Today's poll: Rookie of the Year | Video: Rookie highlights

Caron Butler • Miami G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 75 75 36.8 .415 .327 .816 5.1 2.6 1.77 0.37 15.4 Caron Butler David Sherman/NBAE/Getty Images With the injuries and general lack of depth in Miami, swingman Caron Butler had the chance to step immediately into the Heat starting lineup and make an impact. Mission accomplished. The draft's 10th pick leads all rookies in scoring (15.4 ppg) and steals (1.77 spg, ninth in the NBA), and among Heat players, Butler ranks second only to Eddie Jones -- who has appeared in just 47 games -- in scoring and minutes while leading the team in steals. In March, Butler played his best basketball of the season, averaging 20.1 points on .480 shooting, winning got milk? Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for the fourth time in five months. Gordan Giricek • Orlando G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 72 58 28.0 .442 .352 .823 3.0 1.8 0.67 0.11 12.4 Gordan Giricek Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images Shuffled in and out of the starting lineup and given sporadic minutes in Memphis, Gordan Giricek was given the chance to be a full-time starter after being traded to Orlando along with teammate Drew Gooden. Playing 36.1 minutes with the Magic (compared to just 24.2 with the Grizzlies), Giricek has flourished, improving in every statistical category, most notably boosting his scoring from 11.2 to 15.1 ppg and his rebounding from 2.2 to 4.5 rpg. Particularly effective as a long-range shooter, Giricek ranks second among rookies to Boston's J.R. Bremer in three-pointers made (81) and attempted (230) and three-point percentage (.352). Drew Gooden • Orlando G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 68 46 26.6 .458 .292 .705 6.4 1.2 0.75 0.51 12.5 Drew Gooden Tony Firriolo/NBAE/Getty Images If the move from Memphis to Orlando was good for Giricek, it was even better for Gooden, though in a different way. Like Giricek, he has become an everyday starter for the Magic, but Gooden hasn't seen the same increase in minutes (26.1 to 28.4 mpg). Maybe it's the opportunity to play power forward -- his more natural position -- but Gooden is now a more efficient scorer, averaging 13.6 ppg on .506 shooting, while upping his rebounding from 5.8 to 8.4 rpg. For the year, Gooden ranks fifth among rookies in scoring, field-goal percentage and rebounding, and he was named got milk? Western Conference Rookie of the Month in November. Amare Stoudemire • Phoenix G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 78 67 31.5 .468 .111 .657 8.9 0.9 0.72 1.04 13.3 Amare Stoudemire Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images The early buzz on Amare Stoudemire after the Suns made the high school senior the No. 9 pick in the draft was that while he was physically ready to play in the NBA, like many prep players, he would be a long-term project. Wrong. Playing with both aggression and maturity in the post, Stoudemire ranks among the league's top 20 in rebounding (8.9 rpg), free throw attempts (460) and double-doubles (24), and has been particularly adept on the offensive boards (3.1 orpg, seventh in the NBA). Among rookies, Stoudemire is first in rebounds, second in blocks and fourth in both scoring and field-goal percentage. He was also got milk? Rookie of the Month in January. Yao Ming • Houston G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 79 69 29.2 .501 .500 .806 8.2 1.6 0.35 1.75 13.6 Yao Ming Brian Bahr/NBAE/Getty Images Few rookies ever have endured the hype and international media attention heaped upon Yao Ming this season, and his success has only compounded the attention. Elected by the fans as an All-Star Game starter, the 7-5 Yao is already being recognized as one of the NBA's top centers. Yao peaked in December, when he averaged 17.1 points and 10.2 boards on his way to winning his first of two got milk? Rookie of the Month awards, but he has been effective for the Rockets all season. He ranks with the NBA's top 20 in rebounds (8.2 rpg, second among rookies), field-goal percentage (.501, third among rookies), blocks (1.75 bpg, first among rookies) and double-doubles (26, first among rookies), and he ranks second among all first-year players in scoring (13.6 ppg). Other Nominees Carlos Boozer • Cleveland G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 77 50 25.1 .536 .000 .766 7.4 1.3 0.71 0.64 9.9 J.R. Bremer • Boston G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 61 41 23.5 .367 .359 .766 2.3 2.5 0.57 0.05 8.3 Emanuel Ginobili • San Antonio G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 65 5 25.5 .434 .323 .726 2.3 2.1 1.37 0.26 7.3 Nene Hilario • Denver G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 77 52 28.5 .516 .000 .579 6.2 1.9 1.57 0.81 10.5 Jay Williams • Chicago G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 72 51 26.0 .390 .313 .625 2.6 4.6 1.14 0.22 9.3 Cleveland's Dajuan Wagner, averaging 13.4 ppg on the year, was omitted from polling due to missing 30 games with injuries.

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