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DraftExpress 2006-2007 D-League Awards

DraftExpress 2006-2007 D-League Awards
May 11, 2007, 02:21 am
To put together our D-League season awards for DraftExpress, we compiled a panel of voters including 4 members of our staff and a player from both Dakota and Colorado, the two teams who competed for the D-League championship. Below you will find the awards as well as the voting for each member of our panel.

MVP: Dijon Thompson

Receiving three of the six votes, Albuquerque Thunderbirds forward Dijon Thompson has been named the MVP of the D-League by the panel of DraftExpress voters. The former 2nd round pick of the Phoenix Suns impacted the Thunderbirds in a big way this season, showing a complete offensive game as well as good leadership skills on the floor. Thompson received a call-up from the Atlanta Hawks in January, playing out a pair of 10 day contracts before rejoining his team in Albuquerque. The 24 year-old will certainly have a chance to make an NBA roster next season, but could also command a very nice payday in Europe should he fail to make it back to the NBA.

Defensive Player of the Year: Louis Amundson

In a close battle, Louis Amundson edged out Renaldo Major to win defensive player of the year award from DraftExpress. A rookie out of UNLV, Amundson provides great energy near the hoop on both ends of the floor. In nearly every game, the 24 year-old usually has a stretch where he strings together a series of blocked shots and rebounds consecutively. His style of play makes him a fan favorite nearly everywhere he goes. Amundson finished the season with the Philadelphia 76ers, who will certainly consider keeping him for next season.

Rookie of the Year: Pooh Jeter

Though Louis Amundson and Jeremy Richardson also received consideration, the rookie that impacted his team the most this season was Pooh Jeter of the Colorado 14ers. The guard from the University of Portland lacks the ideal size that scouts look for in a point guard, but he makes up for it with incredible speed and quickness. With most smaller guards, it seems that they focus more on scoring than distributing, but Jeter knows how to run an offense and find the open man. He will have his chance to impress NBA scouts during the summer league, but if he fails to make the NBA Pooh Jeter already has teams in Europe lining up to sign him.

Sleeper of the Year: Jeremy Richardson

The D-League can be looked at as a league full of guys who fly under the radar, which made this award especially difficult to vote on. Our panel decided that Jeremy Richardson was the most surprising player who emerged from nowhere this season. Richardson played his college basketball at Division-II Delta State and was selected in the fourth round of the D-League draft by the Fort Worth Flyers. His strong play led to call-ups from the Atlanta Hawks and Portland Trailblazers this season. Richardson has a chance to play in the NBA for a long time, but he will need to spend time in the weight room getting stronger this off-season.

6th Men of the Year: Rod Benson and Denham Brown

With 2 votes apiece, Rod Benson and Denham Brown are the DraftExpress co-6th Men of the year. Benson played a large role for the D-League champion Dakota Wizards, and evolved into one of the better rebounders in the league. Brown had one of the higher scoring averages in the league coming off the bench for the Tulsa 66ers, and proved to be one of the better shooters in the league over the course of the season.

NBA Assignee Award: Pops Mensah-Bonsu

Two young and athletic power-forwards were the two best NBA players to log minutes in the D-League this season, but Pops Mensah-Bonsu edged Amir Johnson for the NBA Assignee Award. Mensah-Bonsu played 3 different stints with the Fort Worth Flyers this season, using his athletic ability to score inside and dominate on the glass. Lack of size and poor offensive skills outside of 10 feet may limit meteoric success at the NBA level, but he has a chance to carve out a long career regardless.

Coach of the Year: Dave Joerger, Dakota Wizards

There were many quality coaches in the D-League this season, all with a variety of impressive credentials that led them to a head minor league coaching position. Coaching in the D-League requires a coach to be responsible for all of the drafting and roster moves in addition to normal coaching duties. There was no coach in the league more impressive than Dave Joerger when it came to in game adjustments and roster moves. Joerger has a great understanding of the game and isn’t afraid to be creative with his in-game adjustments. At the age of 31, he has only lost 1 playoff series in his career, and he will surely receive the chance to lead an NBA team if his career continues on its current path.

When selecting the all D-League teams, our panel chose 5 players for each team. 3 points were assigned for a first place vote, 2 points for a second place vote, and 1 point went to a player receiving a third place vote. Listed below are the teams along with the number of points each player received.

All D-League First Team

Dijon Thompson, Albuquerque Thunderbirds 16
Von Wafer, Colorado 14ers 16
Randy Livingston, Idaho Stampede 15
Elton Brown, Colorado 14ers 14
Will Conroy, Tulsa 66ers 14

All D-League Second Team

Kevinn Pinkney, Bakersfield Jam 13
Louis Amundson, Colorado 14ers 13
Renaldo Major, Dakota Wizards 12
Roger Powell, Arkansas Rimrockers 9
Pooh Jeter, Colorado 14ers 9

All D-League Third Team

Jared Reiner, Sioux Falls Skyforce 7
Clay Tucker, Arkansas Rimrockers 6
BJ Elder, Austin Toros 6
Jeremy Richardson, Fort Worth Flyers 5
Jawad Williams, Anaheim Arsenal 5

Others receiving Votes: Desmon Farmer, Mike Hall, Quemont Greer, Alan Anderson, Rick Rickert, Denham Brown, Cheyne Gadson, Brian Chase, Peter Ramos, Luke Schenscher.

How They Voted

Mike Schmidt

MVP: Dijon Thompson

Defensive Player of the Year: Renaldo Major

Rookie of the Year: Pooh Jeter

Sleeper of the Year: Jeremy Richardson

6th Man of the Year: Rod Benson

Coach of the Year: Dave Joerger

NBA Assignee Award: Amir Johnson

1st Team:
Dijon Thompson, Renaldo Major, Randy Livingston, Will Conroy, Von Wafer

2nd Team:
Pooh Jeter, Kevinn Pinkney, BJ Elder, Roger Powell, Jeremy Richardson

3rd Team:
Elton Brown, Jared Reiner, Clay Tucker, Louis Amunson, Desmon Farmer

Jonathan Givony

MVP: Will Conroy

Defensive Player of the Year: Desmon Farmer

Rookie of the Year: Pooh Jeter

Sleeper of the Year: Pooh Jeter

6th Man of the Year: Desmon Farmer

Coach of the Year: Dave Joerger

NBA Assignee Award: Pops Mensah-Bonsu

1st Team:
Will Conroy, Kevinn Pinkney, Randy Livingston, Von Wafer, Dijon Thompson

2nd Team:
Pooh Jeter, Roger Powell, Desmon Farmer, Jeremy Richardson, Pops Mensah-Bonsu

3rd Team:
Louis Amundson, Renaldo Major, Alan Anderson, Jawad Williams, Elton Brown

Rod Benson

MVP: Randy Livingston

Defensive Player of the Year: Renaldo Major

Rookie of the Year: Louis Amundson

Sleeper of the Year: Jeremy Richardson

6th Man of the Year: Rod Benson

Coach of the Year: Dave Joerger

NBA Assignee Award: Amir Johnson

1st Team:
Randy Livingston, Renaldo Major, Elton Brown, Kevinn Pinkney, BJ Elder

2nd Team:
Von Wafer, Mike Hall, Jared Reiner, Will Conroy, Jawad Williams

3rd Team:
Quemont Greer, Roger Powell, Jeremy Richardson, Clay Tucker, Dijon Thompson

Pooh Jeter
MVP: Elton Brown

Defensive Player of the Year: Louis Amundson

Rookie of the Year: Pooh Jeter

Sleeper of the Year: Jeremy Richardson

6th Man of the Year: Terrance Crawford

Coach of the Year: Joe Wolf

NBA Assignee Award: Pops Mensah-Bonsu

1st Team:
Randy Livingston, Von Wafer, Elton Brown, Dijon Thompson, Louis Amundson

2nd Team:
Clay Tucker, Jared Reiner, Kevinn Pinkney, Jawad Williams, Pooh Jeter

3rd Team:
Will Conroy, BJ Elder, Roger Powell, Renaldo Major, Rick Rickert

Jim Hlavac

MVP: Dijon Thompson

Defensive Player of the Year: Louis Amundson

Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Richardson

Sleeper of the Year: Renaldo Major

6th Man of the Year: Denham Brown

Coach of the Year: Brian Gates/Dave Joerger

NBA Assignee Award: Pops Mensah-Bonsu

1st Team:
Randy Livingston, Von Wafer, Elton Brown, Dijon Thompson, Louis Amundson

2nd Team:
Will Conroy, Brian Chase, Renaldo Major, Kevinn Pinkney, Jared Reiner

3rd Team:
Pooh Jeter, Denham Brown, Jeremy Richardson, Roger Powell, Luke Schenscher

Richard Walker

MVP: Dijon Thompson

Defensive Player of the Year: Louis Amundson

Rookie of the Year: Pooh Jeter

Sleeper of the Year: Renaldo Major

6th Man of the Year: Denham Brown

Coach of the Year: Dave Joerger

NBA Assignee Award: Pops Mensah-Bonsu

1st Team:
Will Conroy, Von Wafer, Elton Brown, Dijon Thompson, Louis Amundson

2nd Team:
Pooh Jeter, Clay Tucker, Renaldo Major, Roger Powell, Peter Ramos

3rd Team:
Cheyne Gadson, Denham Brown, Quemont Greer, Kevinn Pinkney, Jared Reiner

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