Kevin Love becomes Kia Motors Most Improved Player of the Year 2010-11: NBA news
Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves thanked all his fans, coaching staff, team-mates and friends after being named Kia Motors Most Improved Player of 2010-11. The announcement was made in a ceremony that took place commenced on April 21st,
2011 at the Target Center and was attended by his team, coaches, friends and family.
The Most Improved Player award goes to a player who has succeeded in showing meaningful improvement compared to the previous league season. The 22-year-old superstar achieved great success in his second year in the National Basketball Association (NBA) scoring
a double-double in almost every game he played this season, hence becoming the most eligible candidate to receive this award.
Love became the first player in the league who has averaged a minimum of 20 points and 15 rebounds since Moses Malone, who reached the milestone in 1983. He was also selected for the NBA All-Star game this year.
The rebounding machine has posted 53 consecutive double-doubles, surpassing Malone’s record of 52 double-doubles in a row that he set back in 1978-79. The only other player in league now with more double-doubles than Love is Elvin Hayes, who set a record
55 successive double-doubles back in 1973-74. Love has also completed the rarely accomplished 30 point, 30 rebound mark. The other player to set this record before him was Malone, who joined that exclusive club in 1982.
The player improved his stats not only in rebounds, but also in points, three-pointers and assists per game and registered career high stats in almost all categories. His average of 20.2 points per game, league best 15.2 rebounds per game, 2.5 assists per
game, 64 double-doubles, .470 field goal percentage, .417 three-pointer percentage and .850 free throw percentage were all impressive. After starting 22 of 60 games last season, the player started all 73 games that he played this year. Showing a significant
improvement in his stats, Love excelled his points per game by 44 percent to go along with a 38 percent increase in rebounds per game.
Love received 66 first place points and 21 second place points to go along with seven third place points, combining for a total 400 of 580 points. The board included 116 sportswriters and experts from all over the USA and Canada. The player to come in second
on the list was LaMarcus Aldridge of the Portland Trail Blazers, who received 157 points whereas Dorell Wright of the Golden State Warriors received 124 points to stand third in the race.
Later, while addressing the audience, the player said that he wanted to thank all the people around him that supported him throughout the year. Furthermore he mentioned names of friends and people who worked behind the scenes to make it happen for him. He
also thanked fans for cheering him on during his double-double streak.
The player was awarded with a trophy to go along with a brand new Kia Sorento. Love will donate the car to The Dylan Witschen Foundation that was named after Debbie Witschen’s son who was a friend of Love. The foundation helps support college bound students
with scholarships and raises funds for St. Jude’s cancer research program.
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