Journal Times <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Milwaukee Bucks officials have been extremely reluctant to attach any kind of numbers for ballyhooed rookie center Andrew Bogut's rookie season. Of course, the Bucks' brass doesn't want to put any undue pressure on the 7-foot center, who was the No. 1 overall choice in last June's NBA draft. But if recent history is an accurate indicator, Bogut will likely average about 32 minutes, 13 points and 10 rebounds. Those numbers are based on the rookie performances of Dwight Howard, Emeka Okafor and Yao Ming. Howard was the No. 1 overall pick of the Orlando Magic in 2004 and Okafor was the No. 2 pick in the same draft, taken by Charlotte. Yao was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2002 draft, chosen by Houston. Here is how each of those three talented players fared in their initial NBA season: -- Howard played in 82 games, averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds in 32.6 minutes -- Okafor played in 73 games, averaging 15.1 points and 10.9 rebounds in 35.6 minutes -- Yao played in 82 games, averaging 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds in 29 minutes. Interestingly, while Howard, Okafor and Yao averaged around 30 minutes a game as rookies, the two best big men in the NBA today - Shaquille O'Neal of Miami and Tim Duncan of San Antonio - played significantly more minutes as a rookie and produced significantly better numbers.</div> Source
