# Dwight Howard: Race for the ROY



## JNice

Early ROY Candidates based on preseason and first couple of games:

Dwight - 2 games - 8.5 ppg, 10 rpg, 1.5 spg, 2.5 bpg, 2 apg

Okafor - 1 game - 19 pts, 10 rebs

Luol Deng - 1 game - 18 pts, 10 rebs, 3 asts, 1 block - bad FG%

Nocioni - 17 pts, 14 rebs, bad FG%


These four so far seem head and shoulders above the rest of the rooks.

Another guy who could sneak up throughout the season if he works himself into starting could be David Harrison.


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## hobojoe

> Originally posted by <b>JNice</b>!
> Early ROY Candidates based on preseason and first couple of games:
> 
> Dwight - 2 games - 8.5 ppg, 10 rpg, 1.5 spg, 2.5 bpg, 2 apg
> 
> Okafor - 1 game - 19 pts, 10 rebs
> 
> Luol Deng - 1 game - 18 pts, 10 rebs, 3 asts, 1 block - bad FG%
> 
> Nocioni - 17 pts, 14 rebs, bad FG%
> 
> 
> These four so far seem head and shoulders above the rest of the rooks.
> 
> Another guy who could sneak up throughout the season if he works himself into starting could be David Harrison.


I watched a little of the Celtics vs. Pacers game last night, and Harrison looked pretty good. Unfortunately for him, I don't think he's going to be able to work his way into the starting lineup once Jeff Foster comes back. It should be a good race for ROY though, I think it'll come down those 4 guys you listed. My sleeper is Al Jefferson, if he can work his way into the rotation in Boston. He scored 6 points on 3-3 shooting and also had 3 rebounds and 3 blocks in only 11 minutes yesterday.


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## hobojoe

Another thing to keep in mind is that both Deng and Nocioni have padded stats because they've only played one game, and it went to double overtime. Nocioni was 5-19 from the floor, and Deng was 8-21.


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## X-Factor

I think towards the end of the season it's going to come down to Dwight and Deng, because although I think Okafor and Nocioni are both great players, they won't be able to stack up to Deng and Dwight. I also think that the Bobcats are going to get bit in the *** when/if Okafor's back starts acting up, ultimatley taking away his chance for ROY. I also think Nocioni will die out towards the end of the season.


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## hobojoe

Looks like Okafor won the battle against Howard tonight. Howard was in foul trouble all night, and Okafor's team won the game while he put up better stats than Dwight. 

Okafor- 12 points(5-14 FG) 14 rebounds, 2 blocks
Howard- 5 points(2-5 FG) 12 rebounds, 3 blocks


Bulls trio of rookies had nice games tonight led by Luol Deng:

Deng- 25 points(10-15 FG) 5 rebounds, 1 assist
Gordon- 17 points(6-14 FG) 3 steals, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Nocioni- 10 points(4-13 FG) 7 rebounds, 2 steals

Another player to look out for is Andre Iguodala in Philly. He didn't have a good shooting night today, but he is definitely a ROY candidate simply because he's a starter right off the bat and he's getting good minutes. 8 points, 6 boards and 3 steals tonight for him. 

Al Jefferson scored 8 points and grabbed 4 boards in just 15 minutes in a blowout tonight. I have a feeling sooner or later he's going to find his way into Boston's rotation if not the starting lineup. 

Other notable rookie performences:
Devin Harris- 14 points(4-7 FG) 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
JR Smith- 7 points in 6 minutes
Jameer Nelson- 6 points(2-4 FG) 7 assists
David Harrison- 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks in 16 minutes


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## JNice

Tonights game a tough call as far as Howard vs Okafor. Seemed like everytime I looked over to the game, Howard was sitting on the bench in foul trouble. Good to see Howard still got some boards and blocks.

Seems like Deng is taking the early ROY lead. He is putting up some impressive numbers. He's making a lot of people look stupid, a lot of people who said his game wouldn't translate to the NBA.


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## Tersk

Dev Harris should be in running


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## JNice

> Originally posted by <b>theo4002</b>!
> Dev Harris should be in running


He will be, but with all the experienced players and weapons on the Mavs, he probably won't get the opportunity to put up the stats some of the other guys will.


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## Tersk

> Originally posted by <b>JNice</b>!
> 
> 
> He will be, but with all the experienced players and weapons on the Mavs, he probably won't get the opportunity to put up the stats some of the other guys will.


Probably, but he has already been handed the starting job


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## JNice

> Originally posted by <b>theo4002</b>!
> 
> 
> Probably, but he has already been handed the starting job


True ... but so have Dwight Howard and Okafor. And Okafor and Dwight are going to have a lot more opportunity to put up big stats than Harris. Harris might get some decent assist numbers, but his scoring numbers probably won't be that high. I don't expect him to be able to keep up with Dwight and Emeka.

And it looks like it might not be long before Luol Deng is starting in Chicago.


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## JNice

NBA.com Rookie Rankings after the first week -

http://www.nba.com/milk_rookie/rankings_041108.html

-----------------

I think they are right on there at the top, although Deng's and Nocioni's statistics are a bit bloated by the big OT game. I really see those four at the top all season.


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## Captain Obvious

I still think it will come down to Dwight and Okafor.


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## hobojoe

15 and 11 tonight for Dwight. He's only going to keep getting better, that's what really excites me.


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## JNice

A setback tonight for Dwight due to foul trouble. 4 pts and 10 boards. He was effective when he was actually in the game.

Iguodala with 11 pts, 8 rebs, 5 asts

Livingston 6 pts, 6 asts, 4 rebs in 24 mins

Okafor with 8 pts, 13 rebs, 3 asts in 41 mins vs Bucks


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## hobojoe

Updated Numbers of the Notable Rookies:

Luol Deng- 20.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 bpg, 44.8% FG
Emeka Okafor- 13.0 ppg, 12.3 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 41.2% FG
Andres Nocioni- 11.3 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.3 spg, 27.9% FG
Andre Iguodala- 10.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 41.0% FG
Dwight Howard- 8.2 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.8 bpg, 45.7% FG
Trevor Ariza- 9.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.7 spg, 52.2% FG

My Darkhorse: Al Jefferson- 5.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 10.8 mpg, 71.4% FG


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## hobojoe

An interesting stat I saw on SportsCenter: Dwight is only the 4th rookie in NBA history to grab 10 or more rebounds in his first 4 pro games(Dwight's done it for his first 5). God, if he could just stay out of foul trouble...


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## JNice

He is averaging around 28 mins a game. I wish he could stay out there another 7 or 8 a game.

