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Patrick Beverley named to NBA All-Defensive First Team

Today, the NBA announced that Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley was named NBA All-Defensive First Team as selected by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. He is the fourth different player in franchise history to earn All-Defensive First Team honors and the first since Scottie Pippen in 1998-99. It is the second time Beverley has been named to an All-Defensive Team, having earned Second Team distinction in 2013-14.

Despite missing 15 games in 2016-17, Beverley still ranked tied for sixth in the league in charges taken and was third amongst guards. He was also one of eight players with at least 200 deflections and 100 loose balls recovered, and the only one to do so in fewer than 75 games played.

Beverley helped the Rockets rank fourth in 3-point defense in 2016-17 (opponents 34.3%) after Houston finished 21st in 2015-16 (opponents 36.1%). The Rockets were 26-5 when holding opponents below 33.3% shooting from behind-the-arc this past season.

Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green named to NBA All-Defensive Teams

The NBA today announced that Kawhi Leonard has been named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team for the third consecutive season, while Danny Green has earned his first career honor by being selected to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team.

Leonard, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in each of the last two seasons, receives his fourth straight selection overall after being named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2013-14. The only Spur to ever win multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards, Leonard is the first San Antonio player to be named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in three straight seasons since Bruce Bowen earned five straight selections from 2003 to 2008.

The First Team All-NBA performer was one of three players in the league this season to record at least 130 steals and 50 blocks, along with Golden State’s Draymond Green and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, averaging 1.78 steals and 0.74 blocks. The sixth-year forward also averaged a career-highs of 25.5 points and 3.5 assists to go along with 5.8 rebounds in 33.4 minutes while shooting .485 (636-1,311) from the floor, .381 (147-386) from beyond the arc and a personal-best .880 (469-533) from the free throw line.

Draymond Green named to NBA All-Defensive First Team

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been named to the 2016-17 NBA All-Defensive First Team, the league announced today. Green has been named to the All-Defensive First Team in each of the last three seasons, becoming the first player in Warriors history to earn three such honors.

Green, who was also named to the All-NBA Third Team this season, tallied averages of 10.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.38 blocks in 32.5 minutes over 76 games, while leading the league with a career-high 2.03 steals. The 6’7” forward became the first player to tally averages of at least 10 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block over the course of a season since blocks and steals were first recorded in 1973-74, while becoming the first player in Warriors history to total at least 150 steals and 100 blocks in a single campaign.

Buddy Hield named to NBA All-Rookie First Team

Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield was named to the 2016-17 NBA All-Rookie First Team, the league announced today.

Selected out of Oklahoma with the sixth overall pick in last year’s NBA Draft, Hield joined Sacramento in mid-February and finished the season scoring double-figures in 22 of the Kings 25 contests. The former Sooner standout accrued averages of 15.1 points (.480 FG%, .428 3pt%, .814 FT%), 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 29.1 minutes per game as a King, earning Rookie of the Month honors for games played in March. Overall, the 6-4 shooting guard registered 10.6 points (.426 FG%, .391 3pt%, .842 FT%), 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 23.0 minutes in playing all 82 contests during his rookie campaign, ranking third in scoring, fourth in 3-point and free throw percentage, eighth in field goal percentage and 11th in rebounding among all rookies.

Hield becomes the 16th player in Kings franchise history and the 11th during the Sacramento era to earn All-Rookie Team distinction, a list that includes teammate Willie Cauley-Stein (2015-16 All-Rookie Second Team).

Andre Roberson named to NBA All-Defensive Second Team

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Andre Roberson was named to the 2016-17 NBA All-Defensive Second Team, it was announced today by the NBA.

In 79 games (all starts) this past season, Roberson averaged 6.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.19 steals and 1.00 block in 30.1 minutes per contest. His 1.00 block and 5.1 rebounds per game ranked third and 12th, respectively among perimeter players.

With Roberson on the floor this past season, the Thunder posted a 106.3 defensive rating, which would have ranked fifth best in the NBA. Oklahoma City’s defensive rating was 4.6 points per 100 possessions better when Roberson was on the floor.

According to ESPN’s Defensive RPM metric, Roberson ranked first among shooting guards with a DRPM of 2.64. DRPM estimates a player’s impact on team defense, measured in points allowed per 100 defensive possessions.

Chris Paul named to NBA All-Defensive First Team

The NBA announced today that L.A. Clippers point guard Chris Paul has been named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. This is Paul’s sixth consecutive year on the First Team and seventh overall time in his career, making him the 9th player in NBA history with at least seven career nods. He received 140 points, including 61 First Team votes.

