Man in the middle
New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler has won the voting for the 2011-2012 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award according to Y! Sports Mark J. Spears, halting Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard’s streak of winning the award at three years. Chandler finished third in the voting last season before winning the award this year.
Chandler joined the Knicks in free agency during the off-season after helping the Dallas Mavericks win the 2011 NBA Championship. Chandler’s defensive presence in the paint was key in the Knicks improvement from 27th in the NBA in defense 2010-2011 to 11th this season.
With Chandler at center, the Knicks improved from giving up 105.7 ppg in 2011 to only allowing 94.7 this year. Chandler finished the season with averages of 11.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg and 1.4 blocks in 62 games.
-ALR
