Best on offense (Durant), defense (Howard) pace All-NBA team

LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, wiiner of the 2009-10 Most Valuable Player presented by Kia Motors, and Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, winner of the 2009-10 NBA Defensive Player of the Year presented by Kia Motors, were unanimous selections to the 2009-10 All-NBA First Team, the NBA announced Thursday. Joining James and Howard on the First Team are Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat.

James, who earns First Team honors for the third straight season and fourth time overall, was second in the NBA in scoring (29.7 points per game) and averaged 8.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks, leading Cleveland to an NBA-best 61-21 regular season record. James' 8.6 assists were the highest assists average by a forward in NBA history (Larry Bird, 7.6 apg, 1986-87). In his seventh season, James was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month four consecutive times (Nov.-Feb.), the second consecutive season he won that award on four occasions.

Howard, an All-NBA First Team selection for the third consecutive season, became the first player to lead the league in rebounding and blocks (1973-74 was the first season blocks were kept as an official statistic) in consecutive seasons, averaging 13.2 rebounds and 2.78 blocks. Howard also paced the league in field-goal percentage (.612), becoming the first player to lead the NBA in all three of those categories since the NBA started keeping blocked shots. Howard recorded an NBA-high 64 double-doubles, including three 20-point/20-rebound efforts.
Bryant, an All-NBA First Team selection for the fifth straight season and eighth time in his career, finished fourth in the league in scoring (27 ppg), while averaging 5.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds. Bryant led the Lakers to a Western Conference-best 57-25 record. Among active players, only Tim Duncan (nine) has more First Team selections. Shaquille O'Neal also has eight.

Durant earns his first All-NBA First Team selection after becoming the youngest player (21 years and 197 days) to lead the league in scoring (30.1 ppg). His 756 free throws made was the sixth highest single-season total in NBA history and the highest since Michael Jordan made 833 in the 1986-87 season, while his .900 percentage from the line ranked sixth overall. Durant earned NBA Western Conference Player of the Month honors in April after scoring 30-plus points in seven consecutive games to close the regular season.
Earning his second straight First Team selection, Wade was the league's fifth-leading scorer (26.5 ppg), while also averaging 6.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals. Wade joined James as the lone players to rank in the top 10 in points, assists and rebounds.

The All-NBA Second Team consists of Phoenix's Steve Nash and Utah's Deron Williams at guard, Denver's Carmelo Anthony and Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki at forward, and Phoenix's Amar'e Stoudemire at center.
The All-NBA Third Team includes Atlanta's Joe Johnson and Portland's Brandon Roy at guard, San Antonio's Tim Duncan and the Los Angeles Lakers' Paul Gasol at forward, and Milwaukee's Andrew Bogut at center.

The All-NBA Teams were chosen by a panel of 122 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The media voted for All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.

2009-10 All-NBA Teams

FIRST TEAM Position Player, Team (1st Team Votes) Points Forward LeBron James, Cleveland (122) 610 Forward Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City (107) 579 Center Dwight Howard, Orlando (122) 610 Guard Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers (119) 604 Guard Dwyane Wade, Miami (81) 520 SECOND TEAM Forward Carmelo Anthony, Denver (9) 321 Forward Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas (10) 356 Center Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix (2) 239 Guard Steve Nash, Phoenix (24) 366 Guard Deron Williams, Utah (14) 343 THIRD TEAM Forward Tim Duncan, San Antonio -- 125 Forward Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers -- 94 Center Andrew Bogut, Milwaukee -- 149 Guard Joe Johnson, Atlanta -- 118 Guard Brandon Roy, Portland -- 87

Orlando's Howard, Boston's Rondo lead All-Defensive Team

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, winner of the 2009-10 Defensive Player of the Year Award presented by Kia Motors, and guard Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics headline the NBA All-Defensive First Team, the NBA announced Wednesday. By totaling 57 points overall, including 28 First Team votes, Howard edged Rondo (50 points overall and 23 First Team votes) as the leading vote-getter.
Also selected to the All-Defensive First Team are forward LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers (45 points), Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (34 points) and Charlotte Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace (30 points).
Howard became the first player to lead the league in rebounding and blocks (1973-74 was the first season blocks were kept as an official statistic) in consecutive seasons, averaging 13.2 rebounds and 2.78 blocks. He also became only the fifth player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounding for at least three consecutive seasons. With Howard anchoring the defense, the Magic allowed 95.3 points a game, which ranked fourth in the NBA, and held the opposition to a league-low .438 shooting, including 24 games in which opponents shot under .400. Orlando held the opposition to fewer than 100 points 57 times and to fewer than 90 points 24 times.
The NBA All-Defensive Second Team consists of center Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs, guards Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat and Thabo Sefolosha of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and forwards Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks and Anderson Varejao of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Duncan has been selected to the NBA All-Defensive team 13 consecutive seasons.
The voting panel consisted of the NBA's 30 head coaches, who were asked to select NBA All-Defensive First and Second Teams by position. Coaches were not permitted to vote for players from their own team. Two points were awarded for a First Team vote and one point was awarded for a Second Team vote.