Ranks #7 in the NBA in Rebounds Per Game(10.6) 
Ranks #5 in the NBA in Offensive Rebounds(19.0) 
Ranks #9 in the NBA in Offensive Rebounds Per Game(3.8) 
Ranks #11 in the NBA in Defensive Rebounds(34.0) 
Ranks #15 in the NBA in Defensive Rebounds Per Game(6.8)
Ranks #5 in the NBA in Total Rebounds(53.0) 
Ranks #15 in the NBA in Blocks(9.0) 
Ranks #9 in the NBA in Double-doubles(2.0) 
Ranks #10 in the NBA in Offensive Rebounds Per 48 Minutes(6.3)
Ranks #10 in the NBA in Defensive Rebounds Per 48 Minutes(11.3) 
Ranks #4 in the NBA in Rebounds Per 48 Minutes(17.7)


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## JNice

> Originally posted by <b>hobojoe</b>!
> An interesting stat I saw on SportsCenter: Dwight is only the 4th rookie in NBA history to grab 10 or more rebounds in his first 4 pro games(Dwight's done it for his first 5). God, if he could just stay out of foul trouble...





> Dwight Howard became the first
> NBA rookie to grab double-digit boards in his first five games
> since Orlando's Shaquille O'Neal in 1992-93. O'Neal went on to
> accomplish the feat in his first 12 games in the league.


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## JNice

11/12/04

Dwight Howard 5pts, 15 rebs, 1 block - W

Okafor 6 pts, 11 rebs, 2 blocks - L


These two appear to be pretty much at the same level so far this year.


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## hobojoe

Al Jefferson: 6 Points, 5 Rebounds and 2 Blocks in 15 minutes. He's put up some impressive stats in not a lot of playing time.


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## JNice

NBADraft.net Rookie Watch as of 11/9

http://nbadraft.net/rookiewatch.asp


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## hobojoe

Emeka Okafor: 0 Points(0-5 FG), 5 Rebounds, 0 Blocks, 2 TO in 18 minutes tonight.


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## JNice

> Originally posted by <b>hobojoe</b>!
> Emeka Okafor: 0 Points(0-5 FG), 5 Rebounds, 0 Blocks, 2 TO in 18 minutes tonight.


Yep, I saw that. Okafor with a sprained ankle that game, read I did.


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## JNice

NBA Rookie Rankings as of 11/15/04 

Dwight has moved into 2nd behind Deng whose numbers are slowly dropping while the Bulls are defeated. With Okafor going down with a sprained ankle, their numbers are basically the same.


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## hobojoe

> Originally posted by <b>JNice</b>!
> NBA Rookie Rankings as of 11/15/04
> 
> Dwight has moved into 2nd behind Deng whose numbers are slowly dropping while the Bulls are defeated. With Okafor going down with a sprained ankle, their numbers are basically the same.


Okafor's numbers went down because he got injured and only played 18 minutes, yes, but Okafor's still played more min/game than Dwight, so that can't be an excuse for Emeka to have lower stats.


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## Idunkonyou

I think Howard will get more minutes and more shots as the season goes on. Its not impossible for him to average a double/double this season IMO. 

With the Magic being a good team, that will only help his cause for ROTY.


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## Tersk

He needs to get his FT up, way up

.438 (I think) is not acceptable, even for a rookie (14-32)


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## JNice

> Originally posted by <b>RiDirkulous</b>!
> He needs to get his FT up, way up
> 
> .438 (I think) is not acceptable, even for a rookie (14-32)


Very true. I think it is strictly a confidence thing. His strokie seems pretty good at the line. And he has missed almost all I can remember off the back of the rim. 

Early on in the season he was shooting them without taking a couple dribbles. I don't know if that is bad, but I know for myself when I played, taking a couple dribbles kind of keeps you balanced. I did notice for the first time the last game he was dribbling for shooting them. 

I'm pretty sure he'll get that free throw percentage up. Maybe not this season, but in the future.


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## RP McMurphy

A lot of big men struggle with their free throws as rookies. Some of them improve, but some of them don't. It's not really a big deal for the Magic this year, because he doesn't get to the line that much anyway.

If Howard averages a double-double and is in the top ten in rebounds, and the Magic make the playoffs, I don't see how it's even a question that he'll be the Rookie of the Year.


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## hobojoe

> Originally posted by <b>RP McMurphy</b>!
> A lot of big men struggle with their free throws as rookies. Some of them improve, but some of them don't. It's not really a big deal for the Magic this year, because he doesn't get to the line that much anyway.
> 
> If Howard averages a double-double and is in the top ten in rebounds, and the Magic make the playoffs, I don't see how it's even a question that he'll be the Rookie of the Year.


Especially when the only two rookies averaging double-figures in scoring are playing for the sorry Bulls, especially when one(Nocioni) is shooting 36.6% from the floor. Deng would be hard to beat out if he keeps playing like he has so far though, regardless of Chicago's record.


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## JNice

> Originally posted by <b>hobojoe</b>!
> 
> 
> Especially when the only two rookies averaging double-figures in scoring are playing for the sorry Bulls, especially when one(Nocioni) is shooting 36.6% from the floor. Deng would be hard to beat out if he keeps playing like he has so far though, regardless of Chicago's record.


Agreed. I think only wins and losses will matter if it is a relatively close race. That being said, I still think Dwight takes it. I think he'll end up around 10 and 11/12 for the year.


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## hobojoe

Living in the Florida area, I'm sure most of us remember Matt Bonner, the former Gator. Even though he was drafted a couple years ago, he's still considered a rookie this year because he didn't play in the NBA last season.

Anyway, he got 14 Points(7-9 FG) and 7 Rebounds in 25 minutes against the Sonics tonight for the Raptors. His season averages are now a respectable 7.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg on 59.0% shooting from the floor in 16.4 minutes per game.


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## hobojoe

Breakthrough game for Al Jefferson: Finally got some playing time tonight against San Antonio(23 minutes) and he produced with 13 points on 6-12 shooting and 6 rebounds.


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## hobojoe

He probably won't get the playing time to legitimately compete for this award, but we got to see first hand tonight how good David Harrison is. 19 points on 8-15 shooting, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks for Harrison in 44 tough minutes.


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## hobojoe

Back to back crappy games for Luol Deng:

vs. Golden State- 4 Points(1-5 FG) 2 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 4 TO's
vs. Denver- 7 Points(3-13 FG) 4 Rebounds, 1 Assist

His total percentages for the year suck too:
41.9% FG
29.6% 3-PT
57.9% FT


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## JNice

Rookie Rankings - 11/22/04 

Dwight moves to the top of the NBA.com rookie rankings.



