We're excited here at the NBA.com features desk. We're excited about Jay-Z and Nas squashing their beef. We're excited about The White Shadow on DVD. We're excited about chowing down on leftover candy tonight (having purposely bought way too many bags of PayDays) and of course, we're excited about the start of a new NBA season and a chance to finally get a look at what could be the deepest rookie class in recent memory.

We will be bringing you new Rookie Rankings every Monday during the season. We will have two different rankings: a Top 10 overall rankings (The Road to ROY), and a Top Five for the week. As it sounds, the Top 10 overall will be cumulative for the season and will be our way of tracking who's in the hunt for the Rookie of the Year Award (we have nothing to do with the actual voting though). The Top Five will be for that past week (Monday through Sunday), allowing up-and-comers to get some recognition as well. We'll also have the Rookie Line of the Week for the most impressive boxscore and the top three rookie photos of the week.

Finally, there will be space for your opinions as well. If you disagree with our rankings or if you have something intelligent to say about a rookie, we want to hear it. We'll post and respond to the best e-mail of the week right here, every Monday. Rookie Rankings Mailbox

For the preseason, we just have the Top 10 overall. The Top Five for the week will debut two weeks from today. These are the top 10 rookies of the preseason. We put a little bit of emphasis on the last couple of games, since coaches took those more seriously. Next week, preseason performances go out the window and we will be ranking the rooks solely on their play in the regular season.

Without further ado, here are our preseason rookie rankings:

1. CHARLIE VILLANUEVA, F, TORONTO 16.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, .495 FG%, 10-19 3PT With the thin frontline in Toronto, Charlie Villanueva looks to see as much playing time as any rookie in the league. He has been impressive in the preseason, leading the Raptors in points, rebounds and three-pointers. He capped off his critic-quieting preseason with 22 points and seven rebounds while hitting all four threes he attempted against the Blazers on Wednesday.

2. RAYMOND FELTON, G, CHARLOTTE 12.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 4.3 APG, 12-33 3PT Raymond Felton scored double-figures in six of his seven preseason games, including two 20-point nights in which he shot a combined 14-for-20 from the field. Felton is challenging 2004-05 assists runner-up Brevin Knight for the starting point guard spot in Charlotte.

3. CHRIS PAUL, G, NEW ORLEANS/OKLAHOMA CITY 9.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 6.8 APG, 2.0 SPG, 7-12 3PT Chris Paul has been dishing out dimes all preseason, but he had struggled with his shot until he broke out with a 26-point performance (check out our line of the preseason to the right) on the 23rd against the Nuggets. He missed the final two preseason games with a strained groin, but he is expected to start Tuesday against the Kings.

4. ANDREW BOGUT, C, MILWAUKEE 9.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, .519 FG% Andrew Bogut is the only rookie to have started all of his team's games in the preseason. Will things change with the addition of Jamaal Magloire? Great question. We'll find out soon enough. Bogut finished the preseason strong, with a 17-point, seven-rebound performance against the Nuggets last Thursday. We're heading down the street to the Meadowlands on Wednesday to check out Bogut live and in person against the Nets. His matchup with sophomore Nenad Krstic should be interesting to watch.

5. DANNY GRANGER, F, INDIANA 9.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.0 BPG Danny Granger had one of the most impressive rookie performances of the preseason, recording 19 points, 15 rebounds (eight offensive), two steals and two blocks against the World Champion Spurs on October 18. He was somewhat inconsistent though, and he struggled a bit in his final game (which caused him to slip a spot in our rankings), but Granger could be the steal of the first round.

6. RASHAD McCANTS, G, MINNESOTA 11.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG, .468 FG%, 9-19 3PT Rashad McCants didn't have the spectacular performances like Paul or Granger, but he was probably the most consistent rookie of the preseason. McCants was drafted to provide scoring, and he did just that. He shot a solid .468 from the field, including an impressive .474 from downtown. Before long, when you think of the term "Instant Offense", Rashad McCants will be one of the first names that comes to mind.

7. DERON WILLIAMS, G, UTAH 9.9 PPG, 4.0 APG, .532 FG%, 6-11 3PT Deron Williams played limited minutes this preseason, but when he played, he put up solid numbers. He scored double-figures every time he played 20 minutes or more, and had at least six assists in three of those four games. You wouldn't expect a rookie guard to shoot better than .500 from the field, but Williams has done exactly that, including a scorching 6-of-11 from downtown.

8. NATE ROBINSON, G, NEW YORK 10.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.1 APG, 2.9 SPG Nate Robinson has certainly been fun to watch, but will he get these kind of minutes in the regular season under Larry Brown? Probably not, but he will certainly change the pace of the game when he's in there. He put up pretty solid numbers in the preseason, but he will need to shoot better to be a complete offensive player.

9. CHANNING FRYE, C, NEW YORK 11.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.2 BPG Like Granger, Channing Frye had his best performance of the preseason against the World Champs. On the 22nd, he scored 18 points on 8-of-14 from the floor, grabbed eight boards and blocked two shots in San Antonio. Frye scored double-figures in four of his seven games, but like Robinson, no one is sure how much burn he'll get in the regular season playing behind veterans Eddy Curry, Antonio Davis and Jerome James.

10. SALIM STOUDAMIRE, G, ATLANTA 9.6 PPG, 2.4 APG, 12-26 3PT Salim Stoudamire struggled with his shot in his first couple of games, but he finished the preseason with two 13-point performances on a combined 11-for-18 from the field, including 4-of 7-from beyond the arc.

OTHERS RECEIVING CONSIDERATION Daniel Ewing (LAC) 10-15 from downtown. Francisco Garcia (SAC) - Put up nice numbers, but had a few poor shooting games. Joey Graham (TOR) - Started the last four games for the Raps. Sarunas Jasikevicius (IND) - He's a shooter and he shot well. Marvin Williams (ATL) - Finished off an inconsistent preseason with a 11-point, 13-board performance.

Got beef with our rankings or have a comment or question for us? Send us an
e-mail and we may respond to it here next week.