Bay Area Sports Blogging

From what was considered one of the deepest draft class of all time, the NBA rookie class of 2007 gives us only two candidates for Rookie of the Year considerations: Kevin Durant and Al Horford. Both rookies played big roles for their basketball teams, with Durant having started every game for Seattle this season.

Top pick Greg Oden could have made it a three way dance, but he has yet to play in the NBA due to season ending knee surgery last summer. Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, and Al Horford were the three top draft picks of 2007, with Oden coming in at #1, Durant #2, and Horford #3. Picks #4 (Conley Jr) and #5 (Jeff Green) were able to help out their teams, but not as much as Durant and Horford.

As soon as the announcement was made on Greg Oden's season ending knee surgery, Kevin Durant was far and away the leading contender for rookie of the year, even before the season began. Durant has not let his teammates down. Durant is averaging 20.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game with 34.3 minutes played per game.

Those stats are not surprising. Durant was a scorer in college and he continues to be a scorer surrounded by chumps in Seattle. The surprising thing about Durant is that he's been able to avoid the rookie wall. Making the transition from the college game to the NBA game usually leaves rookies exhausted by the second half of the NBA season. Durant has somehow avoided that wall, scoring 30+ points in two of his first three games in April.

Al Horford presents a very good case for rookie of the year. Horford's averages this year are 10.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game with 31.4 minutes played per game. Horford is close to averaging a double-double, which is impressive indeed. His 9.7 rebounds per game puts him in the Top 20 rebounders in the entire NBA, above the likes of Kevin Garnett (9.4), Andris Biedrins (9.4), and Amare Stoudemire (9.3).

Another positive thing going for Al Horford is that his Atlanta Hawks are still in the playoff picture. The Hawks (36-41) currently hold the 8th seed in the Eastern conference. As with most sports awards, players on winning teams get a boost in voting. Kevin Durant and the Seattle Supersonics are dead last in the Western conference.

Although both players are having great years, there can only be one. And that person is Kevin Durant. Durant's stats are just higher than Horford's stats. Horford's team still being in the playoffs should be ignored given the crapastic Eastern conference this year. The Hawks are still a sub 500 team. Kevin Durant is my rookie of the year for 2007/2008.