A LEGEND IS BORN II

[Srbija]

Chara is a beast man, lucky you found a way to beat them. Big win.

[NovU]

Is Chara the best rookie ever in the history of NBA and possibly next MJ for real? He came into the league and made superstars look bad right away. He's the only NBA player that deserves to be cocky. Lebron better pass his nickname over to him in a near future. KING CHARA

As for the Stealth, they need to start playing some D. They can't let opponent team score 120+ points every night, and expect to win.

[Calamaro]

I like Chara too
Try to post a picture of him next time

[Mark.]

Phft Chara.... Tyson all the way

[Fresh8]

Moses Chara: Justifying The Hype
Where does he stand amongst the All-Time Best Rookies?

December 23, 2009


By Woody Hannes
ESPN.com Junior Writer

The well-rounded ball game, star treatment from officials, and cockiness might make you believe that he has been a NBA superstar for years. The articulation in his speech and interviews might make you think that he is a well-spoken veteran player, laden with plenty of experience addressing media. The statistics and the excitement he brings, every night he steps on the floor, might make you believe that we are talking about one of the All-Time Greats.

But hold it right there because once you take a closer look at his profile, you will see that…

… this guy is only a rookie.

Moses Chara was picked first by the Sacramento Kings. There has been a certain ‘buzz’ in every arena he has stepped foot in. He is the real deal and it is scary to think about what he may become with a few more seasons under his belt.

Chara is 24 years old and many non-purists have wondered aloud, ‘Where has he been for the past few years?’ Well, the answer is: College. Chara spent all four of his College-eligible years at Duke. Not many players do that these days, which is evident with most players opting to jump ship after their freshman or sophomore years. Many players think that the earlier they make the NBA, the more money they will accumulate over their career. Financially, that is correct but that doesn’t hold much weight in Chara’s heart; the same reason that makes him unique.

It was no secret that managers, coaches, and scouts from all over the NBA were raving over Chara’s decision to choose pride of being a Blue Devil over the fame and fortune of being an NBA superstar. Chara figured (and rightly so) that by spending more time honing his skills and forging his own legacy at Duke would prepare him for the pressures and rigor of the NBA season. As he stated in a recent interview, “I have been in many situations during my days at Duke and I can take all of that experience into the NBA and not be one step behind all the stars of the league.”

And to put all of this into perspective, Chara isn’t that far behind the current crop of young NBA stars. He’s slightly older than last year’s MVP Chris Paul and is the same age as LeBron James. Paul may have just won an NBA title but James is still on zero. Chara has come into the league at a blinding pace and looks like will enjoy as much, if not more, success than both James and Paul.

“Those years in college didn’t put Moses at a disadvantage,” one Eastern Conference scout states, “It has made him a player who has come into the NBA who does not deal with no nonsense. He’s a winner and he might end his career with a lot of titles and credentials to his name.”

The future is always hard to predict so it is perhaps fitting to stop writing about that here and focus on the true focus of this column. Chara is having a phenomenal start to his NBA career and it may surprise many, so it would only be right to compare Chara’s season to some of the best rookie season the NBA has witnessed.

When looking down the list of outstanding NBA rookies, one would notice that statistics are different in different eras. That’s why I have decided to list players in a pre-modern era of basketball and a modern era of basketball.

The Best Rookies of the Pre-Modern Era: Circa pre-1980s

Elgin Baylor (1958-59) 24.9 ppg and 15 rpg were good enough for a spot on the All-NBA First Team.

Wilt Chamberlain (1959-60) MVP, Rookie of the Year, All-NBA First Team, 37.6 ppg, 27 rpg. Enough said? Oh, on a minor note - his Philadelphia Warriors also reached the Eastern Conference Finals.

Oscar Robertson (1960-61) So the year after Wilt dominates the league, a rookie named Oscar Robertson nearly averages a triple double. 30.5 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 9.7 apg. He was also All-Star MVP, Rookie of the Year, and All-NBA First Team.

Walt Bellamy (1961-62) 31.6 ppg and 19 rpg.

Jerry Lucas (1963-64) Averaged 17.7 ppg, 17.4 rpg, and was named on the All-NBA Second Team.

Rick Barry (1965-66) 25.7 ppg was good for a spot on the All-NBA First Team.

Wes Unseld (1968-69) MVP and Rookie of the Year despite averaging only 13.8 ppg. He did average an impressive 18.2 rpg and helped the Bullets have the best record in the League.

