Dime is the premier basketball magazine, covering the NBA, NCAA, High School, Playground and International basketball - as well as sneakers, fashion and music.
Issue link: http://dimemagazine.epubxp.com/i/109153
NBA���s BIGGEST SURPRISES OF THE FIRST HALF WORDS. ANDREW GREIF No NBA season ever fnished like a play does, neatly wrapped up in three acts after an All-Star intermission. In that way, this year is similar to most: the script we expected in some cases has been rewritten or tossed out completely. Surprises happen. But as the NBA cruises through 2013 what���s peculiar is how some of the season���s biggest surprises haven���t been resolved yet and continue to keep us guessing. These 10 plot twists have caught us of guard the most -- so far. 10 A Tale of Two Rookies Coming out of Weber State, Damian Lillard���s road to last June���s NBA Draft was marked not by concerns about his pure-as-snow jump shot or a demeanor more unshakable than bedrock, but about the strength of his shoulders. How much weight and expectations could a rookie point guard carry? Now at almost the All-Star break, Lillard has looked more veteran than rookie so far in Portland, averaging more minutes and points than any other frst-year player while fashing big-shot cojones and a coolness that belies his standing in the league. Detroit���s Andre Drummond and New Orleans��� Anthony Davis are also enjoying remarkable rookie seasons after recovering from a lack of playing time and injuries, respectively, but that time away created a lane for Lillard to the Rookie of the Year early. As he so often has in his fawed but fantastic frst half, he���s certainly taken advantage of the opening. At the polar opposite end of the spectrum from Lillard is New Orleans��� Austin Rivers. Part of the hype machine since he was an underclassman in high school, Rivers didn���t make a feld goal in fve of his frst 16 games and has a PER of 5 that is easily the worst in the NBA for a player with his 24 minutes of playing time per game. The rookie transition can look easy thanks to Lillard, but Rivers is struggling in no longer being the best athlete on the foor. But what is truly surprising is that a shooter like him can no longer shoot. 54