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NBA.com Rookie Ladder

The Rookie Ladder is a free-flowing, constantly updated chart that ranks the 2010-11 rookies. If a rookie plays well, he climbs the Ladder. Play poorly, and he'll slide down a rung ... or two or three. The rankings are updated by NBA.com's Drew Packham. If you have an issue with the Ladder, or have a question or comment for Drew, send him an e-mail. You can also follow him on Twitter.

T-Mobile Rookies of the Month

Wizards' Wall, Clips' Griffin named T-Mobile Rookies of the Month for March

The Washington Wizards' John Wall and the Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin were named the Eastern and Western Conference T-Mobile Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played through March.

T-Mobile Rookies of the Month Archive

ROOKIE VIDEOS: BEST OF THE BEST

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Blake on Norm Macdonald Show
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T-Mobile Rookie Challenge: Rookies Repeat
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T-Mobile Rookie Challenge MVP: Wall
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T-Mobile Rookie Challenge: Wall's Bounce to Blake
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January's Top 10 Rookie Plays
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Blake Griffin's Best Dunks
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November's Top 10 Rookie Plays
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The Jump: Blake Griffin or John Wall?
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Blake Griffin's 44-point Dunkathon
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Griffin's Monster Dunk Over Mozgov
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Evan Turner: Past, present, future

And the winner is ...

April 6 -- Everyone has put in their two cents about a potential nickname for Blake Griffin. Message boards have been flooded (The Griffinator! High Griffinition!), polls have been submitted (on the Dunk Ladder, for instance) and answered. Heck, I even call him Bad Blake (a nod to the movie Crazy Heart) on a regular basis and because, really, he's just bad.

Now, there's just one title left to give Blake Griffin -- Rookie of the Year.

And really, who else could it go to?

From Day 1, Griffin has dominated the Rookie of the Year talk, and no one else has put up a serious challenge.

Sure, Wizards point guard John Wall had a brilliant rookie campaign, averaging almost nine assists (the most since Damon Stoudamire averaged 9.3 in 1995-96 en route to winning Rookie of the Year that season). Wall may pick up some votes, but those will probably come from voters who don't consider Griffin a rookie.

Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins had his moments, but didn't show the consistency (or maturity) of Griffin.

And Landry Fields was one of the biggest surprises of the Draft, but far from Rookie of the Year material, especially considering his late-season struggles.

Just look at a few of Blake's accomplishments:

• Only player in the NBA averaging at least 20 points, 12 rebounds and three assists
• Will be the first rookie to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds since Elton Brand in 1999-00
• Broke Brand's rookie record for double-doubles (60 and counting)
• Became the Clippers franchise all-time leading rookie scorer, breaking Terry Cummings' mark set in 1982-83
• Video Tallied his first triple-double on March 23 with 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in the Clippers' double-overtime win over Washington

The list of achievements goes on and on, and honestly the superlatives available to describe Blake Griffin's rookie season are exhausted.

Except for one: Rookie of the Year.

(And that's just a matter of time.)

Dropping out: Ekpe Udoh, Tiago Splitter

-- Drew Packham, NBA.com

As always, feel free to email me with any comments, questions or suggestions. I'm also on Twitter, if that's your thing.

1
Blake Griffin : Los Angeles Clippers
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There's not much more to write about Blake's incredible rookie season. The guy can dunk, that's for sure. His low-post game improved as the season progressed. He had one brief period after the Baron Davis trade in which his numbers dipped. But he overcame that, and he should be a unanimous Rookie of the Year when the award is handed out later this month. Oh, and he can act, too. If you don't believe me, check out this hilarious clip from the Sports Show with Norm Macdonald, which premiered Tuesday night on Comedy Central. I'm happy to call this kid Rookie of the Year.
-- April 12, 10:15 p.m. ET

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2
John Wall : Washington Wizards
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I love John Wall's confidence. After the Wizards beat the Celtics -- who were resting their core four starters -- Wall said he's focused on getting Washington to the playoffs next season. "That's our goal," Wall said. "We played against teams that's in the playoffs, we beat some of them; we lost to some of them. We've had close games against them, but I think we all are going to be mature next year, learn how to close out games learn how to trust each other more, like how we've been doing the last couple of games." With the progress Wall made this season, and seeing how well the Wizards are finishing the season, it's not hard to imagine a scenario in which Washington makes a run in the East next season.
-- April 12, 11:35 p.m. ET

