Frank Franklin II
Normally I couldn't give a - well I can't even say it - but I don't care much for the sophomore-rookie game.
But I'm outraged that DeMar DeRozan has been left off the rookie roster. Outraged!
Okay. Surprised.
And not only me. Sonny Weems, who will start tonight and have the job guarding Dwyane Wade, was shocked too.
"That's bogus," said Weems. "That's bogus."
And then he kept saying it.
Added Bosh:
"Well, first off, I think every guy is deserving, who made the team," he said, tongue in cheek. "But I mean, come on. Look at the numbers. He's one of the top rookies. He's done a great job this year."
The affable rookie will miss his first game as a pro tonight after stepping on Hedo Turkoglu's foot in practice yesterday (seriously, Can Hedo do anything right?) and spraining his ankle.
Apparently DeRozan was having problems with his other ankle after tweaking it during the Lakers game, hence the crawl across my TV screen yesterday saying DeRozan was doubtful for tonight's game - "ankles".
But back to the outrage.
It's not like you can make an overwhelming statistical case for DeRozan's inclusion a la Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry and - to an extent - Dujuan Blair.
But it's not like anyone else is blowing up the lines either. And the guys who have better lines - hello Johnny Flynn! - are doing it with bigger minutes on bad to awful teams.
But if we have to pick on anyone we'll pick on a Swede. Why? Because Detroit Piston Jonas Jerebko is having as over-hyped a rookie season not named Jonas Gustavsson!
The blood is boiling at this point. I have to rest.
Okay.
The case for DeRozan rest on the fact he's improved on a month-to-month basis, as reflected by the fact that his productivity has increased along with his playing time, and as his playing time as increased the Raptors have gotten better.
DeRozan's per 36 numbers: 14 points, five rebounds and a steal while shooting 46.4 per cent.
Jerebko: 10.9 points, seven rebounds while shooting 47.4 per cent. DeRozan gets to the line more 4.4 FTA to 2.6/36 min.
Again, not that it's some overwhelming difference, but that's the point: Harden, Flynn, Gibson, Casspi - all decent players, but not stunners, and DeRozan is playing for a goodish team.
Not to suggest that the Raptors surge is because of DeRozan, but he's kept pace with a team on the rise, which is not insignificant. As the Raptor have improved, expectations have increased and DeRozan hasn't missed a beat.
"I think there are a lot of great guards that have had probably better numbers and have probably contribute more to their team," said Jay Triano. "But at the same time he's had an outstanding first half of his rookie season and he's helped us have a winning record at this point and I don't know if any of the other guys can say that."
The team was voted on by NBA assistant coaches with each team submitting a ballot, the rosters comprised of four front-court players, four guards and one spot that can be either.
It's obviously a conspiracy sell more sweaters in Sweden.