> 1. Dwight Howard, F, Orlando (No. 1)
> Stats: 7.2 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 1.1 APG (19.7 PRA)
> Upcoming: vs. Por. (11/24), at Atl. (11/26), vs. Phi. (11/27)
> Breakdown: A rebounding machine who's getting major minutes for a talented Magic squad. Has yet to collect fewer than 10 boards in a game this season.


Good week for Orlando.  Hill player of the week, Dwight atop the rookie rankings.

For right now, it is strictly a 3 horse race. And with Dwight being on by far the best team of the 3 he has a distinct advantage. If it is close, he'll take it over Deng and Okafor.


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## JNice

Okafor with 22 and 15 against the Pistons.

I hope Dwight sees this. Time for a big game from Mr. Howard.


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## Idunkonyou

It took Howard almost every summer league game until his scoring break out game. I think you will start seeing better scoring games from Howard in the near future. 

Of course I could really care less about Howard's scoring. If he continues to play great D and rebound the ball, the Magic will continue to win games.


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## Ben1

Nice thread. I'm also hoping for Howard to win ROY this year. 

Personally IMO the top 3 candidates should be: Deng, Howard & Okafor.

The others with a decent outside chance: Devin Harris & Andre Iguodala


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## svanacore

And now Ben Gordon is entering the fray. Two good nights in a row and one night that was decent.

15 points, 20 points and 22.


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## JNice

Dwight's 10+ rebound a night streak is over. :no:


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## JoshChildress

Josh Childress is hot and rising fast. If Walker wasn't there, Josh would be putting up 17 points a night.


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## JNice

> Originally posted by <b>JoshChildress</b>!
> Josh Childress is hot and rising fast. If Walker wasn't there, Josh would be putting up 17 points a night.


Props to him. Just looking at the dude, he definitely doesn't look like he'd be a good NBA basketball player.


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## hobojoe

> Originally posted by <b>JNice</b>!
> 
> 
> Props to him. Just looking at the dude, he definitely doesn't look like he'd be a good NBA basketball player.


What are you talking about, just look at his hair. How can you not be intimidated by the fro?


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## JoshChildress

> Originally posted by <b>JNice</b>!
> Just looking at the dude, he definitely doesn't look like he'd be a good NBA basketball player.


6'8+ 210+ with killer athleticism.


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## JNice

> Originally posted by <b>JoshChildress</b>!
> 
> 
> 6'8+ 210+ with killer athleticism.


I don't know about killer athleticism, but I wasn't really talking about his physical attributes ... he just kind of looks like a nerdy, gangly dude.


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## hobojoe

Updated Rookie Leaders(As of 11/24 Games)

*Points*
1. Luol Deng, CHI- 15.2 ppg
2. Emeka Okafor, CHA- 11.5 ppg
3. Ben Gordon, CHI- 11.2 ppg
4. Andres Nocioni, CHI- 10.2 ppg
5. Devin Harris, DAL- 9.7 ppg
6. Andre Iguodala, PHI- 8.3 ppg
7. Josh Childress, ATL- 8.1 ppg
8. Matt Bonner, TOR- 7.8 ppg
*9. Dwight Howard, ORL- 7.6 ppg* 
10. Trevor Ariza, NYK- 6.0 ppg


*Rebounds*
*1. Dwight Howard, ORL- 10.9 rpg* 
2. Emeka Okafor, CHA- 9.8 rpg
3. Andre Iguodala, PHI- 6.6 rpg
4. Luol Deng, CHI- 5.7 rpg
5. Andres Nocioni, CHI- 5.5 rpg
6. Josh Childress, ATL- 4.0 rpg
7. Matt Bonner, TOR- 3.8 rpg
8. Al Jefferson, BOS- 3.7 rpg
9. Nick Collison, SEA- 3.6 rpg
10. David Harrison, IND- 3.1 rpg


*Assists*
1. Chris Duhon, CHI- 3.9 apg
2. Devin Harris, DAL- 2.8 apg
3. Shaun Livingston, LAC- 2.6 apg
4. Andre Iguodala, PHI- 2.3 apg
5. Andres Nocioni, CHI- 2.0 apg
*T6. Jameer Nelson, ORL- 1.8 apg*
T6. Josh Childress, ATL- 1.8 apg
8. Luol Deng, CHI- 1.6 apg
T9. Trevor Ariza, NYK- 1.5 apg
T9. Royal Ivey, ATL- 1.5 apg


*Blocks*
*1. Dwight Howard, ORL- 2.1 bpg* 
2. Emeka Okafor, CHA- 1.4 bpg
3. Al Jefferson, BOS- 1.1 bpg
4. David Harrison, IND- 0.92 bpg
5. Andre Iguodala, PHI- 0.82 bpg
6. Josh Smith, ATL- 0.75 bpg
7. Shaun Livingston, LAC- 0.73 bpg
8. Josh Childress, ATL- 0.70 bpg
T9. Nick Collison, SEA- 0.54 bpg
T9. Devin Harris, DAL- 0.54 bpg


*Steals*
1. Andre Iguodala, PHI- 2.2 spg
2. Devin Harris, DAL- 1.9 spg
3. Josh Childress, ATL- 1.5 spg
4. Chris Duhon, CHI- 1.1 spg
5. Trevor Ariza, NYK- 1.09 spg
6. Shaun Livingston, LAC- 1.0 spg
7. Luol Deng, CHI- 0.9 spg
8. Carlos Delfino, DET- 0.86 spg
T9. Three Players tied with 0.8 spg


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## hobojoe

24 points from Howard tonight skyrockets his scoring average from 7.6 ppg to 9.1 to go along with his 10.7 rebounds per contest. Before you know it, Dwight will be averaging a double-double.

Okafor also had a nice game tonight, posting a double-double, 19 points and 11 boards.


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## JNice

I remember saying a long time ago, wouldn't it be funny if the way these two were touted before the draft, that Okafor ended up scoring more and Dwight ended up rebounding more and blocking more shots. Well, looks like that could very well happen.


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## hobojoe

> Originally posted by <b>JNice</b>!
> I remember saying a long time ago, wouldn't it be funny if the way these two were touted before the draft, that Okafor ended up scoring more and Dwight ended up rebounding more and blocking more shots. Well, looks like that could very well happen.


:yes: 

I remember you saying that quite a few times. 



> 2. Dwight Howard will put up better rebounding and shotblocking numbers than Okafor. Okafor will outscore Howard.



LINK 


In the same post...

7. After holding back his aggressions for most of last season, Ron Artest will spontaneously combust after a bad call leaving nothing but a pile of ashes.

 

Damn!


