https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/sports/2008-01-16/582222/

NBA's KD Is ESPN's ROY

By Andy Denham, January 16, 2008, 1:20pm, The Score

Divisional playoff weekend and the wrong Manning moves one step closer to the Super Bowl. So with all the pigskin action, you probably didn’t know a third of the NBA season was cashed, still with Kevin Durant’s SuperSonics not even cracking double digits in the win column. Is that a surprise to anyone?

In a word: no.

What else isn't shocking the world: ESPN.com’s Marc Stein honored Seattle’s Kevin Durant as the Rookie of the First Trimester.

KD and crew are fresh off of six consecutive losses to open the New Year, falling to the Lakers on January 14 with a less-than-stellar performance by Durant, managing only six for 26 from the floor for 19 points – his third game in a row under 20 points.

“[Durant] is virtually the sole focus of opposing defenses.” Stein explained. “He is playing shooting guard as opposed to one of the forward slots to lessen the physical pounding that comes with all of that defensive attention. He is a 19-year-old on a team lacking depth, experience and dependable floor leadership.”

No new complements for the former Longhorn, but it beats a kick in the ass. Statistically, Durant’s 20 points per contest* are twice as many as every other rook save the Bucks' Yi Jianlian (10.9), which is why such experts like Stein have championed KD, claiming he “had the actual ROY trophy clinched by Thanksgiving.”

You’re preaching to the choir, Steiny.

* As of January 6