Official 2009 All-NBA Teams

2009 all-nba teams

LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 2008-09 Most Valuable Player, was a unanimous selection to the 2008-09 All-NBA First Team, the NBA announced today. Joining James on the First Team are Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat.

James, who earns First Team honors for the second straight season, ranked second in the NBA in scoring (28.4 ppg), eighth in steals (1.69 spg) and 10th in assists (7.2 apg) to go along with averages of 7.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. James guided the Cavaliers to a franchise-best 66-16 record overall and a 39-2 mark at home, both tops in the league. James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month four times (November, January, March, April), tying Kevin Garnett (2003-04) as the only players to receive the award four times in one season since the NBA began voting for Eastern and Western Conference Player of the Month separately.

Bryant, the 2007-08 Most Valuable Player, finished third in the league in scoring (26.8 ppg), while averaging 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists. Bryant led the Lakers to a Western Conference-best 65-17 record. Bryant earns his fourth straight First Team selection and seventh overall. Among active players, only Tim Duncan (nine) and Shaquille O’Neal (eight) have more First Team selections.

Howard, an All-NBA First Team selection for the second consecutive season, led the NBA in rebounding (13.8 rpg) and blocks (2.9 bpg), becoming only the fourth player to pace the league in both categories since 1973-74, the first season where blocks were kept as an official statistic. Howard led the Magic in scoring (20.6 ppg), while shooting .572 from the field. His 63 double-doubles ranked second in the league (David Lee, New York, 65).

Earning his fourth First Team selection, Nowitzki was the league’s fourth-leading scorer (25.9 ppg), while also averaging 8.4 rebounds. His .890 free throw percentage ranked seventh overall. Nowitzki finished the season by scoring at least 20 points in 25 straight games, the longest such streak in the NBA this season.

Wade earns his first All-NBA First Team selection after ranking first in scoring (30.2 ppg), second in steals (1.7 spg) and eighth in assists (6.7 apg). He also averaged 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. Wade became only the fifth player in league history to reach 2,000 points, 500 assists, and 150 steals in a single season, as well as the only player under 6-foot, 4-inches to register 100 blocks since they became an official stat in the 1973-74 season.

The All-NBA Second Team consists of New Orleans’ Chris Paul and Portland’s Brandon Roy at guard, San Antonio’s Tim Duncan and Boston’s Paul Pierce at forward, and Houston’s Yao Ming at center.

The All-NBA Third Team includes Denver’s Chauncey Billups and San Antonio’s Tony Parker at guard, Denver’s Carmelo Anthony and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Pau Gasol at forward, and Phoenix’s Shaquille O’Neal at center.

The All-NBA Teams were chosen by a panel of 122 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The media voted for All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.

Other players receiving votes, with point totals (first team votes in parentheses): Deron Williams, Utah, 105; Kevin Garnett, Boston, 72; Chris Bosh, Toronto, 56; Joe Johnson, Atlanta, 36, Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City, 34; Danny Granger, Indiana, 25; David West, New Orleans, 12; Mo Williams, Cleveland, 10; Al Jefferson, Minnesota, 8; Steve Nash, Phoenix, 7; Antawn Jamison, Washington, 7; Ray Allen, Boston, 6; Nene, Denver, 6; Devin Harris, New Jersey, 5; LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland, 4; David Lee, New York, 4; Rajon Rondo, Boston, 2; Vince Carter, New Jersey, 1; Paul Millsap, Utah, 1; O.J. Mayo, Memphis, 1; Mehmet Okur, Utah, 1; Jermaine O’Neal, Miami, 1; Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando, 1; Derrick Rose, Chicago, 1; Caron Butler, Washington, 1; Carlos Boozer, Utah, 1; Andre Miller, Philadelphia, 1; Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia, 1.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

NCAAP to honor Clippers owner Donald Sterling

The Los Angeles Times (Jerry Crowe) reports: Clippers owner Donald Sterling, accused of racism and embracing a “vision of a Southern plantation-type structure” in a lawsuit filed in February by Elgin Baylor, will be given a lifetime achievement award next week by the NAACP. . . . Leon Jenkins, president of the Los Angeles branch of the civil rights organization, says of the much-maligned Sterling, “He has a unique history of giving to the children of L.A.,” revealing that the owner donates anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 tickets a game to youth groups for nearly every Clippers home game. . . . Noting that the NAACP had made plans to honor Sterling before Baylor filed suit, Jenkins says, “We can’t speak to the allegations, but what we do know is that for the most part [Sterling] has been very, very kind to the minority youth community.” . . . Baylor didn’t mention that.

