JazzFan 4 Life

ESPN.com had an interesting article about which little-known players will have a breakout season much like the Suns' Boris Diaw did last season.

First candidate: Carlos Arroyo (Orlando)

As a Jazz fan, I feel like I've heard this one before (say around the start of the 2003-04 season). Arroyo has great offensive talent and has some of the best moves with the ball that you'll find in the NBA. The problem with Arroyo is he struggles to do things without the ball and he often will spend so much time trying to break his man down one-on-one that he forces up a bad shot or makes an even worse pass. His defense is also nothing to write home about. He's generally healthy each season (and should be this year), but how he fits in with PG Jameer Nelson and how Brian Hill divides minutes between the two will be a question. Arroyo, like most NBA players, is at his best when he's starting or playing major minutes.

Second candidate: Gerald Wallace (Charlotte)

What an exciting young player! But he's much like AK-47 in that he is athletic and a defensive menace, but he doesn't have a go-to move or a dependable jump shot (career 47.8 FG pct and 25.6 3-pt FG pct). Throwing out my Jazz bias, I'd have to say Gerald is probably not at AK-47's level as far as all-around ability, but you can see the Bobcats have a team that could allow Wallace to showcase his talents if Sean May is healthy, Adam Morrison isn't a bust, Raymond Felton develops ...

Third candidate: J.R. Smith (Denver)

I am not a fan of this guy, but then again, I'm not a huge fan of his team, either. He falls into that Arroyo category in that he was supposed to be a "surprise" player (except his surprise season was supposed to be last year). Problem was, he did a great job of taking himself out of the Hornets playing rotation with bad practice habits, worse defense and a bad attitude. While his former coach in New Orleans, Byron Scott, is no NBA rocket-scientist, I feel that Scott did the right thing in benching a player that was exhibiting his behavior. Denver needs 3-point shooting and Smith shot 37 percent from outside and is already boasts a career 31.6 percentage from 3-point range. If he matures and can co-exist with a volatile coach like George Karl, who knows what could happen.

Fourth candidate: Hakim Warrick (Memphis)


Has anyone actually seen this guy play? We all know he was exciting to watch back at Syracuse, but he appeared in 68 games last year, played about 10 minutes and averaged 4 points. That's not too shabby and with Pau Gasol's injury, Warrick should see a little more production. But you've gotta think that Mike Fratello would go with Eddie Jones, Mike Miller and Brian Cardinal as his top scorers than Warrick.

Fifth & Sixth candidates: Raymond Felton (Charlotte) & Beno Udrih (San Antonio)
The guy who wrote this section for ESPN.com says Felton was second on his rookie of the year ballot?!!! Felton had a great finish to the season (16.6 ppg the last three months of the season) and showed improvment, but I don't think scoring a ton on a bad team means you're poised for a breakout season. I like Felton and he's a key part of what Charlotte's trying to build, but he needs some work on his shot selection.

Beno Udrih (aka Beno Uterus) is another one of those international Spurs players that seems to be able to do it all. Problem is, he can't get consistent minutes. When he did play last year (10.9 mpg in 54 games), you could tell that the drop in minutes from his rookie season (14.4 in 80 gms) had gotten to him. He seemed to think a little too much on the court and was more concerned with making plays to keep him on the floor rather than just making good plays.

Seventh candidate: Luol Deng (Chicago)

One of my co-workers, Dan, is an unabashed Duke fan. So, once every few days, I hear about how great Deng is going to be this season with Chicago. While Dukies have been more garbage than gold in the NBA, give credit where credit is due. Deng has improved each season and has a decent jumper and plays good defense to go along with his athletic style of play. After Kirk Hinrich's strong play in the World Basketball Championships, Deng may be fighting off both Hinrich and Ben Gordon for top billing. But make no mistake: If Deng averages over 20 points this season, the Bulls could be on their way back to being a championship contender.