NBA Betting Who Will Win The 2011-12 Rookie of the Year?

June 28th, 2011

By Richard Gardner, Bodog Sportsbook Manager

With the 2011 NBA Draft now done and in the books, it’s time to take a look at where the draftees landed and how they stack up for next year’s rookie of the year award. Currently, Bdg’s online sportsbook has odds for over 15 incoming rookies, so let’s now take a look at some of the favorites and gauge their chances:

Derrick Williams, Minnesota
9/2

Coming off a storybook sophomore season at the University of Arizona, Williams – a 6-foot-8, 240-pound specimen with unreal athleticism – was made the second overall selection by the Minnesota Timberwolves. And with good reason. Williams can score in bunches and can play either as an oversized SF on the perimeter or a banger-bruiser type down low, thanks in part to his wide body. Next season, he’ll be the odds-on favorite to win the ROY, but it’s a dicey bet. Minnesota has a glut of bodies at the “3” and “4” positions – Michael Beasley, Wesley Johnson, Kevin Love and Anthony Randolph – so minutes could be hard to come by. That said, it’s widely expected Minnesota will move someone (early indications are it’ll be Beasely,) so perhaps D-Will will get enough floor time after all.

Jimmer Fredette, Sacramento
5/1

Sac-Town, you just got Jimmered! That was one of the major storylines from the draft as the Kings took a leap of faith by selecting former BYU star Jimmer Fredette 10th overall. Fredette is an outstanding scorer that can shoot the lights out and might make a solid career as a spot-up guy, but what does that mean for his ROY chances? Well, two things. One, he could thrive as a lethal outside option for Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins to pass to on the perimeter. That’s the “glass half full” theory. The glass half empty one is that Fredette gets zero scoring chances because of those two guys – Evans is a former ROY winner himself and Cousins has a rep as a black hole (ie: whatever goes in never comes out.) Will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Kyrie Irving, Cleveland
11/2

Irving was the first overall pick in this year’s draft, and quite possibly the oddest first-round pick ever. Due to foot injuries at Duke University, Irving played just over 300 minutes in his lone season at Durham and didn’t exactly set the national stage on fire. That said, nobody doubts his potential as the next great PG and a potential “floor leader” for a Cavs team that badly needs one. If Irving can stay healthy and form a nice rookie duo with fellow Cleveland newcomer Tristan Thompson, he’s got a real shot at ROY honors.

Others…

Kemba Walker, the UConn star that carried the Huskies to last year’s NCAA Championship, was picked by the Charlotte Bobcats and is at 15/2. He’ll have some competition for PG minutes with the incumbent starter, DJ Augustin, but should get plenty of opportunities…Another T-Wolves rook, Ricky Rubio, is at 8/1 after starring with Barceolona in the Spanish league…Enes Kanter, the big Turkish center taken by Utah at No. 3 overall, is at 7/1…