It looks like the Rookie Ladder is the latest incarnation of the old T-Mobile Rookie Rankings. Lo and behold, our own Damian Lillard currently sits at #1: "Damian Lillard didn't come out of Weber State a household name, but he will be soon enough. Lillard's play in Las Vegas caught a lot of attention (and the top rung on the Ladder) and he continued his solid play in the preseason, averaging 16.2 points (first among rookies) on 45.8 percent shooting. The Blazers' point guard also led all rookies in assists (5.8 per game) and has a real good chance of finishing he season first in both categories. " BNM
Not bad for the No. 6 pick. Kind of like Brandon Roy's rookie year, he does appear to be more NBA ready and less of a project than some guys picked ahead of him.
Unlike Roy's rookie year, there are other legitimate contenders for ROY this season. Anthony Davis is going to be tough to beat. He had an excellent preseason. It should be an interesting race... BNM
I'm pretty sure I said it somewhere at the time, but I would not have hesitated to take Lillard at #2. All the debate about whether he was worth the 6th pick was silly. After Davis, everyone was too flawed to be a clearly better prospect than Lillard, and none of them brought to the table the qualities he does that the Blazers so desperately need.
Sure would have been nice to have an easier road debut. The NBA office has done us no favors with this start.
