Blazersedge Season Awards: Rookie of the Year
by Dave on May 19, 2009 11:50 PM PDT
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PrintThe first award is Rookie of the Year. Obviously the choices would be Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez, Nicolas Batum, and Jerryd Bayless.
You can vote in the comment section below. One vote per person, make your vote easy to understand, and also favor us with a bit of explanation about your choice if you would. Voting will be open for the next couple days and then winners will be declared.
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)
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GO
Greg Oden has the best stats and the best upside. Sure he was disappointing, but expectations were high. Compare his Rookie year to Howard, Bynum and Yao and you’ll see that his per-30 min stats are similar. If he could have controlled his fouls (and he should be able to going forward) he’s our best rookie this year.
whaa happen?
rudy
rookie three point record. and countless highlights. decent defense off the bench. couldve assumed a much bigger role in the playoffs
Rudy Fernandez
Of the rookies, he didn’t have the most impact when on the court (That’s Greg), but he was the most consistent of the rookies, with the most minutes, and played in a number of clutch situations.
Greg is second, Batum third, Bayless fourth.
Outstanding rookie class overall.
Rudy Fernandez
3rd or 4th best player on the team overall this year.
Played some of his best basketball this year in the playoffs.
Didn’t need time to adjust to the game.
Had an insanely high TS% that should only get better in time.
Fits like a glove next to Roy on the wing.
Ridiculous momentum changing plays both on the offensive and defensive ends.
Wears his defenders out, helps Roy in that regard.
Better defender than given credit for (gambling has its rewards).
Makes his teammates better.
by as11osu on May 19, 2009 11:57 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Rudy
for the reasons outlined above also
I like the whole team.
by RenoBlazerFan on May 20, 2009 1:28 PM PDT up reply actions
Rudy
with Nic second. In some ways, it’s not fair because Rudy is not “really” a rookie. (But then neither was Arvydas, and neither is Nic.) Rudy made the most impact. I think Greg has more long term upside in relation to what he showed in this up and down year. Bayless fourth.
All of our rookies were very up and down
Rudy had the biggest impact (can’t give it to Greg because of injuries).
Ruuuuuuuudy
Some day it’s gonna be GO that takes this team to the promised land… but this year the best rookie was Rudy.
by ball do indeed lie on May 20, 2009 12:11 AM PDT reply actions
Rudy
"There are a few teams you have to watch out for in the fourth quarter."
"Yeah, but Portland definitely is not one of them."
-New Orleans Hornets broadcasters at the end of the third quarter with the Hornets leading 74-59. Portland later ends up winning 97-89.
"They don't mind him shooting that shot at all. Rudy Fernandez is not that great of a 3pt shooter."
-New Orleans Hornets broadcasters right after a Rudy Fernandez missed 3pter. Rudy Fernandez finished the game with three 3pters on six attempts.
by Tofu Anonymous on May 20, 2009 12:21 AM PDT reply actions
because i bought his jersey
"There are a few teams you have to watch out for in the fourth quarter."
"Yeah, but Portland definitely is not one of them."
-New Orleans Hornets broadcasters at the end of the third quarter with the Hornets leading 74-59. Portland later ends up winning 97-89.
"They don't mind him shooting that shot at all. Rudy Fernandez is not that great of a 3pt shooter."
-New Orleans Hornets broadcasters right after a Rudy Fernandez missed 3pter. Rudy Fernandez finished the game with three 3pters on six attempts.
by Tofu Anonymous on May 20, 2009 12:21 AM PDT up reply actions
Rudy
Was overall efficient throughout the year, gave us a 3 point threat when we needed one, entertained the fans with his numerous alley-oops and nifty passes, provided much needed consistency off the bench.
Rudy
May not have biggest upside, but contributed the most this season
Rudy
Gave consistent scoring and defense all year. Sometimes on the offensive end I just like to watch him run around like his defender is trying to tag him or something.
Please do not feed the B-Rex
by BRoyTheNatural on May 20, 2009 12:38 AM PDT reply actions
The Spanish stuff, of course :) Fun-fun-fun makes a lot of fans.
"They didn't know it was impossible, so they did it"
Rudy.
