Let's go year-by-year, see the available rookies, and see if Nate doesn't give rookies a chance. I'll add to this thread as I get to more years. 2000-1 Sonics (41-41, 38-29 under Nate) Rookies on roster - Desmond Mason (19.5 mpg/78 games/14 starts), Olumide Oyedeji (9.5 mpg/32 games/1 start), Ruben Wolkowyski (9mpg/34 games/1 start). Analysis - Mason was NBA worthy and played close to 20 mpg as a rookie. PER o 10.5 as a rookie; career PER of 12.7. The other two guys I've never heard of since the early '00s. Neither last more than 4 NBA seasons. 2001-02 Sonics (45-37) Rookies on roster - Vladimir Radmanovich (20.2 mpg/61 games/16 starts) Predrag Drobnjak (18.3 mpg/64 games/12 starts), Ansu Sesay (15 mpg/ 9 games/ 0 starts). Radman, a legit NBA player received 20 mpg as a rookie. Drobnjak - lasted 4 NBA seasons, career high of 12.7 PER as a rookie. Sesay - lasted 4 NBA seasons, small rookie game sample, but his career high at 15.5. Had a PER of 13.0 in 3rd season under Nate, but only 10 mpg.
Nate doesn't have anything against rookies. Nate likes efficient basketball which sometimes can be interpreted as Nate deosn't like playing rookies.
2002-03 Sonics (40-42)Rookies on roster - Reggie Evans (20.4 mpg/64 games/60 starts), Ronald Murray (10 mpg/2 games/ 0 starts). Evans was an undrafted free agent who ended up starting 60 games as a rookie under Nate. So far, we're three years in, and in each season, Nate is playing at least one rookie ~ 20mpg.
2003-4 Sonics (37-45) Rookies on roster Luke Ridnour (16.1 mpg/69 games/6 starts), Richie Frahm (8.7 mpg/54 games/0 starts) Rid was behind Antonio Daniels, plus Flip Murray got minutes in his second year after sitting his first year. Frahm arguably should have never been on an NBA roster.
Your facts/results support the argument that a rookie coached by Nate will most likely not succeed in the NBA, or grow to hate it enough to leave voluntarily. He is apparently "The Rookie Curse".
Thank you for making a long thread of this. I am really tired of seeing the "Nate Hates Rookies" line thrown out there as gospel. No. he hates dumb players. Like everyone else. He hates mistakes and stupidity. And a lot of times, you get that from rookies. As the thread continues, the point will be made further.
People have claimed repeatedly that Nate doesn't play rookies. This thread is to illustrate how much PT he has given to the rookies he has coached. People can derive their own conclusions from it.
Nate plays the players he feels can help him win games. He has played Rookies that are good enough to get some run!
I think Nate may have helped kill the confidence of a rookie or too, but no, I don't believe he's ever refused to play a rookie. As for the subtext in this thread: Babbitt probably does suck a big fat one.
2004-05 Sonics (52-30) Nick Collison (17 mpg/82 games/0 starts/missed "true" rookie season of 03-04 due to injury), Damien Wilkins (17.9 mpg/29 games/7 starts/undrafted rookie free agent), Robert Swift (5 mpg/16 games/0 starts), Ibu Kutlay (2.4 mpg/4 games/0 starts). Analysis - 2 rookies who played more than 17 mpg (when healthy), Swift is an NBA bust, and I've never heard of Kutlay. In Nate's 5-year career in Seattle, the highest rookie draft picks he coached were Vladamir Radmanovic, Robert Swift, and Nick Collison, who were all the #12 picks in their respective drafts. He also played undrafted rookie free agents Reggie Evans and Damien Wilkins more than 17 mpg on teams that won 40 and 52 games, respectively. Evans started 60 games for the 40-win team.
That's your subtext. This thread has nothing to do with Babbit, other than him being a rookie. I haven't got to the Blazer years yet.
I have never really understood the whole Nate doesn't play rookies thing. I would assume he doesn't want to play them because he likes efficiency, but he doesn't not play them
Plus, other than Roy, LMA, and Oden, he's never really had a rookie that was less than a double-digit pick and had college experience, and all three of those guys averaged over 21 mpg and started at least 22 games.
No one who looks at Nate's resume could honestly claim that he has some kind of knee-jerk antipathy to young players.
