The Pilot

So here it is. The Blog That is Lacking a Plan. I'll do my best to captivate you by writing about sports. I'll write about Basketball, Football, Futbol, and Baseball...but not the NHL( the best year the NHL ever had was the lockout) and not NASCAR. I'll take any constructive criticism and any column ideas that you have with pleasure. Let the bias, and the ranting and raving begin.

So everyone loves Kobe and Lebron, they have stolen the NBA spotlight in every way possible. Gilbert Arenas had to use pull out the guns just to take a little of the spotlight. The youngest guys in the league aren't exactly getting a lot of publicity so I'll take this opportunity to highlight some of the top young guns that will be playing in this years Rookie Challenge.

1. Tyreke Evans
Evans came out of the gates firing and has not ceased to impress. He is a very similar player to Derrick Rose, who also jumped to the NBA after just one year under John Calipari at Memphis, he likes to get to the basket and has proved that he can finish even against the big men of the NBA. Like Rose, he shoots around 25% from 3 and could be come close to unstoppable if he will work hard to develop a consistent jump shot. The comparisons to Rose will only grow after this year as he is seen as the front runner to win the NBA Rookie of the Year, an honor that Rose took home a season ago.

2. Stephen Curry
Curry has stepped onto the NBA landscape and proven that he can ball at the next level. He is still the same dangerous scorer he was throughout college, averaging 14 points per game while shooting 46%. There were doubts that Curry would ever perform at a high level in the NBA, but he's proved that he can put up big numbers. When Monta Ellis (25.8 ppg) has been out with an ankle injury Curry has put up 25 and 27 ppg respectively. Curry has shown that he has the talent and work ethic to thrive in the NBA game.

3.Dejuan Blair
Dejuan Blair is the biggest steal of this draft. He was an incredible college talent at Pittsburgh and it looks like he could have easily been a lottery pick (pick 37). While his numbers aren't huge (7.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg) neither are his minutes (18 per game). In a 1 point win over the Thunder in which Tim Duncan didn't play the Spurs forward went off for 28 points on 11 for 18 shooting from the field while also piling on 21 rebounds. He is possibly the most efficient player in the 2009 draft class and a possible Tim Duncan in the making.

4. Marc Gasol
Gasol is one of the most overlooked players in the NBA, and this year he is coming into his own. Averaging 15.2 points and almost 10 rebounds on an up and coming Grizzlies team he is putting up numbers very similar to his older brother Pau (17.4 ppg, 11 rpg) but taking two fewer on average. As we saw with Pau, the Grizz are more than willing to part with good talent for less than they are worth if it will save them a little money. Be on the lookout for Gasol to go to a Title contender in the next couple of years.

5. Russel Westbrook
Westbrook is the perfect Point Guard for the Thunder in his second year out of UCLA. Averaging just over 15 ppg and 7.4 assists per game Westbrook has quarterbacked this Thunder team to more wins already this year than they had all last season. He has proven that he can score when the team needs him to with a season high of 33 points and he has shown he can defer to the Thunders other scorers with 12 games of 10 or more assists. Westbrook is well on his way to becoming one of the best true point guards in the league today.

These are just a few of the gems that you will have a chance to watch in the Rookie Challenge (Feb. 12 in Dallas). Look for them to quickly become the future of the NBA, whether it is with their current team or they are traded or signed by a Title Contender.