Why isn’t there a poll for this stuff?
"I'm at the thingamajig talking the yakety-yak" - Kenny Smith
Rudy
The Kings have the best bench I’ve seen. There are easily 14 guys on this team good enough for every bench in the league. Now if we could only get some starters, I’d totally jizz in my pants.
Kings fan
Rudy
Most valuable all around because of his ability to stay on the court when needed. I think Greg, when on the court, is better. Nic was surprisingly good, and should be much better next season.
Roodie
"I don't know Twitter" - Rudy Fernandez
by RoodiePhirnandizz on May 20, 2009 1:56 AM PDT reply actions
Rudy
Now, let’s see more slashing and driving, and moving, and a few less three point attempts.
Nic
Rudy is the flashy, statistical choice but Nic’s contribution was ethereal and worth many more wins than Rudy’s. Nothing against Rudy, who was more fun to watch.
Oden
Disapointing season but still the best rookie in my opinion.
Rudy’s been a bit disapointing to me as well, strong start but he slowed down after, didn’t have a year off nor micro-fracture to come back from and is way older (for a rookie) and more experienced than Oden.
This is not an anti-Rudy post though, I really like him but am just surprised by the difference of treatment between the two…
RUDY!!!
"I've learned one thing, and that's to quit worrying about stupid things. You have four years to be irresponsible here. Relax. Work is for people with jobs. You'll never remember class time, but you'll remember time you wasted hanging out with your friends. So, stay out late. Go out on a Tuesday with your friends when you have a paper due Wednesday. Spend money you don't have. Drink 'till sunrise. The work never ends, but college does" - Tom Petty
Nic
because I’m not 100% comfy calling a player with as much professional experience as Rudy a true Rookie… ;^)
It's really close, but I pick Rudy by a nose.
If Nic had been a bit more active in the playoffs, I would have picked him. But Rudy’s been just a little better overall.
Yes! Yes! In the face!
Rudias
if brandon roy played for toronto he'd be brandon waaaaah
how?
Pray tell…….
Fire Mark Mason. He's a dork, and he projects that we are ALL dorks
Fire Brian Wheeler. Homers suck.
Trade Trout, or sign someone reliable to soak up his minutes.
....Now I'm done
By PER (and also other metrics like Win Score), Oden was the Blazers best rookie by quite a bit
Not everyone has to go by those metrics, but its not at all difficult to make a statistical case for Oden. I definitely understand going with Rudy since he played way more minutes and was arguable better when he did play (though i disagree with that 2nd part), but I went with Oden also.
Yeah Jake nailed it.
I chose Rudy. But I had to think about it between Rudy and Oden (I noted my reasons earlier).
Here’s the thing. Oden played significantly less minutes than Rudy. He had much more foul trouble, and struggled on the offensive end.
And even with all that, many of us still had to consider him for rookie of the year. That says a lot about how much Oden brought to the game when he did stay on the court.
If there was a “Most underestimated player” award, Oden would need to be in consideration. The amount of ragging on Oden is almost comical at this point.
Rudy
But not by a lot. If he learns how to move his feet better on defense he will be a major factor in the playoffs next year.
Rudy
although I’m close to saying Nic Batum. Rudy was slightly more consistent at what he does.
Greg
but it’s a tough call, with Rudy about equally deserving. My main criterion: who made the biggest (positive) difference in the game when they were on the floor? But really, I’m also psyched about Nic’s ability to continue to contribute down the line. And what about #4? Could he be ready to break out?
Rudy
Per minute Greg was the most effective, but when you’re not on the floor enough minutes, you’re not helping the team. (Again with the logic that I’d take a guy with a PER of 20 that plays 35mpg over a guy with a PER of 25 that plays 20mpg.)
Rudy Fernandez
This was a hard one to pick between Nic and Rudy, but Rudy broke a record and has become a pinnicle part of this offense. (Plus Batum was my surprise of the year)
"Sometimes I catch myself watching him and he's shooting floaters all-net. And just to watch how he's talking trash. I loved it. I loved every minute of it. Rudy's a competitor." - Brandon Roy
Batum
Impressive season from a young guy. Rudy was great, but Nic had to bear the weight of starting all season and shoulder the load of trying to shut down other teams best wing.