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3
DeMarcus Cousins : Sacramento Kings
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Cousins had one of his best games Monday in the Kings' 120-112 loss to the Thunder, and he did with Kendrick Perkins trying to get in his head. Cousins scored a season-high 30 points, thanks to 21 trips to the free-throw line (he made 18) as Perkins and Co. banged the notoriously hot-headed rookie. "I thought DeMarcus was going to blow there a couple of times, but he held it together and kept attacking," Kings coach Paul Westphal said afterward. "He's quicker than Perkins and used his quickness. You still have to be a big guy to go against Kendrick, but I thought he did a good job of using his advantages."
-- April 12, 9:55 p.m. ET

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4
Jordan Crawford : Washington Wizards
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It's hard to believe that just a few months ago, Crawford was toiling away on the Hawks' bench. Now, in the span of 25 games with the Wizards, the rookie out of Xavier has become a key cog in the team's rebuilding process. His importance was on display in the Wizards' overtime win over the Celtics, as Crawford hit a baseline jumper to force OT and the game-winning 3-pointer in the extra frame. "I always feel if I can see the basket, it's a good shot," Crawford said afterward of his game-tying shot. "I seen the basket. Luckily I made it."
-- April 12, 11:45 p.m. ET

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5
Greg Monroe : Detroit Pistons
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The Pistons have become an up-tempo team down the stretch, but Monroe doesn't mind. He's happy chipping in with putbacks and bunnies when he can. "Both Chris (Wilcox) and I know there aren't going to be a lot of plays called for us," Monroe said. "We get a lot of our shots on the perimeter. We work hard to get second shots and moving without the ball for easy buckets." Monroe continues to fare well, statistically, as he has six straight double-digit scoring games and averaged 12.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in four games this week. The Georgetown product has shown continual improvement and should only get better in his sophomore season.
-- April 12, 11:35 p.m. ET

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6
Ed Davis : Toronto Raptors
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Davis is finishing out his fine rookie campaign in style. In his last three games, the rookie out of North Carolina is averaging 15.7 points and 9.7 rebounds. Davis has improved with each month, capped off by an impressive April, in which he's almost averaging a double-double (13.7 and 9.1). The North Carolina rookie might not become the franchise big man the Raptors need, but he's definitely proven he can be a very reliable piece in the rebuilding process.
-- April 13, 1:47 a.m. ET

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7
Gary Neal : San Antonio Spurs
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Neal is finishing up his surprising rookie season on a high note. The sharpshooter has scored in double digits in five of his last six games and is going to finish the season fourth among rookies in scoring, first in three-point shooting (42.1 percent) and 3-pointers made. Not a bad season for a guy who was in Europe this time last season. (And let's just forget about Tyreke Evans' Video nasty dunk on Neal. It didn't happen.)
-- April 13, 3:15 a.m. ET

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8
Gordon Hayward : Utah Jazz
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Hayward continues to prove down the stretch that he has a future in the league. Even when he struggles from the floor (as he did against Portland, going 1-for-5, 0-for-3 on 3s), Hayward stayed aggressive and got to the line eight times (hitting all eight) to finish with 10 points in the jazz' 98-87 loss on Thursday. In his last five games, Hayward is averaging 14.8 points on 58.3 percent shooting and is likely going to finish the season 11th among rookies in scoring. Not bad for a guy who rarely saw the floor in the first two months of the season.
-- April 13, 1:05 a.m. ET

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9
Derrick Favors : Utah Jazz
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Favors had his best scoring game yet, putting up 17 points in Utah's 111-102 loss in San Antonio on Saturday. Favors has been lost in the shuffle this season, never dominating but never disappearing, so it's somewhat surprising to see that he'll finish fifth in rebounding (5.3 rpg) and eighth in scoring (6.8 ppg). It was a rough season for the Jazz, but with Favors and Hayward the future looks bright, when you look at the big picture.
-- April 13, 3:21 a.m. ET

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10
Landry Fields : New York Knicks
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As I've noted numerous times lately, Fields' contributions on the court have diminished -- he's averaging just 5.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in his last three games) -- but he continues to entertain off the court. In episode 3 of The Andy and Landry Show (Andy being fellow rookie Andy Rautins), the pair tries their hand at speed dating, and it was pure comedy. Check it out. And, Fields joined my colleague Sekou Smith on the Hang Time Podcast to talk about the show, among other things. Good stuff, as usual, from Fields. Now, if he could just return to the Landry of early in the season, the Knicks might be able to pull off the upset over the Celtics.
-- April 13, 12:15 a.m. ET

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Current Rankings

RankStatusPlayer
1-- Blake Griffin
2-- John Wall
3-- DeMarcus Cousins
4-- Jordan Crawford
5-- Greg Monroe
6-- Ed Davis
7 Gary Neal
8 Gordon Hayward
9 Derrick Favors
10 Landry Fields

Rookie Poll

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Will Blake Griffin make it to the Hall of Fame?

  • Yes
  • No

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