Early look at the ROY chances for the Raptors rookies...

[Nilanka]

Don't worry, Chuck Swirsky will still vote for Bargnani...

[Vykis]

I think Thomas Robinsons game compliments Cousins game and vice versa, I think he will definetly be in the runing for ROY. As for JV there's a lot of question marks: how will his game translate to the NBA? will he have a long learning curve? etc... But I think his game is better suited for the NBA and he could have the samw impact in the centre position like Rubio in the PG position. But right now I agree with you that Lillard is the front runner for ROY, the dude can ball, but again I thought that about Kemba last year, so we'll see how shit pans out...

[Mediumcore]

I'm expecting the rookie ladder to shift every week with so much talent in this years draft.

My contenders would be

Anthony Davis - Will start from day one and if he can lead all rookies in rebounds and be a leader in blocked shots he'll have a strong chance at claiming the crown. He's not going to blow anyone away with his scoring, but he'll get his fair share of touches on a team that will rely on him to do a bit of everything. The key will be staying healthy.

MKG - Already a leader in the Charlotte locker room. Will start and get all the touches he can handle. The ROY award always seems to come down to stats, so this may hurt MKG a bit as he seems to be good across the board, but not great at any one particular stat.

T. Robinson - Another rookie that will likely be asked to start right away. Of all the rookies he seems to be the guy that has the best opportunity to put up big numbers. Prior to summer league I was thinking he could be the most likely rookie to put up 20 & 10, but he struggled mightily during those games. Playing along side Cousins and Evans may take the pressure off him and allow him to do what he does best which is score and rebound.

Next Tier

Beal - He could have a big year scoring the ball, but he'll be deferring to Wall and Nene whom will see the lions share of the touches. He'll still get his as he was able to play along side a ball dominant PG in college.

Lillard - Lillard might be able a leader among rookies in scoring, but he's playing next to a 20 point scorer in Aldride and Batum is going to be featured prominently in the Blazers line up now that he's landed the big contract. He'll need to surprise people with assist numbers to claim the ROY title.

Waiters - Will get minutes and touches, but only has the ability to dominate the scoring category. If Clevland has a strong season with Waiters leading the way in scoring he has an outside shot

[planetmars]

I'd love to see a Raptor be considered for ROY.. but the NBA is going to be pumping "the brow" hard core. Davis is going to be their new poster child and as such they will do everything to market the kid and turn him into the next best thing (deservedly or not).

That marketing power will be hard to over come for any of the other rooks. I think it can be done if Davis ends up being mediocre, but the fact that he was already on the USA squad has already given him a huge head start.

[Axel]

So now that the Dwight trade has shaken up the league, it looks like the dust has finally settled enough to assume that nothing that happens between now and start of training camp will affect a rookie's role on his team. So sounds like a good time to start considering how the rookies stack up in the race for Rookie of the Year award and where the Raps rooks might fall.

So here is how I see the crop grouped. (Note: I didn't rank players in the groups)

The contenders
Anthony Davis
Jonas Valanciunas
Damian Lillard
Bradley Beal

These four represent the guys that have both the current skill set and best team situation where they will have the opportunity to put up number. I very much doubt Davis will win it, but as the top pick he certainly will be in the conversation. JV is widely believed to be the guy most teams would have taken 2nd overall in this year's draft. JV will get opportunity with the Raps and will have benefitted from playing in the Olympics this summer. Beal will be lining up next to John Wall and could explode in scoring this year.

My personal vote at this stage is Damian Lillard (the guy I desperately wanted the Raptors to draft but alas...) He will run the offence in Portland and has a legit low post scorer in Lamarcus Aldridge. He can hit the outside shot and should be a beast at attacking the rim.

The fringe
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Harrison Barnes
Dion Waiters

I doubt Kidd-Gilchrist will be able to put up enough numbers on Charlotte to impress voters. He will be a good player, but I just dont see the flashy-enough numbers for the average voter. Barnes could put up huge scoring numbers in GS. Waiters will benefit from playing with Kyrie Irving and could score a lot this year.

The outsiders
Thomas Robinson
Terrence Ross
Austin Rivers
Maurice Harkless
Perry Jones 3

I don't think Robinson will get enough PT or touches playing down low with D-Cousins. Ross would be the under-dog that Raps nation would love to get behind, but I think he has an up-hill battle for this year's crown. Rivers will be a bust in my opinion, but on the Hornets he could score a lot and who knows, maybe I'll be wrong and he'll be an efficient scorer too. Harkless jumps up with the trade to Orlando that desperately needs everything. Harkless could produce. PJ3 would be the ultimate upset. I loved the kid in college and in OKC he will likely never see the light of day, but if he can be dependable and versatile, then he could fill the void behind Durant and even play some small ball PF.

So my final rankings for ROY voting are:
Lillard
JV
Davis