<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">On Thursday night, the two leading candidates for NBA rookie of the year collide when Brandon Roy and the Trail Blazers play host to Adam Morrison and the Charlotte Bobcats in the Rose Garden. Members of the media will decide the winner after the season, but Portland coach Nate McMillan isn?t afraid to offer an opinion on behalf of his player. ?I know my vote doesn?t count,? McMillan says. ?Morrison has had some good games, but for us, Brandon has been the difference in about 10 to 15 games. Probably three of those games we didn?t win, but he was able to get us into overtime with a shot or his play. ?There have been a number of games he has been a difference-maker. I hope the national media is paying attention.? Roy earned bragging rights in the first head-to-head competition Feb. 9 when Portland won 108-100 in overtime at Charlotte. Roy didn?t have a great game, finishing with 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting with eight rebounds and three assists. But he nailed a 3-pointer with eight seconds left to send the game into an extra session. Morrison, meanwhile, was a total nonfactor, making only 3 of 12 shots and collecting seven points, four rebounds and no assists. ?Now I have a chance to pick up another win on him at home,? Roy says. ?More than that, though, these are such big games for us the rest of the way.? Roy, the No. 6 pick in the NBA draft, is on a short list of R-O-Y candidates that includes Morrison (No. 3), Toronto?s Andrea Bargnani (No. 1) and Jorge Garbajosa and perhaps Memphis? Rudy Gay (No. 8). Roy isn?t allowing himself to get caught up in any hype about becoming the first Portland player to win the award since Sidney Wicks in 1971-72. ?I try not to think about it,? Roy says. ?It could be a distraction, added pressure I don?t need right now. The team is doing good. People are saying ?playoffs.? That?s what I?m trying to work on. ?I just try to play and help my team win. That?s been good enough to put me in the race for rookie of the year, so I?ll continue to approach it like that.?</div> Source
Clearly he's been the best rookie this year. He's been head over shoulders above everyone else. Millsap has been nice, but he doesn't get enough minutes. Bargnani has been impressive, but he hasn't had the impact Roy has had, however, he's been a key part to a playoff team. Morrison...don't even want to comment on him. Gay's been impressive of late but he's had his ups and downs, with his fair share of downs. It's really a no contest for Roy.
Yea, I still don't understand why people think Morrison's a contender for the RoY. He didn't even deserve to be in the Rookie-Sophomore game.