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## hobojoe

Notable Rookie Stats: Saturday, November 27


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## Idunkonyou

Howard moved his scoring average some more tonight. It is now at 9.3 per game. His FG% and FT% went up as well to 55% each.


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## hobojoe

> Originally posted by <b>Idunkonyou</b>!
> Howard moved his scoring average some more tonight. It is now at 9.3 per game. His FG% and FT% went up as well to 55% each.


Howard's really shown improvement in the last couple of games offensively. His confidence and aggressiveness have both increased vastly, and it's showing. I'm looking for him to be up in double-figures scoring before very long.


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## Idunkonyou

> Originally posted by <b>hobojoe</b>!
> 
> 
> Howard's really shown improvement in the last couple of games offensively. His confidence and aggressiveness have both increased vastly, and it's showing. I'm looking for him to be up in double-figures scoring before very long.


I agree. IMO by the time the season is over with, Howard will be averaging a D/D and shooting 50+% from the field and 60+% from the FT line.


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## JNice

Another good game for Okafor -

15 pts - 10 rebs - 2 blocks against the Hawks.


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## JNice

Rookie Rankings NBA.com - 11/29/04 

Meka moves back into first after a couple good games. Dwight in second.

I could see this thing flip-flopping back and forth all season.


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## Tersk

9/5/2/1/1 at halftime for Dwight, on 3-4 shooting for both FT and FG


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## JNice

> Originally posted by <b>RiDirkulous</b>!
> 9/5/2/1/1 at halftime for Dwight, on 3-4 shooting for both FT and FG


Only 1 foul too, which is a good sign. He is improving on not picking up stupid fouls.


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## Tersk

> Originally posted by <b>RiDirkulous</b>!
> 9/5/2/1/1 at halftime for Dwight, on 3-4 shooting for both FT and FG


Wow, at the end of the game he had

15/20/3/2/2

and only 2 fouls. Plus, it was 20 rebounds in 38 minutes


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## hobojoe

Well, Dwight finishes with 15 points, 20 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Great all-around game from the rook.


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## Vermillion

Lord....what a sick rebounder.


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## hobojoe

20 Points (on 20 field goal attempts) and 18 Rebounds for Emeka Okafor tonight in Bobcats win over the Knicks. A very quiet night for Dwight, 9 Points, 6 Rebounds and a couple blocks.


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## JNice

> Originally posted by <b>hobojoe</b>!
> 20 Points (on 20 field goal attempts) and 18 Rebounds for Emeka Okafor tonight in Bobcats win over the Knicks. A very quiet night for Dwight, 9 Points, 6 Rebounds and a couple blocks.


Yep. Looks like at the moment Dwight might be losing a little ground to Emeka. That 20-18 is probably the best game from a rookie this year, even better than Dwight's 20 rebound game.

I think it is gonna be tough for Dwight to win ROY this year over Emeka with all the talent on Orlando. We just don't need him to score right now so he's not going to get the opportunities.


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## Charlotte_______

> Originally posted by <b>JNice</b>!
> 
> 
> Yep. Looks like at the moment Dwight might be losing a little ground to Emeka. That 20-18 is probably the best game from a rookie this year, even better than Dwight's 20 rebound game.
> 
> I think it is gonna be tough for Dwight to win ROY this year over Emeka with all the talent on Orlando. We just don't need him to score right now so he's not going to get the opportunities.


Will they factor in the teams record? Cause if so Dwight may have the small edge. Or would it work to Okafor's advantage to be on a weak team so its shows he can produce against every team.


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## JNice

> Originally posted by <b>Charlotte_______</b>!
> 
> 
> Will they factor in the teams record? Cause if so Dwight may have the small edge. Or would it work to Okafor's advantage to be on a weak team so its shows he can produce against every team.


I think it depends on the disparity between the two. If the numbers are really close, then Dwight will win. But if Emeka has a pretty good statistical advantage, then I don't think the records will matter.


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## Captain Obvious

I think by the end of the year Okafor will be around 15-17 ppg 11 rpg while Howard will be around 12 ppg and 11 rpg. Despite Orlando having the much better record I think Okafor will take the ROY.


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## JNice

> Originally posted by <b>Captain Obvious</b>!
> I think by the end of the year Okafor will be around 15-17 ppg 11 rpg while Howard will be around 12 ppg and 11 rpg. Despite Orlando having the much better record I think Okafor will take the ROY.


At this point, I might agree. I see Howard finishing around 12 and 11. So if Okafor gets around 15 and 10 the award is probably his.


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## RP McMurphy

It's tough to see Okafor not taking home the trophy at this point, barring injury.


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## hobojoe

Updated Rookie Leaders(As of 12/5 Games)

*Points*
1. Luol Deng, CHI- 14.5 ppg
2. Emeka Okafor, CHA- 13.9 ppg
3. Ben Gordon, CHI- 11.0 ppg
*4. Dwight Howard, ORL- 9.8 ppg*
5. Andres Nocioni, CHI- 9.6 ppg
6. Matt Bonner, TOR- 8.4 ppg
7. Devin Harris, DAL- 8.2 ppg
8. Andre Iguodala, PHI- 7.2 ppg
9. Josh Childress, ATL- 6.9 ppg
10. David Harrison, IND- 6.0 ppg


*Rebounds*
1. Emeka Okafor, CHA- 10.6 rpg
*2. Dwight Howard, ORL- 10.4 rpg* 
3. Andre Iguodala, PHI- 5.9 rpg
4. Luol Deng, CHI- 5.4 rpg
5. Andres Nocioni, CHI- 5.0 rpg
6. Josh Childress, ATL- 3.7 rpg
T7. Matt Bonner, TOR- 3.5 rpg
T7. Al Jefferson, BOS- 3.5 rpg
T9. Nick Collison, SEA- 3.4 rpg
T9. David Harrison, IND- 3.4 rpg


*Assists*
1. Chris Duhon, CHI- 4.0 apg
T2. Shaun Livingston, LAC- 2.6 apg
T2. Devin Harris, DAL- 2.6 apg
4. Andre Iguodala, PHI- 2.5 apg
*5. Jameer Nelson, ORL- 2.1 apg*
6. Luol Deng, CHI- 1.9 apg
T7. Andres Nocioni, CHI- 1.6 apg
T7. Ben Gordon, CHI- 1.6 apg
T9. Josh Childress, ATL- 1.5 apg
T9. Trevor Ariza, NYK- 1.5 apg
T9. Royal Ivey, ATL- 1.5 apg


