Kyrie Irving, Ricky Rubio and the Best Rookies in the NBA

Jeremy Lin Sudden Phenom of the New York Knicks (chicagonow.com)

Whoa.  Jeremy Lin has taken the Big Apple (and the world) by storm, dominating the floor the past four games (he was the Knicks‘ top scorer for three of those) and seemingly single-handedly changing the course of the Knicks’s season and possibly Mike D’Antoni’s career.

That’s how big this is.

Sure, after Lin took New York to victory over the Nets, Jazz and Wizards, there was a little buzz.  But Lin has cemented himself into the Knicks’ lineup following his 38-point performance against the Lakers in a Friday night win – one without Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire.

Let’s not get too crazy yet though.  Other teams will get the book on him, and Lin’s game will likely change.  That’s okay.  The Knicks don’t need him to score (though that will come in handy), but to distribute and run the offense.

But Lin is not a rookie.  He played 29 games for the Golden State Warriors last year.  Too bad.  At this level of play, he’d surely be a contender for Rookie of the Year.

So who are the contenders?

Check out nba.com’s Rookie Ladder, which “constantly” ranks and re-ranks the top 10 rookies in the league.

Here is the latest Top 10.

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1. Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers)

2. Ricky Rubio (Minnesota Timberwolves)

3. Kemba Walker (Charlotte Bobcats)

4. Brandon Knight (Detroit Pistons)

5. Ivan Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)

6. Iman Shumpert (New York Knicks)

7. Andrew Goudelock (Los Angeles Lakers)

8. Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs)

9. Isaiah Thomas (Sacramento Kings)

10. Nikola Vucevic (Philadelphia 76ers)