Rudy
If greg would have played some more games, yada, yada, yada. In a way, all the rookies deserve it:
Batum—defensive stud, shoots a pretty good 3 point %.
Greg—Offensive Rebounding stud.
Baylless—Never complains about playing time, has the face.
Rudy—-Ru-dy, Ru-dy.
"The problem with tweeners is that sometimes they’re exactly what you need to plug the hole and sometimes they are the hole."
-LaughingJon
Divide it up 3 ways
Sorry JB, maybe next year you win most improved.
I try to help with everything," Fernandez said. "If the coach says go rebound, I go rebound. I work for the team.
""If I'm playing this game to get media and attention, I shouldn't be here," Aldridge said. "I'm here to play basketball, and do what I can do to help this team win."
His stare became blank. It was apparent he was back in that place, on the Rose Garden's logo, picking up Aaron Brooks as the crowd nervously roared.
Rudy
As much as I also wanted to say Greg because of his great per minute numbers and his obvious impact on our rebounding, Rudy had the more consistent play and was a great outlet for Brandon.
All you have to do is look at the team page at 82games.com to see where he sits on our roster.
Rudy
I would love to say GO and I agree he has the most upside and is most likely (I hope) to turn into a dominant force, but Rudy was our best rookie..
Hardest choice
Rudy, just barely over Oden & Batum. I could not make any coherent argument against either Oden or Batum, either.
The only thing that’s obvious is that Bayless is 4th.
Rudy
He brought some motion to the team.
He brought energy
He was pretty consistent.
his decision making was pretty good.
He doesn’t need to change, but polish and experience is what he needs to work on.
Oden did amazing in the minutes he played, but the foul issue and poor foot work shut him down. I believe Oden was a huge difference maker for us in that limited time, but because it’s limited I’m eliminating him.
Bayless, don’t even need to talk about that.
Batum, he did very well but he has a lot of work still beyond polishing his game.
"Fernandez, to my eyes, is the Blazer who walks that walk most comfortably. A lot of Portland's fans (egged on, dare I say, by their local broadcasters) lament things like how Ron Artest or Yao Ming get to hit Brandon Roy's arms.
But I suspect Fernandez sees all that and thinks: We get to hit arms! Cool!"
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-135/On-Playoff-Experience.html
No doubt again on this one, it's Rudy
Although he’s not your normal rookie…
Proud member of Duck nation!
Batum shakka lakka
While my vote would normally go to Rudy Fernandez, he’s not really a rookie.
Fernandez for performance
And really, we’re talking about this past year.
No question it’s Fernandez. GO was second, with Batum as honorable mention.
I have to give it to Rudy
he swings into town like a Spanish rockstar, and then goes on to win the hearts of millions, gets voted to the Dunk Contest, plays the rookie-sophomore game (i think?), and sets the record for most made 3-pt shots by a rookie.
Can’t argue with that!
Blazers win!
dang, tough one.
I’m gonna’ go with Batum. He filled a NEED. Without him we would have been in big trouble. Rudy was awesome…straight up baller…but we needed Batum to fill Martell’s spot this year.
"Whatever...I heard Bayless uses a pillowcase as a wallet." --TiH
Batum
I don’t want to know where we would have been without him.
Sleeping under an avalanche with Cartman, wake me Sept 3.
Rodolfo "Rudy" Fernández i Farrés
He made the greatest impact start to finish IMO.
OHHHHH Brandon! Do it, do it, do it til your satisfied!!!!!! - Wheels
"We ran the football. We could run it all day long, and again that's what we do." -Mike Bellotti, 65 - 38
Rudy...
we have got to find a rotation that gets him more minutes next season.
Our society believes in "Policital Correctness" in other words we tear down the best of our society and make them live according to the lowest common denominator. It won't be long until Harrison Bergeron is declaring himself emperor!
batum
Though patience be a tired mare, yet she will plod. - William Shakespeare
Roses are red
violets in bloom
Sophia’s in love
with Nicholas Batum
-Bow4Meow
batum.fangirl
"Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven." - John Milton
by tominhawaii on May 20, 2009 12:41 PM PDT up reply actions
Oden...
