Young guns highlight NBA season at the All-Star break

Seven seasons into their careers, the famed members of the 2003 NBA draft are no longer the new kids on the block. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony are well on their way to forming their legacies. Dwight Howard (’04) has an NBA finals appearance on his belt, and has been a legitimate superstar for years, leaving the tag of “teen phenom” in the dust. Just as Kobe, Shaq, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett have had LeBron and company breathing down the necks of their legacies, those not-so-new guys are going to be pressured by Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, and Kevin Durant for the next decade.

Derrick Rose has been fantastic from the start of the season. His recent run against the NBA’s other elite point guards has cemented his place as the best point guard in the game. He heads the list of new stars, and at 22 years old, will be the first Bull to start in an All-Star game since that Michael Jordan fella. He has gotten noticeably better in every season, and is the type of player that takes every off-season as an opportunity to turn a weakness into a strength. Whether it’s draining clutch threes, breaking ankles, or dunking on foolish defenders’ heads, he’s got the highlights to prove his dominance, and the stats to back it up. He is the current favorite for MVP, and if the voters go elsewhere, it’s only a matter of time until he adds the trophy to his mantle. At the break, he has his team just two games behind Boston and Miami for the top seed in the east, and with Joakim Noah set to come back on February 23^rd, we will be seeing this team at full strength for this firs time this season. Rose has already proven to be the type of superstar who raises his game in the postseason to another level, and the Bulls may be the toughest out in the east.

Where to start with Blake Griffin? We all knew about his strength and leaping ability when he came into the Association, but his handles have been surprisingly impressive. He has a great spin move, and has already developed a nice drop step in the post. The only question about his game, is does he have the drive of a Derrick Rose to focus on a weakness in each offseason? Rose came into the league with a suspect jump shot, and now is automatic from midrange and a very good three-point shooter. This is exactly what Griffin needs to do. The best way to stop him now is to sag off, and give him the midrange jump shot, which more often than not he clanks off the back of the iron.  If he can add that jumper, the defense will have to play up on him, making it easier for him to drive and dunk on those, poor innocent defenders. (On a serious note, I think it’s high time for a fundraiser to support the victims of Blake Griffin’s dunks). His handles are already extraordinary for a power forward, but they will get even better with experience, and he hasn’t begun to touch his potential as a rebounder and shot blocker. Once he combines positioning and awareness with his inhuman physical gifts, both of those stats will skyrocket. And if he doesn’t win the dunk contest this weekend, it will be the biggest upset since Buster Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson in Tokyo.

Kevin Love has been the NBA’s biggest surprise this season. He’s put up rebounding numbers not seen since Dennis Rodman was dying his hair with the Bulls. He’s been so good, he’ s made me question Dwight Howard’s dominance. Dwight Howard has the best combination of size and athleticism in the league, while Love’s athleticism was questioned coming out of college, and he certainly can’t jump any higher now. Love’s rebounding numbers this season (15.5 per game) are better than Howard’s career best (14.2) He gets his rebounds like Bill Russell did, by knowing where the ball is going to go before it caroms off the rim. He has the perfect combination of tenacity, smarts, and technique to more than overcome his lack of athleticism. Like Rose, Love has also added a very effective three point shot, up to 43% accuracy, which has in turn helped to improve his scoring (up from 14 ppg last season to 21 this year). With Love and the impressive Michael Beasley, the Timberwolves have two great building blocks, and GM David Kahn doesn’t quite look like the goat we all thought he was coming into the season. Now if only they could get that Spanish guy to come feed them the rock.

Kevin Durant has dominated this season. Although he’s still only 22, it already seems like he has been tearing up NBA defenses for some time now, so he’s hardly a breakout star. His running mate, Russell Westbrook, however, has burst onto the scene. He has segued his strong run with the USA gold-medal winning team to garner his first all-star appearance, with career high averages across the board. He is the only guard in the NBA that can match Rose’s physical gifts, and got the edge on Rose in the Thunder’s opening night victory over the Bulls, while Rose returned the favor later on, as the two guards pestered each other into poor shooting nights. If NBA fans are lucky, one day we will see Rose and Westbrook going head-to-head in the Finals some day. If he can add a consistent three-point shot (he’s shooting a subpar 30% from deep this season) watch out.

Breakout all-star snub: Eric Gordon. He didn’t make the all-star game, but at just 22 years old, he played like an all-star. Like Westbrook and Rose, Gordon used his Gold-Medal winning experience to improve his all-around game. A nice player in his first two seasons, Gordon has raised his per game averages to 24 points and 4.5 assists, while shooting 47% from the field. With his running mate Blake Griffin stealing all the highlights and publicity, Gordon may be the NBA’ best-kept secret. Gordon and Griffin could be the league’s next great Batman and Robin combination, with all due respect to the Durant and Westbrook. With Griffin’s dominance down low, and Gordon’s marksmanship from three-point range complementing each other beautifully, Vinny Del Negro has two exceptional pieces, both 22 and younger, to build around. Going from coaching Rose, to that duo? You know how to pick ‘em, Vinny.