*Blocks*
*1. Dwight Howard, ORL- 2.0 bpg* 
2. David Harrison, IND- 1.6 bpg
3. Emeka Okafor, CHA- 1.5 bpg
4. Al Jefferson, BOS- 1.2 bpg
5. Andre Iguodala, PHI- 0.81 bpg
T6. Nenad Krstic, NJN- 0.73
T6. Shaun Livingston, LAC- 0.73 bpg
8. Josh Smith, ATL- 0.69 bpg
9. Josh Childress, ATL- 0.53 bpg
10. Nick Collison, SEA- 0.50 bpg


*Steals*
1. Andre Iguodala, PHI- 1.8 spg
2. Devin Harris, DAL- 1.5 spg
3. Josh Childress, ATL- 1.1 spg
T4. Chris Duhon, CHI- 1.0 spg
T4. Trevor Ariza, NYK- 1.0 spg
T4. Shaun Livingston, LAC- 1.0 spg
7. Luol Deng, CHI- 0.86 spg
*8. Dwight Howard, ORL- 0.81 spg*
T9. Carlos Delfino, DET- 0.80 spg
T9. Royal Ivey, ATL- 0.80 spg


----------



## JNice

NBA Rookie Rankings 12/6/04 

Okafor in the deserved number one spot. Dwight in second.


----------



## hobojoe

Updated Rookie Leaders(As of 12/11 Games)

*Points*
1. Luol Deng, CHI- 13.9 ppg
2. Emeka Okafor, CHA- 13.6 ppg
3. Ben Gordon, CHI- 11.7 ppg
*4. Dwight Howard, ORL- 10.7 ppg*
5. Andres Nocioni, CHI- 9.5 ppg
T6. Matt Bonner, TOR- 7.7 ppg
T6. Andre Iguodala, PHI- 7.7 ppg
8. Devin Harris, DAL- 7.5 ppg
9. David Harrison, IND- 6.5 ppg
10. Josh Smith, ATL- 6.4 ppg


*Rebounds*
1. Emeka Okafor, CHA- 11.1 rpg
*2. Dwight Howard, ORL- 10.3 rpg* 
3. Andre Iguodala, PHI- 5.8 rpg
4. Luol Deng, CHI- 4.9 rpg
5. Andres Nocioni, CHI- 4.8 rpg
T6. Matt Bonner, TOR- 3.6 rpg
T6. Josh Smith, ATL- 3.6 rpg
T8. Al Jefferson, BOS- 3.5 rpg
T8. Josh Childress, ATL- 3.5 rpg
10. David Harrison, IND- 3.4 rpg


*Assists*
1. Chris Duhon, CHI- 4.4 apg
T2. Shaun Livingston, LAC- 2.6 apg
T2. Devin Harris, DAL- 2.6 apg
4. Andre Iguodala, PHI- 2.5 apg
5. Andre Barrett, HOU- 
*T6. Jameer Nelson, ORL- 1.9 apg*
T6. Luol Deng, CHI- 1.9 apg
T8. Royal Ivey, ATL- 1.5 apg
T8. Andres Nocioni, CHI- 1.5 apg
T8. Trevor Ariza, NYK- 1.5 apg


*Blocks*
*1. Dwight Howard, ORL- 1.84 bpg* 
2. David Harrison, IND- 1.68 bpg
3. Emeka Okafor, CHA- 1.47 bpg
4. Al Jefferson, BOS- 1.11 bpg
5. Josh Smith, ATL- 1.0 bpg
6. Andre Iguodala, PHI- 0.84 bpg
7. Nenad Krstic, NJN- 0.8 bpg
8. Shaun Livingston, LAC- 0.73 bpg
9. Anderson Varejao, CLE- 0.6 bpg
10. Josh Childress, ATL- 0.53 bpg


*Steals*
1. Andre Iguodala, PHI- 1.68 spg
2. Devin Harris, DAL- 1.35 spg
3. Chris Duhon, CHI- 1.06 spg
4. Shaun Livingston, LAC- 1.0 spg
*T5. Dwight Howard, ORL- 0.89 spg*
T5. Josh Childress, ATL- 0.89 spg
T5. Andre Barrett, HOU- 0.89 spg
8. Trevor Ariza, NYK- 0.84 spg
9. Emeka Okafor, CHA- 0.82 spg
10. Royal Ivey, ATL- 0.80 spg


----------



## Kunlun

Dwight is going to have to step it up a notch to take the lead over Okafor again. Okafor is on a tear and is showing no signs of slowing down.


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## hobojoe

Dwight had another strong game against Denver yesterday, 17 points on 5-5 shooting and 7-11 from the line to go along with 9 rebounds in only 26 minutes because it was a blowout, but Okafor had an even better night yet again leading the Bobcats to an overtime victory over Houston with 23 points and 17 rebounds.


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## Drewbs

Good play from the rookies.


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## hobojoe

Outside of Okafor and Howard, Ben Gordon and Josh Smith have been coming on real strong of late. Gordon had 23 tonight to lead the Bulls to their 4th straight win. Josh Smith had 10 blocks in one game a few days ago, and has worked his way into the starting lineup in Atlanta.


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## DwyaneWade4MVP

yeah but I don't think Gordon and Josh Smith have chances for the ROY Award....It's a race between Emeka and Dwight


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## Captain Obvious

I think Okafor, barring injury, has this locked up. He's been even better than I thought he was going to be and I really like Okafor.


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## JNice

> Originally posted by <b>Captain Obvious</b>!
> I think Okafor, barring injury, has this locked up. He's been even better than I thought he was going to be and I really like Okafor.


Yeah, Okafor is playing like a badass and even though I think Dwight's numbers, specifically ppg, will rise steadily a bit as the year goes on, he's just not going to get the PT and FG attempts with all the guys on this team right now to catch Okafor. Unless Emeka goes into a slump for a long stretch, I think he's nearly got ROY wrapped up.


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## JNice

Rookie Rankings: Dec. 20, 2004  

Okafor 1 and Howard 2 again.

Okafor isn't out of reach yet, but he is starting to move away. Dwight will still have a shot if he gets the numbers closer because he is playing a role on one of the best teams in the East, but he is going to have to pick up it.

Okafor with 12 straight double-doubles at one point. Pretty impressive.


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## JNice

Dwight is falling behind in the race. Looks like ROY is Meka's award to lose at this point. 16 straight double-doubles and a number of 20+ point games. Okafor lately has been nothing short of great for the overachieving Bobcats while Howard has maintained his steady 10-10 type pace most of the year.


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## JNice

Rookie Rankings: Dec. 28, 2004  

Emeka and Dwight 1-2 again.

Interesting and impressive on Emeka -



> Breakdown: Has registered 16 consecutive double-doubles, the most by a rookie since Shaquille O'Neal had 15 straight for the Orlando Magic during the 1992-93 season. Grabbed a career-high 11 offensive rebounds against New York on Dec. 26.