By a hair over Rudy. Rudy started the season better then cruised (tired?). Oden seemed to get better and better. I think Oden contributed way more when he was on the floor (PER) but I’ll give Rudy credit for his intangibles (crowd pleasure, opponent deflation after big plays, etc.). He is fun to watch!
‘OK Nic, swag on out on ‘em!’
RUDY in a landslide
Rudy played like a vet, only periodically playing like a rookie. He acclimated to the NBA game fairly quickly, and although I’d like to see less Euro flopping he does an above average job on defense. Oden could either be a star or a bust, where as I think Rudy has the intangibles to be a star in this league.
Fire Mark Mason. He's a dork, and he projects that we are ALL dorks
Fire Brian Wheeler. Homers suck.
Trade Trout, or sign someone reliable to soak up his minutes.
....Now I'm done
I would have to go with RUDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Although I totally loved what Nic Batum gave us this year, and I think that G.O. showed me more than enough to have me believing that he will NOT be a bust.
Blazer's Edge Ambassador to The Dream Shake Blog
LMA Rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I <3 LMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LMA - Putting the POWER in POWER FORWARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The concussion must have jarred him into "Destroy All Opposition Terminator Mode!" - BlazersOrBust
Batum
I absolutely loved his defense and his growth. While Rudy has the better stats, Nic’s contributions are of the intangible variety.
by BlazerFanFromDenver on May 20, 2009 12:24 PM PDT reply actions
Rudy
wouldnt have done what we did without him
by GreatOden'sRaven on May 20, 2009 12:35 PM PDT reply actions
Batum
His biggest weakness was lack of playing time. Can’t fault him for that.
Rudy was very close; it was almost a coin-flip for me. Rudy brought some great professionalism and leadership that the other players don’t seem to understand just yet.
PUT BATUM IN NOW: Rallying cry of the BBIQ appreciation club
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...
Rudy
but only by a nose ahead of Batum and Oden. All three had great seasons. Jerryd had merely a good rookie season, but the other three were great. Rudy by a nose. – Elgin
VENTURA: It's drowning. It gives you the complete sensation that you are drowning. It is no good, because you -- I'll put it to you this way, you give me a waterboard, Dick Cheney and one hour, and I'll have him confess to the Sharon Tate murders.
wow, close one...
like everyone else already said, this one’s close. nic put in a solid season and had some amazing plays, but not quite enough playing time(i think) to really allow him to catch his stride. oden had some injuries and some big missteps, but by the end of the season was dominating and looking really solid as well. to be fair, he came really close despite what he had to go through…
but, my vote is with RUDY. great every night off the bench, throwing down some amazing alley-oops, hitting the long ball and even setting a league record for threes by a rookie, getting some big steals and defensive stops, his basketball IQ is just that much higher than the other two competitors here. plus, his playoff performances showed just how clutch he can be in the final minutes.
great efforts from them all though.
The Big Fella
I have to go with Oden just because of the sheer impact his presence in the lineup appeared to affect our overall record. I can’t remember the exact stats, but our win/loss record was sterling when Oden played significant minutes. I’ll grant you that his foul trouble made this situation more rare than I would have liked, but I’m just a sucker for how he was able to affect the game despite “struggling” relative to many’s expectations
SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES. NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS.
rudy
he was our best NBA rookie – in terms of consistency, filling his role, and even surprising us a little at times with his moxy…
Batum is close behind and Oden was no slouch.. but it’s rudy by a mile.. and it’s not a matter of expectations or meeting them.. just who was the most consistent player on the team
"Slum dunk? You just go to the rim, and crush.. crush the ball in the rim."
- Nic Batum
greg
so tasty…so much to come…can’t wait….
PERS, nuff said.
I have my P.h.D in unreliable hyperbole.
by Eat Politicians on May 20, 2009 4:19 PM PDT reply actions
Rudy
Our offensive efficiency was the key to our success. Rudy was a huge part of that with off the ball movement and keeping the defense spread with his three point shooting. Add to that the alley-oops and some really nice passing at times.
