NBA Awards

[Ridders]

First one to be handed out;

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Dwight Howard has become the first player in league history to be named the NBA's defensive player of the year for three consecutive seasons.

Howard averaged 14.1 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and a career-high 1.3 steals for the Magic this season. He ranked second in the NBA in rebounds behind Timberwolves forward Kevin Love, and was tied for second in blocked shots behind Bucks center Andrew Bogut.

The Magic announced the honor in a news release Monday.

It could be the first of several awards Howard earns this postseason. He is considered a top candidate for MVP along with Derrick Rose and LeBron James. Howard is also expected to be a first-team All-NBA selection.

For now, the seventh-year center would settle for leading the Magic to a playoff victory on Tuesday against the Atlanta Hawks. Orlando lost Game 1 at home on Saturday despite a playoff career-high 46 points and 19 rebounds from Howard, who also had eight turnovers and a block in 46 minutes.

Howard joins Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo as the only players to win the award at least three times since the league began handing out the honor after the 1982-83 season. Wallace and Mutombo won it four times.

Howard garnered a near-unanimous nod among 35 staffers in an ESPN.com poll, with one vote going to Bulls guard Keith Bogans and one to Suns forward Grant Hill.

Michael Wallace covers the NBA for ESPN.com.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2011/news/story?id=6381715

Deserving I guess, there is no defensive presence in the league as impactful as Dwight as a help defender.

Would like to see perimeter defenders (like Iggy) get more attention. Wonder if anyone can seriously challenge him in the near future? Unlikely.

Also, I wanna know which idiot gave Keith Bogans a vote.

 

[Tiger Hawk]

Dr Jack Ramsay.

He's clearly the best defensive player in the game. Watch the Magic play and there's no shortage of players that can't defend or rebound. So for that team to rank near the top among a lot of defensive stats, given he's their only above average defensive player, is some indication of his quality.