He claimed on Nov. 10th that Tyreke Evans was a shooting guard. And he was next to positive his best position was scoring ‘2’. I sent him an email to offer my observation that Tyreke has natural PG skills with his unselfishness, ability to penetrate, and see passing angles due to his size and instincts. I had no doubt after seeing Tyreke at LVSL his best position was PG.

I asked Hollinger what in his expert analysis lead to his 2 guard conclusion? No response.

No Mr Douchebag is hedging on his original proclamations and claims Tyreke has little or no outside shot because he has poor 3 point shooting percentage. His outside shooting, last night withstanding, has been very good. His 15 to 20 foot shots have been on the mark for weeks now, including clutch shooting.

Here’s what he says today. To say he has ‘little or no jump shot’ is factually incorrect.

Evans, meanwhile, is still gaining steam even though he’s stayed out of the limelight. The relative lack of media attention is puzzling considering the raw numbers he’s putting up. Only three rookies in history have averaged 20 points, five rebounds and five assists a game for a season, and they ended up having pretty good careers. This exclusive club includes Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James. (Jennings, it should be noted, isn’t terribly far off at 21.1-6.0-3.8.)

Evans is more of a combo guard than Jennings, as he’s 6-foot-6 and Jennings is just 6-1. In fact, the Kings can play Evans at the 3 periodically once 2-guard Kevin Martin, who has missed 18 games with a broken left wrist, returns from injury.

Evans is a player who defies easy categorization — he’s a slasher who can get to the rim at will, but he also sees the floor well enough to set up shots for teammates. While his size and scoring instincts point to a future as a wing rather than as a point guard, the distinction may prove irrelevant. He’ll probably evolve into one of those guards like Brandon Roy or Kobe Bryant who has the ball in his hands constantly regardless of position definitions.

As I mentioned earlier, Evans has continued to gain steam throughout the season. His first five pro games were forgettable — 11.2 points, 35.5 percent shooting — but since Martin’s injury forced Evans into more of a scoring role, he’s been lights out. Evans has scored at least 18 points in all but one of his past 17 games, averaging 22.6 a night on 49.6 percent shooting during that span.

He’s accomplished this despite having little or no jump shot, making 11 of 44 3s on the season. (If he ever shoots accurately from outside, he’ll be unguardable.) But much like Wade, Evans is such a force with his size, quickness and ballhandling ability that he can score effectively without needing an outside shot.

As a result, he’s been the league’s most effective rookie over the past three weeks. He’s still overshadowed a bit by Jennings’ scintillating start, but that performance looks to be a bit of an outlier based on unsustainable shooting numbers. Evans’ play, in contrast, seems to be the real deal. He’s a distant second in the hype war, but in this two-horse Rookie of the Year race, I have him ahead by a few lengths at the quarter pole.

The expertise of Mr. Hollinger on November 10th:

Let’s not forget Tyreke Evans, either, the fourth overall pick who has seen extensive duty at the point, although his long-term position will almost certainly be at the 2. Recent events only cemented that idea, as an injury to Kevin Martin moved Evans to the 2 and he immediately produced his two best games of the season

No biggie if a guy misses the mark on a player, but if you claim some sort of expertise and authority on the game, have the decency to admit it. Dude invented PER and thinks he’s Sir Isaac Newton. Enough of that douche, ESPN David Thorpe has a point of view I can respect.

Omri Casspi #2 Suprise Rookie!

2. Omri Casspi, Kings | Rookie card
If Jennings would be the unanimous choice for the most surprising rookie ‘til now, Casspi would sweep the second-place votes. Consider the negatives listed on his draft card by ESPN’s draft guru Chad Ford after speaking to scores of executives and scouts who had seen Casspi play for years:

• Struggles to shoot off the dribble
• Poor shot mechanics
• Lacks deep range
• Lacks great lateral quickness

Opponents must be shaking their heads at that evaluation. Casspi has blistered teams from everywhere on the floor. He hits 3-pointers, gets buckets off the dribble and races the floor for dunks. Plus, he defends anyone and everyone with quick feet and a tough demeanor. All this while having to make the conversion from a power forward in Europe to a small forward here, with some shooting guard mixed in thanks to the injuries in Sacramento to Kevin Martin and Francisco Garcia.

There was a lot of talk about Casspi spending some time in the D-League to acclimate to the NBA after struggling in the Vegas summer league. Instead, he’s fighting for a starting spot in the rookie-sophomore game during All-Star Weekend in Dallas and perhaps even a slot in the 3-point shootout.