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Best of YB: Broken 'Process' opens Rookie of the Year race
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid played only 31 games in his rookie season. Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Best of YB: Broken 'Process' opens Rookie of the Year race

Leading up to the NBA All-Star Game, the 2016-17 Rookie of the Year race was a one-man show. After two seasons of riding the pine while recovery from injury, Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid proved worth the wait — and proved no rookie this season could touch him, averaging 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.1 assists a game in just 25.4 minutes a night, even showcasing three-point range and a soft touch at the line.

Then, Embiid got injured again despite a minutes restriction, and shortly after the Sixers announced 2016 top overall pick Ben Simmons would not play this season, Embiid was shut down as well, having played just 31 games and 786 minutes. No one has ever taken home ROY playing so few games and so few minutes. This begs the obvious question: With Joel Embiid out, who should win Rookie of the Year? "Hield is probably the biggest wild card, Saric seems like the safest bet at the moment while Brogdon has been the most consistent of the three all season long. None of them are Embiid, but the award has to go to someone, even if it doesn’t go to the best rookie of the 2016-17 season."

It's a shame that Embiid is finished until next season, particularly given that his PER numbers were up there with some of the greatest centers to ever play. However, not even Embiid's obscene rookie season averages can match the type of numbers another Philadelphia center did, and with this week marking the 55th anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game vs. the New York Knicks in Hershey, Penn., it's as good a time as any to take the ‘just a reminder that Wilt Chamberlain put up utterly absurd numbers' quiz.

Obviously, it's disappointing for NBA fans that someone as talented and fun as Embiid was unable to do his best to continue put up absurd numbers in his own right, and Sixers fans aren't the only ones facing disappointment. The Warriors lost Kevin Durant to injury, and then they went and lost two games in a row, with Stephen Curry having particularly disappointing games.

Conversely, there have been some great surprises, such as Isaiah Thomas and the Boston Celtics and Bradley Beal's play for the Washington Wizards. Who else is among the biggest surprises and disappointments of the NBA season so far?

As far as the biggest surprises are concerned, perhaps none stand out more than Lou Williams, who was the Los Angeles Lakers' leading scorer despite coming off the bench before he was traded to the Houston Rockets. It was a savvy move by Rockets GM Daryl Morey, who went on to burn up the phone lines of the NBA Referee Hotline Bling: "After consulting with the NBA’s own fire marshal as well as officials in Houston, we regret to inform you that your recent acquisition of Lou Williams constitutes a fire hazard. Mr. Williams simply gets too hot for it to remain safe."

Finally, we leave you with the 'Simone Biles vs. Mr. T dance-off you didn't know you wanted until now' quiz. While that has nothing to do with the Rookie of the Year, Wilt or the NBA, one former NBA player did compete in “Dancing with the Stars” like Biles and Mr. T will this upcoming season. Can you name him?

Can you name the athletes who have competed on 'Dancing With The Stars'?

An asterisk (*) indicates athlete won the competition that season. Sports media people are excluded from this quiz. Apologies to Kenny Mayne and Erin Andrews. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was left off as well. 

SCORE:
0/84
TIME:
10:00
Season 1: Boxing
Evander Holyfield
Season 2: WWE
Stacy Kiebler
Season 2: NFL
Jerry Rice
Season 3: NFL*
Emmitt Smith
Season 4: NBA
Clyde Drexler
Season 4: Boxing
Laila Ali
Season 4: Olympics*
Apolo Anton Ohno
Season 5: Boxing
Floyd Mayweather
Season 5: Racing*
Hélio Castroneves
Season 6: Tennis
Monica Seles
Season 6: NFL
Jason Taylor
Season 6: Olympics*
Kristi Yamaguchi
Season 7: Olympics
Misty May-Treanor
Season 7: Olympics
Maurice Greene
Season 7: NFL
Warren Sapp
Season 8: NFL
Lawrence Taylor
Season 8: Olympics*
Shawn Johnson
Season 9: MMA
Chuck Liddell
Season 9: Olympics
Natalie Coughlin
Season 9: Olympics
Louie Vito
Season 9: NFL
Michael Irvin
Season 10: NFL
Chad Ochocinco
Season 10: Olympics
Evan Lysacek
Season 11: NBA
Rick Fox
Season 11: NFL
Kurt Warner
Season 12: Boxing
Sugar Ray Leonard
Season 12: WWE
Chris Jericho
Season 12: NFL*
Hines Ward
Season 13: NBA
Metta World Peace
Season 13: Soccer
Hope Solo
Season 14: Tennis
Martina Navratilova
Season 14: NFL*
Donald Driver
Season 15: Racing
Hélio Castroneves
Season 15: Olympics
Apolo Anton Ohno
Season 15: NFL
Emmitt Smith
Season 15: Olympics
Shawn Johnson
Season 16: Olympics
Dorothy Hamill
Season 16: Boxing
Victor Ortiz
Season 16: Olympics
Aly Raisman
Season 16: NFL
Jacoby Jones
Season 17: NFL
Keyshawn Johnson
Season 18: Swimming
Diana Nyad
Season 18: NHL
Sean Avery
Season 18: Olympics
Charlie White
Season 18: Paralympics
Amy Purdy
Season 18: Olympics*
Meryl Davis
Season 19: Olympics
Lolo Jones
Season 19: MMA
Randy Couture
Season 19: NASCAR
Michael Waltrip
Season 20: NFL
Michael Sam
Season 20: Olympics
Nastia Liukin
Season 21: Jockey
Victor Espinoza
Season 22: NFL
Doug Flutie
Season 22: NFL
Von Miller
Season 22: NFL
Antonio Brown
Season 22: MMA
Paige VanZant
Season 23: Olympics
Ryan Lochte
Season 23: NFL
Calvin Johnson
Season 23: Racing
James Hinchcliffe
Season 23: Olympics*
Laurie Hernandez
Season 24: Wrestler
Mr. T
Season 24: Olympics
Nancy Kerrigan
Season 24: Olympics
Simone Biles
Season 24: MLB
David Ross
Season 24: NFL*
Rashad Jennings
Season 25: NBA
Derek Fisher
Season 25: WWE
Nikki Bella
Season 25: NFL
Terrell Owens
Season 25: Paralympics
Victoria Arlen
Season 26: Olympics
Jamie Anderson
Season 26: MLB
Johnny Damon
Season 26: NBA
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Season 26: NCAAWBB
Arike Ogunbowale
Season 26: Olympics
Jennie Finch Daigle
Season 26: Olympics
Chris Mazdzer
Season 26: Olympics
Mirai Nagasu
Season 26: Olympics
Tonya Harding
Season 26: NFL
Josh Norman
Season 26: Olympics*
Adam Rippon
Season 27: Paralympics
Danelle Umstead
Season 27: Olympics
Mary Lou Retton
Season 27: NFL
DeMarcus Ware
Season 28: NFL
Ray Lewis
Season 28: NBA
Lamar Odom

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