Reports: Irving to be named Rookie of the Year
By The Sports Xchange
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  Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers changes directions on the drive to the basket against the Washington Wizards at The Quicken Loans Arena on April 25, 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio. (David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images/AFP) |
Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving will be named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year on Tuesday, according to multiple Monday morning reports.
The news was first broken on Twitter by beat writer Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (zPDcavsinsider), who wrote that a press conference to announce the award will be held Tuesday morning at the Cavaliers’ practice facility in Independence, Ohio. That report was seconded by Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (zJasonLloydABJ) who cited a league source with details of the announcement.
Irving, the top overall pick in last year’s NBA draft led the Cavaliers in both scoring (18.5 points per game) and assists (5.4). His scoring average was tops among rookies, as were his 87.2 free-throw percentage and his 17.7 efficiency rating, while his assists average was second only to Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio (8.2). Cleveland finished fifth in the Midwest Division with a record of 21-45.
The 20-year-old Irving will be just the second Cavaliers player to win Rookie of the Year honors. The other, LeBron James, won his third MVP award on Saturday.
