The NBA tipped off on Tuesday night and the excitement was already in the air. The questions were abounding on the possibilities that a new year would bring. Will the Celtics repeat as champions? What new players will help a team more in the future? With all of the questions about the NBA season some of the most popular questions are abut the new crop of NBA rookie. Everyone wants to know what rookie will perform as well as he has been hyped up and who will walk away with the hardware. The NBA 2009 Rookie of the year! When NBA bettors place future wagers on the conference winners and the championship winners they often will make a wager on the rookie of the year. This article will cover some of the front runners and see who is in line to make the biggest splash.

The Favorites

Derrick Rose - Chicago Bulls Odds: 5-2 — of course the early front runner will be Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls. He played great in college ball and was looked upon favorably enough to get the number one spot in the draft. Will he make a difference with the Bulls? The answer is yes and he will be on a talented team that may allow him to flourish in the playoffs and raise his stock.

Michael Beasley – Miami Heat Odds: 2-1 — Beasley is highly touted and if anyone else drafted first than the Bulls there would be a good chance that Beasley would have went first. The good news is he went to beautiful Miami and teams up with one of the best in the league in Dewayne Wade. At 2-1 you can’t help but take a look at Michael Beasley as he can score and will be an instant star in the NBA

O.J. Mayo - Minnesota Timberwolves - Odds: 7-2 there was not a flashier draft pick than O.J. Mayo he entered the draft surrounded by controversy. He is now headed to Minnesota where he will team up with another young superstar in Al Jefferson. This young core of kids will help the Wolves in a few years but since Jefferson is the man in Minnesota don’t look for O.J. to get a chance to shine anytime this year. In the future he will be a force to be reckoned with.

Greg Oden - Portland Blazers - Odds: 4-1 after missing an entire year with an injury Greg Oden is considered a rookie this year and eligible for NBA rookie of the year! That’s the good news. The bad news is he is injury prone and it has already shown as he got hurt in his very first game.

Dark horses:

Brooks Lopez: 15-1 on the nets this kid can make a difference and with a young core of solid players with Yi at center he has a chance to grow.

Eric Gordon: 6-1 another great player on a team that will use him now and Baron Davis will give him good looks.

Roy Hibbert: 30-1 At these odds it’s hard not to look at a player that is as talented as Hibbert. He made a huge impact at Georgetown and Indiana will allow him to shine right away.

This year the rookie class is one of the best that has ever hit the NBA and finding the rookie of the year may be difficult but if you do your research you may be able to find a diamond in the rough! Check out BetEd for the lastest NBA Rookie Odds.