Chris Andersen OK for Game 5

The Denver Post reports: Forward Chris Andersen has had perhaps the best season of his career, but in this series he may have moved to the category of “indispensable.” He is the Nuggets’ most effective defender against Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, and never was that more apparent than Monday night. Andersen missed the game with a bout of food poisoning and Nowitzki went berserk, scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter and 44 points total in Dallas’ 119-117 victory. Asked if he would be ready for tonight, Andersen said, “I’m going to have a really large storage of energy.”

Lakers bounce back to beat Rockets 118-78

The AP reports: Kobe Bryant needed only three quarters to score 26 points and the Los Angeles Lakers bounced back from their Game 4 flop, routing the Houston Rockets 118-78 on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals. The top-seeded Lakers did everything they didn’t do in Sunday’s 99-87 loss at Houston—hustled, rebounded and played tight defense on Houston’s smaller lineup, keeping Aaron Brooks in check and limiting wide-open shots. On Sunday the Lakers trailed by 29 points. On Tuesday night, they had a 29-point lead by late in the second quarter, on a 3-pointer by Bryant, who led seven Lakers in double figures… Pau Gasol had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Andrew Bynum 14 points, Trevor Ariza 13 and Jordan Farmar 12. Lamar Odom and Josh Powell had 10 apiece. Brooks was held to 14 points after scoring a career-high 34 on Sunday. Ron Artest had a horrible night shooting, 4-of-15 for nine points. The Rockets shot only 32 percent.

Fan discussion of the game took place in this forum topic.

Celtics rally for Game 5 victory over Magic

The AP reports: “I’m playing basketball this year. For me, that was enough,” Stephon Marbury said Tuesday night after scoring all of his 12 points in the final quarter to help Boston rally from a 14-point deficit and beat the Orlando Magic 92-88… Ray Allen’s 3-pointer with 1:20 left gave Boston its first lead since midway through the first quarter, and the Celtics took a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals with a chance to close it out in Game 6 in Orlando on Thursday night. Dwight Howard had 12 points and 17 rebounds for the Magic, who did not hit a basket after opening a 10-point lead with 5:39 to play. It didn’t help that, on one of the only times the Orlando defense played well, the officials ruled that Rajon Rondo’s apparent airball hit the rim and gave Boston a fresh 24-second clock with 37 seconds to play… Paul Pierce had 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and Game 4 hero Glen “Big Baby” Davis scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter. Davis also grabbed the rebound and hit a pair of free throws after Howard intentionally missed a free throw with 5.9 seconds left.

Fan discussion of the game took place in this forum topic.

Danny Granger wins Most Improved Player

danny granger wins nba most improved player award

Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers is the winner of the 2008-09 NBA Most Improved Player Award, the NBA announced today. The annual award is presented to a player who has made a significant improvement from the previous season.

Granger received 364 of a possible 605 points, including 48 first-place votes, from a panel of 121 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The New Jersey Nets’ Devin Harris finished second with 339 points (43 first-place votes), followed by Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder with 83 points (six first-place votes). Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third place vote received.

In his fourth year, Granger was the league’s fifth leading scorer, averaging a career-high 25.8 points – 6.2 points higher than 2007-08 (19.6 ppg) and 9.4 points above his career average (16.4 ppg) – and becoming the first player in NBA history to raise his scoring average by at least five points in three consecutive seasons. Granger also averaged 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists. The 6-9 forward led the Pacers in scoring in 49 of the 67 games he played, including 13 of their final 14 games. In his last 14 games, Granger shot 43-of-96 (.448) from three-point range and his 182 three-pointers made this season rank third all time in Pacer’s history.

Mavs avoid sweep at hands of Nuggets

The AP reports: Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs awoke from their early-game slumber with rally after rally, getting close or even tied yet unable to get ahead until the former MVP made a tough, high-arching shot with 1:05 left. Having worked so hard for the lead, they weren’t about to give it back, pulling out a 119-117 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night to avoing being swept… Carmelo Anthony scored a career playoff-best 41 points and snagged five steals. He was the one turning away most Dallas rallies and made a 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds left that got Denver within a point. Yet when Mavericks guard Jason Terry intentionally missed a free throw with 1.1 ticks left, Anthony was out of answers. He got the rebound, but couldn’t stop the clock and didn’t even have time to try a 90-foot heave… “We’ve been fighting and fighting this whole series,” said Mavs forward Josh Howard, who had 21 points and 11 rebounds on two bad ankles… “They’re allowed to be fans, but when it gets personal, it goes over the top,” said Denver’s Chauncey Billups, who had 24 points and seven assists.

