NBA

Rookie wins Sixth Man award

By wire services
Published May 4, 2005

DEERFIELD, Ill. - Ben Gordon expected to be a starter after the Bulls took him at No.3 in last year's draft. When that didn't work out, he became the first rookie to win the Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Actually, Gordon did start - the first three games of the Bulls' 0-9 start.

"The way I was playing, I didn't deserve to be starting," Gordon said. "That kind of humbled me right there. I realized I had to find my niche and get in my groove somehow."

Gordon averaged 15.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and two assists in just more than 24 minutes. He came off the bench in 79 of 82 games and helped the Bulls make their first playoff appearance since 1998.

Gordon received 88 of 125 first-place votes and 513 points from a media panel. Boston guard Ricky Davis was second with 257 points and Denver guard Earl Boykins third with 155.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Charlotte forward Emeka Okafor will win the award today, the Associated Press reported. The No.2 overall pick led all rookies in scoring (15.9 points per game) and rebounding (10.9).

NETS: Rookie center Nenad Krstic had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. Krstic, hurt late in the regular season, averaged 18.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in the postseason.

WIZARDS: Forward Kwame Brown was suspended for the season by the team for what president Ernie Grunfeld called "philosophical differences." Brown, the top overall pick in 2001, averaged 10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in the regular season. But he played just four minutes Saturday and didn't attend Sunday's practice or Monday's Game 4. The team had said he had a stomach virus.

BRAWL: A fan charged with throwing a chair during a fight among fans and Pacers players in Detroit was sentenced to two years of probation. Bryant Jackson was the only one of the 13 players and fans charged with a felony for the Nov.19 incident. He pleaded no contest to felony assault and misdemeanor assault and battery.

DRAFT: West Virginia junior center Kevin Pittsnogle and Seattle high school guard Martell Webster declared but won't hire an agent, allowing them to withdraw by June21.

[Last modified May 4, 2005, 00:58:13]