Joining Paul on the NBA All-Defensive First team are forward Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, center Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, forward Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs and guard Patrick Beverley of the Houston Rockets.

Paul was third in the NBA in steals per game (1.95) this season. He has led the NBA in steals in six of the past 10 seasons. Paul was previously named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2009 and was also named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2011 and 2008.

Rudy Gobert makes All-Defensive First Team

The NBA today announced that Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert has been named to the 2016-17 NBA All-Defensive First Team, marking the first selection of his career. Receiving 196 total points (97 First Team votes), he was the second-leading vote getter and an overwhelming selection, as chosen by a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. He becomes the first Jazz player since 2005-06 (Andrei Kirilenko) to be named to an All-NBA Defensive Team. He is also a finalist for both NBA Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player, which will be awarded tonight as part of the inaugural NBA Awards show live on TNT (7 p.m. MT).

Gobert was also named to the All-NBA Second Team in May. Appearing in 81 games (all starts), Gobert averaged career highs of 14.0 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game while posting career-bests in field goal percentage (.662) and free throw percentage (.653) while helping the Jazz to their first 50-win season since 2009-10. He led the NBA in total blocks (214), blocks per game (2.6), block percentage (6.4), defensive win shares (6.0), defensive real plus/minus (6.03), true shooting percentage (.683) and points per shot (1.82). He finished third in offensive rating (129.0) and defensive rating (99.2), the only player in the NBA to finish in the top-five in both categories. His .662 mark from the field is the best for a single-season in franchise history and ranked second in the NBA this year.

The fourth-year center became the first player in franchise history and the first NBA player since 2009-10 to compile 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 200 blocks in a single season. In addition, he now ranks seventh on the Jazz all-time blocks list (579). Gobert recorded a league-best 42 consecutive games with at least one block and led the league with four games of at least six blocks, eight games with five blocks, 18 games with four blocks, 42 games with three blocks, 63 games with two blocks and 77 games with one block. He anchored a Jazz defense that led the league in opponent points per game (96.8), finished second in opponent field goal percentage (.443) and third in defensive rating (102.7).

Anthony Davis makes All-Defensive Second Team

The NBA announced today that Pelicans forward/center Anthony Davis has been named to the 2016-17 NBA All-Defensive Second Team. The distinction is the second in Davis’ five years in the NBA.

Davis, 6-10, 252, finished the season ranked second in the NBA in blocks per game (2.2), and seventh in rebounds per game (11.8 – a career-high), to go along with 1.3 steals per game. Davis recorded four or more blocks 17 times this season, including four games with five blocks and two games with a season-high six; 52 games with double-digit rebounds, including three with 20-plus; and ten games with three-plus steals, including a season-high five on opening night against Denver on October 26. In the 75 games during the 2016-17 season in which he appeared, Davis led the Pelicans in blocks 57 times, rebounds 50 times and steals on 25 occasions.

Cavs trying to trade for Paul George

Let the fun begin. The real fun, in the form of a top team trying to trade for a great player. Here’s ESPN.com reporting that the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to land Paul George:

The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to pursue a trade for Paul George and will be leading contenders for Carmelo Anthony’s services, should Anthony secure an offseason buyout from the New York Knicks, according to league sources.

Sources told ESPN that the Cavaliers engaged in serious three-way trade discussions leading up to the NBA draft on a deal that would have brought them George from the Indiana Pacers and landed Kevin Love, George’s fellow Eastern Conference All-Star, with the Denver Nuggets.

The Nuggets were recruited into the talks to furnish the Pacers with the combination of promising young players and draft picks that they are seeking before consenting to surrender George, whose agent, Aaron Mintz, informed Indiana management just over a week ago that George has no intention of staying with the club beyond the expiration of his current contract in June 2018.

Kings waive Arron Afflalo

The Sacramento Kings today waived forward/guard Arron Afflalo, according to General Manager Vlade Divac.

In 61 games played (45 starts) with the Kings during the 2016-17 season, Afflalo averaged 8.4 points (.440 FG%, .411 3pt%, .892 FT%), 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 25.9 minutes per game. The 10-year NBA veteran has accrued career averages of 11.3 points (.451 FG%, .386 3pt%, .825 FT%), 3.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 28.4 minutes per contest in 709 NBA games with Detroit (2007-09), Denver (2009-12 & 2014-15), Orlando (2012-14), and New York (2015-16).