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## Babir

Don't you think that if Dwight was playing on expancion team his stats would be much better?
Right now ROY is Okafor, but I hope Dwight will have better second half of the season and moreover his team would be in playoffs...


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## hobojoe

There's no question Dwight's stats would be better if he were on the Bobcats rather than the Magic, but like Okafor I don't think you'd see him scoring at a very high efficiency. Howard would have more plays being ran for him in the half court, and would really have to carry the majority of the offensive load for the team, which would take its toll on Howard's FG%. Regardless, I don't really care what Dwight's stats are as long as he's doing his job for the Magic and the team is winning. Okafor probably has the award locked up to this point, I don't see Howard, Deng or Gordon even close to him right now.


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## JNice

*Rookie Rankings: Jan. 10, 2005*

Rookie Rankings: Jan. 10, 2005  

Emeka and Dwight 1-2 yet again. 

Emeka running away with a very good recent stretch, although he has slowed a bit starting with the Orlando game.

The ROY is definitely not out of reach for Dwight, but Dwight will need a big second half of the season and Okafor will need to slow just a bit. If Dwight can narrow the PPG gap, he might at least have a shot at Co-ROY since he will get some credit for being an important piece of a decently seeded playoff team.


Also, Varejao makes an appearance on the list -



> 8. Anderson Varejao, F, Cleveland (No. 30)
> Stats: 4.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 0.3 APG (8.7 PRA)
> Upcoming: vs. Cha. (1/11), at Lakers (1/13), at Uta. (1/15), at Sea. (1/16)
> Breakdown: His New Year's resolution may have read something like this: Rebound! Varejao has grabbed 33 rebounds over the last three games after snagging only 43 for the entire month of December. An upcoming six-game Western Conference trip may tap in to some of that excess energy he's shown recently.


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## JNice

Rookie Rankings: Jan. 18, 2005  

Guess who is 1-2?

Dwight better watch out, Deng and Gordon coming on strong.


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## hobojoe

> Originally posted by <b>JNice</b>!
> Rookie Rankings: Jan. 18, 2005
> 
> Guess who is 1-2?
> 
> Dwight better watch out, Deng and Gordon coming on strong.


Particularly Gordon. He doesn't do anything really well besides score, but on the Bulls that's his role and he plays it well. He's a nice scoring punch off the bench, already one of the top 6th men in the league.


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## Idunkonyou

Its between Howard and Okafor. Its Okafor's to lose as of right now.


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## hobojoe

Rookie Rankings: Feb. 7, 2005  

Howard claims the top spot with Okafor falling off with his injury.


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## JNice

> Originally posted by <b>hobojoe</b>!
> Rookie Rankings: Feb. 7, 2005
> 
> Howard claims the top spot with Okafor falling off with his injury.


"Has been held to less than 10 rebounds in three straight games."

That I don't like. He needs to start hitting the boards like he was earlier this year. Dwight might need a prolonged injury for Okafor to have a shot at ROY.


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## hobojoe

Okafor -- not really that great? Since being injured, Melvin Ely has stepped right into Okafor's spot and has put up some pretty nice numbers. Maybe Okafor's really not that good of a player yet, he just gets his stats from playing on a horrible team.


Melvin Ely over the Last 5 games:
@ Pacers- 20 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks
vs. Spurs- 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks
@ Sonics- 22 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks
@ Trail Blazers- 16 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals
@ Jazz- 6 points, 7 rebounds, 6 blocks


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## sMaK

> Originally posted by <b>hobojoe</b>!
> Okafor -- not really that great? Since being injured, Melvin Ely has stepped right into Okafor's spot and has put up some pretty nice numbers. Maybe Okafor's really not that good of a player yet, he just gets his stats from playing on a horrible team.
> 
> 
> Melvin Ely over the Last 5 games:
> @ Pacers- 20 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks
> vs. Spurs- 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks
> @ Sonics- 22 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks
> @ Trail Blazers- 16 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals
> 
> 
> @ Jazz- 6 points, 7 rebounds, 6 blocks


That's a good point, but Okafor looked pretty impressive the couple of times I've seen him play. Maybe Ely, who was a lottery pick I believe, is just a good player.


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## JNice

Rookie Rankings: Feb. 14, 2005  

Dwight back on top with Okafor injured.



> Stats: 10.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 0.9 APG (21.2 PRA)
> Upcoming: vs. Clippers (2/15)
> Breakdown: While Orlando has struggled in February losing to Philadelphia, Golden State, Cleveland and Boston, Howard continues to get the job done. He's averaging 12.3 points and 14.3 rebounds over the last three games. Tied a career high with 20 rebounds in a Feb. 10 win over the Hawks.


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## hobojoe

> Originally posted by <b>sMaKDiSDoWn</b>!
> 
> 
> That's a good point, but Okafor looked pretty impressive the couple of times I've seen him play. Maybe Ely, who was a lottery pick I believe, is just a good player.


I'm not saying Okafor's not good, I'm just saying what pretty much most people already know, which is that he's not as good as his numbers this year may show because he plays on Charlotte.


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## svanacore

Doesn't matter because Ben Gordon and to a lesser extent Loul Deng are both ahead of Dwight Howard in the ROY race in my opinion.


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## JNice

> Originally posted by <b>svanacore</b>!
> Doesn't matter because Ben Gordon and to a lesser extent Loul Deng are both ahead of Dwight Howard in the ROY race in my opinion.


Well, what does matter is that is only your opinion.


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## JNice

Post All-Star Break it looks like the ROY Race is a 3 horse race.

Dwight - 10.5 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.6 bpg

Okafor - 14.8 ppg, 11 rpg, 1.48 bpg

Gordon - 14.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.8 apg


Pluses for Dwight: Started every game this year for a good mid-seed playoff team and has been consistent all year. No injury issues.

Bad for Okafor: Has missed a number of games due to injury and plays for a very bad team. The injuries might be the only thing to keep the ROY from Emeka.

Gordon - Doesn't play the minutes of the other two and plays on a lesser team (barely) right now. His all-around numbers just don't compare with the other two, but his scoring has been impressive as of late.


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## JNice

Rookie Rankings: Feb. 22, 2005  

Dwight still at No. 1 due to Okafor's injuries.



> Breakdown: Scored 14 points in 19 minutes at starting center in the got milk? Rookie Challenge to go along with five rebounds and three blocked shots. Ranks among all NBA players in rebounding (9th) and blocked shots (19th) and ranks in the top 10 among all NBA rookies in scoring (4th), rebounding (2nd), field goal percentage (5th), steals (8th), blocked shots (2nd) and minutes played (3rd).