2009-10 NBA All-Defensive Team

First Team

Position Player, Team 1st 2nd Points Center Dwight Howard, Orlando 28 1 57 Guard Rajon Rondo, Boston 23 4 50 Forward LeBron James, Cleveland 20 5 45 Guard Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 13 8 34 Forward Gerald Wallace, Charlotte 11 8 30

Second Team

Position Player, Team 1st 2nd Points Center Tim Duncan, San Antonio 8 5 21 Guard Dwyane Wade, Miami 8 4 20 Forward Josh Smith, Atlanta 6 8 20 Forward Anderson Varejao, Cleveland 2 11 15 Guard Thabo Sefolosha, Oklahoma City 3 8 14

LeBron James goes back-to-back with second Kia MVP award

LeBron James won his second straight NBA MVP award Sunday, dominating the voting just as he dominated on court all season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers star received 116 of a possible 123 first-place votes to win in a landslide over Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant. Durant was picked first on four ballots and Orlando center Dwight Howard, who finished fourth, received the other three first-place votes.

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant had no first-place votes and finished third.

Voting was done by a nationwide panel of sports writers and broadcasters, and this year one ballot was cast by fans in an online vote. Players were awarded 10 points for first, seven points for second, five for third, three for fourth and one for fifth.

James finished with 1,205 points, nearly doubling Durant (609). His margin of victory is the second largest in history, topped by only teammate Shaquille O'Neal, who by 799 points in 2000.

James is the 10th player to win the award in consecutive seasons, joining Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan and Steve Nash. Russell, Chamberlain and Bird won it three times in a row.

"I never imagined I would be on a list with names like that," James said. "Those are players I always looked up to when I was a kid."

For the second straight year, James accepted the Maurice Podoloff Trophy in his hometown of Akron.

Last May, he returned to St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and received the award in the quaint gymnasium in front of family, friends and the student body. He chose a larger but still familiar stage this year, opting for Rhodes Arena on the campus of the University of Akron.

As James' popularity soared as a prep star, his high school moved many of its games to Rhodes to accommodate overflow crowds and a growing media contingent interested in his story.

The ceremony was open to the public, and fans, many of them wearing an assortment of No. 23 James jerseys, stood in line for hours for their chance to witness yet another coronation of Ohio's basketball king.

"Akron Ohio is my home," he said to loud cheers. "Akron Ohio is my life and I love this city."

More than 3,000 fans chanted "M-V-P" when James finally walked on stage to accept his award. He was later joined on the podium by his teammates, each of whom congratulated him with a hug before surrounding him as he completed his acceptance speech.

James led the Cavaliers to 61 regular-season wins. He averaged 29.7 points, 8.6 assists and 7.3 rebounds.

Rookie winner Evans settled into his spot from Day 1

It didn't take long for Tyreke Evans, named the T-Mobile Rookie of the Year on Thursday, to get comfortable in the NBA. In fact, Sacramento Kings president Geoff Petrie and head coach Paul Westphal knew they had a star right away.

"The first day he walked into our training facility, the veterans, as soon as he started playing, started deferring to him," Westphal said.

"You saw that he was going to be a real load for a lot of people to guard," Petrie added. "After the first week or two of the regular season, the level of consistency that he settled into was remarkable given his age and one year of experience in college. It was just remarkable to watch it unfold."

When Kevin Martin went down with a wrist injury in the second week of the season, the No. 4 pick in last year's Draft took over the Kings' offense, scoring 32 points in just his sixth NBA contest. And after the hysteria of Brandon Jennings' 55-point game wore off, Evans became the clear favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award.

He was the consensus pick in December and January [Evans highlights, month by month], and around the All-Star break, it was hard to imagine a scenario in which he didn't end up as close to a unanimous winner.

But as Stephen Curry started putting up big numbers for the Warriors, and as Jennings' Bucks climbed up the standings, Evans lost his grip on the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy in the minds of many pundits. It wasn't his own doing though, as his numbers remained consistent throughout the season.

In the end, Evans received 67 of a possible 123 first place votes [release, vote totals], enough to earn the fifth Rookie of the Year award in Royals/Kings franchise history and the first since they moved to Sacramento. He was in the top three on every ballot. Curry (43 first place votes) finished second, Jennings (12 first place votes) finished third and the Hornets' Darren Collison (one first place vote) finished fourth. Minnesota's Jonny Flynn and Chicago's Taj Gibson each received a pair of third place votes.

Evans by the Month

Tyreke Evans' rookie season

Month FG% Pts/G Reb/G Ast/G Oct-Nov. .446 18.8 5.0 4.7 December .476 22.1 5.3 5.1 January .448 20.7 3.5 5.1 February .505 20.1 5.8 7.0 March-April .430 19.4 6.6 6.8 Totals .458 20.1 5.3 5.8

This was one of the better rookie classes in recent memory, especially at the point guard position. And whether or not you think he's a real point guard, Evans was at the top of the list.

He led all rookies in scoring, averaging 20.1 points per game, just the fourth rookie in the last 10 years to average 20 points per game. He ranked fifth among rookies in rebounds (5.3), second in assists (5.8), and second in steals (1.51).

Evans is just the fourth player NBA history, joining Hall of Famers Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan, as well as reigning MVP LeBron James, to average at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists as a rookie.

Evans is in the Dwyane Wade mold, in that he's relentless in his pursuit of getting to the basket, and can seemingly get there whenever he wants to.

"He possesses a rare combination of size, speed, skill and commitment to winning," Petrie said.

His 465 free throw attempts were 192 more than any other rookie attempted this season, and his 6.5 free-throw attempts per game were more than any rookie guard since Allen Iverson averaged 7.2 in 1996-97.

With Martin now in Houston and the Rookie of the Year trophy heading to his mom's house, the 20 year old Evans is the leader of a franchise that suddenly has a bright future. He says he's ready to take the next step, both on the floor and in the locker room.

"I'm looking forward to coming back, being more of a leader, and trying to help this team as much as possible," Evans said.

After such an historic rookie season, the sky is the limit.

Atlanta's Crawford nabs honors as league's tops off bench

The Atlanta Hawks' Jamal Crawford, who came off the bench in all 79 games in which he appeared this season, is the winner of the 2009-10 NBA Sixth Man Award presented by Kia Motors as the league's best player in a reserve role, the NBA announced Tuesday.

Crawford received 580 of a possible 610 points, including 110 of a possible 122 first-place votes, from a panel of 122 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Jason Terry of the Dallas Mavericks, who won the award last season, finished second with 220 points and Anderson Varejao of the Cleveland Cavaliers finished third with 126 points.

In order to be eligible, players had to have come off the bench in more games than they started. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

As part of its support of the Sixth Man Award, Kia Motors America will donate a 2011 Kia Sorento CUV on behalf of Crawford to Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. Kia Motors will present a brand new Sorento, the Official Vehicle of the NBA, to the charity of choice of each of four 2009-10 season-end award winners as part of the "The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors." Following this season, Kia Motors will have donated a total of 12 new vehicles to charity since the program began in 2008.

Crawford, Atlanta's second leading scorer at 18 points a game, led the league in that category among players who didn't start a game and paced the team in scoring 27 times. He ranked seventh overall in 3-point field goals (163) and 18th in free-throw percentage (.857). Over the last 40 years, only Ricky Pierce (1989-90, 23.0 ppg) posted a higher scoring average without starting a single game. His 163 three-pointers were the second most by a bench player since Chuck Person of the Indiana Pacers connected for 164 in 1991-92.

Crawford recorded nine four-point plays, bringing his all-time NBA-leading career total to 28. The 6-foot-5 guard scored at least 20 points 32 times, including one 30-point effort. Crawford scored his 10,000th career point at Golden State Feb. 21, and dished out his 2,500th career assist at Sacramento Nov. 4.

The 2009-10 NBA Sixth Man Award presented by Kia Motors is part of a series of on-court performance awards called "The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors." The series, currently in its third season, is a significant part of the multiyear marketing partnership between Kia Motors America and the NBA, and also includes the Most Improved Player, Defensive Player and Most Valuable Player of the Year awards. It also includes the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month presented by Kia Motors, which are awarded during the regular season. For more information on the "The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors" visit www.NBA.com/performanceawards.

Howard wins Kia Defensive Player of the Year Award again

Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic is the recipient of the 2009-10 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award presented by Kia Motors, the NBA announced today, marking the second straight season the All-Star has earned the honor.

The 6-11 center became the first player to lead the league in rebounding and blocks (1973-74 was the first season blocks were kept as an official statistic) in consecutive seasons, averaging 13.2 rebounds and 2.78 blocks. Howard also paced the league in field goal percentage (.612), becoming the first player to lead the NBA in all three of those categories since the NBA started keeping blocked shots. He also became only the fifth player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounding for at least three consecutive seasons. Howard recorded an NBA-high 64 double-doubles, including three 20-point/20-rebound efforts.

As part of its support of the Defensive Player of the Year Award, Kia Motors America will donate a 2011 Kia Sorento CUV on behalf of Howard to the Nap Ford Community School in Parramore, a community in downtown Orlando. Nap Ford's vision is to empower students to maximize their potential to be contributing members of society. Kia Motors will present a brand new Sorento, the Official Vehicle of the NBA, to the charity of choice of each of four 2009-10 season-end award winners as part of the "The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors." Following this season, Kia Motors will have donated a total of 12 new vehicles to charity since the program began in 2008.

Howard, a four-time NBA All-Star, helped the Magic to its third consecutive Southeast Division title (59-23) and the league's second best record behind Cleveland (61-21). With Howard anchoring the defense, the Magic allowed 95.3 ppg, which ranked fourth in the NBA, and held the opposition to a league-low .438 shooting from the field, including 24 games where opponents shot under .400. Orlando held the opposition to less than 100 points 57 times and to less than 90 points 24 times.

Howard received 576 points, including 110 first-place votes, from a panel of 122 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Atlanta's Josh Smith finished second with 136 points and Charlotte's Gerald Wallace finished third with 113 points. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote received.

The 2009-10 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award presented by Kia Motors is part of a series of on-court performance awards called "The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors." The series, currently in its third season, is a significant part of the multiyear marketing partnership between Kia Motors America and the NBA, and also includes the Most Improved Player, Sixth Man and Most Valuable Player of the Year Awards. It also includes the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month presented by Kia Motors, which are awarded during the regular season. For more information on the "The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors" visit www.NBA.com/performanceawards.

Thunder's Brooks named Coach of the Year

Back when the Thunder were 3-29 last season, the notion of the playoffs coming to Oklahoma City any time soon was unimaginable.

But it was that same miserable stretch that made general manager Sam Presti confident that coach Scott Brooks was the right man to lead his team into the future.

While Oklahoma City struggled to the worst start in the NBA, Presti was impressed by the way Brooks stayed the course and never tried to force immediate changes in hopes of making the Thunder better. He has now taken the youngest roster in the league and turned the team into a 50-game winner and a playoff team just one season after the horrendous start.

For that best-in-the NBA turnaround, Brooks was recognized Wednesday as the NBA's coach of the year. He received 71 of 123 first-place votes and 480 points to finish ahead of Milwaukee's Scott Skiles (26 first-place votes, 313 points) and Portland's Nate McMillan (9, 107).

"He's someone that I think is incredibly consistent as a person. He is unaffected through adversities and also through successes, and I think that's an important quality we want to have as we move forward," Presti said.

Even as he was receiving a statue of Red Auerbach, Brooks faced another daunting turnaround: an 0-2 deficit in the Thunder's best-of-seven series against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant and coach Phil Jackson.

Game 3 is Thursday night in Oklahoma City.

"This is the first-time playoff experience for a lot of us, including myself, and you're playing against one of the best coaches of all sports, one of the best players ever and a team that has 1,000 [games of] playoff experience to ours," Brooks said. "But you learn from playing against the best players and the best teams, and we're going to keep fighting and figuring out ways to beat them."

While the Thunder didn't immediately start winning after Brooks took over for the fired P.J. Carlesimo, there were signs of progress. His decision to move Kevin Durant from shooting guard to small forward increased his production, and the addition of Thabo Sefolosha and Nenad Krstic plus defensive-minded assistant Ron Adams started to pay dividends, too.

"We were improved once he took over as the coach. We still lost some games that were tough but we were learning and we were getting better each day in practice," said Durant, who developed into the NBA's youngest scoring champion this season.

"I knew if we continued to do that and not come in and just say, `Our season's done. Ain't no need to practice. Ain't no need to work hard.' We still came in and worked every day, and he made sure he brought it every day as a coach."

Brooks can sound like a broken record at times, harping on Oklahoma City's need to constantly improve every day, but it's exactly the tune that Presti wants to hear. It's why he gave Brooks a multi-year contract at the end of last season even though the Thunder had only gone 22-47 under his leadership.

Of the eight NBA interim coaches with losing records over the past three seasons, only Brooks and Toronto's Jay Triano got a chance to come back for another try. That patience paid off with a 27-win turnaround that brought the franchise its first playoff appearance since 2004-05 in Seattle.

Making the improvement even more unbelievable is that it came without a significant free agent signing. Instead, it's primarily the same group of players as last season plus rookies James Harden, Serge Ibaka and Eric Maynor.

"They're coachable. I've been around young, talented, non-coachable players. I've been around veteran, talented, non-coachable players," Brooks said. "No matter what you do, sooner or later -- even if a coach comes in that's able to connect with them -- if that's who they are, they're going to go back to it."

Forward Nick Collison, who has been with the franchise longer than any current player, said Brooks' strength is that he's "not a guy that likes to just hear himself speak."

"The thing that sticks out with me is he's got a really good pulse what's going on with the team," Collison said. "He can sense when we're slipping a little bit and kind of light a fire under us or get on us. Or he can sense when maybe we need a little confidence and not push so hard and try to pick us up a little bit."

Brooks played 11 seasons in the NBA and was a reserve on Houston's 1994 NBA championship team. He got his coaching start in the ABA before George Karl hired him as an NBA assistant in 2003. Presti gave him an interview for the SuperSonics' head coaching position in 2007 and then asked Carlesimo to bring him in as an assistant.

"I think the things that shaped him into the type of player he was in the NBA are similar to the type of things that made him a successful coach, and that is consistency, passion for the game and an appreciation for hard work and humility," Presti said. "Those are the kind of attributes that we want to continue to try to bring into our organization."

Rockets' Brooks named NBA's most improved player

Aaron Brooks likes proving doubters wrong, and he did it this season, even though the Houston Rockets could not.

The speedy, 6-foot point guard was named the NBA's Most Improved Player on Thursday, after setting career highs in points (19.6 per game), assists (5.3) and rebounds (2.6). His scoring average went up 8.4 points from 2008-09, the highest increase of any qualifying player.

The Rockets finished 42-40 and missed the playoffs, an expected outcome after Yao Ming missed the season with a foot injury. Brooks ably picked up the offensive slack in Yao's absence, starting all 82 games while the roster seemed to be in flux all season.

"I didn't go into the season to win a big award like this," Brooks said. "I would love to be in the playoffs with this award, but due to the circumstances, we didn't get there. But this is a great award.

"This is a great accomplishment for me, one of the most important awards I've earned in my life."

Brooks, the Rockets' first-round draft pick in 2007 out of Oregon, set a franchise record for 3-pointers made (209) and became the sixth player in NBA history to record at least 200 3-pointers and 400 assists.

When he was drafted, Brooks remembers those who suggested the Rockets made a poor choice. But he worked his way into the starting role, cut down his turnovers and improved his 3-point shooting accuracy for the second straight season.

He thinks he made the biggest leap forward this season in his decision-making.

"The game slowed down a lot for me," Brooks said. "I was making the right plays. I still have a lot of improvement to make. With that said, hopefully, I can win this award next year."

Brooks earned 403 of a possible 615 points, including 62 first-place votes, from a panel of 123 sports writers and broadcasters. Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City and George Hill of San Antonio tied for second with 101 total points.

The 25-year-old Brooks was surprised he won, considering his competition and how the Rockets' season turned out. He's the first Houston player to win the award, though former teammate Tracy McGrady won it in 2000-01, when he played for Orlando.

"Kevin Durant was in there, he had a great year and his team is in the playoffs," Brooks said. "There were a lot of guys up for this award and I'm honored that they chose me to be the guy that won."

Daryl Morey became the Rockets' general manager just before the 2007 draft, making Brooks his first pick, (26th overall). Morey said he's surprised how rapidly Brooks has developed.

"Aaron's a 25-year overnight success," Morey said. "If you look throughout his career, through Oregon and into the NBA, he's improved every single year. This year, he gets the recognition.

"But what made us decide to draft him, was he was a guy who was counted out -- too small, doesn't pass the ball enough, won't make it in the NBA," Morey said. "We felt like he had the talent to do it. He's obviously shown that. We see great things for Aaron going forward."

Brooks said the next individual honor in his sights is becoming an All-Star, an award usually connected with team success. For now, he'll settle for the satisfaction of silencing critics who predicted that he was too small to make it as an NBA point guard.

"Everybody has limitations," Brooks said. "My height, as far as inches-wise, might be a disadvantage. But I think there are advantages to being short. I use it to the best of my ability. I'm not complaining. I don't wish I was taller, I'm happy with who I am, and I go out there and play that way."