The 1,230-game NBA regular season ends Wednesday. The following morning, editor-in-chief Chris Sheridan will submit his ballot for the season-ending awards.
I don’t have a vote but I am hoping to influence his thought process with my choices, which are below.
If not, I am hoping I will make him laugh with my snotty remarks.
Let’s get to it.
EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR: You cannot make a case for Thunder GM Sam Presti, whose payroll-driven decision to move James Harden cannot be judged until the postseason.
You can make a case for Heat president Pat Riley, who added Ray Allen and Chris Andersen to take spread-the-floor small ball to a new level, and Knicks GM Glen Grunwald, who had the guts to turn his back on young, revenue-generating asset Jeremy Lin and start an old-folks home that looks like a title contender.
An interesting choice would be Hawks GM Danny Ferry, who somehow found a taker for Joe Johnson’s albatross of a contract and created a ton of immediate cap room while remaining a playoff team. Not moving Josh Smith at the deadline seemed a bit odd, though.
But this is really a two-horse race between Clippers GM Gary Sacks and Rockets GM Daryl Morey. Sacks loaded up on championship-hungry vets like Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, Lamar Odom and Ronny Turiaf who accepted roles and swung the balance of power in Tinseltown. However, he still has to reel in Chris Paul this summer.
The winner should be Morey, whose contract creativity landed Lin and upwardly mobile Omer Asik and correctly projected James Harden as an alpha dog who could elevate the Rockets to the playoffs – and raise their profile as a landing spot for a free agent. He has the room to sign one outright or the young players to swing a sign-and-trade.
Score one for the geek squad.
PRESEASON PICK: Mitch Kupchak. MIDSEASON PICK: Sacks.
SNOTTY REMARK: If Mark Cuban drafts Brittney Griner and lets Roddy Beaubois walk in free agency, at least the Mavericks will be tougher.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Once he stopped grumbling, Lionel Hollins of Memphis did a nice job adapting to life without Rudy Gay. But he did grumble quite audibly for about three weeks.
Mike Woodson was able to keep the Knicks thriving from the arc while mixing and matching through a thicket of injuries. Indiana’s Frank Vogel did a bit better than Chicago’s Tom Thibodeau in keeping his team viable in the absence of his star, although we all know Danny Granger isn’t Derrick Rose.
But sometimes the guy with all the horses is a pretty good trainer, too. And this is one of those times. Erik Spoelstra took the Heat’s use of small ball to a historic level, producing the best record in franchise history and a mind-bending 27-game winning streak while tuning out the attention, chatter and punditry he refers to as “noise.” Miami’s focus in the second half of the season has been unreal to watch.
PRESEASON PICK: George Karl. MIDSEASON PICK: Vogel.
SNOTTY REMARK: Bernie Bickerstaff’s 4-1 mark with the Lakers looks better every day.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Forget that Serge Ibaka and Larry Sanders have more blocks than most nursery schools. Forget the multipositional havoc wreaked by LeBron James and Andre Iguodala. Forget the perpetual presence in the passing lanes of Chris Paul and Mike Conley.
Forget Avery Bradley, Joakim Noah, Paul George, Tyson Chandler and Roy Hibbert. Instead, remember this.
LeBron James averages nearly 27 points on 56 percent shooting overall but was held to 19.0 
points on 14-of-33 shooting vs. Memphis. James Harden averages nearly 26 points on 44 percent shooting overall but was held to 21.5 points on 23-of-64 shooting vs. Memphis. And Kobe Bryant shoots 46 percent overall but shot under 41 percent vs. Memphis.
They were all matched up against Tony Allen.
PRESEASON PICK: Dwight Howard. MIDSEASON PICK: Chris Paul.
SNOTTY REMARK: Bryant might have led the league in scoring if he got to play against the Lakers’ defense.
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: In Harden, Asik and Chandler Parsons, no team had more prominent players with marked improvement than the Rockets, another reason why Morey should win Executive of the Year. But none of his players will win this award.