At the beginning of the season, most basketball fans you would ask, would say Kevin Durant had the Rookie of the Year title on lock.
Once Greg Oden was injured, there really wasn't any competition for Kevin Durant. F.Y.I. Kevin Durant—the competition is now on your back.
With Al Horford's phenomenal season, registering many double-doubles and Luis Scola's impressive work while Yao has been out, it may not look too pretty for Durant.
Plus, both Al and Luis are in the playoffs and they may be able to show the NBA what they can do for their teams while Durant is practicing and working on his game for next season.
But, it doesn't seem too good for the Rockets being down 0-2 against the Jazz and the Hawks also being down by 0-1 against the Celtics. Rockets still have a chance to fight, but before the Hawks and Celtics began Game 1, most critics said Boston will win 4-0 and I agree.
But, here is the bright side for Durant. Al Horford has Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Josh Childress, and Mike Bibby (I know these aren't phenoms but they can play the game). Luis Scola has one of the best shooting guards in the NBA (Tracy McGrady), along with Rafer Alston, Shane Battier, and had Yao Ming.
Who knows? Maybe Durant deserves it, but with a record of 20-62? I'm clearly not sure.
Here is a list of some previous tittle winners since 2000:
2006-07 - Brandon Roy, Portland
2005-06 - Chris Paul, New Orleans/Oklahoma City
2004-05 - Emeka Okafor, Charlotte
2003-04 - LeBron James, Cleveland
2002-03 - Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix
2001-02 - Pau Gasol, Memphis
2000-01 - Mike Miller, Orlando
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5 months ago
Durant is amazing...enough said. You can't say the same about any other candidates for Rookie of the Year. This guy is going to be a treat to watch for years to come...now if Seattle would help him out a bit with some quality players.
5 months ago
Durant is great but that shooting percentage has to go up next year, if it does he is good for 25-27 a game definitely.... he also needs to start rebounding some more, he was a good rebounder in college now he averages less then 5 a game.... he rebounded like Steve Nash this past season
5 months ago
I have a question, didn't they turn in all the votes the last day of the season at the same time as the Defensive Player of the Year, MVP and Coach of the Year?
5 months ago
My point being the playoff performances don't matter
5 months ago
"Plus, both Al and Luis are in the playoffs and they may be able to show the NBA what they can do for their teams while Durant is practicing and working on his game for next season."
You should know that the rookie of the year award can only be determined by what takes place during the regular season, and therefore can't be affected in any way shape or form by the events that take place in the post season.
Furthermore, basing the rookie of the year award on the player's team record is completey unfair. After all, Luis Scola had Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, Shane Battier, and Rafer Alston to work with. Who did Kevin Durant have as a wing man, Earl Watson? Let's be real, Al Hartford and Luis Scola both did a great job this year, but the rookie of the year award clearly belongs to Kevin Durant.
5 months ago
Only thing I have to say that's wrong about this is Kevin Durant is the best player on his team so it's a bit harder for a team with a rookie as there best player to make play-offs all I got to say!
5 months ago
Scola got drafted by a playoff team, he didn't lead them to the playoffs. Horford was a big role on the Hawks success, BUT they were just 37-45, in the Eastern Conference. KD led head team in points, steals, and blocked shots. Jeff Green had an alright year and if he meets his potential they could have a potential dynamic duo for years to come. What the SuperSonics need is a big man that gets it done. Johan Petro, Francisco Elson, Mouhamed Sene, and Robert Swift are 28 feet of worthless post play. If they could get one of these guys to play solid in the paint it would open up a whole new world for them. They are going to have a great chance to improve the team in the draft likely getting a top 3 pick.
5 months ago
This article is really not that good. First of all, the ROY award is given for the regular season (like all the others), so whatever the rookies do in the playoff wouldn't help them get the award. Secondly, the record of the team shouldn't matter all that too. You can't expect a rookie to jump in and make one of the worst teams in the league into a playoff team. I think that any rookie that comes to the league and becomes the leader of his team and the best player in it deserves the award.
Just to point out - I don't even like the fact that Scola is mentioned as a candidate. He is one of the best players in Europe (All-Euroleague First Team for two years before he went to the NBA). He has a lot more basketball experience than the other rookies, and his stats this year are a bit of a disappointment for me.
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