Report that Durant wins ROY

[capstone21]

Its dissappointing that Al didn't win it and I think he had the better season of the two....however Durant was also very deserving as well. Scoring seems to be the most important stat in the NBA. The hype machine really helped KD's cause too.

[coachx]

I hate it for Al.

However, if he could choose between

A. Trip to the playoffs

B. Win ROY but will only 20 games

We know the selection.

Just trying to look on the bright side.

[hawkman]

I feel kinda bad for Al, but I seriously doubt that Al cares about the ROY right now. The individual stuff means absolutely nothing right now. Game 5 should be all that should be on any of the Hawks minds right now. To be fair, Durant is an awesome player to watch and his stats are what they are. He seems to be a good kid and I wish him all the best. For us, Horf is a major reason why we are in the playoffs. Without him, we don't make it. How cool is it for a rookie to be one of the "core" of players responsible for guiding us to the playoffs? I hope that means more to him than winning ROY.

[capstone21]

I agree...I am sure he is disappointed and may even give him some extra fuel tonight.

I am interested to see how close the final voting was. We don't get that until tomorrow.

[TruJerz]

runner up isnt bad. Im sure he came in 2nd behind Durant..not bad. I think Horford will be the better player in the future but Durant has alot of potential too so im not sure. I think this will make Horford play even better for the playoffs hopefully. Congrats to Durant tho

[jhay610]

Durant at this point in his career is just a volume shooter. He didnt do that much to make the Sonics better. Without Horf this team would be sitting at home right now.

Most NBA starters can get 20+ ppg with the amount of shots Durant took. Sorry, don't mean to hate on him, but I don't see it.

[JackB1]

Where is this report? I hope it is just a rumour.

[capstone21]

realgm and espn both reported it

[dalamchops]

motivation for game 5. That's all it is.

[wakingup]

I'll wait until its on NBA.com, but I was thinking Durant would get it. Being splattered across TV and scoring more is more important than helping a team to the playoffs. I bet if Horford managed a double double in the regular season he still wouldn't have won it.

[TheTruth]

Eh, big deal. Horford is such a humble guy who only cares about helping his team that he wont be concerned with not winning it. He probably knew Durant would win it with his volume shooting. We all know that Horf is the REAL ROY around here. There is no doubt in my mind that Horf will have the better career--and that's not just blind "homerism." You take Horf away from this team and we dont make the playoffs or win 30 games. You take Durant away from theirs, and they still lose close to 60 games.

[bronnt]

Up until about March I was convinced Horford had it in the bag. From that point on, though, I've got hand it to Durtant. He really turned his game on from there out. He still turned the ball over too much, but his shooting percentage increased by degrees of magnitude because he finally stopped heaving up four threes a game. He maintained his scoring average by shooting less He also starting getting more assists from late March through April. And his defensive stats are pretty good, too-averaged pretty much a block and steal per game.

Durant still has some distance to go. Guard or whatever, I can't look at him being 6'9 with freakishly long arms and only grabbing 4 rebounds a game. And he should get a few more assists if he's going to dominate the ball like he did. But he is a great player and, if he's not deserving as Horford, he's close enough that I'm not upset.

[sick_five]

How do you get rookie of the month for so many months and then not get ROY? I'm confused.

[coachx]

Quote:

---

Where is this report? I hope it is just a rumour.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/...buse_x.htm#list

[TheDude]

maybe Al will come out swinging because he's pissed.

[Omni_Rock]

You win some you lose some. Right now i could care less. I'd rather be hyped about this playoff run than an individual award. I think Al has shown the world that he was very deserving of the award and i think the snub will be even more motivation. could be a blessing in disguise. He may come out tonight and have a 20 rebound game. That would be special.

[Johnnybravo4]

Don't worry. We'll have the ROY next year when David Andersen comes over!

[WorldBFree]

AJC reporting Horford called Durant Wednesday before practice to congratulate him. here's what Horford said to the AJC:

"I'm happy for Kevin and he's more than deserving," Horford said. "That award wasn't something I spent my season focused on. When I came here the only thing on my mind was helping my team make the playoffs, period. We're in the midst of that right now and I wouldn't trade what we're doing right now for anything."

imo, Durant had a very good year and is deserving of ROY. if the award was MVR, Horford wins in a landslide, and is just as deserving of ROY as Durant.

either way, we all know no Hawks fan would trade Horford for Durant or any other rookie. he's been the biggest difference this year - providing the Hawks with the swagger and attitude they had been lacking.

[Omni_Rock]

A class act and a joy to have in ATL. Durant will be an excellent pro once he develops his game, but I believe Al will be the more valuable player to his team just based on his winning attitude and impact on his teammates. Either way i believe Al and the Hawks will get their due next season.

[IonSen88]

The human toothpick can take the damn award. We know who the true Rookie of the Year is. The game of basketball goes beyond the scoring and Horford is an example of that. Honestly, Al got the better award - a trip to the postseason where he's already made some noise. Hopefully this pumps him up tonight and he uses it as a gain and not a loss. GoHAWKS