1)Griffin
Oct. 29: I'll factor in his injury, and his lack of production because of it, next week. For now, he is our top guy because of what he's done up to today. Clippers fans have to hope Griffin does not start fearing "the curse" and suddenly change the way he plays. I expect him to be terrific when he comes back.

2)Blair
Oct. 29: The league is filled with players who overcome obstacles on their path to greatness. So it could be with Blair, who is undersized for his position and has had ACL surgery on both knees. His length, quickness and great hands help him play with bigger guys, his feel for the game drives him to important spots before others get there, and his strength and toughness give him the advantage when they do arrive. He dominated in his first regular-season outing, giving the Spurs 14 and 11 in just 23 minutes against the Hornets.

3)Evans
Oct. 29: Evans is proof that the ability to change speeds can be just as effective as having a faster top gear than most. His crafty tactics make it very tough for defenders to stay in front of him, and his size and length help him finish plays at the rim. He did not score efficiently in the preseason, due in part to his poor outside shooting, but he'll get better as a shooter and will improve his shot selection as the season unfolds. He struggled in the opener at OKC, scoring 10 points on 16 shots and holding the ball far too long on many possessions.

4)Flynn
Oct. 29: Flynn is tough to project, as he's competing for playing time with a strong player in Ramon Sessions. But whether he's starting or coming off the bench, Flynn's leadership and quickness should earn him quality minutes and solid production. Like Evans, and Derrick Rose last season, his jump shot should improve as the season evolves. Flynn scored 18 points with 2 assists and 3 turnovers, and made some clutch plays late, as Minny came back to win their opener against the Nets.

5)Williams
Oct. 29: Williams should be a stat stuffer who gets a lot of playing time in Jersey. He also does nice things that won't show up in the box score, like make "Gretzkys" (the pass before the assist) and play solid defense on the perimeter. His athleticism makes up for some skill deficiencies, and his motor seems to run hot very often. Surprisingly, he made over 42 percent of his 3s in seven preseason games. And his 15 points and 10 rebounds in the Nets' opener in Minnesota showed what he's capable of doing all season.

6)Curry
Oct. 29: Curry struggled as a shooter both this summer and in the preseason -- his true shooting percentage was below 50 in seven preseason games. This has much to do with shot selection. Remember how Kevin Durant chucked up bad shot after bad shot as a rookie (and finished with a 51.9 TS percentage)? Curry appears to be doing the same thing. On the plus side, he has silenced concerns about his lack of passing skills. As Curry applies more discipline to his game, his numbers will improve. In the Warriors' opening-night loss to Houston, he scored 14 points and dished out 7 assists with just two turnovers.

7)Harden
Oct. 29: Harden's biggest weakness, to this point, has been his shooting -- which is ironic because he's a shooting guard. However, he is an excellent shooter who should find his rhythm soon. In the meantime, he does all the other things. As a veteran player told me the other day, "That kid is smooth." Harden scored 5 points in 13 minutes in the Thunder's opener against Sacramento.

8)Casspi
Oct. 29: Don't be surprised that Casspi played so well this preseason. After all, he started in a Euroleague Final Four and a championship game when he was just 19, and he has played in countless other important international and Euroleague games. This preseason, Casspi led all rookies in 3s made (11) and in shooting percentage from deep (11-for-21, 52.4 percent), while averaging over 11 ppg. The injury to Francisco Garcia allows for Casspi to get serious minutes early in the season. He took advantage in the Kings' opener -- his 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting was one of the few bright spots for Sacramento.

9)Lawson
Oct. 29: Lawson looked a lot more like the guy who dominated at UNC this preseason than the one we saw in Vegas. He was the only rookie to compile an assist-to-turnover ratio above 3-to-1. He dominated on defense, too, grabbing four steals in one game and five in another. All this while shooting better than 50 percent from the field. He's just what Denver needs coming off the bench. Had a terrific first game, tallying 17 points and 6 assists in the Nuggets' opening-night win.

10)DeRozan
Oct. 29: DeRozan showed excellent basketball intelligence this summer, rare for a young shooting guard. Consider that in his first three preseason games, he took eight 3s and seven free throws, and in his past five games he took only three 3s and attempted 32 free throws. There are scores of guards who can stand outside and launch 3s, but not nearly as many who can both shoot and slash. Seeing DeRozan slash in November and December would be a good start. He scored 8 points with 5 boards in 24 solid minutes in the Raptors' opening-night win over Cleveland.

Jordan Hill #22
July 22: The current lack of an identity on the Knicks' front line suggests that Hill will get minutes. And he's the type of player who will perform better when surrounded by veterans who understand spacing and timing. Hill will compete at a high level, and his size and agility combined with his effort will translate well to the Knicks' system.

Tony Douglas #25
Oct. 29: Scored 3 points in 6 minutes in their opening loss at Miami.
July 22, 2009

July 22: Douglas may have been the worst shooter on the worst team in Vegas. But his ability to run a team and defend his position ranked near the top. His shooting woes likely will not continue on the Knicks, and his playmaking and ball-hawking skills will translate into decent minutes.

It is tough to tell with Hill. We probably won't know what we have with him until next year.

Here's the update after a week of NBA play...

1 Brandon Jennings
2 Jonny Flynn
3 Stephen Curry
4 Ty Lawson
5 DeJuan Blair
6 Omri Casspi
7 Chase Budinger
8 DeMar DeRozan
9 Jeff Teague
10 Terrence Williams

CrushAlot wrote:Buddinger will be on that list at the end of the season and anyone that said he was the second coming of Scalabrine please watch a Rockets game.

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Good job by the kid coming out and playing like he has.