2008 Woodie Awards
Face-off: Pete Lorenz vs. Kevin Hess
Pete Lorenz, Kevin Hess
Sports | 4/7/08
Who will win NBA Rookie of the Year?
Pete: Kevin Durant is the best rookie in the NBA. His team stinks, but in addition to leading the Seattle Supersonics in points this year, he is leading all first-year players in scoring. He was chosen second in the 2007 draft for a reason, and with Greg Oden out, he was the top prospect among draft entrants that would play in 2007-08. Needless to say, he has lived up to the hype. Playing for a team that has totally cleaned house can be tough, which explains the Sonics' miserable record, but Durant will flourish in the coming years in Seattle… or Oklahoma City.
Kevin: Durant very well may walk away with the award based on numbers, but Al Thornton is justifying the Clippers' selection of him by improving all year, and playing his best basketball at the end of the season. The ultra-athletic swingman plays equally hard on offense as he does on defense, and recently set a career high with 39 points and five steals against the Memphis Grizzlies, then followed up that performance with 26 points and seven rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks. His season averages stand at 12.5 points per game and 4.4 rebounds in just under 27 minutes a game, and he's shooting a respectable 43 percent from the field.
Who will win Monday's national championship?
Pete: I love the Tigers to take this game with relative ease. While the Kansas defense wrapped up Tyler Hansbrough and stopped North Carolina's transition game, the Jayhawks have yet to face a team with a high scoring pace from a half-court offense this tournament. The Tigers can run with the ball or settle down and penetrate with dribble-drives, which should dismantle the Kansas defense. Not to mention the defensive play from Joey Dorsey, who will put the Kansas inside game on lockdown and force Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush to make plays against Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose. Memphis by 13.
Kevin: I've gone with Kansas all year, so why stop now? I thought they were better when Memphis was the number one team in the country at the end of the year, and I've picked the Jayhawks in my brackets, too. This team is balanced and ready to thwart the naysayers who point to them not being able to win big in the Tournament under head coach Bill Self. After withstanding Davidson's Cinderella story, and putting on the exclamation point with a thorough domination of North Carolina in the Regional Final, no team is having more fun than the Jayhawks, whose superior athleticism, outstanding depth and defensive intensity will carry themto the National Title.
Pete: Kevin Durant is the best rookie in the NBA. His team stinks, but in addition to leading the Seattle Supersonics in points this year, he is leading all first-year players in scoring. He was chosen second in the 2007 draft for a reason, and with Greg Oden out, he was the top prospect among draft entrants that would play in 2007-08. Needless to say, he has lived up to the hype. Playing for a team that has totally cleaned house can be tough, which explains the Sonics' miserable record, but Durant will flourish in the coming years in Seattle… or Oklahoma City.
Kevin: Durant very well may walk away with the award based on numbers, but Al Thornton is justifying the Clippers' selection of him by improving all year, and playing his best basketball at the end of the season. The ultra-athletic swingman plays equally hard on offense as he does on defense, and recently set a career high with 39 points and five steals against the Memphis Grizzlies, then followed up that performance with 26 points and seven rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks. His season averages stand at 12.5 points per game and 4.4 rebounds in just under 27 minutes a game, and he's shooting a respectable 43 percent from the field.
Who will win Monday's national championship?
Pete: I love the Tigers to take this game with relative ease. While the Kansas defense wrapped up Tyler Hansbrough and stopped North Carolina's transition game, the Jayhawks have yet to face a team with a high scoring pace from a half-court offense this tournament. The Tigers can run with the ball or settle down and penetrate with dribble-drives, which should dismantle the Kansas defense. Not to mention the defensive play from Joey Dorsey, who will put the Kansas inside game on lockdown and force Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush to make plays against Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose. Memphis by 13.
Kevin: I've gone with Kansas all year, so why stop now? I thought they were better when Memphis was the number one team in the country at the end of the year, and I've picked the Jayhawks in my brackets, too. This team is balanced and ready to thwart the naysayers who point to them not being able to win big in the Tournament under head coach Bill Self. After withstanding Davidson's Cinderella story, and putting on the exclamation point with a thorough domination of North Carolina in the Regional Final, no team is having more fun than the Jayhawks, whose superior athleticism, outstanding depth and defensive intensity will carry themto the National Title.
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