| | 1999-2000 Rookie team:
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PLAYER
|
TEAM
|
POS.
|
HT .
|
WT.
|
COLLEGE
|
|
Elton Brand
|
Chicago
|
F
|
6-8
|
275
|
Duke
|
|
Steve Francis
|
Houston
|
G
|
6-3
|
195
|
Maryland
|
|
Adrian Griffin
|
Boston
|
G/F
|
6-5
|
215
|
Seton Hall
|
|
Todd MacCulloch
|
Philadelphia
|
C
|
7-0
|
280
|
Washington
|
|
Andre Miller
|
Cleveland
|
G
|
6-2
|
200
|
Utah
|
|
Lamar Odom
|
L.A. Clippers
|
F
|
6-10
|
220
|
Rhode Island
|
|
James Posey
|
Denver
|
G/F
|
6-8
|
215
|
Xavier
|
|
Wally Szczerbiak
|
Minnesota
|
F
|
6-7
|
244
|
Miami (Ohio)
|
Head Coach: Al Attles
Assistant Coach: Nate Thurmond
1998-1999 Rookie team:
|
PLAYER
|
TEAM
|
POS.
|
HT .
|
WT.
|
COLLEGE
|
|
Mike Bibby
|
Vancouver
|
G
|
6-1
|
190
|
Arizona
|
|
Michael Dickerson
|
Vancouver
|
G
|
6-5
|
190
|
Arizona
|
|
Cuttino Mobley
|
Houston
|
G
|
6-4
|
190
|
North Carolina
|
|
Raef LaFrentz
|
Denver
|
F/C
|
6-11
|
240
|
Kansas
|
|
Dirk Nowitzki
|
Dallas
|
F
|
6-11
|
237
|
Germany
|
|
Michael Olowokandi
|
L.A. Clippers
|
C
|
7-0
|
269
|
Pacific
|
|
Paul Pierce
|
Boston
|
F
|
6-6
|
230
|
Kansas
|
|
Jason Williams
|
Sacramento
|
G
|
6-1
|
190
|
Florida
|
Head Coach: Bill Russell
Assistant Coach: KC Jones
WHO TO WATCH
Jason Williams
Kings
Will try to break the rookie record for assists and make this game lots of fun
|
Steve Francis
Rockets
There's the Williams matchup, but Francis is a showman, too, though he's a little banged up
|
Elton Brand
Bulls
The current rookie with the best low-post game should get 20 points and 10 boards
|
Lamar Odom
Clippers
A great talent with all-around game who has been buried by the team he's on
|
Adrian Griffin
Celtics
Team-oriented CBA guy who frankly deserves the credit and attention
|
| |
Rookie Challenge, Saturday, 4 p.m. ET (TNT)
Why you should care: Because, frankly, this might be the most exciting event of the weekend. Yeah, we know about the dunk contest, and that 2ball thing is intriguing, but the rookies of last season against the first-year dudes of this season, very interesting. It's always water cooler fodder to ask which rookie class is better, and now we get to see. Sure, Vince Carter won't be there, but Jason Williams vs. Steve Francis? Duke's Elton Brand pushing Kansas' Raef LaFrentz. With Cuttino Mobley replacing Antawn Jamison, now we also have a pair of Rhode Island players. When's the last time that's ever been said? Cool stuff.
What to watch for: Well first of all, some of the guys in this game can actually play defense, so don't look for constant running and gunning. Other than the point guards, there will be D. The 1999-2000 rookies can start a lineup of Francis and Andre Miller or Adrian Griffin at guard, Lamar Odom and Brand at forward, and Todd MacCulloch is your center. The other players available are James Posey and Wally Szczerbiak.
The rookie team of 1998-99 has more depth, and not surprisingly is more developed. Williams and Paul Pierce could be the guards, with Arizona and Vancouver twins Mike Bibby and Michael Dickerson in reserve, while the frontcourt is Jamison, Dirk Nowitzki, LaFrentz and former top pick Michael Olowokandi.
For the record, this game will be played in a pair of 15-minute halves. As you can see, these teams don't go 12 deep, and the Grizzlies wouldn't appreciate their starting frontcourt returning home real tired. Each team may call one full timeout per half and one of the 20-second variety. Fouls will be charged, but nobody can foul out. (That's good for Olowokandi. If only Shawn Kemp could have this rule all the time.) There is a 2-minute overtime if needed, but after that you have to kiss your sister as it's a tie. Thirty two minutes is the max here.
Key players/matchups: Williams-Francis and LaFrentz-Brand are our favorites if you're looking at sidebars and angles. Frankly, the current rookie class doesn't have a ton of size. Brand has been getting it done down low, but MacCulloch could be overmatched by Nowitzki, LaFrentz and the Kandi man. Odom, who has struggled mightily of late, could be a key. Also, the current rookies don't have a lot of outside shooting, unless Wally suddenly starts to go that route.
History: Remember the last Rookie game MVP? How 'bout that Zydrunas Ilgauskas. We could bore you with which team has won the five other rookie games, but we won't. Incidentally, the first one, it was the Phenoms beating the Sensations? Then it was White over Green, and three East-West clashes. By the way, Kobe Bryant holds the record for points in one of these games with 31, while Khalid Reeves and Damon Stoudamire each had 11 assists once. We think that record could go down.
Who should win: Who really cares? This is for fun, right? Well, if we had to pick, we'd have to go with the second-year rookies. But that's not really why they're playing the game. As for your MVP, we would have gone with Jamison. Now we have to do an about face and say Francis.
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ALSO SEE
NBA All-Star Game 2000
NBA All-Star 2000 Viewer's Guide
Sizing up the Slam Dunk competition
Sizing up the Shootout competition
Sizing up the 2ball competition
NBA East: Mutombo no ordinary Hoya
NBA West: Stockton deserves selection
Ratto: Latrell's not coming, if anyone noticed
Lawrence: All-Star game is kid's stuff
All-Star game rosters
All-Star Game history
NBA Power Rankings, Feb. 8
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