Ricky Rubio, Derrick Williams Each Named To NBA's All-Rookie Teams

All 30 NBA head coaches have spoken, and Minnesota's pair of standout rookies, Ricky Rubio and Derrick Williams, have each been selected to 2012 NBA All-Rookie Teams.

Rubio, who was given first team honors, was listed on 21 of 30 first team ballots, and only Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving (29 of 30) received more votes. Rubio becomes the seventh Minnesota rookie to make the first team, following in the footsteps of former Timberwolves point guards Randy Foye and Stephon Marbury.

Williams, the only Minnesota player to see the floor in all 66 games this year, received the 11th highest point total by the rookie scoring system and therefore picked up second team honors. Williams was actually listed on the first team by two coaches, but missed the cut by a significant margin.

Check out a full list of the first and second team selections and the voting breakdown after the jump..

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by Dave Ryan • May 22, 2012 6:23 PM CDT

Minnesota Vikings Announce Signings Of Six Draft Picks

The Minnesota Vikings might have gotten into the draft pick signing game a bit late compared to their NFC North rivals. . .they did have a couple of other things going on, after all. . .but now that they've gotten started, they've wasted no time getting their 2012 Draft Class under contract.

The Vikings have signed six of their ten draft picks, according to the folks at the Minnesota Vikings' official website. The team has inked the following players:

-Arkansas wide receiver Jarius Wright (4th round)
-Arkansas wide receiver Greg Childs (4th round)
-Notre Dame defensive back Robert Blanton (5th round)
-Georgia kicker Blair Walsh (6th round)
-North Carolina State linebacker Audie Cole (7th round)
-California defensive lineman Trevor Guyton (7th round)

The signings of Guyton and Cole, which were announced earlier in the day, were four-year signings, and it's believed that the other four signings from today are also four-year deals.

That means the Vikings still have four picks remaining to get under contract. Both of their first round picks, USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil and Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith, need to be signed. The Vikings also need to agree to deals with Central Florida cornerback Josh Robinson, their third-round pick, and another of their fourth-round picks, USC tight end Rhett Ellison.

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by Christopher Gates • May 22, 2012 2:58 PM CDT

Drew Butera Is Basically The Minnesota Twins' Best Player

The Minnesota Twins don't have a lot of bright spots on the roster right now, but Drew Butera is looking to change that. The third-year Twin might not yet be No. 1 in the hearts of the Minnesota faithful, but that could soon be changing.

Okay, that probably isn't changing ... but he is leading the team in more categories than one would expect following his surprise relief appearance over the weekend.

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by Scott Schroeder • May 22, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

NBA Playoffs: LeBron James Is Trying To Pull A Kirby Puckett, Columnist Says

LeBron James is quite possibly the best all-around basketball on planet Earth and, perhaps consequently, also one of the most hated players in the NBA. Kirby Puckett was a very good player on a player on a pair of the World Series teams the Minnesota Twins put together back in what we will call the Glory Days.

It's still weird to see Pioneer Press columnist Bob Sansevere compare the two, however, as he did on Monday.

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by Scott Schroeder • May 22, 2012 8:01 AM CDT