Awards not won

Happy Monday morning. I trust you got out an enjoyed the sun this weekend. No worries if you didn't, it'll be back in two weeks.

Onto business. Unfortunately we've got some bad news for you this morning: Brandon Roy did not win the NBA Sportsmanship Award and LaMarcus Aldridge (reportedly) won't win the Most Improved Player Award. Bummer.

But then again, it's impressive that both Roy and Aldridge were in the running for each award. Roy finished third in the Sportsmanship voting behind winner Grant Hill and runner-up Shane Battier. And it's not a complete loss for Brandon either; the NBA is donating $10,000 in Roy's name to the Lenny Wilkens Foundation, whose goal is to provide access to quality healthcare and the opportunity to receive a competitive education.

As far as LaMarcus is concerned, not sure where he ended in the MIP voting, but I figure he has to be in the top three. Turkoglu's improvement this year has been undeniable, though some have questioned whether bestowing the honor to a veteran in his eighth year is really honoring the spirit of the award.

Congrats to both Brandon and LaMarcus for even being in the conversations regarding sportsmanship and improvement. You can't win them all.