Is Horford Rookie of the Year?
Kevin Durant and Greg Oden were supposed to battle it out for Rookie of the Year. Preseason hype was all about the youngsters out west, so when Oden went down Durant seemed like a sure bet for the award. That is, until Al Horford began to play ball.
Last summer Horford was grouped with "those other rookies" - players like Mike Conley, Jr., Yi Jianlian, and former Florida teammate Corey Brewer. Translation: guys who weren't Oden or Durant. After a breakout season and second consecutive NCAA title with the Gators, he quietly slipped into the third spot with the Atlanta Hawks.
"I definitely wanted to come in and get a lot of playing time and I've been able to do that," Horford told HOOPSWORLD TV. "With that playing time I'm trying to make the most out of it, so I've met my expectations, but at this point I just want to keep getting better and better."
Horford posted big numbers from the start of the season. In his first month in the pros he averaged more than 10 rebounds per game and worked his way up to a near double-double average. Horford leads all rookies in rebounding and ranks in the top-10 among all big men, nabbing more boards than Amare Stoudamire, Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O'Neal. With Horford in the paint, the Hawks are in the hunt for their first postseason berth since 1999.
"A guy like that, he's definitely helped us out a lot as a rookie and we've put a lot on his shoulders," teammate Joe Johnson said. "But he's definitely been more than I expected. I'm really proud of him."
Across the country, Durant has been on an offensive spree for the Seattle SuperSonics. 20, 25, 30 points -- this is what Durant was supposed to be do. But as the lanky shooter was running wild on the court, his team struggled to win just their first game of the season. Durant's explosive jump shots were meaningless when the Sonics hit a six-game, eight-game, and finally a 13-game skid. They were eliminated from the playoffs in March (officially anyway - in practicality well before then).
The goals of rookies are no different than those of anyone else in the league – win a championship. So who has had a better rookie season? The player with the flashy numbers or the one who helps his team win?
"I definitely feel that I should be up there in being mentioned with him (Durant) and with some of the other great rookies that came in with us," Horford said. "The rookies are having a good year this year."
Other rookies may be playing well, but none have made the consistent impact that Horford has. In less than one season, he has established himself as an emerging big man and helped put the Hawks on the path to the postseason.
"The way that I feel about that is, if we take care of business as a team and I feel like I'm a big part of putting the team in the playoffs, I feel like I'm going to get a lot of consideration to get Rookie of the Year," Horford said.
The consideration should start now.
About the Author: JESSICA CAMERATO
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Jessica Camerato is a member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association and has covered the NBA for HOOPSWORLD for two years, powering HOOPSWORLD.COM and HOOPSWORLD Magazine.
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Comments (3 posted)
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posted By Eric, 19 March 2008 1:07:21 PM
I agree with the fact Horford should be rookie of year when u consider the Hawks are in playoffs in part becuase of him. But they give it to Durant
posted By Eric, 20 March 2008 8:50:10 AM
Al Thornton or Kevin Durant? who u take, I think Durant, Horford, and Thornton are top 3 rookies and Thornton been just as good as Durant this year
posted By Jason Fleming, 20 March 2008 10:42:00 AM
Don't forget Luis Scola. Thornton has been very impressive, but he will be hurt by not getting minutes all season long. Completely not his fault and maybe not fair, but that'll hurt him in the ROY voting.
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