Elvin Hayes (1968-69) Joining the NBA in the same year as Unseld, Hayes dominated the League MVP statistically: 28.4 ppg, 17.1 rpg.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-70) Known as Lew Acindor at the time, he averaged 28.8 ppg, 14.5 rpg, 4.1 apg, won Rookie of the Year, and transformed the Bucks into a championship contender.

The Best Rookies of the Modern Era: Circa 1980s onwards

Larry Bird (1979-80) 21.3 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 4.5 apg. Unanimous Rookie of the Year winner and the Celtics won 61 games.

Magic Johnson (1979-80) 18 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 7.3 apg, All-Star Game Starter. Although Bird took home the individual hardware, Magic won a title. Put in a historic effort of 42 points and 15 rebounds in the game that clinched the title for the Lakers; that was without Abdul-Jabbar due to injury.

Michael Jordan (1984-85) 28.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 5.9 apg and transformed the Bulls into a competitive outfit.

David Robinson (1989-90) 24.3 ppg, 12 rpg, 3.9 bpg. All-Defensive Second Team, Rookie of the Year and led the Spurs to the biggest turnaround in NBA history. From 21-61 in 88-89 to 56-26 in 89-90.

Shaquille O’Neal (1992-93) The 20 year old rookie was the first rookie to ever win Player of the Week in their first week of their career. Averaged 23.4 ppg, 13.9 rpg, 3.53 bpg; was voted in as a starter for the All-Star Game (First one since Jordan); and won Rookie of the Year honors.

Tim Duncan (1997-98) The last Rookie of the Year to be a four-year college player, which is of significant importance because Chara could be the next. Duncan’s experience, like Chara, made him an immediate impact as he averaged 21.1 ppg, 11.9 rpg, and 2.5 bpg.

LeBron James (2003-04) Won Rookie of the Year after averaging 20.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and 5.9 apg.

Carmelo Anthony (2003-04) Helped the Nuggets reach the playoffs after averaging 21 ppg, 6.1 rpg, and 2.8 apg.

Moses Chara (2009-10) As of writing this article, Chara has been averaging 25.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 8.7 apg, and 1.9 spg. His team has not improved since last season but Chara has been sensational individually.

Where Chara sits amongst the modern group of players and how he compares to players of the pre-modern era is up in the air. Most of the rookies changed the fortunes of their teams in their first year. However, Chara’s play cannot be ignored and he has been plenty of steps above countless rookies who have averaged great numbers but been stuck on bad teams. Just be sure to watch out for Chara in a few years down the track. If there is anything to take away from the list above, a majority of it are legends of the game. Chara could one day join them.

[Valor]

great article there Sit, but i still don't buy it
Chara is to cocky for his own good,he seems like a Stephon Marbury type that has skills...

[Martti.]

Great read!

Moses is more arrogant then every other player put together

[newc]

great article! You could get Chara to Seattle

[mvanchev]

lool..i've never seen rookie like Chara..in every NBA game

[NovU]

Chara is 24? I thought he was younger. Still, for a rookie in the NBA, it's nuts that he's putting these figures. His prime is yet to be seen, so I think we're looking at one of the best in the history here.

[kibaxx7]

Nice article bro, as always As zanshadow, also thought Chara was younger than 24, but he's putting some insane numbers.

Check my association later if you have time bro

[homicide1550]

Great article.. Love the rookie stats from other NBA greats!

[C-77]

I also thought he's below 24!!!,anyway what position does he play?,what is his jersey number?,he's really good at the 3 major stats! (ppg,rpg & apg)

[Fresh8]

Chara is a beast man, lucky you found a way to beat them. Big win.

Wasn't lucky, we just let Chara and Martin shoot. That was the gameplan!

As for the Stealth, they need to start playing some D. They can't let opponent team score 120+ points every night, and expect to win

We play good defence in stretches man.

I like Chara too
Try to post a picture of him next time

Sorry man, forgot to get a pic for Chara but you will see on next time!

Phft Chara.... Tyson all the way

I'm feeling that.

great article there Sit, but i still don't buy it
Chara is to cocky for his own good,he seems like a Stephon Marbury type that has skills...

The Kings are last... so your view sorta makes sense

Great read!

Moses is more arrogant then every other player put together

That is true. He does have a huge ego...

You could get Chara to Seattle

He's not in my plans.

lool..i've never seen rookie like Chara..in every NBA game

Thanks.

