When it comes to boardwork, Brand gets it done.

For some NBA players, it takes years for them to learn how to really rebound the ball well. Hey, some guys never learn. When you see some frontcourt veterans like Rik Smits, Maurice Taylor and Juwan Howard with paltry rebounding averages, you realize that what Elton Brand is doing is quite impressive.

We're not so much concerned with raw numbers in this week's Rookie Report because minutes play a big role, and so do teammates and the situations the rookies are playing in. Anyone can look at the leaders and just list the top five rebounders statistically. But we don't think Shawn Marion and Steve Francis are really rebounders. We wavered on Ron Artest. But not on Kenny Thomas. Agree or disagree, we're going to mix it up a bit, like we always do.

Anyway, here is the first rookie report of 2000. Did we miss somebody? Do you disagree? And by the way, feel free to write in and say something nice, too. As always, we want to hear from you on this and any NBA subject, so click here to register your thoughts. All stats are through Wednesday. Enjoy.

REBOUNDERS

Player, Stats	ESPN.com skinny
1. Elton Brand, PF, Bulls 9.5 rebounds, 34.1 minutes	Frankly, this guy has been pretty good, though the flashy rookies like Francis and Odom get all the pub. In terms of his natural rebounding ability, Brand is absolutely getting it done, despite a big size disadvantage most nights. At 6-8, but with a wide build, there were questions not only about whether he'd be able to score down low, but if he could bang effectively. It doesn't hurt that nobody else on the Bulls hits the glass (Artest is second on the team in boards, with less than 5), so Brand grabs all the rebounds. If Anthony Mason didn't have to contend with Elden Campbell and Derrick Coleman for the ball, he might get 15 boards a night. Still, Brand is a great, natural rebounder who does it in the paint. After snaring 8.2 a game his first month, he raised it to 10.2 in December and 13.0 in two January games.
2. Lamar Odom, SF, Clippers 7.9 rebounds, 38.2 minutes	Odom doesn't get his boards by pushing Charles Oakley and Dale Davis out of the way. He does it by being athletic and jumping and hustling. And he's also 6-10, which doesn't hurt. Odom can rebound, make no mistake, but part of the reason he's getting so many is that the team's power forward (Maurice Taylor) has no interest in doing it and Michael Olowokandi is always in foul trouble. Like Scottie Pippen, Odom should be a consistent board man for his career because he has a knack for where the ball's going and he's quicker than most guys at his position. He also hits the offensive glass a lot. Getting eight boards a game is no fluke, but it would be a mistake to call him a natural rebounder.
3. Adrian Griffin, SF, Celtics 7.6 rebounds, 33.5 minutes	Like Odom, Griffin is hardly a natural rebounder, and you don't find him mixing it up with the trees too much. But at 6-5 and very athletic and energetic, Griffin takes his lunchpail approach to the game seriously and does what's best for the team. With no legitimate banger up front (Vitaly Potapenko looks like Rim Smits without the offensive game, and Antoine Walker is more concerned with scoring), Griffin sneaks in and grabs rebounds, especially at home. In 16 games in Boston, he's averaging 9.1 a game; it's only 6 a game on the road. And he was rebounding at Seton Hall as well, where he garnered 8.3 a night his final season. We still expect Griffin's rebounding total to drop when Danny Fortson plays more, but for now Griffin is pretty reliable. Young and old NBA players should watch the way Griffin cares about hitting the glass and playing unselfish.
4. Kenny Thomas, SF, Rockets 4.0 rebounds, 15.9 minutes	If the Rockets would play this guy, he'd be getting eight or nine boards a night, guaranteed. Thomas grabbed 10 rebounds a game his final year at New Mexico and has shown the ability to do that same thing in the Association. He grabbed 10 boards in a game against the Wizards and on a per-minute basis the numbers look good. However, the Rockets like to play Kelvin Cato/Thomas Hamilton at center and feel that Carlos Rogers at forward is enough rebounding. It probably isn't. At 6-8 but a nice 260 pounds, Thomas is no Elton Brand offensively, but he does have the potential be get down and dirty and grab misses.
5. Michael Ruffin, PF, Bulls 3.4 rebounds, 13.9 minutes	Like Houston's Thomas, Ruffin doesn't play a whole lot and you probably are wondering why a bunch of other guys aren't listed here. But Ruffin is another truck who likes to get into the paint and would probably prefer a nice rebound to a jump shot. The Bulls generally play Brand and Artest at forward and don't give Ruffin a chance, and with Toni Kukoc back that may not change -- and maybe it shouldn't. The jury is out on whether this kid can score effectively. Unlike most bigshot rookies, Ruffin didn't score much in college. In his final year at Tulsa he averaged 11.6 points and 10.4 rebounds and for his career picked up more boards than points (9.5 to 9.4). He has no games with double digits in rebounds so far, but has five or more in each of the last six games. Why not let him play?

Other first-year rebounders: