Kevin Durant nearly unanimous ESPN Rookie of the Year

’m not sure what’s wrong with Mark Jackson, Jon Barry, or Jemele Hill were doing this last basketball season, but they certainly weren’t watching games. Those were the only three ESPN “experts” to not vote for Seattle Oklahoma City Sonics guard/forward Kevin Durant as their Rookie of the Year for the 2007-2008 season. kevin duranpicked up 17 out of 20 votes while Al Horford received the other three. Here’s how the votes broke down: Kevin managed to live up to the incredible hype and only got better and better as the year went on. Definitely well deserved. He only spent one season at Texas but Kevin is proud to be a Longhorn and we’re proud of him. This is just the first of many honors he’ll pick up in the coming weeks. Congrats Kevin.

seattle vs charlotte

Jason Richardson finished with 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and the Charlotte Bobcats edged the Seattle SuperSonics, 96-93.

Raymond Felton had 23 points to go with six assists, while Emeka Okafor scored 19 and pulled down nine boards for Charlotte, which has won two in a row and three of four. Richardson shot just 7-of-20 from the floor, but made 6-of-10 from three-point range.

Kevin Durant led Seattle with 18 points, but missed a chance to tie the game with under 10 seconds left. Earl Watson added 16 point for the Sonics, who have lost two in a row and 13-of-14 overall.

"Our main goal is, we're young, and we just gotta stay positive and continue to play hard," Seattle's Donyell Marshall said.

A close fourth quarter boiled down to the final plays, and Durant ushered the game into the last minute with a jumper than put the Sonics ahead 91-90 with 1:10 left.

But Felton responded with a jumper of his own moments later, pushing the Bobcats ahead by a point. Seattle looked to go back ahead on its ensuing possession, but Watson committed an unforced turnover to botch it.

As he dribbled near the three-point line, he pivoted quickly to pass, but lost control and left the ball bouncing by itself on the hardwood. Gerald Wallace recovered the ball with about half a minute left, and the Bobcats held for a shot.

Felton lofted a jumpshot that was off the mark, and a Sonics rebounder got his hand on the ball, but only ended up tipping it to Charlotte's Jared Dudley. After a timeout, Felton got the ball and was fouled with 9.6 ticks left, making both to give the Bobcats a 94-91 edge.

Still, Seattle had time to set up a good look at a three-pointer, and inbounded the ball to Durant near the top of the arc. Durant barely got the ball before wheeling around to face the basket and let fly a twisting, somewhat awkward attempt with a man in his face. The ball almost dropped through, but rimmed out, and Richardson got the rebound.

After being fouled, he made both free throws to put the game out of reach.

"We got out to an early start and thought that we could put them out early," Okafor said. "They fought back and it turned into a volley. Seattle had a lot of heart in the game."

Charlotte raced out to a 38-27 lead after the first quarter, but scored just 17 points each in the second and third quarters, as Seattle climbed back in the game. At halftime, the Sonics trailed just 55-53, and Seattle took a 76-72 edge into the final stanza.

In a close fourth quarter, the greatest margin was four points until Richardson's free throws with five seconds left put Charlotte ahead 96-91.

durant honored for fourth time

Seattle SuperSonics star Kevin Durant on Tuesday was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for March, his fourth monthly honor this season.

Durant had his best month of the season statistically, averaging 21.8 points per game. He also ranked second in the league in free-throw percentage (90.3) and sixth in field-goal percentage (52.6).

“I’m just trying to get better, man,” Durant said. “That’s cool to win Rookie of the Month again, but we’re just trying to get better as a team.”

Coach P.J. Carlesimo said Durant has more than lived up to high expectations after being drafted No. 2 overall.

“The thing that I have said all year, very seldom has a rookie had to come in and be put in a situation we chose to put Kevin in,” Carlesimo said. “And as a result he saw more defensive setups and double teams with him in mind than most rookies ever get.”

The Atlanta Hawks’ Al Horford was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month.

allstar rookie challenge

Sophomore Streak at Six and CountingIt is said that trouble comes in threes. Sophomore sharpshooter Daniel Gibson showed the Rookies just what that means.
Gibson, the combo guard of the Cleveland Cavaliers, drained a record 11 3-pointers in 20 attempts and scored 33 points as the Sophomores again defeated the Rookies, 136-109, for their sixth straight victory in the 2008 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam at New Orleans Arena on Friday night.
Gibson shattered Kyle Korver's Rookie Challenge record of seven 3-pointers set in 2005. He fell three points shy of Amare Stoudemire's 2004 mark for points in the annual showcase and took home MVP honors, joining Zydrunas Ilgauskas (1998) - not LeBron James - as the only Cavaliers to win the award.
Memphis forward Rudy Gay scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting for the Sophomores, who had five players with at least 17 points. They shot 57 percent from the field, including 17-of-32 from the arc. The extra year of experience again was a factor.
"I think it makes a big difference," said reigning Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy of Portland, who tuned up for Sunday's All-Star Game with 17 points and seven assists.
The Rookies hung around for most of the first half but a late spurt by the Sophomores sparked by Gibson opened a 66-52 halftime lead.
Seattle's Kevin Durant and Atlanta's Al Horford, the top two candidates for 2008 Rookie of the Year, led the Rookies, who made just four 3-pointers. Durant scored 23 points and Horford added 19.
The T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam was televised live nationally on TNT and broadcast live on ESPN Radio.

recent statistics

Season	Team	G	GS	MPG	FG%	3p%	FT%	OFF	DEF	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PF	PPG
07-08	SEA	49	49	33,1	0,402	0,287	0,865	0,7	3,4	4,1	2,3	0,9	1,1	2,78	1,40	19,4
Career		49	49	33,1	0,402	0,287	0,865	0,7	3,4	4,1	2,3	0,9	1,0	2,78	1,40	19,4

Last Three Games

Date	Opponent	Result	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OFF	DEF	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Fub 08	@ PHX	L 99 - 103	31	2 - 12	0 - 0	5 - 5	0	1	1	3	0	2	2	1	9
Fub 06	@ SAC	W 105 - 92	38	6 - 12	1 - 2	4 - 6	0	3	3	5	1	0	1	1	17
Fub 04	vs. CHI	L 108 - 118	31	7 - 15	0 - 0	6 - 6	1	3	4	3	3	1	0	0	20