NBA Rookie of the Year (ROY) - My Vote
The NBA Rookie of the Year voting this year is going to be a lot closer than past seasons. While there are only 3 main candidates for Rookie of the Year (ROY), they are all playing so well and so comparable that it will be difficult to distinguish who has been the best rookie in the league. Two of my predicted candidates come from the same school (UConn), which should say something about the quality of their basketball program.
I believe the 3 candidates for NBA ROY will finish in this order:
- Emeka Okafor of the Charlotte Bobcats
- Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls
- Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic
If you don't believe me, check the latest Got Milk? Rookie Rankings on NBA.com. They have the players ranked 1) Okafor, 2) Howard and 3) Gordon. After these 3 players, no one is even close.
Why I chose Okafor...
Emeka Okafor has been Mr. Consistant for the Bobcats - you know what you're getting from him every night (14.9 PPG, 10.7 RPG). The numbers are impressive and better than both Gordon and Howard's, but it's Okafor's maturity and leadership that sets him apart, and why he's my choice for Rookie of the Year.
Argument for Gordon...
Ben Gordon has been arguably the best clutch (4th quarter) shooter in the league this year, single-handedly helping the Bulls get back to the playoffs with his late game heroics. Coming in as a rookie, no one expected Gordon to takeover as the Bulls go-to-guy at the end of the game; most analysts probably would've picked Hinrich, Curry or Chandler to be “the man”, but Gordon has shown great maturity and leadership in helping Chicago reach the playoffs this year.
Argument for Howard...
There isn't much to argue here - the ROY award is going to come down to Okafor and Gordon because of their numbers as well as their leadership. Howard is in Orlando with a seasoned squad of NBA players including Steve Francis, Grant Hill and Hedo Turkoglu. Howard has done a little more than I think Orlando expected him to do right away, but he's 3rd or 4th fiddle on that team, whereas Okafor and Gordon are 1st & 2nd, respectively.
While Ben Gordon will be going to the playoffs with his team, and there's still a shot for Orlando to make it, I don't think the Rookie of the Year award should be given based on that. Emeka Okafor has done a marvelous job with the expansion Bobcats and his stats are better than the other players mentioned here.
2004-2005 NBA Rookie of the Year (My vote anyway): Emeka Okafor