NBA Rookie of the Year Betting Odds – Picks
by Jason Green of Predictem.com
Here are the current odds to win the ROY at Sportsbook.com.
Greg Oden (+200) Portland Trail Blazers Oden is the odds on favorite and should be with his size and skills. He has had a year to learn the Blazers offense, so he has an advantage over other rookies. He will get a lot of minutes right away and will be one of the focal points on offense. He must learn how to stay out of foul trouble.
Michael Beasley (+200) Miami Heat Beasley can flat out score and since the Heat were so bad last year he will get a lot of minutes. The one concern is how will coexist with other forward Shawn Marion. Will his shooting percentage allow him to keep being fed the ball? There are 3 scorers on the Heat with Marion, Dwayne Wade, and now Beasley. Will there be enough shots to go around?
Derrick Rose (+275) Chicago Bulls Rose is a legit starting point guard and he has speed, speed, and more speed. He will battle for minutes at the point with Kirk Hinrich. Rose is a great passer and can run the floor, but his main weakness is his shooting. If he can develop a good stroke he will be dangerous.
OJ Mayo (+450) Memphis Grizzlies Mayo can flat out shoot the rock, but his shot selection has to improve. He will be battling for minutes (and shots) with Mike Conley and Rudy Gay. He can shoot off the dribble and if he gets into the rotation and logs a lot of minutes he will put up numbers, so he has a legit shot to win ROY.
Eric Gordon (+800) Los Angeles Clippers Gordon missed the Summer League with a hamstring injury, so he is starting the season behind the 8 ball. He is a great shooter, but will be playing with Baron Davis, who is a shoot first point guard and that will limit his FG attempts.
Kevin Love (+1000) Minnesota Timberwolves Love will get a lot of minutes right off the bat and he will be popular with teammates and coaches since he is such a great passer. He is a better athlete than people think, but hid D may be a liability.
Jerryd Bayless (+1200) Portland Trail Blazers Bayless is a great shooter, but the only thing that will hurt his chances of winning the ROY is that there are a lot of scorers on the Blazers. He will have a hard time logging a lot of minutes with other veterans currently ahead of him on the depth chart.
Russell Westbrook (+1500) Oklahoma City Thunder Westbrook is one of the best athletes in the rookie class and he is a better scorer than people think. He needs to learn how to really play the point and he needs to avoid turning the ball over too much. He should play a lot of minutes, but rookie point guards generally take time to learn how to play the position.
DJ Augustin (+1500) Charlotte Bobcats Augustin can score, but he is a smaller guard at only 6 feet tall. He knows how to finish, but has to avoid over-penetrating. His may not score a ton in his first year, as backcourt mate Jason Richardson will take a ton of shots. Still, he will benefit from Larry Brown as a coach and he will be given the chance to start right away.
Brandon Rush (+1800) Indiana Pacers He will benefit right away by playing aside T.J. Ford. Rush is a pure shooter and also a great defender. He may score a lot of points if he can get solid minutes.
Brook Lopez (+1800) New Jersey Nets Lopez will get a lot of playing time right away and he has the chance to put up good numbers with his soft shooting touch. His strength is a concern, as he was muscled around in Summer League. Lopez knows well how to use his 7-foot frame to create shots.
Anthony Randolph (+2500) Golden State Warriors Randolph may be the sleeper of the bunch, as he is legit and he will play point forward for the Warriors and get to touch the ball often and log a lot of minutes. He can play all 5 positions, but he needs to add both weight and strength.
Joe Alexander (+2500) Milwaukee Bucks Alexander is a great athlete, but needs to develop better skills. He did not look good in Summer League and he may have trouble getting a lot of playing time for the Bucks.
Roy Hibbert (+3000) Indiana Pacers Hibbert may have a grudge coming into the NBA thinking he should have been drafted higher. He will get major minutes right away and he has legit skills and is very smart.
Danilo Gallinari (+3000) New York Knicks Gallinari got off to a bad start injuring his back in the Summer League. He can shoot the rock, but has to adjust to the NBA 3-point line, as it is further back than the one in the Euro leagues. The Knicks sucked last year, so he will get the chance to play a lot of minutes. One big advantage is that he is in a Knicks system that perfectly complements his skills.
Donte Greene (+3000) Sacramento Kings – Greene scored 40 points in his Summer League debut, so you know he can score. He cant settle for jumpers, as he has to attack the rim and get to the line. He is a pure shooter, so he should get a lot of minutes for the Kings.
Our Picks to Win R.O.Y.:
Favorite: Greg Oden. Fellas, this guy is a man amongst boys. He’s every bit as good as they say he is too.
Middle of the Road: O.J. Mayo. He’ll get as many minutes as he wants and he’s not shy to hoist it up.
Longshot: Kevin Love. He’ll get lots of “love” on a team where he will be looked to for scoring, rebounding and more. If his body holds up, he’ll get oodles of minutes and have a legit shot of taking home the award. He’ll be a fan favorite as well, which doesn’t hurt his cause.