It's one of the more volatile times right now in the basketball card market as teams make their playoff push. While a couple players on hot list are obvious, like Kobe, LeBron and Kevin Durant, others are a not quite as obvious. Two rookies from this season are really heating up near the end of the season. Al Thornton (Clippers) and Thaddeus Young (Sixers) have really shot up collector's wantlists and their prices are rising, in many cases, up to the level of Al Horford, Mike Conley, Jeff Green, etc.

Both are basically a result of playing time. Neither guy saw the court early in the year and is now regularly in the starting lineup. Both are also extremely athletic and highlight film worthy, which never hurts. Neither guy will be the Rookie of the Year, but both have really caught fire.

Two rookies from the 2006-07 class have also made significant gains this year. Rudy Gay has had a breakout year for Memphis, with most of his rookie singles increasing significantly throught the season. Rajon Rondo has held the starting point guard spot for the best team in the league all season and collectors were very high on him already going into the season. Even with the addition of Sam Cassell, Rondo will hold the bulk of the minutes through the playoffs.

On the flip side, Kirk Hinrich is one of several Bulls who has fallen significantly this season. Hinrich is still clinging to his starting job, but losing minutes to Larry Hughes and not very effective when he does play. In addition, teammates Luol Deng and Tyrus Thomas have also been huge disappointments this year. Deng was extremely hot in the playoffs a year ago, but has been ineffective and battled injuries this year. Thomas has been given many chances to start, but isn't anwhere close to consistent. He's currently buried on the bench.

Also, Andrea Bargnani was the runner-up to Rookie of the Year last season. This year he's been horrible. He's a 7-footer, who stands at the three-point line all the time and doesn't rebound. His sophomore season has been a bust and most of his cards are half the value they were when the season began.