Yes, the Los Angeles Clippers are making a name for themselves, and they are doing it with pure youth. They have the offensive machine Eric Gordon, who helped Team USA win gold this summer, and then they have the kid I like to call “The Monster”.

“The Monster” came straight from Oklahoma, missed his first NBA season due to injury, and was somewhat forgotten this past summer due to John Wall, LeBron, and the many summer storylines for the NBA. Yes, if you haven’t figured it out, the kid’s name is Blake Griffin, and not only is he making a nice run for the Slam Dunk Contest, but he is neck-and-neck with Reebok poster-child, John Wall, for Rookie Of The Year.

Blake Griffin is making waves in LA, and has already begun making waves all over the NBA world.

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Watching this dude in college was something. He was a manchild. Literally.  Physically, Blake Griffin would dominate, crush, and destroy people in the paint. He would rebound, shoot, post up, defend, pass, and pretty much do anything else you could ask of him. Things haven’t changed in the NBA.

Blake Griffin came into the season with less anticipation than last season, simply because the new kid on the block is John Wall, the Miami Heat were grabbing attention from everywhere, and instead of playing the Lakers in this season’s opener, they were playing the Rockets. Dude didn’t disappoint. Check out Blakey’s first bucket:

Not bad, eh? Well if you’ve missed Griffin’s NBA season thus far, that’s pretty much what has been going on.

Harry How/Getty Images

Though the Clippers are a deflated, and currently have the worst record in all of the NBA at 1-13, Blake Griffin is not letting that affect him, as he is pumping in a double-double per game, with 18 points, and 10 rebounds, and is shooting an impressive 49.8 percent from the field. Blake is the reason why the Clips are must-watch TV, even though their season is as ugly as coyote. What’s not to like about the kid? He’s 6-10, and weighs in at 250 pounds, has a monstrous presence in the paint, but yet at the same time, has the gracefulness to kiss it off the glass, tip it in, or just get a nice little hook over you.

But the monster sure as hell was shown on November 20th, when the Knicks came into town their new superstar, Amar’e Stoudemire. You could almost assume that Amar’e, being the experienced and proven All-Star he is, would put work in for Griffin, and show the youngin’ how real big man is played, right?

WRONG.

Blake Griffin not only stood up to the challenge, but he exceeded anyone’s performance on the floor:

You might now agree with me that this kid is really, “The Monster”, no?

Not only did he put half of the Knicks roster in posters, but he filled up the stat sheet, as if it were his to dominate that night! Griffin put in a whopping 44 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, on 14 of 24 shooting, and 16-23 from the line.

Are you kidding me right now? Not only are these numbers genius, but to put them up when you’re being guarded by one of the league’s better forwards, in Amar’e, is simply amazing. Yes, the Clippers did end up losing, but get used to it. That will be this season’s theme from the other LA team.

That’s not the point though. Ask anyone in the Clippers organization, and they’ll tell you they feel like their season is already won. They have their man. They have their franchise stud. Blake Griffin is, and will continue to be the face of this Clippers organization for years to come. Heck, the Clips can go 1-81, and I’ll still be happy for them. Dubbed one of the worst franchises ever in sports history, the Clippers are finally starting to see the light. With young studs like Gordon, Gomes, Griffin, Jordan and a couple others, the future is looking bright.

And as for Griffin himself, he looks like he could steal the R.O.Y. trophy from the ZigTech wonder in D.C.

First, the phenom from Chicago led Memphis to within a Mario Chalmers 3-pointer of the NCAA Title. Then, Rose was the #1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. He followed that up by proving the Bulls’ choice of he over Michael Beasley correct with a consistent and outstanding rookie season in which he led the turbulent Bulls to the playoffs. Once in the playoffs, Rose had his NBA coming out part in the Bulls’ Game 1 upset over defending champion Boston in which he tied the NBA record for most points by a rookie in a playoff debut.

And today, with the Bulls entrenched in a 1-1 series against Boston that is heading back to the Windy City for Game 3, Derrick Rose was named 2009 NBA Rookie of the Year, adding his name to a prestigious list of players who have excelled in their first NBA seasons.

Look at the list below. Is there any Rookie of the Year list in any professional sport that is such an accurate predictor of future stardom? There are very few names on the list that did not ultimately become tremendous NBA players and/or Hall of Famers.

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For the season, Derrick Rose averaged 16.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game. he also shot 47.5% from the field and 78.8% from the line while playing in 81 games and averaging 37.0 minutes per game. Good stats for any point guard, but other-worldly for a rookie point guard.

And Rose, according to ESPN.com, is only the 4th player since 1990 to win the Rookie of the Year award and lead his team to the playoffs. The others are Tim Duncan, Chris Webber, and David Robinson.

Congratulations to Derrick Rose. This has been an outstanding rookie class in 2008-09, but Rose was clearly head and shoulders above everyone else.

Here is all-time list of past NBA Rookie of the Year Award Winners: