The All-Star Blake Griffin is set to be named Rookie of the Year - NBA Update
According to a National Basketball Association source which does not hold the authority to speak publically, the Los Angeles Clippers influential forward Blake Griffin will be honoured with the NBA Rookie of the Year award on Wednesday.
Los Angeles Clippers announced a news conference on Tuesday to present this major award to the superstar Griffin as the sources revealed privately.
The 6ft 10in Griffin had one of the best rookie seasons in the history of the league with an average of 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists. The high-flying recruit from Oklahoma became the first player to sweep the entire season by sealing Rookie
of the Month awards since New Orleans Hornets’ points guard Chris Paul carried out this feat during 2005-06.
After securing a spot in the Western Conference All-Star team 2011 in his first professional year, Blake also became the first All-Star rookie in eight years followed by the Houston Rockets’ big man Yao Ming in 2003.
Blake sat out all 82 games in the year he was drafted after having a surgery as a result of a knee injury in the final pre-season meeting. However the prolific forward made a strong come-back in the 2010-11 season, and led the proceedings in the franchise
single-handedly
"I think the thing that was most pleasing to me was playing and starting in all 82 games. Just that experience alone will help me going forward, but also being out there every single time was a blast," Griffin said.
Griffin is incredibly dominant on both the ends of the court and also proved that he is the best dunker in the league by clinching the Slam Dunk Contest in front of the home crowd at the Staples Centre. He startled the spectators with a blistering dunk shot
while flying over a car that placed him right on the top in the contest.
Blake’s sheer dominance and exceptional scoring performances throughout the season virtually locked the Rookie of the Year award a couple of months before. Clippers’ veteran coach Vinny Del Negro was positively confident on his superstar and said on April
13, "If someone doesn't vote for Blake, they haven't watched a lot of basketball."
Griffin’s terrific play ended him as the fourth leading rebounder and 12th leading scorer in the league followed by 63 double-doubles. The 22-year-old Griffin will be the first player in the franchise history to nab the award since the Clippers
moved to Los Angeles in 1984.
Although, the Clippers finished the 2010-11 NBA season among the weakest teams in the league, however the spirited Griffin kept the fans on their toes throughout the period and the award will definitely cheer up his admirers.
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