If he stays healthy and does what he’s doing, but the Clips stay horrible, is Blake Griffin your T-Mobile Rookie of the Year?
David Aldridge: Probably, though we’ll have to define “horrible.” Is that one game better than the Wizards, for example? ‘Cause if the records are close, I wouldn’t count out John Wall just yet.
Steve Aschburner: Two very big ifs, especially for anyone lugging the curse of the Clippers on his shoulders. But sure, if Blake Griffin keeps this up and stays available, he’s my ROY. That award, less than most of the individual honors doled out each spring, doesn’t get bogged down by a team’s win-loss record. But John Wall doesn’t plan to sit out December through March, last I checked.
Art Garcia: Sounds like a column I once wrote. I’ve got Blake Griffin as the early leader, but weren’t we sold on Brandon Jennings at this point last year? John Wall is going to have something to say about this year’s rookie race, and considering the Wizards figure to dwell in the East’s cellar, I don’t believe a team’s record is going to be the decider factor.
Fran Blinebury: As Timofey Mozgov would say: Da, da, da! Until John Wall dunks over Vladimir Putin standing on a stack of “Das Kapital” first editions, the balloting is closed.
Scott Howard-Cooper: First, tell me how horrible the Wizards and how well John Wall are playing. If Blake Griffin plays at this level the entire season, yes, he will be very tough to beat. But it will also depend on team success. If the Clips are really bad and the Wiz are doing OK, and Wall has a big role on the gains in Washington, he will pick up votes.
Shaun Powell: Yes! Not all awards should be based on how your team does. This is one of them. Sometimes your team is just lousy or inflicted with bad luck, and asking a rookie to pull more than his weight is unfair. Of course, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird might beg to differ.
John Schuhmann: Have we already forgotten that lightning-quick point guard in Washington? The ROY race depends on John Wall’s health as much as it does on Blake Griffin’s. At this point, I don’t think Griffin has really separated himself from Wall, who’s also playing on a crummy team. It was thought to be a two-man race before the season started, and I still see it that way.
Sekou Smith: Since both the Clippers and Wizards will both view the playoffs in HD in their living rooms, there’s no need to worry about their records and what impact that could have on the Rookie of the Year campaigns of either Blake Griffin or John Wall. This is a two-man race down the wire. Griffin already has enough highlights to win the award, but there is a ton of season to be played before we can be sure that he, and not Wall, deserves the trophy. They are both dazzling in their own way, so I’m willing to sit back and enjoy more of the show before worrying about the vote.
of course blake griffin should win rookie of the year if he continues what he’s doing. its the ROY award, not MVP. winning shouldn’t make a difference. carmelo anthony made the playoffs and averaged more points per game then lebron but lebron still managed to take the trophy. not saying john wall is making the playoffs, just making a point.
You can’t be clear. I personally think that Wall averaging about 9 assists is impressive. Rookies don’t usually do that. To me, that shows he’s a pretty mature player. Griffin may have more highlights, but if Wall keeps it up, I’m gonna have to say he deserves ROY. I’m not so sure Griffin can maintain +20 scoring and double figure rebounds. But, we’ll see. Personally, I’d be more worried about Wall than Griffin if I were playing both. I see more room for growth from Wall, since he didn’t have the benefit of watching the game for a year in the NBA… If he has a fast learning curve, that is. It’s just too early. You can’t write off either one just yet.
John Wall has also missed six games so far and he’s been pretty inconsistent with his shooting and his overall play. Griffin hasn’t won the award yet, but if he keeps playing he has been for the past week or so then I don’t think Wall stands a chance. Personally I would be much more worried about playing against Griffin because every game he’s looking to crush some fool and put em on poster!
Plus John Wall is leading the league in turnovers.
At the moment, grifin is one of the 3 guys to average 20-10
the other two are howard and gasol, and that is pretty damn good company to be in. Throw in the fact he has 2-3 assists per game, and that he can make a top10 just from him in every game, yes he is the favorite to win it. i don’t think he will go on a slump like jennings went last year, the only problem between him and ROY is injury.
