Robin's season in Phoenix wasn't too bright. He played in only 60 games despite flawless health; in those contests, he averaged only 10 minutes a game. His campaign ended with per-game averages of three points and two rebounds. Not exactly awards material ...
... which means that in all likelihood one of the voters -- a fraternity of writers and broadcasters -- meant to vote for Robin's twin, Brook, who ended up in third place in balloting. As far as I know, the ballot isn't a "fill in the bubble" affair -- you write in the names. Some voter really can't keep the Lopez brothers straight. (Hat-tip to Phoenix Stan.)
It's been a forgone conclusion for awhile, but on Wednesday it became official: Derrick Rose is the NBA's 2009 Rookie of the Year. He received the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy during a press conference earlier this afternoon.
There were several impressive rookies this year but Rose was the run-away winner of the award, receiving 111 of a possible 120 first-place votes; O.J. Mayo (five first place votes), Brook Lopez (two) and Russell Westbrook (two) accounted for the rest.
It's trophy time in the NBA, and the FanHouse crew has submitted its ballots. Find out which players deserve to take home the hardware and which ones don't, in our NBA Awards series. Next up: Rookie of the Year.
Coming into the season, most projected the rookie of the Year race to be fairly hotly contested between Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley, the top two picks in the NBA draft. But it wasn't: while Beasley spent time learning to contribute coming off the bench, Rose became one of the leaders on a team that made its way back to the playoffs. As such, the young Bull was our unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year honors.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
Toronto is still alive in the Eastern Conference. Fifteen games under .500, hanging on a thread for the past week, 14th place in the conference ... and alive. And so long as the Raptors keep beating the opponents in their way, they will remain alive.
Andrea Bargnani did some heavy lifting Saturday against the Knicks, racking up 23 points and seven rebounds. Chris Bosh helped with 17/13, Shawn Marion handled business with 12/13 and Quincy Douby had a True Shooting percentage of 100%!
Kevin Garnett will miss another game, which adds a ready-made excuse for the Celtics in case of a loss, and could -- in TV-analyst speak -- put a ton of pressure on the Cavaliers. If, after all, the Cavs can't win in Boston (where they've dropped six straight) with K.G. missing, how can the team expect to get a postseason victory there?
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
Indiana golden boy Troy Murphy had himself a devastating effort in Sacramento, scoring on deep shots, uncontested lay-ups and one particularly wicked reverse baseline jam. Yes, Troy Murphy, wicked reverse baseline jam. It's true. It happened. I saw it. (YouTube wants to hide the truth.)
All told, Murphy tore apart the Kings to the tune of 23 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks. Murph threatens to rip the fabric of the NBA if he keeps this nonsense up.
We already knew there was a geeky side to the Nets' Brook Lopez, after seeing him in attendance at one of the nation's largest comic book conventions. But in this post-game interview (via Awful Announcing; Lopez's bit starts at 0:20) where he talks about Devin Harris' game-winner over the disbelieving Sixers, Lopez really takes it to a whole new level. Just ... wow.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
New Doing Lines rule: if you're a rookie who tosses up 24 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks, you get the highlight.
New Jersey's Brook "THIS IS SO BORING" Lopez did just that against the ailing Philadelphia 76ers Saturday night. Opposing center Samuel Dalembert wasn't expected to play with a sprained ankle; as it was, Sam played only 15 minutes. In sub work, Elton Brand was a bit awful, inefficient and saddled with foul trouble.
There have been long-lasting rumors that Charlotte killed a potential 2007 trade that would have sent then-Wolf Kevin Garnett to Golden State by picking Brandan Wright instead of Al Thornton at #8 in the '07 draft. (Details after the jump.) But chaos is a tradition for the 'Cats. Dave D'Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger has the story of Charlotte's 2008 draft day adventures.
Last June 26, the Charlotte Bobcats were on the clock at No. 9, and they made it clear to [Brook] Lopez's representatives that he was their choice. That was confirmed by several agents who were in touch with one of Lopez's agents -- B.J. Armstrong, the former Bulls guard, who went ballistic as soon as the Bobs turned around and picked point guard D.J. Augustin instead. [...]
"It was a pretty big shock. I said, 'I feel like Brady Quinn,'" Lopez recalled, referring to the Cleveland Browns' quarterback who slipped in the 2007 NFL Draft. "I'm sure Brady heard about me saying that -- I'm afraid to meet him now. But I'm glad how it ended up. I feel lucky the way it turned out."
And through the magic of time travel (or something), we are all lucky enough to relive the Brook Lopez Draft Experience.
Hey, it's the first day. It's the Summer League. It was one game. The first game. Of the Summer League. It's a long week, a long season, a long career. And I'm going to doubt any of that makes Chicago fans that were paying attention to the first day of the NBA's Orlando Summer League feel better, or Miami fans feel worse about today's little exhibition.
Michael Beasley was, in a word, brilliant. 28 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block in 22 minutes. He could have been playing against D-Leaguers, the Harlem Globetrotters, or Mrs. Wormtail's second grade class, those are some slick numbers. That he did it against No.1 overall pick Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls, in the midst of a 94-70 whupping made it all the more emphatic. The Heat dominated this game, even as Chicago started Rose, Joakim Noah, and Tyrus Thomas, who you may recognize as starters and heavy rotation guys. Not exactly a pretty start, even if its easy to brush off, given the absurd context of the Magic's practice facility in a meaningless exhibition in which D-League MVP Kasib Powell scored 15 and Keith Langford and Demetris Nichols led the Bulls. Beasley's game was in full effect today, as he worked his mid-range, long-range, post-work, and driving abilities. In a league that's meant to be used as a scrimmage clinic, Beasley put on one.
The biggest surprise in Rookie of the Year balloting wasn't (sniveling) Kevin Love's low placement (sixth) -- it was Suns rook Robin Lopez earning a second-place vote.
It's been a forgone conclusion for awhile, but on Wednesday it became official: 
It's trophy time in the NBA, and the FanHouse crew has submitted its ballots. Find out which players deserve to take home the hardware and which ones don't, in our 
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." 
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." 
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." 
Hey, it's the first day. It's the Summer League. It was one game. The first game. Of the Summer League. It's a long week, a long season, a long career. And I'm going to doubt any of that makes Chicago fans that were paying attention to the first day of the NBA's Orlando Summer League feel better, or Miami fans feel worse about today's little exhibition. 
