NBA Rookie Challenge: What Bettors Need to Know
By Jason Logan
NBA Rookies vs. NBA Sophomores
Betting on an All-Star game is always a slippery slope for handicappers. Wagering on an All-Star game featuring first and second-year players is a downright crapshoot.
As we’ve seen in past years, the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge starts off with the best of intentions. Players are quick to pass up the first look in order to toss a wayward alley-oop attempt or behind-the-back, no-look dime. But by the time the second half rolls around, these young studs are out to one-up each other – teammate or not.
Evans and Blair shared MVP honors last year in Dallas.
History
Since adding sophomore players to the mix in 2000, the second-year NBA standouts have won eight of the 11 All-Star Weekend events, taking those games by an average margin of more than 20 points.
The Rookies, however, are the defending champs heading into Los Angeles, having knocked off the Sophomore squad 140-128 in Dallas last February (note: Derrick Rose did not play for the Sophomores because he was involved in the NBA All-Star Game).
Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings and DeJuan Blair of the San Antonio Spurs took home co-MVP honors in last year’s win. Those two will now suit up for the Sophomores Friday night.
Breakdown by position
Point guards
Former Kentucky teammates John Wall and Eric Bledsoe will be running the show for the Rookie team this Friday. Both have emerged as budding playmakers for their respective teams and give the first-year squad a lot of speed in a game that tends to run wide open.
The Sophomores trust the ball to Evans, who scored 26 points as a rookie last All-Star Weekend. He sat out Sacramento’s final game before the break with a nagging foot injury and could pass on Friday night’s event in order to rest up for Tuesday’s action. Sharing the ball-handling duties with Evans is Bucks PG Brandon Jennings, who finished with eight assists for the Rookies last year. Those two have a strength advantage over the Rookie point guards, making this a matchup of speed vs. power.
Edge: Sophomores
Wing players
The Rookies boast Gary Neal, Wesley Johnson and Landry Fields on the wing, giving them a nice inside-out game. Fields is quickly becoming a star in the Big Apple while Neal comes into All-Star Weekend playing his best basketball, scoring a total of 38 points off the bench for the Spurs in his last three games. Johnson, however, has all but disappeared in Minnesota, averaging just under six points a night this month.
Stephen Curry leads the Sophomore wing attack.
The second-year group has sharp-shooting Stephen Curry, high-flying DeMar DeRozan, the versatile Wesley Matthews and the Sixers’ Jrue Holiday, who could see more action at point guard if Evans sits out. Given that these four players combine to average almost 65 points per game this season, it’s not tough to see who has the advantage on the perimeter.
Edge: Sophomores
Big men
Thanks to a knee injury that sidelined the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft for the entire 2009-10 season, Blake Griffin is still considered a rookie. He’ll suit up for the first-year stars, despite playing in Sunday’s All-Star Game and competing in the Slam Dunk Contest Saturday night. Joining Griffin under – and above the basket – is troubled Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Favors and Greg Monroe. The rookie frontcourt is massive with the ability to pound down low or run the floor and finish.
The sophomore side welcomes Blair, who pulled down 23 rebounds and scored 22 points as a rookie in 2010, along with Taj Gibson and Serge Ibaka, who will compete against Griffin in the Slam Dunk Contest Saturday. All three are solid interior defenders but lack offensive touch, with not one of them averaging double figures this season. They are also very small, with Blair standing 6-foot-7 and Gibson at 6-foot-9, compared to the rookie forwards.
Edge: Rookies
MVP pick
Blake Griffin – With the All-Star Game being hosted in L.A. and Griffin being the brightest young star in the league, this weekend could end up being all about him. He’s stepping up to the challenge and taking part in all three nights, and will open with a spectacular show in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge.
Final score prediction
Sophomores 129, Rookies 125