Hunter nicknames and #5 rookie

[Mark Piotrowski <markp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Got this off the talkaboutbasketball.com Celtics board...i love the 2 
nicknames R. Kim gave Hunter:

"the Gatherer" -- that one took me a minute, but its awesome

and

"the round mound of Beantown"


(the other) mark

----------------
www.nba.com/milk_rookie/rankings_040301.html

Rookie Rankings: March 1, 2004

By Randy Kim

He wears No. 56 because 55 other rookies were selected ahead of him in 
the 2003
Draft. He's an undersized inside force who played more minutes last 
week than
he'd played over the rest of the season combined. He's Celtics rookie 
power
forward Brandon Hunter, and it took "The Gatherer" just three starts to 
crash
the top half of the Rookie Rankings. Read on to find out just how high 
the
Round Mound of Beantown climbed this week.

1. Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets (No. 3, 2003 Draft)
Key Stats: 61 GP, 20.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.21 spg, .340 3P%, 36.0 
mpg
Breakdown: Red hot. Last week, Anthony averaged 28.0 points, 6.3 
rebounds, and
hit 41-of-81 shots, including 6-of-8 from three-point range. Nuggets 
lost three
of four, however ... According to a recent Denver Post story, 'Melo has 
really
taken to Denver. "It's a great city," Anthony told the paper. "At the
beginning, I thought, 'Why Denver?' But my perspective has changed a 
lot. I
thought it was cold, cold, cold, but the weather is good. And the fans 
are
great. You start winning, fans take you in."

2. LeBron James, Cavaliers (No. 1 pick)
Key Stats: 56 GP, 20.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 5.7 apg, 1.50 spg, 40.0 mpg
Breakdown: Right on Anthony's heels. Only managed 11 points on 5-of-18 
shooting
in a loss to Houston, but bounced back with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 
three
steals in a 112-107 win over Tracy McGrady and the Magic. Still, T-Mac 
gives
the Rookie of the Year nod to 'Melo. "In my opinion, it's got to be 
Carmelo,"
McGrady told the Plain-Dealer. "He is to me, a better basketball player 
than
LeBron. LeBron is a better athlete. I'm not taking anything away from 
LeBron
but Carmelo can score in more ways than LeBron."

3. Kirk Hinrich, Bulls (No. 7)
Key Stats: 54 GP, 11.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 6.2 apg, 1.30 spg, .393 3P%, 34.9 
mpg
Breakdown: Hinrich notched his first career triple-double (11 points, 12
rebounds, 10 assists) in a Feb. 28 win over the Warriors. Also had 23 
points,
four rebounds and seven assists in the game before that, a loss to 
Washington.
For the week, Hinrich averaged 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 8.0 
assists, and
shot 9-for-14 from three-point range.

4. Dwyane Wade, Heat (No. 5)
Key Stats: 42 GP, 16.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.38 spg, .468 FG%, 36.0 
mpg
Breakdown: Wade's shooting cooled considerably before he got hurt on 
Sunday.
Heat rookie shot a combined 10-for-32 in back-to-back losses to the 
Blazers and
Nets, then suffered a right mid-foot sprain against the Bucks. Wade was 
put in
a walking boot immediately after the game and told the Miami Herald 
that he has
"no idea what to expect" from the injury.

5. Brandon Hunter, Celtics (No. 56)
Key Stats: 19 GP, 4.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, .554 FG%, 10.5 mpg
Breakdown: Just when it looked like all of the rookies had come out of 
the
woodwork this season, along comes Hunter. After playing more than nine 
minutes
in a game just once before last week, the 6-7 rookie out of Ohio played 
33-plus
minutes in all three Celtics games last week. The C's won two of those 
games,
with Hunter averaging 12.7 points and 9.7 rebounds, and shooting 
16-of-28 from
the field. According to the Boston Globe, Celtics coach Jim Carroll 
likened
Hunter to Charles Barkley, a comparison the rookie enjoys. "Barkley was 
smaller
than me," Hunter told the paper. "Every guy I'm playing is two or three 
inches
taller than me ... Night in and night out, (Barkley) just outworked 
guys,
backed guys down, went at them every night. That's definitely the 
mentality
that I want to bring."

6. Chris Bosh, Raptors (No. 4)
Key Stats: 52 GP, 11.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.38 bpg, .462 FG%, 32.2 mpg
Breakdown: For the week, Bosh averaged 12.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 
1.50
steals, but the Raptors are currently mired in a nine-game losing 
streak.
Toronto recently waived power forward Lonny Baxter to pick up shooting 
guard
Dion Glover, so there doesn't appear to be any frontline support for 
Bosh on
the horizon.

7. Darius Songaila, Kings (No. 50, 2002)
Key Stats: 55 GP, 4.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, .500 FG%, 14.3 mpg
Breakdown: Songaila started the week with his third-straight 
double-double,
with 17 points, 13 rebounds and four assists in a win over the Knicks. 
For the
week, the rookie big man averaged 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 28.8 
minutes,
but more impressively helped lead the Kings to a 5-2 record while 
starting in
place of injured All-Star Brad Miller.

8. Josh Howard, Mavericks (No. 29)
Key Stats: 47 GP, 8.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 23.6 mpg
Breakdown: According to the Dallas Morning News, Howard sat out 
Saturday's win
over Portland with a strained right groin muscle, but Don Nelson told 
the paper
that he could return to action Tuesday. In the two games before the 
Blazers
matchup, Howard totaled 16 points and 13 rebounds. The Mavericks have 
won five
straight overall.

9. Raul Lopez, Jazz (No. 24, 2001)
Key Stats: 60 GP, 7.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.8 apg, .865 FT%, 20.5 mpg
Breakdown: Lopez is emerging as one of the game's top backup point 
guards. In
three Utah wins last week, the Spanish rookie averaged 6.0 points and 
6.3
assists, while turning the ball over just three times. The hard-working 
Jazz
have won four of five overall, and are in the mix for a playoff spot in 
the
West.

10. Willie Green, Sixers (No. 41)
Key Stats: 31 GP, 4.9 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 11.8 mpg
Breakdown: Green made the most of Allen Iverson's absence, as he's 
averaged
12.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 25.3 minutes over his last four games, 
all games
that Iverson has missed. The Sixers went 1-3 over that stretch, but did 
manage
to pull a huge upset over Minnesota on Sunday.


Others to Watch:
 Leandro Barbosa, G, Suns: Totaled 27 points and five steals over last 
two
games.
 Keith Bogans, F, Magic: Had 7-6-5 game in win over over Atlanta.
 Brian Cook, F, Lakers: In win over Nets, had 10 points and four 
rebounds in
just 16 minutes.
 Boris Diaw, G-F, Hawks: Went scoreless in loss to Orlando.
 Francisco Elson, C, Nuggets: Had 12 points and eight rebounds in win 
over New
York.
 T.J. Ford, G, Bucks: Out 2-to-3 weeks after suffering a bruised spinal 
cord
against Minnesota.
 Udonis Haslem, F-C, Heat: Had 17 points and five rebounds in loss to
Milwaukee.
 Kyle Korver, F, 76ers: Scored 10 points and was clutch down the 
stretch in big
upset over Minnesota.
 Luke Walton, F, Lakers: Had two points, five rebounds, five assists 
and four
steals in win over Denver.
 David West, F, Hornets: Had zero points and 10 rebounds in loss to 
Memphis.
 Maurice Williams, G, Jazz: Had 19 points in huge win over Sacramento.