Slam Dunk: Blake Griffin Honored as NBA's Rookie of the Year

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Clippers stud Blake Griffin was unanimously named the NBA's top rookie on Wednesday. The 6'10" forward single-handedly flipped the Clips to ESPN's nightly highlight reel from being the embarrassment of L.A., even managing to sellout a number of games at Staples Center (and not just when opposing the Lakers).

Griffin awed us all season with his powerhouse dunks (and no, we're not referring to the Kia ad that won him the slam dunk contest), turning the Clippers into a likeable, often exciting team to watch.

On paper, however, the results were similar to last season (and the one before that and before that) as the Clippers finished the season with only 30 wins and 52 losses. But as hometown fans can appreciate - at least the team finished with a winning record at Staples Center.

Griffin started all 82 games this season after sitting out all of 2009-2010 with a busted knee. He averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds per game.