Its time for the moment that has been anxiously awaited all week by fans of the NBA's Sophomore Class. The naming of the #5 ranked member. Who will it be? To answer that we turn to our correspondent for this newly modified round, Jim Ross.
"Tonight is far all the marbles sports fans. Sergio Rodriguez, Paul Millsap, Rajon Rondo, and Daniel Gibson will all enter the ring standing tall, but only one will leave triumphant. It's time for HELL IN CELL!"
"The competitors have now entered the ring. Its time for some ACTION!. Sergio and Rondo are battling in tough in the corner while Gibson is physically destroyed by Paul Millsap. It doesn't appear Gibson has long to survive versus the power Paul Millsap. BUT WAIT! Rondo just power bombed Sergio Rodriguez. He may be down for the count. 1! 2! 3!. DING DING DING DING DING!. SERGIO RODRIGUEZ IS OUT, RODRIGUEZ IS OUT!"
With Sergio Rodriguez making an early exit from the match he will have to settle for being the 8th Best Member of the NBA Sophomore Class. Despite numbers which do not necessarily indicate that Sergio is on the path to stardom any more than most of the players below him on the list, a closer examination of them gives good hope for his future. He recorded a 14.7 PER as the primary back-up to Jarrett Jack while playing limited minutes (12.9 per game) which is slightly below average for the league, but not terrible for a first year foreign point guard. Over 40 minutes his assist average was 10.1 with a turnover rate of only 14.1% a very good assist and turnover balance for such a young developing player. His scoring and rebounding are still relatively weak per 40 minutes (11.5 and 4.2), but with a pleothra of scoring options now present on the team and many big men to rebound this should not be an immediate concern for him in the coming year.With Sergio playing better as the year went on inside of Nate McMillan's offensive schemes, he likely gained the trust of his coach and will send an increase in his minutes this year. This will allow him more court time to continue to develop his talents which will allow his numbers to surpass those he was able to obtain last season. With Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Channing Frye on the court Sergio will have a plethora of options to dish the ball too to lead the offense. His weaknesses, scoring and rebounding, should improve, but they will be masked by the talent that he will be playing with. His poor 3 point shooting (28%) and his true shooting percentage (49%) are major concerns, but they should improve this year to at least acceptable levels giving Sergio an easier time perpetrator and scoring which will help all other aspects of his game as well.
"WAIT! WHATS THIS! RUDY GAY HAS JUST ENTERED THE CELL! Gay was thought to have given up on the competition when no mention of his name was made for the last 2 days (like how I'm fixing my mistake?), but now he is back in action. OH MY GOD! Hes just double choke slammed Rajon Rondo and Daniel Gibson to the ground. 1! 2! 3!. AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!"
Rajon Rondo and Daniel Gibson are polar opposites in terms of what they bring to the table currently. Rondo can't shoot from the field (41%) or from 3 (21%) but is a terrific on the ball defender who can create havoc anytime hes on the court. Daniel Gibson can't do much else than shoot the ball pretty well from 3 (42% plus his playoff showing). Rondo averaged 1.6 steals per game while playing only 23 minutes a game, many of which resulted in quick easy baskets for his team. With Gibson's powerful playoff performance aside (could be an aberration), he still posted an extremely strong 56% true shooting percentage, an amazing mark for a rookie point guard. Rondo and Gibson both have very poor per 40 minute assist numbers for points guard (6 and 3 respectively) so they will never likely become dominant point guards in the Steve Nash and Jason Kidd mode, but there specializations are perfect for their teams which they will both be if not starting, playing major minutes for.Both share one key characteristic in common in the coming season, they will be the starting point guards for teams with dominant offense weapons. While neither PER was above the league average (13.19 for Rondo, 9.39 for Gibson) as members of their respective teams they will be freed to be effective by only being required to do what they do best. With Ray Allen and Paul Pierce on offense Rondo will be able focus on his defense and penetration. With Lebron James on the court Daniel Gibson does not have to power the offense but instead can relax and get into position for 3 point opportunities. Their special skills and situations more than past production help them move up on this list. With all that information in mind and their double simultaneous elimination for the Cell Rajon Rondo and Daniel Gibson are the co-#7 Best Members of the NBA Sophomore Class.
"Rudy Gay and Paul Millsap are now stand face to face staring down each other. WHO WILL MAKE THE FIRST MOVE! FIND OUT ON PAY-PER-VIEW TOMORROW (or maybe in 1 hour) AT BASKETMANIA!"
Paul Millsap vs. Rudy Gay Braun vs. Speed 2nd Round vs. 1st Round
Who will be triumphant, check back tomorrow (aka one hour) when our sponsors demand a ten point comparison between the two to decide who will finally be named 5th best member of the NBA Sophomore Class.
