In a somewhat unusual development, Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler was nowhere to be found on the NBA's All-Defensive first team when voting results were released today. The Knicks center made the second team, joined by Luol Deng, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, and Kobe Bryant. Dwight Howard beat out Chandler at the center position for a spot on the first team, alongside Chris Paul, Tony Allen, LeBron James, and Serge Ibaka. Members of the media vote for awards, while the All-NBA teams are voted on by head coaches, which explains the Defensive Player of the Year's absence from the first team.
Let's round up a few more of today's Knicks updates….
- The Knicks will announce a new contract for coach Mike Woodson no later than Thursday, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Woodson is expected to receive a three- or four-year contract, Isola adds.
- New York could be targeting Syracuse guard Scoop Jardine with its second-round pick in next month's draft, says Marc Berman of the New York Post. The Knicks are "desperate" to draft a guard for depth, according to Berman.
- In past years, the Knicks could have dangled $3MM for a late first-round pick to make up for trading their own first-rounder. However, as Berman points out, the new CBA dictates that teams can't trade more than $3MM in deals in a single year, and the Knicks reached that limit as part of the Tyson Chandler blockbuster.