Come on, in the current NBA point guards on bad teams have a much better shot at winning than big men. Why? Because it is harder to double team them because they have the ball so much, you can’t hand check any more, and they can choose when to shoot or pass. What Blake is doing is phenomenal because 1) He is a big man and teams KNOW where the clips are going and he is still killing them when the double (5 AST average past 5 games). 2) Because he is one of 3 players to average 20/10. THREE PLAYERS! This is not just rookies. I love John Wall, I have him ranked as my best future point guard in 3 to 5 years, his vision is phenomenal, his speed is awesome, his length and defensive ability seperate him from the rest. But if they both stay at this pace, Blake is a ROY must, and probably an all star.
Screw the records! The Clips are STARTING THREE ROOKIES (and De Andre Jordan). Plus they have a sophomore coach and weak bench. I’m not totally convinced that Wall is even the best guard on his team because I’ve seen Agent Zero snooping around lately.
we don,t judge a ROY by his team recorc but by his performance, a rookie dont, have to lead his team to a championship just to win the ROY award…
Why is this a 2 person debate?
Landry Fields, I would argue, is doing more than any rookie to help his team get WINS… I don’t care how good of an individual player you are… If Blake Griffin is good enough, he should at least be able to take his team out of DEAD LAST in the entire league!
NO WAY am I ever giving consideration of Rookie of The Year to a person on a last place team in the entire league.
The question really is “what defines rookie of the year?” If the answer to this is “whoever gets the most nasty dunks, and highest points/rebounds” then by all means give it to Blake, because he deserves it.
But if Rookie of the Year goes to “whoever helps his complement his team to more WINS” then Landry Fields could be #1.
Because honestly, and this is not even exaggerated, Blake and Wall have the ball in their hands 95% more than Landry Fields, and yet this 2nd round pick does more to contribute to his teams wins than any other rookie. If Fields can get this many points and rebounds with have such little time on the ball. Imagine how many points he could score if he had plays run for him… This is why I ask. What defines the rookie of the year? Points scored, or how much he contributes to his team’s success? Even then Blake might win at the end of the year, but AT LEAST acknowledge the amount of work Fields does without getting spoonfed the ball like Wall and Blake do.
Let us not forget Fields is #1 in shooting percentage and rebounds out of all guards. Not just rookies, but ALL GUARDS in the league.
Spoonfed? you can’t be serious. Wall and Griffin make plays and they rarely get anything easy. They’re so good they make extremely difficult plays look easy.
are you dumb? rookie of the year award is a individual award no a team award LOL
I agree with you David, both? Griffin and Wall are talented that can’t be disputed – but what can you seriously argue about their contributions on basement teams? If all your efforts can produce W’s you cant get my vote over someone who clearly is making a mark in changing a team’s direction.
And while a number of responders on this blog mention ROY being an individual award, last time I checked basketball was a TEAM sport.
ROY is an individual performance award. If it was about winning games, Jennings would have won last year. I love people touting Griffin needing to stay healthy yet Wall has only played in 6 games this year. By the way the Clips are without their two highest paid players thus far, and have two less wins than Washington. Why is everybody acting like the Clips haven’t won a game yet and the Wizards are in the playoff hunt? The Clippers are a better team than the Wizards.
It’s a long season.. and Wall is talented. But if Griffin keeps playing like he has (over the last 5 games he’s AVERAGING 30-14-5) You shouldn’t be asking who is going to win ROY, you should be asking if Griffin should be starting in the All Star game. I know the NBA wanted a tight ROY race to add to the seasons storyline, but so far, this is a one man show. Wall lost the moment Griffin laced up his sneakers.
In my opinion Landry Feilds is better than John Wall and his team has the potential to make the playoffs. Hes gotta be in there somewhere.
David, that makes no sense. Like the person above said, it isn’t about the MVP it is about the best rookie. Can you name me one rookie BETTER than John Wall and Blake Griffin? By the nature of your argument any rookie on the best team in the league should be considered. Landry is nice, I’m not hating, but the argument is who is the best rookie, not the best rookie on a team that is winning.
Again, like said above, Clippers are starting three rookies, and two third year players, with one of the youngest starting line ups in the HISTORY of the NBA. They have no bench whatsoever, and a terrible head coach. The opposing team knows the Blake is going to get the ball, and they still can’t stop him. John wall tonight had 19 and 9 playing half the game coming off the bench for a Wizards team that should have a better record. He is virtually impossible to guard.
