Kyrie is NBA Rookie of the Year - Congrats!

[BlueDevilBrowns]

Marc Stein of ESPN reports:

LINK:http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7925910/kyrie-irving-cleveland-cavaliers-win-rookie-year-award-according-sources

Great job Kyrie!!!

[moonpie23]

awesome.....congrats KI!!!!

[Son of Jarhead]

Congrats, Kyrie!

This had to have been a fairly easy choice, he was awesome this year. I think we knew it would be him all along.:cool:

[beach rev]

Great article on Kyrie from my hometown paper:

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2012/05/kyrie_irvings_rookie_legacy_bi.html

[subzero02]

If his body holds up this will be the first of many awards in his basketball career... I had him to win ROY at 9 to 2 odds. If only he could've been healthy his entire freshman year... His jersey might be in the rafters... NPOY and national champion would've sealed it IMO

[Tappan Zee Devil]

If his body holds up this will be the first of many awards in his basketball career... I had him to win ROY at 9 to 2 odds. If only he could've been healthy his entire freshman year... His jersey might be in the rafters... NPOY and national champion would've sealed it IMO

No - because a Duke degree is also a requirement

However - since he is still taking classes - that is not say it wouldn't eventually have happened

[westwall]

Great article on Kyrie from my hometown paper:

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2012/05/kyrie_irvings_rookie_legacy_bi.html

This sounds a lot like the comments made about Elton Brand when he was a rookie. I remember back then sitting on an airplane next to the General Manager of the Chicago radio station that carried the Bulls games. They absolutely LOVED Elton's character and demeanor. Grant Hill received similar accolades. Duke fans justifiably can be proud of the fine role models that have gone from Duke to the NBA.

[wgl1228]

As Duke fans we have followed Kyrie far more than others and know what he is capable of. Barring injury the rest of the world will soon know that he is a superstar. I pray his pleasant demeanor, work ethic, and integrity are genuine because our sports world is in dire need of good role models. As much as we were disappointed with his injury it was a blessing to see Kyrie cheering on others from the bench, giving advice, and keeping spirits up. In some way that is an even greater legacy that he has left at Duke.

[subzero02]

No - because a Duke degree is also a requirement

However - since he is still taking classes - that is not say it wouldn't eventually have happened

If he keeps his promise to his dad he will earn his degree from Duke

[Wander]

According to so-called clutch stats - what a player does in the last five minutes of games or overtime when the score margin is within 5 points - Kyrie Irving was the most clutch player (not rookie!) in the NBA. Awesome.

[miramar]

Without the injury he would have received numerous POY awards and a national championship ring a year ago (and we would have enjoyed every minute), but this helps make up for lost time.

And to think that he was supposed to be the second-best ACC recruit in 2010...

[ThePublisher]

No surprise here at all. Kyrie is a star. If they pull in a little more talent for him to not have to handle the whole load in Cleavland, look for him to be an All-Star sooner than later. Congratulations Mr. Irving!

[moonpie23]

the question now is, will the cavs actually make the moves to help him out and make the TEAM competitive?

[theAlaskanBear]

the question now is, will the cavs actually make the moves to help him out and make the TEAM competitive?

Well, based on their record, they can pick no lower than sixth, and have a shot at the #1 pick, but they will most likely be picking in the 2-4 range. Antwan Jamison was their second leading scorer, and he is a free agent. So they really need someone who can score if they dont get the #1 for Davis. Kidd-Gilchrist would be a great pick, or someone like Bradley Beal who projects to be a strong backcourt scoring tandem with Irving.

I would say they are probably a season away from making the playoffs if they play their cards right. They have a lot of solid role players on the team already, they just need to get a little more starting firepower. It's not a high profile free agent class, but its solid enough to find value -- unfortunately its a great class for PGs, a spot at which the Cavs are set.

[El_Diablo]

It's official:

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7932099/cleveland-cavaliers-kyrie-irving-runaway-winner-rookie-year

[El_Diablo]

What I want to know is:

Which three fools voted for Shumpert, Faried, and Leonard over Irving???

[Billy Dat]

Wojo's Twitter Feed directed me to the 10 minute video of the press conference:
http://www.nba.com/video/channels/award_nominees/2012/05/15/20120515_kia_rookie_kyrie.nba/

He does a nice job thanking K and Duke, and lists Josh Hairston among his closest inner-circle of friends.

We can all be really proud to be associated via our fandom with this classy kid. It got a little dusty here in the home office, I have to admit.

[Jeff Frosh]

What I want to know is:

Which three fools voted for Shumpert, Faried, and Leonard over Irving???

And one of those three fools put two guys ahead of Kyrie. Wow. Time to take the vote away from that fool.

[Kdogg]

What I want to know is:

Which three fools voted for Shumpert, Faried, and Leonard over Irving???

Probably local writers or graduates of the UNC School of Journalism ;) That's the only way to explain it and also how Josh Shelby even got a third place vote.

[Asyeop]

It was an easy, logical choice. He was consistent all throughout the year, making the Cavs worthy of talks once again.

Congratulations!

[superdave]

Duke Basketball ‏@dukeblueplanet

No. 1 picks who averaged 18 PPG & 5 APG as rookies: O. Robinson, M. Johnson, M. Jordan, A. Iverson, L. James, @kyrieirving

[niveklaen]

Duke Basketball ‏@dukeblueplanet

No. 1 picks who averaged 18 PPG & 5 APG as rookies: O. Robinson, M. Johnson, M. Jordan, A. Iverson, L. James, @kyrieirving

Jordan was not a No 1 pick.

[superdave]

What I want to know is:

Which three fools voted for Shumpert, Faried, and Leonard over Irving???

To be fair, Faried had a higher PER (John Hollinger's nerd stat) than Irving by a count of 21.9 to 21.5. After the all-star break, Faried averaged 12 and 8 with 60% shooting because Nene got traded to the Bullets and minutes opened up. Kid will be a stud for a while in the league. Shumpert is ok and I really like Leonard, but they should not be in the conversation.

[superdave]

Jordan was not a No 1 pick.

Ha ha. Good point. That was the official Duke Blue Planet twitter account too. Maybe it's Mavis Jordan who played for the Buffalo franchise in 1947 (yes, I just made that up).

[superdave]

Duke Basketball ‏@dukeblueplanet

No. 1 picks who averaged 18 PPG & 5 APG as rookies: O. Robinson, M. Johnson, M. Jordan, A. Iverson, L. James, @kyrieirving

Duke Basketball ‏@dukeblueplanet

No. 1 picks who averaged 18 PPG/5 APG as rookies: Oscar Robinson, Magic Johnson, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, @kyrieirving (correction 2.0)

[sagegrouse]

Duke Basketball ‏@dukeblueplanet

No. 1 picks who averaged 18 PPG/5 APG as rookies: Oscar Robinson, Magic Johnson, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, @kyrieirving (correction 2.0)

Uhhh... That's Mr. ROBERTSON. -- sage

[dukedoc]

A very nice Kyrie compilation by the folks at DBP LINK (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Loy8uyYhpr0&feature=youtu.be)