points on 55.7 percent shooting. He may not be the second coming of the Answer, but for now he's certainly becoming a fan favorite in Philly.
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The Sonics are shorthanded heading down the stretch, which is a good thing if a) you're a team playing for a shot at Michael Beasley in the draft lottery, or b)
your name is Jeff Green. Because of the injuries, Green had a pretty solid week while filling in at power forward against some of the West's better big men
(Lamar Odom, Carlos Boozer, Amare Stoudemire).
Green averaged 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in the Sonics' three losses. He scored a career-high 23 in the loss to the Jazz.
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After missing more than two weeks with a sore knee, Landry returned just in time to help the Rockets end their two-game skid with last Friday's victory at Golden State.
"It's going to take time," Landry told the Houston Chronicle.
"You can't just jump in and be where you were. You can be close. I've learned some things sitting out. I got smarter just by observing some things." In his two games since returning, the 6-9 forward has averaged 13.0 points and 6.5 rebounds "He's our most athletic big guy,'' coach Rick Adelman told the Chronicle. "He's our best finisher, the most active. He's just different. He's got lots of energy, plus he's very athletic."
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I've been quick to criticize Conley, mostly because he's been up and down -- especially from the field. But the fact of the matter is that Conley has been far and away the best point guard in last year's draft. Which isn't saying much, but it's good enough to land him in this week's top 10. Yes, his field-goal percentage is low (42.1), but it's still higher than two other regulars in the rankings -- Durant (41.8) and Navarro (41.0). Conley averaged 9.5 points and 4.3 -- right in line with his season averages -- during the Grizzlies' 3-1 week.
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Honorable mention: Spencer Hawes, Kings (19 points, 12 rebounds in loss to Grizzlies); Julian Wright, Hornets (8.3 points, 3.3 rebounds in four games); Rodney Stuckey, Pistons (8.0 points, 2.6 assists in three games); Joakim Noah, Bulls (6.8 points, 5.0 rebounds in four games) |
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