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This is a list of players who seemed to have a pretty rough season in 07-08 -due to injuries, trades, or knuckleheadedness- whom I will be pulling for next season. I want to see these guys have a bounce back season in 08-09. Some may need to get healthy, some may need a little more maturity, some require divine invervention, and some may require a little of all of it- but I'll be cheering loudest if these guys excel:

JJ Reddick

I am not entirely sure why he has not recieved more minutes than he has in his first two seasons. I understand he needs to work on his defense, and it may well be that his defense is so porous that that alone is keeping him on the pine. Still, during limited minues in his first 2 seasons, Reddick's shooting percentages have been pretty decent. If he can improve his defense and maybe grab a few more rebounds, I still think Reddick can be a good player in this league. He is undersized for a shooting guard, but I think he could really help the Magic spread the floor for Dwight Howard. Maybe 2008-09 is the year the Magic finally give JJ some consistent burn.

Sebastian Telfair

Sebastian is a case of a guy who needs both a second chance, and the maturity of having survived some of the experiences of the first few years of his career. Sebastian entered the league as a much hyped prep-to-pros point guard who was supposed to be a superstar by now. His first 3 seasons seemed to strip Telfair of his sense of entitlement, but also saw his reputation take a dive for the gutter. After a solid year as a steady backup/part-time starting point guard in Minnesota last year, I really hope he is able to find a gig with a team that will allow this much humbled former problem child to tap his potential. Carrying a nearly 3-1 assist to turnover ratio from last season should help. With a little luck, it will be on Sebastian to prove he can be a solid point guard in the NBA.

Channing Frye

His first 2 seasons spent in New York seem to have shaken Frye's confidence a bit. During his rookie year he proved himself to be a talented forward with good shooting range and lots of potential. But his second season in New York, in which Frye's minutes had less consistency than Isaih Thomas's temperment, Frye's confidence seemed to take a nose dive. The trade to Portland was good for Frye, and during the last few games of the season Frye began showing new demensions in his game (like some nice post moves and solid rebounding efforts). His numbers and minutes were low last season because of the Blazers' depth at the forward position, but i look for Frye to earn more playing time this year by playing with the same grit and intensity he showed at the end of last season.

Sergio Rodriguez

This is a guy who really just needs some playing time to prove whether he belongs or not. Last season he was burried behind Steve Blake and Jarrett Jack (and at times, Brandon Roy) at the point guard position, but just 2 years ago many Blazers fans were sure Rodriguez would be the second coming of Steve Nash. With Jarrett Jack now traded to Indiana, Rodriguez will have an opportunity to duke it out with Jarryd Bayless for more playing time. But to get the PT, Rodriguez will have to demonstrate a little better decision making in playmaking, play a little better defense, and gain a little more confidence in his shooting. If he can out play the rookie Bayless, Sergio has a good chance of sticking with this team for a long promising future. If not, who knows?

Shaun Livingston

Livingston was well on his way to becoming the point guard of the future for the Clippers before suffering the most freakish freak sports injury I have ever seen (he actually bent his knee completely backwards! Look it up on You Tube, if you can handle it). Oh what a year can change... As of today, Baron Davis will apparently be the new starting point guard for the Clippers for the next 5 or 6 seasons. To make matters worse, Livingston is a free agent this summer after a full season without playing a single game- which always makes getting a new contract tough. He will probably have to accept a low paying contract. The silver lining in the clouds could be that if he re-signs with the Clippers, he will be able to play his first season back coming off the bench- a lot less pressure than being the starting point guard 1 year after nearly snapping your leg off. If he is fully recovered, and if he can pick up where he left off, he just might give himself a chance to keep his career on an upward trend.

Sasha Pavlovic

Sasha is another guy who seemed to be on the rise until he hit a snag, but in his case injury was only half of his problem. Pavlovic spent nearly the first half of the season holding out over contact issues, and then as soon as he returned he was out again with an ankle injury. He never seemed to get his groove back and overall, ended the 2007-08 season as one he'd probably rather forget. 2 years ago though, Pavlovic began to show signs of being a nice all around player, with some great shooting, toughness, and much improved defense that greatly aided Cleveland's run to the NBA Finals. Here's hoping he can reclain his mojo in 2008-09.

Nene

Nene is not just a fun name to say, he is also a player with a lot of potential to be a very effective big man at both ends of the court. He's struggled with injuries a bit during his first few years, but at the beginnng of last season he seemed poised to establish himself as one of the better post players in the NBA. But a diagnosis of testicular cancer took Nene out of the Nuggets lineup and the recovery process proved a long, challenging one. Now cleared with a clean bill of health, I really want to see Nene storm in to 2008-09 and estabish himself as the Nugget's worthy big man of the future.

Luke Ridnour

Ridnour's situation is much like that of Portland's Sergio Rodriguez, except that 5 years in to his NBA career, he should be living up to his potential by now. He put up some nice scoring and assist numbers during his 2nd, 3rd, and 4th seasons but like Rodriguez, his sub-par defense and turnovers have kept his minutes limited and his coaches' trust in him guarded. I really think that 2008-09 will be the year that either makes him or breaks him. If he has another shaky season, will the Sonics really trust him as the point guard to run the Durant, Green party? Russel Westbrook is there (wherever "there" is for the Sonics next year) and ready to pounce if Ridnour does not have a standout season.

Gerald Green

The Dallas Mavericks just signed Green to a 1 year deal. Remember when people used to compare Green to Tracy McGrady? Or when he won the slam dunk contest (or what he did with a cupcake at last year's dunk-fest)? Green is one of those players with amazing athletic ability and loads of potential, but so far he just has not developed quickly enough to impress his teams (Boston, Minnesota). I'm pulling for Green to knuckle down this year and learn a thing or two from guys like Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd. I would love to see this guy blowing out cupcakes in an all-star game main event some day.

Charlie Villanueva

Despite a season filled with adversity (injuries, Milwaukie's brief Asian-culture outreach experiment called Yi), Villanueva played pretty well when he got the chance. Obviously the injuries and uncertainty of where he stood with the Bucks last year affected his confidence a bit, but despite it all Villenueva's numbers and attitude did not slip much. Now with Yi out of the picture and the starting power forward slot his to fill, I expect a healthy Villanueva to have his best season yet in 2008-09.