From LATimes.com:

Derrick Rose was the runaway winner of the NBA rookie of the year award, with 111 of 120 first-place votes for 574 total points. The Chicago Bulls breakout star is playing in his hometown after a standout college career at Memphis.

The next five rookies all have a California connection.

Former USC star O.J. Mayo was runner-up with five first-place votes and 127 points. He currently plays for Memphis (the NBA version, of course).

New Jersey’s Brook Lopez was third with 127 points and was a sensation at Stanford.

Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder came in fourth. The former UCLA Bruin was the only other player to receive first-place votes — both he and Lopez earned a pair.

The Clippers’ Eric Gordon finished fifth.

Another local college star, UCLA’s Kevin Love, finished sixth. The Minnesota  [Note: incorrectly said Memphis previously] rookie probably had the best marketing campaign.

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