Deng and Gordon are 2-3 respectively.


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## Turkish Delight

Okafor has been struggling with injuries of late, he's going to have to step it up if he wants to win it. 
It's his to lose right now.


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## JNice

Rookie Rankings: Feb. 28, 2005 



> 2. Dwight Howard, F, Orlando (No. 1)
> Stats: 10.4 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 0.9 APG (20.9 PRA)
> Upcoming: vs. Sac. (3/2), vs. N.Y. (3/4), at N.J. (3/5)
> Breakdown: Who could blame Howard if he's gotten a bit tired lately? After playing more games this season than ever before, Howard's numbers for the month of February dipped slightly across the board. Howard, who was a high school senior at this time last year, is still averaging nearly a double-double for the season.





> 9. Jameer Nelson, G, Orlando (No. 20)
> Stats: 6.0 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 2.3 APG (10.2 PRA)
> Upcoming: vs. Sac. (3/2), vs. N.Y. (3/4), at N.J. (3/5)
> Breakdown: Nelson earned the first two starts of his career this past weekend, in place of Doug Christie. After the game, Nelson would say he didn't play well enough because the team didn't get the win despite him averaging 13.5 points, eight rebounds and 6.5 assists in the two contests.



Dwight drops to number 2 with Okafor's return. Jameer has glided into the top 10 and will probably be moving a couple spots up the next rankings with his excellent play as the starting PG.


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## JNice

Dwight is coming on incredibly strong right now. His last 2 games:

20 pts, 16 rebs, 3 blocks vs Kings
20 pts, 15 rebs, 4 blocks vs Knicks











Okafor's last 2:

11 pts, 13 rebs, 3 blocks
18 pts, 8 rebs, 1 block


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## DwyaneWade4MVP

Howard had two amazing games! If he can score like this throughout the remainder of the season there will be no doubt...I think he has got the best defense of all the rookies and if he can do it on offense he will be the perfect allrounder of this year's rookie class!


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## Idunkonyou

One thing is for sure, Nelson got snubbed from the rookie/sophomore game. He should have been in it no doubt.


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## JNice

Idunkonyou said:


> One thing is for sure, Nelson got snubbed from the rookie/sophomore game. He should have been in it no doubt.


A good reason for him to now have a chip on the other shoulder.


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## Idunkonyou

If the Magic win around 43 to 45 games and Howard plays like he has been playing for the rest of the season, I see no reason for him not to win ROTY.


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## Captain Obvious

17 points, 20 rebounds, and 3 blocks for Dwight tonight. He's creeping close to averaging double digits rebounds again with 593 in 60 games. I think he'll get that and with Nelson in the lineup his scoring should keep going up too. But he's still behind Okafor and probably Gordon too at this point.


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## JNice

Rookie Rankings: Mar. 14, 2005 



> 2. Dwight Howard, F, Orlando (No. 1)
> Stats: 10.7 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 0.9 APG (21.6 PRA)
> Upcoming: at Sac. (3/15), at Clippers (3/16), at Sea. (3/18), at Por. (3/19)
> Breakdown: Howard followed up a 17-point, 20-rebound performance in a loss to Toronto on Wednesday with a 19-point, 19-rebound outing Friday against the man he lists as his favorite player, Kevin Garnett. Howard is again averaging a double-double for the season.
















> 5. Jameer Nelson, G, Orlando (No. 20)
> Stats: 7.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 2.6 APG (11.8 PRA)
> Upcoming: at Sac. (3/15), at Clippers (3/16), at Sea. (3/18), at Por. (3/19)
> Breakdown: Nelson has been impressive since getting the starting nod in Orlando, averaging 15.7 points, 5.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds over the last 10 games. Among rookies, Nelson ranks 12th in scoring (7.1 PPG), third in assists (2.6 APG), seventh in steals (0.84 SPG) and eighth in field goal percentage (.465).


----------



## Tersk

Emeka Okafor: Race for ROY


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## JNice

Rookie Rankings: Mar. 28, 2005 




> 2. Dwight Howard, F, Orlando (No. 1)
> Stats: 11.0 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 0.8 APG (21.9 PRA)
> Upcoming: vs. Atl. (3/28), vs. Tor. (3/30), vs. Was. (4/1), at N.J. (4/2)
> Breakdown: Howard is closing out his best month of NBA service for the Magic, averaging 13.4 points on 54.1 percent shooting to go along with 11.9 rebounds in March.





> 6. Jameer Nelson, G, Orlando (No. 20)
> Stats: 8.1 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 2.9 APG (13.2 PRA)
> Upcoming: vs. Atl. (3/28), vs. Tor. (3/30), vs. Was. (4/1), at N.J. (4/2)
> Breakdown: Nelson has been one of the bright spots in Orlando the past month. He has scored in double figures for the past 17 straight games, averaging 16.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists over the stretch.



Jameer has been quite impressive. 16 pts, 5 asts, 4 rebs averaged over the last 17 games. Maybe had he gotten more early PT he could have been ROY.


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## hobojoe

Dwight's all but out of the race, especially with the media's current lovefest with Ben Gordon.

Top Rook: Emeka or Ben?

*Who do you think will be named got milk? Rookie of the Year? * 
Ben Gordon 68% 
Emeka Okafor 28% 
Other 4% 

Total Responses: 37203 

Sorry, but that's just freakin ridiculous. Ridiculous that Howard isn't even on the poll, ridiculous that "other" gets a mere 4% of the vote and ridiculous that Gordon gets more than 2/3 of the votes.


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## Captain Obvious

I don't care. There isn't anybody I'd trade Dwight for in this draft, and it's really not even close. That's all you can ask for out of a #1 pick.


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## hobojoe

Captain Obvious said:


> I don't care. There isn't anybody I'd trade Dwight for in this draft, and it's really not even close. That's all you can ask for out of a #1 pick.


 Very true. I wouldn't consider trading Howard for Gordon even for a second. Okafor is closer, but I still would not do it. Not winning ROY won't affect Howard negatively in my opinion, if anything it'll be more motivation to work hard this offseason and come back strong next year.


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## The Chach

Howard certainly did more than anyone could have asked for this year 
His ROY canidacy was simply hurt by the fact that Gordon's team went on a rampage and won quite a few close games (several thanks to Gordon himself) it wasn't anything howard did this year to hurt his chances, It was the boys in the front office with their dumb*** mobely trade


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## JNice

hobojoe said:


> Dwight's all but out of the race, especially with the media's current lovefest with Ben Gordon.
> 
> Top Rook: Emeka or Ben?
> 
> *Who do you think will be named got milk? Rookie of the Year? *
> Ben Gordon 68%
> Emeka Okafor 28%
> Other 4%
> 
> Total Responses: 37203
> 
> Sorry, but that's just freakin ridiculous. Ridiculous that Howard isn't even on the poll, ridiculous that "other" gets a mere 4% of the vote and ridiculous that Gordon gets more than 2/3 of the votes.


