NBA Rookie Ratings: Getting out our "Jump to Conclusions" mat on Derrirck Rose, Greg Oden and the rest of the newbies

BY MIKE LANSU Sports Pros(e) NBA Guy

What can we learn from the first game of an NBA rookie? Nothing. But

that doesn’t mean I’m not going to break down the debuts of the six

rookies who could make a significant impact this season.

Last

season’s No. 1 pick Greg Oden missed all of last season with a knee

injury and sprained his foot in the first half of the Blazers’ opener.

It’s safe to say it won’t be the last time the Indianapolis native

finds himself on the IR this season.

Memphis’ O.J. Mayo and

Miami’s Michael Beasley sure like to shoot, but if they don’t start

making some baskets they will find themselves on the bench in a hurry.

Chicago’s

Derrick Rose and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook looked good and OK,

respectively, in their Association debuts. Both shot the ball

effectively, got to the free throw line and had a limited number of

turnovers for a rookie point guard.

The most impressive rookie:

Minnesota’s Kevin Love. The big man with lots of basketball skills and

no athleticism shot effectively, crashed the boards, contributed on

defense and limited his turnovers.

Here are my Rookie Rankings after Game 1:

1. Kevin Love: 12 points (5-of-8 FG, 2-of-2 FT), 2 assists, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers.

2. Derrick Rose: 11 points (3-of-9 FG, 5-of-7 FT), 9 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 0 blocks, 4 turnovers.

3. Russell Westbrook: 13 points (4-of-9 FG, 4-of-6 FT), 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 0 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers.

4. Michael Beasley: 9 points (4-of-14 FG, 0-of-0 FT), 0 assists, 4 rebounds, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 3 turnovers.

5. O.J.

Mayo: 10 points (5-of-20 FG, 0-of-0 FT), 2 assists, 5 rebounds, 2

steals, 0 blocks, 3 turnovers. (Note: Missed all 7 three-point

attempts).

6. Greg Oden: 0 points (0-of-4 FG, 0-of-2 FT), 0

assists, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 2 turnovers. (Note: Left game in first

half with a sprained right foot).