I always use “valuable” as the operative word when voting for the Most Valuable Player, and that is the reason why I have cast my ballot this season for Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers. It came down to a decision between Paul and LeBron James, and as impressed as I have been with LeBron’s focus, determination and across-the-board improvement in every statistical category except assists, I do not see him as a valuable closer when he is paired with
We’re gonna go out on a limb and say the artist formerly known as Ron Artest won’t be repeating as winner of the Citizenship Award. But what of the NBA’s other season-ending awards? Our winners are below, replete with the customary snotty remarks. EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR: Indiana’s Larry Bird turned the Pacers into a borderline elite team, with offseason additions David West and George Hill and in-season addition Leandro Barbosa, adding needed playoff experience. He also preserved his cap room for this
I have been an MVP voter for the past six years, and it remains to be seen whether my departure from the mainstream media will impact my chances of casting a vote for the seventh straight season (When I was the NBA writer at the Associated Press for 10 years prior to my six at ESPN, we were not permitted to vote — the same rule writers at the New York Times have to follow). The guy who sends out the
NEW YORK –The Chicago Bulls’ Tom Thibodeau and the San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich each were named Coach of the Month for the second time this season, winning the award for games played in March. Thibodeau led the Bulls to a league-best 13-3 (.813) record including a league-leading 6-0 mark on the road, holding opponents to a league-low 43 percent shooting. Thibodeau recorded his 100th career win on March 19 at Orlando (86-59), his 131st game as head coach, becoming the fastest coach
There aren’t many fringe benefits that come with a 66-game schedule, but one cool quirk is that All-Star Weekend is splitting the season almost exactly in half. When the Lakers and Thunder wrap things up late Thursday night, all but six teams will have played half their games as the league takes a four-day break in Orlando, where the forecast is less than ideal. Speaking of less than ideal forecasts, below are our midseason award winners, delivered with the complete understanding that “they
In a major upset, the coaches of the teams that won the most games in the season’s first month were named NBA Coaches of the Month. The league announced Wednesday that Tom Thibodeau of the Chicago Bulls and Scott Brooks of the Oklahoma City Thunder were January’s recipients. Thibodeau was Coach of the Year last season. He actually had to do some serious juggling with his roster as the Bulls were hit hard by injuries. Nevertheless, Chicago sped to the top of
// You received a sampling of my NBA picks yesterday in this video I produced for the CineSport network, and today the U.S.-based columnists from SheridanHoops.com are adding their voices. So without further ado, here are our guys’ picks for Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, Coach of the Year, Eastern Conference championb, Western Conference champion and NBA champion: JAN HUBBARD MVP: Chris Paul Rookie of the Year: Kemba Walker Most Improved: DeAndre Jordan Coach of the Year: Gregg Popovich East champs: Miami