Member » ute of arguably the biggest early season

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. -- There were some emotional moments and some funny stories as Joakim Noah accepted the NBAs Defensive Player of the Year award on Monday, like this one. The Chicago Bulls centre recalled a grueling workout with coach Tom Thibodeau. "I told Thibs, If we werent winning games, I would really, really hate you," he said. "And he said, Trust me, Jo, I feel the same way about you." Noah laughed. So did Thibodeau. With their drive and desire, those two are in many ways a perfect match. And when it came to this years award, it was no contest. Noah got 100 of a possible 125 first-place votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters and wound up with 555 points. Indianas Roy Hibbert (166 points, eight first-place votes) and the Los Angeles Clippers DeAndre Jordan (121 points, eight first-place votes) came in second and third, respectively. "This is very humbling to be in this situation right now," Noah said as his famous father Yannick, his mom, his sisters and brother all watched from the front row. He told coach Tom Thibodeau: "Without your system, this wouldnt be possible." The only other Bulls player to win the award was Michael Jordan in 1988. Besides joining the greatest player in franchise history, Noahs name gets added to an impressive list of centres to take the honour. It includes stars such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning, David Robinson, Dwight Howard. And now, Noah. The recognition comes after Noah helped Chicago win 48 games and earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs despite losing Derrick Rose to a season-ending knee injury and trading away Luol Deng. The Bulls won more games than any other Eastern Conference team after New Years Eve before stumbling in the post-season opener against Washington. Game 2 is Tuesday, another test for a team and a player who have passed their share. Noah had some issues with teammates and coaches after he was drafted out of Florida in 2007. But theres little question who the teams most valuable player was this season. When the Bulls looked like they might fall apart, Noah kept them together. The irony is the defensive player award comes at a time when hes getting as much praise for his ability on offence, a weakness his first few years in the league. Noah averaged career highs of 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists. Hes a focal point on offence and one of the leagues best passing big men, with the ball often being funneled through him. He also remains their anchor on defence with his ability to cover ground and rotate onto smaller players in pick-and-roll situations creates havoc for opponents. He averaged 1.5 blocks. "Its been really fun for all of his to watch him and his game evolve and grow over the years," general manager Gar Forman said. "Hes a competitor. Hes passionate. Hes intelligent and hes a leader. But along with that, what Joakim probably is is the best teammate that Ive had a chance to witness in the 16 years that Ive been with the Chicago Bulls." The recognition comes at a difficult time for Noah, whose youth basketball mentor and second father figure Tyrone Green recently died. He dedicated the award to him, recalled sleeping on his couch in the summer as a teenager and forgoing trips with his mom and sister to work on his game. Green believed he could make Noah into an NBA player even if his own father had doubts. "We were watching a game," said Yannick Noah, the former tennis star. "(Joakim) was 15 or 16 years old. Mr. Green told me, Ill get him there, well get him there. I said, Where are you gonna get him -- to the next tournament or the ABCD camp or something? And he said, No, were gonna get him there to the NBA, and I never believed that." Why not? "He was too skinny, couldnt shoot," Yannick Noah said. "He couldnt jump, couldnt do a lot of things. The only thing I knew he had was his drive." Look where it got him. Cheap College Jerseys Authentic . Interestingly, the culprits were not rookies, but well paid, experienced pros. The first gaffe came in the 24th minute of arguably the biggest early season MLS game in history between Seattle and Toronto. Sounder newcomer Marco Pappa, (with over 100 MLS games, and 39 Guatemalan Caps to his name) attempted a back pass to one of his central defenders. Cheap College Basketball Jerseys .com) - Manu Ginobili capped off a 26-point night with a go-ahead layup with 24 seconds left in overtime, with the basket giving the San Antonio Spurs a much-needed 95-93 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. http://www.jerseysncaacheap.com/. A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press the Steelers will part ways with the former Pro Bowler, a move that hardly serves as a surprise after fifth-year linebacker Jason Worilds agreed to accept a "transition player" tag last week. Wholesale NCAA Football Jerseys .Y. - For once, Clayton Kershaw was glad to see a long shutout streak end. Wholesale NCAA Jerseys . The Canadian defensive tackle suffered the injury on Monday and had tests done on Tuesday. He was a potential starter on the defensive line but head coach Mike OShea said he wasnt even thinking about the ratio when he got the news.BRANDON, Man. -- Alex Moodie stopped 39 shots as the Saskatoon Blades downed the host Brandon Wheat Kings 5-3 on Saturday in Western Hockey League play. Cory Millette, Ryan Graham, Nathan Burns and Nikita Scherbak each had a goal and an assist for the Blades (4-5-1) while Cameron Hebig added a single goal. Rene Hunter, Richard Nejezchleb and Brett Kitt supplied the offence for the Wheat Kings (5-4-0). Jordan Papirny turned away 22-of-27 shots in defeat. Saskatoon went 3 for 4 on the power play. Brandon scored once on five chances with the man advantage. Late games in the WHL included Vancouver at Swift Current, Kootenay at Medicine Hat, Kamloops at Portland, Everett at Prince George, Tri-City at Seattle and Lethbridge at Victoria. --- Hitmen 4 Raiders 3 CALGARY -- Chase Clayton scored the eventual winner and added an assist as the Hitmen edged Prince Albert. Brady Brassart, Pavel Padakin and Jake Virtanen also scored for Calgary (5-3-0). Craig Leverton, Reid Gardiner and Carson Perreaux eachh scored once for the Raiders (6-3-1) while Jayden Hart chipped in with two assists.dddddddddddd Mack Shields made 29 saves for the win. Cole Cheveldave turned aside 22 shots in defeat. --- Pats 3 Warriors 2 (SO) MOOSE JAW, Sask. -- Carter Hansen scored the winner in the eighth round of the shootout as Regina slipped past the Warriors. Morgan Klimchuk and Boston Leier scored in regulation for the Pats (4-5-0). Moose Jaw (4-4-2) got goals from Travis Brown and Jack Rodewald. Dawson MacAuley made 35 saves for the win. Justin Paulic stopped 30 shots in defeat. --- Chiefs 3 Rebels 2 RED DEER, Alta. -- Spokane scored three times in the third period to come from behind and beat the Rebels. Mike Aviani, Mitch Holmberg and Jackson Playfair scored for the Chiefs (7-2-0) while Aviani tacked on an assist for a two-point night. Haydn Fleury and Wyatt Johnson scored for Red Deer (6-5-0). Garret Hughson made 20 saves for the win as Patrik Bartosak turned away 34 shots in a losing cause. ' ' '