CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Former Cavaliers coach Mike Fratello says Cavs fans might have a skewed view of NBA rookies after watching the development of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.

"Remember, Cleveland has been spoiled twice," said Fratello, now a broadcaster with TNT and the Brooklyn Nets. "They had a kid named James here who wasn't too bad as a rookie. Then they come back with Kyrie. They were very fortunate to have two guys who came in, and both had immediate impacts in the NBA. One has gone on to be the best player in the league, the other had a tremendous first season. They were fortunate that way.

"But I think it's unfair to use that as the measuring stick."

Fratello said Cavs fans might be rushing to criticize rookie guard Dion Waiters because they have gotten used to near perfection from their high-profile rookies and forget just how long the adjustment from college to the pros can take.

Waiters, the No. 4 pick in the most recent draft, was shooting just 30.8 percent after his first two games before putting up 18 points, including 4-of-4 from 3-point range, in a victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday. That quieted some of the harping by fans, who were stunned by the pick on draft night and then discouraged when Waiters showed up for summer league out of shape because of some injuries. Waiters made his first start in Saturday's loss to Washington, but he made just 2 of 9 shots for four points, prompting another round of criticism by observers.

"They have to understand," Fratello said. "This guy's not Kyrie Irving. He's a different player, different skills, different game than Kyrie Irving. [Coach] Byron Scott will figure out how to use him best and how he can contribute. He's got to figure it out himself. Part of it's on him to figure out how he fits into the NBA game.

"Rookies are like any other person coming into any other profession. Some are able to impact immediately. Others don't find their niche, find their groove. . . . It might take them two years, three years, four years before they finally figure out how the game is played at that level, figure out what they can do best. Sometimes they come in and try to do too much and they don't have to."

Last year, it seemed as if Irving walked into training camp after the lockout, took the ball from Scott and drove straight to the Rookie of the Year award. But that's not actually the way it happened. First of all, Scott started veteran Ramon Sessions over Irving during the team's two preseason games, even though he could see Irving was going to be great.

"Kyrie is a little different," Scott said. "The kid is so talented, but if people remember his first game -- he didn't set the world on fire either at Toronto. It took him a little while to get going."

Irving had six points and seven assists, with just one turnover, in his first game at Toronto, hardly the 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals that James posted in his first game at Sacramento.

Although he seemed supremely confident from the start, Irving has revealed that wasn't always the case.

"Something I struggled with last year in the beginning of my rookie year was just trusting my instincts," said Irving, who credited Sessions with easing his transition. "That's what got me to the NBA -- trusting my instincts on both ends of the floor and playing my game."

Coaches look at every rookie individually.

"Every other rookie is different," Scott said. "It depends on the rookie. How fast can he grasp everything that you're doing offensively and defensively? The more comfortable they get, the quicker it comes. But sometimes it takes some of those guys a little bit longer than others. I don't think you can ever put a time frame on it. You just want to see them progressively get better as the season goes along."

Said Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau: "For rookies, it's early. You don't want to cast a judgment after a summer league or a preseason game. I think the big thing is, when a guy does come into the league, there's a big learning curve. He has to learn his system. He has to learn his teammates. He has to learn the league. But most importantly, he's got to learn how to be a pro. Once you've done those things and you start practicing well, you usually will play well. But those are the characteristics that you're looking for so somebody can develop."

Just because a rookie starts slowly doesn't mean he won't succeed. Fratello recalled that Doc Rivers didn't start for half his rookie year, but he played 13 years in the league and became an All-Star.

Thibodeau didn't have Yao Ming, Rajon Rondo or Derrick Rose in their rookie seasons, but he coached each early in their careers.

"The one common trait with all of those guys was not only their talent but their drive and their intelligence and their mental toughness," he said. "It's funny. When you look back, there wasn't just one day where you walked in and said, 'Wow. They're so much better.' It was incremental, where it was a little bit each day, and then you looked back and you realized, 'Wow, they're a lot better than what they were a year ago.'

"That's where you can never lose sight. The magic's in the work. Guys who are committed to come in every day and can do it day after day and not get bored with it and grind away, those are the ones that improve."

Scott is confident Waiters will do just that.

"He's going to have his ups and downs," the coach said. "He's a 20-year-old rookie. That's just basketball. That's the NBA. There's only a few players who have been rookies who've come into this league and set it on fire from start to finish.

"People have just got to relax and give the man some time. Be patient. He's going to be all right."