As the post-season awards continue to roll out, hopeful players around the league are waiting to see if they will find themselves on the receiving end of one of these honors. On Tuesday the league announced that San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had been awarded NBA Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.
Wednesday it was revealed that New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler received the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
Chandler, who is in his first season with the Knicks, was a key member of the Dallas Mavericks team that defeated the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals last season. He joined New York after signing a lucrative free agent contract during the off-season.
The 29-year-old center averaged 11.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, and was the anchor of a much-improved defensive Knicks team.
Chandler’s Knicks are currently trailing 0-2 to the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.