Blazers Roy Named NBA Rookie of the Year

Roy averaged rookie highs of 16.8 points, 4.0 assists and 35.4 minutes in 57 games.

Photo courtesy: blazers.com

NEW YORK - Brandon Roy of the Portland Trail Blazers will receive the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the 2006-07 T-Mobile NBA Rookie of the Year, the NBA announced today.

Roy received 127 out of a possible 128 first-place votes (638 points) from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.

Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani finished second with 264 points and Memphis’ Rudy Gay finished third with 93 points.

Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote received.

Drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Roy was traded to Portland for the draft rights to Randy Foye.

He averaged rookie highs of 16.8 points, 4.0 assists and 35.4 minutes in 57 games. Roy also ranked among rookie leaders in steals (1.18 spg, 2nd), rebounds (4.4 rpg, 7th), free-throw percentage (.838, 3rd), three-point field goal percentage (.377, 6th), and field goal percentage (.456, 6th).

Roy scored at least 20 points 16 times, including a career-high 29 vs. Utah on April 4th, and he led the team in scoring in seven of his final 10 games of the season.

Roy twice had three consecutive games of at least 20 points (March 22nd-25th and Mar. 31st-Apr. 6th).

His 20-point performance opening night (Nov. 1st, 2006) at Seattle ranks third all-time for a Portland rookie playing in his first NBA game.

The only other Portland rookies to score more points on opening night were Mychal Thompson (23 points) and Geoff Petrie (21 points).

A three-time T-Mobile Western Conference Rookie of the Month selection (January, February and March), Roy represented the Trail Blazers in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, finishing with six points, three rebounds, four assists and a steal in 24 minutes.

The Eddie Gottlieb Trophy is named in honor of Eddie Gottlieb, one of the NBA’s founders who coached the Philadelphia Warriors to the NBA championship in 1946-47.

Following are the voting results for the 2006-07 T-Mobile NBA Rookie of the Year Award and the all-time list of winners:

2006-07 T-MOBILE NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD VOTING RESULTS

Rookie, Team 1st 2nd 3rd Total

• Brandon Roy, Portland 127 1 - 638
• Andrea Bargnani, Toronto 1 77 28 264
• Rudy Gay, Memphis - 21 30 93
• Adam Morrison, Charlotte - 11 11 44
• Randy Foye, Minnesota - 7 16 37
• LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland - 5 3 18
• Jorge Garbajosa, Toronto - 2 11 17
• Paul Millsap, Utah - 1 16 19
• Tyrus Thomas, Chicago - 2 4 10
• Walter Hermann, Charlotte - 1 2 5
• Craig Smith, Minnesota - - 4 4
• Rajon Rondo, Boston - - 3 3

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