Can Cole Aldrich contribute much as a rookie?

With Cole Aldrich, everything is simple.

Ask the rookie center from Kansas to dissect his game and he'll deliver a no-frills description that matches the self-effacing style he's expected to bring to the Thunder.

"I'm just a guy who loves to play basketball,” he said. "Go out and bang with the guys in the paint, grab rebounds and just block shots. Just do whatever I can do to help the team win.”

Teammates and coaches, though, have built a small database of buzz words in characterizing the No. 11 overall pick.

Active. Smart. Tough. Workhorse.

"With what he brings, there are definitely things we can use,” said veteran forward and fellow Kansas alum Nick Collison.

How much Aldrich can contribute as a rookie is the question.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks has the luxury of not having to rush Aldrich into action. Oklahoma City has an adequate starting frontcourt returning in center Nenad Krstic and power forward Jeff Green.
"I don't know the impact he will make,” Brooks said, "but I like what he's about. And he plays. He bangs.”
"I don't think there's any pressure at all,” Aldrich said. "If anybody has followed me a little bit, (they know) I just play really hard. That's just my game and that's kind of how I've grown up, defensive-minded.”