James scores 27 as Cavs win 84-74, sweep Hawks

The AP reports: LeBron James went with his Magic impression in the deciding game of another playoff sweep. While failing to match his offensive explosion in Game 3, the league’s MVP scored 27 points and got his teammates involved as the Cleveland Cavaliers finished off the Atlanta Hawks 84-74 Monday night to win the second-round series in four straight. Delonte West and Mo Williams showed Cleveland isn’t just a one-man squad, hitting huge shots down the stretch as the Cavaliers extended their NBA-record streak of double-digit playoff wins to eight in a row. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao pounded the boards, leading the Cavaliers to another big rebounding edge… West scored 21 points, while Williams made four 3-pointers to account for his 12 points. Ilgauskas had 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Varejao seemed to get his hand on every miss, picking up seven of his 11 rebounds at the offensive end… Josh Smith led Atlanta with 26 points, but the Hawks were doomed by a miserable shooting night—23 of 73 from the field to finish at 31.5 percent. Joe Johnson added 18 points but made just 7 of 18 shots. Mike Bibby scored his only points on a 3-pointer in the final quarter. Flip Murray kept putting it up, but made only 4 of 15 for 14 points.

Warriors name Larry Riley GM; Chris Mullin gone

The Golden State Warriors announced today that the club has elected not to renew the contract of Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin.  In a related move, the team has named Larry Riley as the club’s new General Manager.

“It’s never an easy decision to make a change,” said Warriors’ President Robert Rowell.  “This case is compounded by the fact it involves Chris Mullin — someone who has provided Bay Area fans with many great memories over the years, as both a player and executive.  He’s a class individual who will always be remembered for his accomplishments with the Warriors organization.”

Mullin, 45, was named Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations on April 22, 2004, and his current contract is set to expire on June 30.   He has spent the last five years in that position after spending two years as a Special Assistant with the club.   Prior to his front office tenure, Mullin spent 13 years of his 16-year NBA career with the Warriors, highlighted by five NBA All-Star Game appearances.  He retired following the 2000-01 season.

Riley, 64, has spent the last six-plus months as Assistant General Manager with the Warriors after being elevated to that position on November 7, 2008.  He originally joined the Warriors as an assistant coach prior to the 2006-07 campaign and spent his first two-plus seasons with Golden State in that capacity.

Riley has accumulated 20-plus years of NBA experience in various capacities prior to being named GM of the Warriors, including a six-year stint as Director of Player Personnel for the expansion Vancouver Grizzlies from 1994-95 to 1999-00.  The Indiana native also spent six seasons as an assistant coach/scout with the Milwaukee Bucks (1988-89 to 1993-94) and six years with the Dallas Mavericks in the same capacity (2000-01 to 2005-06).

“We think Larry Riley possesses many characteristics that will allow him to be successful as the General Manager of our team,” said Rowell.  “One of his primary strengths is his ability to work with a group of people to achieve a common goal, which his wide-ranging 20-plus years of experience at the NBA level will enable him to do on a day-to-day basis.  It is that type of experience and insight that will prove invaluable as we move forward.”

Tony DeLeo will not continue as 76ers head coach

Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski announced today that Tony DiLeo has withdrawn his name from consideration to return as head coach 2009-10 season and will return to his previous position as Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager.  Effectively immediately, the Sixers will begin an extensive search for new head coach.

“Tony and I had a meeting scheduled for this afternoon, during which time he informed me of his decision that he would not return as head coach next season,” Stefanski said. “I want to thank Tony for the commendable job he did this season under some unique and difficult circumstances, including leading us to the playoffs.”

DiLeo was named the franchise’s 22nd head coach on December 13, 2008 and he subsequently led the Sixers to a 32-27 (.542) record and the No. 6 seed in the 2009 NBA Playoffs.  DiLeo completed his 20th season with the Sixers organization and was in his fifth season as the team’s Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager prior to being named head coach.

In his role as Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager, DiLeo will again be responsible for assisting Stefanski with player procurement via his evaluation of amateur and professional talent while supervising the team’s draft efforts and overseeing the college and professional scouting systems.