Gordon has been the hot name and everyone loves talking about him, which means he'll probably get a ton of votes. Funny, if you look at the rookie rankings on NBA.com it finished with Okafor and Howard 1-2 and they were 1-2 pretty much every single time over the year, except for maybe 1.

IMO Okafor earned it. Dwight lost his shot when our team took a nosedive.


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## hobojoe

Anyone know when they announce the Rookie of the Year? I'm fully expecting Dwight to come in third, but I still think he was the better player this year between he and Gordon.


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## Captain Obvious

Did you guys see that Iggy beat Dwight in the ROY poll on nba.com? LMAO.


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## hobojoe

Captain Obvious said:


> Did you guys see that Iggy beat Dwight in the ROY poll on nba.com? LMAO.


 :laugh:


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## hobojoe

*Okafor Edges out Gordon for ROY*



> Charlotte forward Emeka Okafor has won the NBA's Rookie of the Year award, narrowly beating best friend Ben Gordon of Chicago Bulls, a Bobcats source told The Associated Press.
> 
> The award will be announced on Wednesday. The Bobcats have called a news conference for what they have only called "a major announcement."
> 
> Okafor, the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft, led all rookies in scoring (15.9 points per game) and rebounding (10.9 rpg) and was second in his class behind Atlanta's Josh Smith in blocks (1.71). He also ranked second in the NBA with 3.8 offensive rebounds per game.
> 
> He ended his season with 47 games in double figures in both points and rebounds.
> 
> But Okafor spent the final months in a close battle with Gordon, his best friend and roommate while the two led Connecticut to the NCAA championship. Both left UConn for the NBA following the 2004 title, and they went Nos. 2 and 3 in the draft.
> 
> Gordon became a sparkplug for the Bulls off the bench while helping them into the postseason for the first time since Michael Jordan's retirement. He became the first rookie to win the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award on Tuesday after averaging 15.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists this season.


LINK



Not one mention of Dwight in the entire article. Pretty ridiculous if you ask me. I don't mind at all that Okafor won the award, but Howard should've been 2nd and it certainly shouldn't have been a two man race between Okafor and Gordon like the media played it out to be.


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## JNice

hobojoe said:


> *Okafor Edges out Gordon for ROY*
> 
> 
> 
> LINK
> 
> 
> 
> Not one mention of Dwight in the entire article. Pretty ridiculous if you ask me. I don't mind at all that Okafor won the award, but Howard should've been 2nd and it certainly shouldn't have been a two man race between Okafor and Gordon like the media played it out to be.


The good thing is I hope Dwight reads all these articles during the summer when he is working out. I've been amazed on how many articles i've read that don't even give any bit of mention or consideration towards Dwight. 

It's all good though. I'm pretty sure Dwight will have the last laugh.


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## Captain Obvious

In a somewhat unrelated story Dwight received one third place vote for DPOY. 

:banana: :banana: :banana:


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## hobojoe

Captain Obvious said:


> In a somewhat unrelated story Dwight received one third place vote for DPOY.
> 
> :banana: :banana: :banana:


Yeah I saw that. Good to see that some people at least realize what a great defender he already is and will be in the future.


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## hobojoe

*2004-05 got milk? NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD VOTING RESULTS*
Player, Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
Emeka Okafor, Charlotte	77	40	9	*514*
Ben Gordon, Chicago	43	73	9	*443*
Dwight Howard, Orlando	6	11	98	*161*
Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia	0	2	8	*14*
Luol Deng, Chicago	0	0	1	*1*
J.R. Smith, New Orleans	0	0	1	*1*


Howard finished in quite a distant 3rd place, and was left off of 11 ballots. Oh well, I'm sure he's not going to make a big deal out of it, neither should we. If the draft was done over again today, he's still the #1 overall pick over Okafor and Gordon without the Magic even thinking twice.


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## hobojoe

*All-Rookie First Team*



> The NBA today released the NBA All-Rookie first and second team, with the Chicago Bulls dominating the first with the league's Sixth Man of the Year Ben Gordon and teammate Luol Deng both being selected. Led by Rookie of the Year Emeka Okafor of the Charlotte Bobcats , the first team was rounded out by first overall pick Dwight Howard and Sixer high flyer Andre Iguodala.
> 
> The second team was dominated by the Atlanta Hawks , with 2005 dunk champion Josh Smith and Josh Childress being joined by Net Nenad Krstic, Jameer Nelson of the Orlando Magic and Boston's Al Jefferson.



Good to see Dwight obviously making 1st team, and pleasantly surprised to see Nelson on 2nd team. :clap:


----------



## Idunkonyou

I find it hard to believe Howard, who was one of only 8 or 9 guys in the entire league to average a D/D and who is only 19 years of age, would have been 3rd in the voting.

As the playoffs proved for Gordon and I hope for the rest of the media, scoring isn't everything. Nice 6th game you had there Gordon. 0 points and 5 turnovers in 16 mintues. I guarantee Howard will never be shut out of a playoff game once he makes it there. 

Any way, good to see both our rookies make the all rookie squads.


----------



## hobojoe

Yep, Gordon proved yesterday why he shouldn't have finished ahead of Dwight in the voting. He wasn't able to score, and he was completely useless for Chicago. If Dwight's offense isn't on, he can still contribute with his defense and rebounding, Gordon might as well not be on the court if he's not scoring.


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## JNice

hobojoe said:


> *2004-05 got milk? NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD VOTING RESULTS*
> Player, Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
> Emeka Okafor, Charlotte	77	40	9	*514*
> Ben Gordon, Chicago	43	73	9	*443*
> Dwight Howard, Orlando	6	11	98	*161*
> Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia	0	2	8	*14*
> Luol Deng, Chicago	0	0	1	*1*
> J.R. Smith, New Orleans	0	0	1	*1*
> 
> 
> Howard finished in quite a distant 3rd place, and was left off of 11 ballots. Oh well, I'm sure he's not going to make a big deal out of it, neither should we. If the draft was done over again today, he's still the #1 overall pick over Okafor and Gordon without the Magic even thinking twice.


Left off 11 ballots? As in 11 people didn't give him a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place vote? That is ludicrous. Those people should have their voting rights revoked forever.


----------

