Jahidi White has gone from afterthought to valued starter in D.C.

In this season in which the spirit of giving is in, we've decided to give Fred Carter the responsibility of his Mad Dog Top Five and our Rookie Report this week. So Fred has combined the two into a sort of Mad Dog's Sleeper Rookie Report.

Anyway, three of the guys mentioned below are rookies, and the other two only played a combined 44 games (with little to show for it) as rookies last season. So, Fred can call 'em rookies if he likes. (We are aware that they are not technically rookies.) And all five have been big sleepers for their teams and key contributors. They are listed alphabetically. Next week we will resume our normal Mad Dog's Top Five and Rookie Report.

Did we miss somebody? Write in and we will post your e-mail below. 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.

MAD DOG'S SLEEPER ROOKIE REPORT

Player, Stats	Fred says...
Chucky Atkins, PG, Magic 8.7 points, 3.0 assists, 1.5 turnovers, .424 FG, 17.5 minutes	"Nobody wanted this guy. Then an amazing thing happened. Doc Rivers brought him in -- he was a local guy -- to help work out the other players and realized he was better than some of those guys. So he kept him! One man's trash is another man's treasure. He gives this team intensity as a point guard and can defend, pass and score. He's a lot like the guy he plays with, Darrell Armstrong. With his energy he really helps them."
Anthony Carter, PG, Heat 7.4 points, 5.2 assists, 2.6 turnovers, .404 FG, .854 FT	"He has done an outstanding job in Miami with Tim Hardaway out. It's not so much that he's replacing Timmy, you can't replace him. He has, however, put himself in a position where there's not a huge dropoff. He defends, he handles the ball well, and he's not committing a lot of turnovers. He had a great game against Orlando on Wednesday. He gives Pat Riley a point guard to run the offense, and he has Pat's trust."
Ruben Patterson, SF, Sonics 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, .526 FG, 1.9 turnovers	"Another guy who just needed an opportunity. He just didn't fit in with the Lakers last season, but Seattle saw a guy who was tough and could score in the open court. He's very strong around the basket. He has suffered a dropoff in the past two weeks, but you have to love the guy. Paul Westphal does. Patterson scores a bunch and you never have to run a play for him. He's a coach's dream. You don't have to slice the pie for him, he picks up the crumbs!"
Eddie Robinson, SF, Hornets 8.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, .9 steals, .538 FG, .714 FT, .6 turnovers	"You have to find it hard to believe that the Knicks decided to keep David Wingate instead of this guy. The Knicks had Robinson in their camp this summer and still kept the older Wingate. Who couldn't use a guy who can run well, shoot well, is intense ... I don't know. I spoke with Paul Silas about him the other day and he loves him. He's a tremendous shooter, a taller Eddie Jones in a way. He's intense and is a great athlete who runs well. You just can't let a shooter out of your camp, but the Knicks did."
Jahidi White, C, Wizards 5.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, .8 blocks, 1.0 turnovers, .512 FG, .492 FT	"Jahidi has really begun to expand his game into that of a big man. He's now getting the minutes, whereas he didn't last year. Now it's Ike Austin, who wasn't producing, on the bench. White had to be re-programmed out of college to play NBA style of basketball, to play the 5 spot. Unlike most guys, he plays with his back to the basket and can see the entire floor. Most guys see half the floor. Jahidi is scoring and rebounding and now that he has the job, he's not looking back.

What about Al Harrington? He didn't get much run last year and now he is occasionally getting doubles in points and maybe even rebounds. He did play in more than 44 games, but the minutes were minimal. He could easily be on the list.

Jason Sonn
Nashville, Tenn.

I know he isn't a starter, but Quincy Lewis for Utah has been a pretty big sleeper, I think. He has come on very strong in the last few games and seems to have found his range again. I think as the year goes on and the more tired Jeff Hornacek gets, the more good things we'll see from Lewis. And maybe we'll see him as a starter in Utah next year?

Matt DeGraw
Salt Lake City

How about Brian Skinner of the Clippers in your rookie/sleepers ranking? When he was healthy, he was putting up some impressive numbers. He plays good defense, rebounds well and can score a little. Mo Taylor is an impressive player and the Clippers would regret losing him, but maybe Skinner can fill in the 4 spot when Mo's gone.

James
Los Angeles

How could you not include Vonteego Cummings in your sleeper rookie report? Out of nowhere, in his last five games, he is averaging 13.2 points, 7.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals.

Dan O'Brien
Haddonfield, NJ

Anthony "A.C." Carter is not only a great rookie sleeper but an inspirational one. He's a great backup to Hardaway and plays with the heart of a superstar. While at Univ. of Hawaii he was dubbed a "warrior" and brings that attitude to the Heat. He's great running the break and makes electrifying passes. All you have to do is watch him play once and you will be a fan of his.

G. Fukumitsu
Honolulu

What about the German Wunderkid, Dirk Nowitzki? He should qualify as an almost rookie, and he is third in scoring among second-year players. Don't be a schnitzel, Dirk is no sauerkraut, he is the real deal.

Michael Byrne
Cleburne, Texas