Chara is 24? I thought he was younger. Still, for a rookie in the NBA, it's nuts that he's putting these figures. His prime is yet to be seen, so I think we're looking at one of the best in the history here.

If he was dominating at 20 or 21, that would be unrealistic.

Nice article bro, as always As zanshadow, also thought Chara was younger than 24, but he's putting some insane numbers.

Check my association later if you have time bro

I will check yours later!

Great article.. Love the rookie stats from other NBA greats!

Cheers.

I also thought he's below 24!!!,anyway what position does he play?,what is his jersey number?,he's really good at the 3 major stats! (ppg,rpg & apg)

Position: SF/PF
Jersey: 33

[Fresh8]

Chapter 15

The Stealth were on a roll in the middle of the month. Their record was 7-4 and they were up against the San Antonio Spurs. With only two minutes left in the game, Seattle was leading by nine points. George Karl had kept his starters on the bench with Kevin Durant already icing his knees and Jeff Green stretching to warm down. Karl should have known better than to rule the Spurs out of the game. Manu Ginobili had knocked down back to back triples while Tim Duncan and Tony Parker each hit wide open jumpers. It wasn’t long before Durant found himself standing next to the scorers’ table and calling his sub.
“Hey boy, you’re off!” he yelled to rookie guard Reshawn Tyson, “Good work.”
Durant gave Tyson a high five and then a pat on the back. He jogged onto the court and looked up at the scoreboard. San Antonio 99, Seattle 98. 42.3 seconds left, Seattle ball.
“Pass it here!”
Durant called for the ball and Green promptly flipped it to him. Durant had the ball close to midcourt with Ime Udoka, looking nervous, staying in front of him. Green set a screen down in the post for David Lee. Lee sprinted up the floor and set a screen on Udoka. Durant used the screen to dribble past Udoka’s left. Durant dribbled hard towards the right hand side of the court. He had passed Udoka and Lee had rolled towards the hoop. Durant continued and reached the high post and open. Durant squared up and his body began to lift off of the hardwood. His release was smooth and his follow-through was still there as he returned back to the ground.
“Yes!”
Duncan snapped up the rebound and the Spurs called a time out. With 29.6 second remaining, the Spurs were still up by one. Popovich went through the play the Spurs would run for Ginobili. He wanted his guard to take a shot but only after the team ran as much time off the game clock as possible. Karl was telling his team not to foul no matter what.
“Just stay in front of your man,” Karl was telling his players.
The teams took to the floor once more. Udoka inbounded the ball to Parker. Parker swung the ball to Ginobili and the Spurs called the isolation play. Ginobili would attempt to go one on one with his defender; Durant.
“Give me what you got,” Durant challenged Ginobili.
Ginobili knew he could get a shot off against the lankier Durant if he picked the right time. As time began to wind down, Ginobili decided he would go left and attempt to fake Durant out. Ginobili did exactly that and was blocked.
“Get it!”
“Pass here!”
“Shoot!”
The dramatic last few seconds went by blindingly quickly. Durant’s block led to Green scooping the ball up and passing to Kidd who quickly dribbled up the court. The Spurs scrambled back on defense and Kidd took an off balanced shot off the dribble. The ball sailed through the air and hit the front of the rim. It bounced up and Durant came blazing down the lane. He leapt into the air and slammed the ball back in. The buzzer sounded and the Stealth had won by one point; 99-100.

Adam Morrison was being difficult. It was no secret that he was unhappy with the organization. He declined to talk to reporters and didn’t like to be at training. However, he was a professional so he still trained hard and played hard. Although he was getting on some people’s nerves, he was still an asset to the team. He was an important part of the team and that showed once he went down with injury. The team really struggled without him in the lineup and that would continue into the following month. Seattle was, at one stage, a handful of games above .500 but without Morrison, they really struggled. Meanwhile, Durant had become a better leader. He was getting along with all of his team mates and even thought that the team was in Jason Kidd’s hands more than his own.
“I don’t mind if this is Jason’s team, he’s a phenomenal player,” he had told a team mate.
If there was one player he did not get along with though, it would be the rookie Tyson; known as Ty to his team mates.
“Rookie, go get me a drink!” he shouted at Ty.
Ty ignored him.
“Did you hear me rookie?”
Ty yelled back, “Get stuffed!”
Durant wasn’t impressed with the rookie but made his feelings secret. He didn’t need anyone knowing that he didn’t like his much-touted rookie backcourt partner. Plus, if the hype was true, Durant could use a player like Ty.

