Congratulations to LeBron James on winning his third MVP award. Now go win a title. Seriously. Neither of us is getting any younger. As avid readers of this site are aware, I cast my MVP vote for Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers, for reasons stated in this column. Five other voters agreed with me from a cast of 121 voters — sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada, as well as an NBA.com MVP fan vote. James collected 85 first-place votes. Kevin
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
NEW YORK — My MVP ballot is sitting on my desk, not yet filled in. I have until 3 p.m. EDT Friday to send it off to Ernst and Young, the accounting firm that has been hired to tabulate the election results (anti-leak strategy?). As of Thursday afternoon, I am still trying to make up my mind as to who I will vote first, second, third, fourth and fifth. Somehow I get the feeling that LeBron James is going to be the winner
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
So it looks like control of the Pacific Division will indeed be at stake Wednesday night when the Lakers and Clippers meet at the Staples Center for the fourth and final time this season. The primary reason why is the Clippers’ six-game winning streak that has moved them within a game of the Lakers entering Tuesday night’s games (which include the Lakers playing the Jersey Juggernauts). And the primary singular reason for the Clips’ surge is none other than Chris Paul, who
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
// 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