Hooped Up

The All-NBA teams were announced earlier today and NBA MVP LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki and Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard were named to the first team.

Making up the All-NBA second team was Chris Paul, Brandon Roy,Tim Duncan, Paul Pierce and Yao Ming. Named to the third team was Chauncey Billups, Tony Parker, Carmelo Anthony, Pau Gasol, and Shaquille O’Neal.

Hooped Up

Danny Granger told a storybook tale of how he learned he’d been selected the NBA’s Most Improved Player.

The Indiana Pacers star offered a picturesque image of riding in a gondola in Venice, Italy, with one hand in the water and wind blowing through his hair.

Much of that was indeed a story — he was in Venice, but in his hotel room instead of a boat when he heard the news. Upon coming clean at a news conference on Tuesday, those in the room broke into laughter.

“I can honestly say it really did come as a surprise,” he said. “I really had it out of my mind for a while. I was on vacation, enjoying Italy, and all of a sudden, I’m winning the award.”

He edged New Jersey Nets guard Devin Harris 364-339 in voting from a panel of 121 journalists. Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant was third with 83 points.

Press Release

Orlando center Dwight Howard once again swatted away his competition.

Picked last month as the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, he drew the most votes Wednesday for the league’s All-Defensive Team.

Howard was joined by Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Chris Paul and Kevin Garnett on the first team.

Howard led the NBA by averaging 13.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks this season. He got 27 votes for the first team, beating out Bryant’s 24. Voting was done by coaches, who were not allowed to vote for players on their own team. Read More »

LeBron James has officially confirmed what we all already knew all season long, by winning his first MVP title proving he’s the best player in the entire galaxy. If you’re shocked that LeBron James won this honour, you’re a crazy man that lives in a van down by the river.

With regular season averages of 28.4 ppg, 7.2 apg, and 7.6 rpg. Through 81 games played, The King was no less than awesome in 08- 09 helping the Cavs finish with a league best 66 wins.  James is the second-youngest MVP at age 24 years and 106 days, trailing Moses Malone, who won the award in 1979 at 24 years and 16 days.

Despite heavy competition from a strong rookie class, Bulls point guard Derrick Rose was a runaway winner today in the voting for the NBA’s Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the 2008-09 T-Mobile Rookie of the Year.

Rose was officially presented with the award at a news conference at a North Shore hotel. He also will be presented with it again before Game 3 of the Bulls’ first-round series with the Boston Celtics on Thursday night at the United Center. Commissioner David Stern is expected to be on hand for the honor.

Chicago Times

Early this season, the Orlando Magic center was talking to Patrick Ewing and Dikembe Mutombo. The once great big men were giving Howard some tips, and Mutombo asked him a simple question.

“He said, ‘What do you want to be remembered as, the great dunker who won the slam dunk contest with a Superman outfit on, or do you want to do something better than that?’” Howard recalled Tuesday. “I said, ‘I want to be one of the greatest players.’ And he said it starts with defense.”

Mission accomplished. Read More »

Mike Brown was named NBA coach of the year on Monday after guiding the Cleveland Cavaliers into the playoffs with a franchise-record 66 wins this season. In his fourth year with the Cavaliers, Brown received 355 points, including 55 first-place votes, in balloting by sportswriters and broadcasters in the United States and Canada.

Houston Rockets’ Rick Adelman was a distant second with 151 points, followed by Orlando Magic’s Stan Van Gundy on 150. Read More »