Don't judge rookies until they're fully grown.(basketball)

Seems like more and more people like to bash rookies nowadays. This is done mostly by head coaches who have the discretion to do it in the privacy of their offices, usually as they are putting their heel through a video monitor while cursing the general manager who saddled them with the no-good, underachieving, adolescent brat whose agent calls every week wondering why his client hasn't cracked the rotation.

OK, maybe that's an exaggeration. But coaches, who are win-now people, often are guilty of underestimating a player's upside, which is why they take their sweet time working in rookies.

Dave Wohl isn't afraid to tell the truth: "Honestly, it's never anything personal," the Orlando assistant coach says. "It's just that most coaches believe they are developing these kids for the next guy."

There's no disputing that, but teams are getting exactly what they deserve. On the one hand, they want to draft the 18- or 19-year-old who has more raw talent than the available upperclassmen. On the other, teams too often are unwilling to put in the effort or designate a role or allocate the minutes that are required to develop that talent. Even the ones who are charitable enough to let the kids play find they often are relying on a boy to do a man's job. Rookies, more often than not, can't possibly have a clue as to how demanding it is to do that job against someone better, smarter and more experienced.

So coaches vent--not because they don't recognize the kid's ability, but because they don't understand why he can't sustain a performance level befitting that ability or develop the mental toughness that separates real players from, you know, rookies. They can't understand why Kenyon Martin can look like Maurice Lucas one night and Maurice Chevalier the next.

You would think they'd learn by now how unfair these snap judgments are. In fact, the hysteria over the current rookie class is probably very misguided, if you go by recent history.

Think about it: A year ago, there were some in the Charlotte organization who feared Baron Davis was a bust; now he's on the verge of being a top-10 point guard. A year ago, the Hawks were regretting the decision to trade Mookie Blaylock as Jason Terry went through his growing pains, and now Terry can score 30 on any given night. A year ago, the Wizards, who hadn't had a pick in four years, were wishing they had sat out an other draft after seeing how soft Rip Hamilton looked. Now, he's the only guy on their roster worth watching. A year ago, the Sonics and Suns thought Rashard Lewis and Shawn Marion would be nice complementary pieces. Now both teams are convinced they have future stars.