Empty the Bench

See also: Sophomore Snubs

The best basketball prospects in the country get snapped up with high lottery picks, and teams with high lottery picks don’t tend to get a lot of nationally televised games. For fans who don’t enjoy the benefits of NBA League Pass, that makes the Rookie Challenge a rare opportunity to see the best and brightest in action on a national stage. Even better, rather than seasoned veterans, they play alongside and against their peers, allowing them to shine. That’s part of the reason the NBA’s Rookie Challenge during All-Star weekend is fast becoming a fan favorite. It’s also just a hell of a lot of fun to watch.

In the last column we discussed the sophomore squad, which was reasonably well constructed. Both teams are voted on by the league’s assistant coaches, and for the most part they got it right. The two big gaffes in their voting were selecting Aaron Brooks of the Houston Rockets over the much more productive, though unheralded, Ramon Sessions of the Milwaukee Bucks and the forgivable mistake of picking high-scoring Al Thornton of the Los Angeles Clippers over the more efficient Carl Landry of the Rockets.

This time around we have at least one very significant bone to pick. As I mentioned last time, the voting system is always subject to politics, oversights and notable omissions. As Wolves assistant Jerry Sichting jokingly put it, “You can never trust assistant coaches. We know nothing.”

Let’s take a look at which rookies made the 2009 team and which first-year players were notably left off.

The Rookie Team:

G: Derrick Rose (Bulls), 6-3, Memphis
G: Russell Westbrook (Thunder), 6-3, UCLA
G: Eric Gordon (Clippers), 6-3, Indiana
G: O.J. Mayo (Grizzlies), 6-4, USC
G: Rudy Fernandez (Trail Blazers), 6-6, Spain
F: Michael Beasley (Heat), 6-9, Kansas State
C: Brook Lopez (Nets), 7-0, Stanford
C: Greg Oden (Trail Blazers), 7-0, Ohio State
C: Marc Gasol (Grizzlies), 7-1, Spain

The Rookie Snubs:

Kevin Love, F/C, Minnesota Timberwolves
The omission of Minnesota’s Kevin Love is a real noodle scratcher. How often does the fifth-overall pick not get an invitation? If he were an international project big man, then maybe, but there’s no arguing that the kid is producing. On a rookie squad overloaded with guards and centers it’s hard to imagine how the guy leading all rookies in total rebounding, offensive rebounding, defensive rebounding, rebounding rate… well, he’s leading rookies in every rebounding metric we have. But forget rookies, Kevin Love is seventh in the entire NBA in offensive rebounding despite playing just 23 minutes a game. It’s been impressive, especially when you consider that he didn’t really start to come on until mid-December.

On offense Love hasn’t been a complete slouch either, ranking third among rookies in double-doubles. At 9.3 points and 8.3 boards per he’s nearly averaging a double-double on the season and he’s been doing just that so far in 2009, not an easy task when you’re coming off the bench and sharing the paint with Big Al Jefferson. The recent surge has boosted his PER to second among rooks.

You can see why Love’s coaches and teammates are throwing around words like travesty, embarrassment, and ridiculous in describing the 20-year-old’s snub. And they’re right. Take off the thoroughly mediocre Rudy Fernandez, put Love in there. Hell, take off Eric Gordon, take off Michael Beasley – take off whoever you like, Love should be on this team.

Verdict: Snub
Should Replace: Rudy Fernandez

Mario Chalmers, PG, Miami Heat
After being drafted with the 34th-overall pick of the draft by point-guard starved Minnesota and then being immediatly shipped to Miami for a box of crackerjacks the reigning Most Outstanding Player of the 2008 NCAA Championship had something to prove. He worked hard all summer and in the preseason, which earned him the opening-night start at point for the Heat. Chalmers kicked off his rookie campaign with an eye-opening 17 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds and 2 threes.

The 22-year-old out of Kansas has gone on to start all 47 games for Miami since, providing athleticism, defense and outside shooting on a team that sorely needed all of it. Chalmers has responded to his 31 minutes a game with 10 points, 4.6 dimes, 1.4 threes and a big 1.9 steals per game (almost matching his 2.0 TOs). That steals number ties him with LeBron James for fifth-best in the NBA and the assists place him ahead of All-Star wannabe point Mo Williams.

Unfortunately for Chalmers this rookie team is just stacked at guard. Derrick Rose has been a bona fide stud at the point all season, outshining Chalmers in all phases of the game outside of steals. The Thunder’s Russell Westbrook has been perhaps the NBA’s best rookie, blowing up over the last month to the tune of 18 points, 5 boards and 6 assists. Eric Gordon has gone off in the absence of Baron Davis, dropping 18 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, 1.1 steals a 2 threes while getting to the line consistently. O.J. Mayo has simply looked like a franchise player for most of the season. There’s just not much room here, with Rudy Fernandez being the only rookie Chalmers could potentially replace – but Fernandez was the logical cut to make room for Love.

Verdict: Mild snub
Should Replace: Rudy Fernandez

Kings fans know they have something potentially special in young power forward Jason Thompson. Outside of Sacramento his name may draw more daytime television than hoops associations, but the kid has become a solid part of the front-court rotation on a team that needs his presence in the paint. JT has scored in double figures with efficiency in 13 consecutive games. He’s started the last 14, and in 24 starts on the season the 12th-overall pick is averaging a strong 12.6 points and 7.3 boards on an impressive 55% from the field and 78% from the line.

I’m a fan of the guy, but unfortunately his measurables place Thompson just behind the nine players selected for the event. He’s tenth in scoring, 16th in PER, 5th in total rebounding, and significantly lower in assists, steals, blocks and total efficiency. With Brad Miller on his way out of Sac Town Thompson is a strong candidate to represent the sophomores next season, but he rightfully missed the cut this year.

Verdict: The assistants got it right
Should Replace: NA

Mario Chalmers photos via Icon SMI

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