It was close. A good case could be made for Nic as well, but Greg’s presence at times was immense. The vote on Bedge is not close, but Greg’s contribution was arguably as great. His minutes (due to fouls and injuries) were too limited, though. Give him a 25% increase in minutes played, and he would have surpassed Rudy. Next year, it is unlikely to even be close.
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
Greg Oden
Both Greg and Rudy had pretty similar wins produced numbers, however, Greg per minute was way better than Rudy (now if only he figures out how to stay out of foul trouble :-)).
Rudy
No explanation is necessary.
MLB2PDX!!! (someday...)
by The Cactus Leaguer on May 20, 2009 6:59 PM PDT reply actions
GO
Now put your whole heart in it – nobody can stop you!
by Rick C in Tigard on May 20, 2009 7:24 PM PDT reply actions
Rudy & Nicola share the award.
Offseason:
Trade For Mike Conley Jr
Sign Antonio McDyess & Othello Hunter
Draft Kevin Seraphin/Rodrigue Beaubois(Eurostash)
by TheGreatDane17 on May 20, 2009 11:17 PM PDT reply actions
really tough one... but I have to give it to Greg
Rudy is easily the fan’s favorite for all the highlight plays but Greg made the most impact when he is on the floor, and I thought he was great in the playoffs guarding Yao.
Batum was great too, wish he had made more impact offensively
"...Lies, damned lies, and statistics."
Rudy
He just had so many impact moments. He didn’t make every play, but it seemed like every play he made was a huge one. Oden was close in my eyes, too, but Rudy was able to stay on the floor except for Ariza’s cheap shot.
If you ever hear of someone punching out a girl scout and stealing her Samoas, it was me
- Mortimer
by Clevelander among roses on May 20, 2009 11:55 PM PDT reply actions
Rudy
Minutes in the playoffs (coach’s vote?):
Rudy 162
Greg 96
Nic 63
Jerryd 11
Playoff PER:
Rudy 11.4
Greg 11.4
Jerryd 9.6
Nic 6.1
Playoff WS:
Rudy 0.2
Greg 0.1
Nic 0.0
Jerryd 0.0
Playoff Offensive rating:
Rudy 102
Nic 101
Greg 100
Jerryd 77
Playoff Defensive Rating
Nic 114
Jerryd 110
Rudy 109
Greg 107
I wanted to vote for Nic and Greg was limited by fouls. But Rudy wins most valuable in the playoffs. And for me the playoffs are what matter.
Next year all four of these guys may change around these votes.
"What's so interesting is that this team took on a dynamic that was very special. I don't think we as a group, in terms of management, coaches and players, realize what we did as a young team. We broke all the metrics. We broke all the molds. Our challenge is can we continue to do that. As young of a team with 54 wins, no issues off the court, phenomenal chemistry." - Kevin Pritchard
But...
Don’t you have to play well consistently throughout the year to earn a chance in the playoffs?
by pdxer in dfw on May 21, 2009 9:33 AM PDT up reply actions
RUdy
And Dave this Idea has already been done
April 13
Title “Blazers Rookie of the Year”
9 Recommendations with pictures
Here are the results
Rudy 54% 363 votes
Batum 34% 232 votes
Oden 8% 59 votes
Bayless 1% 4 votes
It was done pre-playoffs so the playoffs wouldn’t influence the voting
http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/4/13/828862/blazers-rookie-of-the-year
"Knowledge will get you from A to B. Creativity will get you anywhere." Einstein
by Garden of ODEN on May 21, 2009 12:19 PM PDT reply actions
It HAS to be Batum!
For several reasons, not the least of which is that he came in and filled a role that we were desperate for because of the injury to Webster. He was a starter, Rudy a bench player
He was the best defender on the team.
He far FAR exceeded expectations, why Rudy was either at or a little under expectations.
Batum was more consistent. Mostly because his main assets are energy and defense, but Rudy went through a pretty long lull in the middle of the season, Batum brought every single night!
Go M's
Nic
… he was the only rookie to exceed expectation and is now our best defensive player.
Rudy
But Nic and Oden rocked as well! Can’t wait to see what all three of them are going to do next season!
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