Moses Chara was looking towards the sideline and smiled.
“It’s like a circus wherever he plays,” the Stealth announcer quickly said to Ty, who was checking into the game.
Seattle was ahead by 11 points and Green was coming off because he needed a rest. Karl had given Ty the green light to shoot and also to defend Chara. Chara was looking forward to the challenge.
“I killed you in college and I’m killing you now,” Chara smirked, “Some things never change.”
Tyson was quiet; he didn’t want to be drawn into a war of words with Chara. His cool demeanor was foreign to Chara.

* * *

“Break it up!” the ref yelled.
Ty was punching Chara and Chara was trying to wrestle back. Both benches had emptied onto the floor of the tight game. Duke was up by just five points and it looked like the match would be called off.
“You freaking psycho!” Chara shouted at Ty.
Ty’s lip was bleeding and he raised a fist in Chara’s face, “You want more?”
Ty was being restrained by his team mates.

* * *

Chara still remembered the fight he had with Ty. He knew Tyson to be a firey individual so the calmness on display seemed strange.
“So you don’t have any balls now hey?” Chara continued to push the boundaries.
Tyson still said nothing. A few minutes later, Ty had hit 14 straight points. Chara had nothing else to say. The Stealth cruised to a big win and after the match Tyson was awarded with a podium interview, albeit he addressed the media in an uninterested fashion. Chara watched on from the back of the room and although they were bitter rivals, he could tell that something was bothering Tyson. He wasn’t the same as he was in college.

* * *

Tyson was walking into complete darkness.
“Mom?” he yelled out uncertainly.
His voice seemed to echo.
“Anyone out there?”
Then he could see someone in front of him. It was a small child. Ty began to run – for no apparent reason.
“Ty?”
The small child, a boy, was calling to him. Ty caught up to him. The boy wasn’t facing him anymore. Ty reached out to tap the boy on his shoulder.
“Ty?”
Ty turned around, he recognized the voice calling him. There was no one there.
“What the?”
Ty turned around again and the boy was gone.
“Ty!”
Ty turned around quickly. A woman and a child stood in front of him. Both of them had slits for eyes. Their lips were dry and their hair falling out. He recognized who they were but didn’t at the same time. Tears started to form in Ty’s eyes.
“Ty…” both the woman and child simultaneously moaned.
“Why didn’t you save us?”
“I tried!”

Ty gasped for air as he suddenly sat up upright in his bed. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his palm.
“Oh man,” he said to himself as he fell back onto his bed.
It was another bad dream.

[homicide1550]

Excellent story dude.. Feels like a horror/suspense thing going on with Ty's dreams.. Wonder who the woman and child is and why they are haunting Ty right now...

[kibaxx7]

Wonder who the woman and child is and why they are haunting Ty right now...

Sounds to me... something like Ty trying to save his wife and child from a fire or some accident but couldn't (Don't want to spoil anything Sit)

[Fresh8]

Excellent story dude.. Feels like a horror/suspense thing going on with Ty's dreams.. Wonder who the woman and child is and why they are haunting Ty right now...

Thanks man and you will need to read on to find out.

Sounds to me... something like Ty trying to save his wife and child from a fire or some accident but couldn't (Don't want to spoil anything Sit

Hmmm... Ty doesn't have a wife or kid... try again.

[C-77]

I'm guessing it's his mother and his brother as thierryhenry50 wrote i don't want to spoil anything too

[Skills]

I kinda miss jackass Durant. But jackass Chara certainly fills the void! Great work on the story and the team. The angle with Tyson keeps getting better, I can't wait to see where it's headed.

[Fresh8]

I'm guessing it's his mother and his brother as thierryhenry50 wrote i don't want to spoil anything too

You would be correct

I kinda miss jackass Durant. But jackass Chara certainly fills the void! Great work on the story and the team. The angle with Tyson keeps getting better, I can't wait to see where it's headed.

Durant is still a jackass. You will see.

[C-77]

I'm Correct!,sorry if i spoil anything

[Fresh8]

No it's ok... from the text, it was pretty much a given. This wasn't meant to be a surprise anyways... but the story does go deeper!

And sorry for lack of updates... i have got work and uni back on but expect some over the course of this week!

[Mark.]

I hate nightmares

[Fresh8]

Ah it's Mark You haven't posted in a while!