The main difference is this, do teams game plan for Landry? Because for damn sure they do for Blake and John Wall. Be honest…
If that were the case with Wall being so unstoopable (and you can add Griffin for that matter) Why doesn’t either team have a etter record? For all they are doing highlight dunks and 20 assists a game and their teams are both dead LAST. Fields on the other hand does what his team needs to win, Lock down a scorer, hit outside, grab rebounds and putting up numbers in doing them. Maybe not the best, but his team has won eight of last nine games.
These writers should all be embarrassed for not mentioning Landry Fields even once. This is far from a two man race, let alone just one. Landry Fields leads ALL NBA guards in shooting and rebounding, and is doing it with less minutes, for a WINNING team. Not a disgustingly bad one like the Clippers or a bad one like the Wizards.
Landry who???? LOL
Blake Griffin just torched us for 31 pts and 12 rebs. Geez.
It’s still early, but Griffin gets my early vote without contest. This guy is not just playing like ROY, he’s playing like an All Star. BG is consistent unlike Wall. I would even rate Fields ahead of Wall.
Blake is ROY winner and not only. He’s gonna win a lot more, just wait. Patience is a virtue, ROY is his.
If all rookies stay healthy for the rest of season, Blake will still win the ROY award. I agree that the ROY award is given to the best player (on a good team or not). The way Griffin has been playing, I’m looking forward for him being an All-Star this year. Wall is also a great rookie…just think Griffin is better. I have heard the arguments for Fields and as of now, he’s my number 2. But, I think Fields will get the D Wade treatment back in the 03-04 season (there is just too much hype around Griffin and Wall). Go Bulls!
There’s no other pick in my mind for rookie of the year; Griffin is it! He’s got teams shaking in there boots from fear of posterization. I hope he develops a shot like Kobe down the line. Can’t stand Kobe but gotta love his shooting.
If Blake does not win ROY, it will be the biggest injustice in sports history.
I’ll give Landry Fields some props. He’s playing well and thats good for him and the Knicks… but please don’t try to argue he’s a better player than Blake Griffin or John Wall. Fields averages ten points and 1 (yes one) assist per game. Plus, you have to remember that New York shoots about 500 shots a game so there is a lot of rebounds and shots to go around. Also, he’s on a team with a Amare, Gallinari, and Mozgov, someone has to rebound. New York is barely above .500 and they’re playing in possibly the worst division in the NBA, so don’t try to argue that he should win ROY because his team has more wins. Wins don’t matter in the ROY award. It goes to the best rookie regardless of record. Knicks fans, you’re probably still mad at what Griffin did to your team the last time you played. He put up the best stat line of the year and he threw down so many sick dunks that they had to distribute bark bags at the MSG.
You’re right we should be mad while your team is the worst in the league,. I guess you have to grasp at something hunh
My team is the Spurs fool! Last I checked they had the BEST RECORD IN THE LEAGUE! Remember when they beat your Knicks in the Finals in 1999. Oh, and remember how the Knicks haven’t made the playoffs since then? You sound like an idiot when you claim that Fields is a better ROY candidate than Griffin. Quit being a homer.
“Shaun Powell: Yes! Not all awards should be based on how your team does. This is one of them. Sometimes your team is just lousy or inflicted with bad luck, and asking a rookie to pull more than his weight is unfair. Of course, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird might beg to differ”
And Magic and Larry had the luxury to play with a group of future Hall-of-Famers.
I agree. Griffin is the front-runner and will win barring any injury setbacks.
if blake will continue his dominance, he’s my ROY. but if wall will upgrade his game he will surely bag the trophy.
Blake is in a league of men that wall will never step into…
Everyone knows that blake is gonna get it.. the comentaters are only trying to keep it interesting by saying that wall is in it…. 9 assist is good but come on wall is good but not even close to griffin..
Think of this.. if u could choose one person to be on ur team who would it be… Griffin or wall…
I would definetly choose GRIFFIN
I think Griffin will win the ROY, but he is not an all-star yet. I also think that the hype about his dunking and posterizing people is way overrated. Besides the famous Howard copy against the knicks, i do not seeing anything really spectacular.
Vincanity like. Great leaping ability but poor dunking style. Also what he lacks is long arms to extend.
Sorry for my english it’s not my native language.
Yeah, his posterization of everyone is wayyy overrated*sarcasm* lol! I’m not going to debate on who is a better dunker, but it speaks VOLUMES for the B-32 Bomber’s ability that people like meztah frequently bring it up. Just look at the Youtube comments, its crazy. Folks, he’s played ONE MONTH. Many more posters to be made! Many more victims to be Mozgov’d!
The Mozgov dunk wasn’t even his best dunk in that game. The best dunk was the spin move and throwdown over Gallinari.
If Griffin plays at this level all year, not only will he win Rookie of the year, he would have a shot at first team all NBA(more about the player than the team).
Don’t count the clippers out either. Bottom half of playoff bracket in the west could be anyone. Big IF…..The clipper make the playoffs….John who?
to answer that question…switch “is” and “griffin” and take the question mark out of the headline. duuh
If Blake Griffin continue to play like that, he’s gonna make steriods legal in the NBA
, it was like he was dunkin on people since he was 2yrs old or something….
Can you believe these people? His dunks are over rated? Blake Griffin has been the best dunker this year. How can you disagree? Look at his rebounding! His assist, he is a beast! There is one and only one clear winner of the ROY so far…. Blake Griffin is in a league of his own. What ever happens from here on out we will see. Other players such as wall may step it up and could go to any one (doubt is) but for now it is clear who would win it if the season ended today.
The people saying Griffin is not the top contender for ROY right now are the ones that predicted John Wall would win ROY. Plain and simple. People stick to their guns and don’t like to be wrong. They want the world to align with their view of it and it’s hard to pry them from their original perceptions and change their minds. This happens with every conceivable award known to man. Journalists make predictions publically before the season starts and then they do their best to stick with those early favorites until the bitter end. Decisional biases. I wish they didn’t make predictions at all. Then people could be more unbiased, letting the season unfold and provide more complete data with which to make a determination of who is best.
Griffin is the most exciting rookie I have seen in my 20 years of watching basketball, he reminds me of Sean Kemp as a rookie, I loved Kemp, but I think Blake is even more astounding. Astounding, exciting, players with that much athletiscim create excitement. ENJOY clipper fans, regardless of ROY you have the most exciting player in basketball today.
I did not say he is not spectacular but i say his dunking is overrated because there is no athletic comparison to him.
You all did see last years dunk contest and you know there is enough room to shine for Blake.
But i don’t put him in the Carter/ Kemp league, but that is a matter of taste his potential is huge.
I follow the nba for 25 years now, and i thought Shaq was really something special his rookie year.
blake griffin and john walll are good players and ill give them credit…..their game so far has been very good; more so blake then john in my opinion……but fields should be the rookie of the year… he was someone that people over looked and didnt pay much attention to him…… now look at him and see what he is doing for his team… not only does he leads all rookies in rebounds and shooting but he also leads all grauds in the NBA,,,,,,he is very impressive…he was a dark horse and for someone who doesnt play alot of minutes his scoring abilities are amazing…he contributes to the team in every way and the knicks couldnt ask for a better player………if all you can say about blake is how nasty his dunks are then he should be your ROY..but thats it all he can do is dunk(which btw is getting overrrated)….if he wasnt dunking then he wouldnt even be comsidered,,,,,after all thats all he can do….john is ok but he is missing games… fields is doing what he needs to do to not only make his team better but himself as a player(btw which is showing cause the knicks are doing good atm)……I believe fields landry Fields should be ROY….
landry fields???? who is that?? =)))
landry fields,,,,, nahh he’s got great teammates, but blake, his team got him.
Ok, let me clear one thing up…the award is for ROOKIE OF THE YEAR not ROOKIE’S TEAM OF THE YEAR! it’s not Blake Griffin’s fault that he got drafted by the worst team in the L. and as you have seen he is doing more than everything possible to try and make the Clippers better. there has not been a rookie with comparable numbers since Shaquille O’Neal’s rookie year. bottom line…until John Wall starts averaging 30 ppg and 15 assists per game along with 5 boards per he is not in the same conversation as Blake Griffin! it’s not even a question wether Blake will win the award so much as if he will make the all-star squad or not.
NO bench for CLippers are u serious… they got former all-stars coming of their bench not to mention good quality players.. baron, kaman, smith, butler, and thats all i can recall.. i dono bout that… their team is diff underachieving and maybe looking for another lottery bound season starting the young guys tryin to get a good draft pick,, becuz we all kno theyre more capable of winning than wat theyre doing now
i’m ROOTING for blake griffin he is fun to watch…….. ROY….. BLAKE for all stars……………