HoopsCorner.com Articles: 2002 HoopsCorner.com awards

H o o p s C o r n e r . c o m

HoopsCorner

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April 21, 2002

The fan favorite award

Second to none in this category, even the stadiums with the most available seats were filled. Not even the reigning league champions or MVP could fathom such feat. Without further talk...Michael Jordan

All "Green light" team

They handle the rock as they want, heave it as they want, and one of them even got to pick his whole front office.

Allen Iverson
Tracy McGrady
Gary Payton
Michael Jordan
Paul Pierce

All "jailhouse breakout" team

Elton Brand ( broke out of the cellar called Chicago)
Jason Williams (All the fourth quarter time and shots he wants)
Shareef Abdur-Rahim (A little recognition being out of the Grizzlies)
Marc Jackson (Finally got to play when he got traded to Minnesota)
Jumaine Jones (Went from a spark reserve in Philly to a regular in Cleveland)

All "short leash" team

Mitch Richmond (One of MJ's thoughest opponents 12th man a year after averaging 17pts?)
Glenn Robinson (George Karl's pet peeve)
Marc Jackson (With the Warriors seating was his employment)
Penny Hardaway (Gets no respect from coach Frank Johnson)
Jalen Rose (You know it's sad when the person you idolized couldn't appreciate your game)

All "injured list" team

Theo Ratliff
Grant Hill
Antonio McDyess
Marcus Camby
Jamal Mashburn
Glen Rice (6th man)

Most improved player

Wally Sczerbiak

Sixth man of the year

Bobby Jackson

All "Thugs R Us" (TRU) team

Shaquille O'neal
Kobe Bryant
Reggier Miller
Kenyon Martin
Brad Miller

All "I can still kick butt" team

Last year this was a list of coaches who can still ball, this year it's a roster of the best ballers over 35 who can still stick it to the young guys.

Reggie Miller
Michael Jordan
Karl Malone
John Stockton
Dikembe Mutombo

Rookie of the year

Pau gasol

Executive of the year

As long as the Lakers are legitimate title contenders with Shaq and Kobe in the lineup this award should go to Jerry West. Since it's supposed to go to an active member of the NBA community, Rod Thorn of the Nets is our man.

All "Public Relations" team

This one goes to the ones who helped anchor some the biggest moves of the season by convincing others to join their party. The person they swayed is in parenthesis.

Vince Carter (Raptors' free agents)
Maloofs (Chris Webber)
Michael Jordan (Michael Jordan, Doug Collins)
Nets management (Todd Mculloch)
Bucks management (Anthony Mason: maybe another ball handler wasn't the best for team chemistry)

MVP

What was to be in 1999 has now been accomplished (at least on HoopsCorner.com) Tim Duncan is this team's pulse, quiet persona yet the squad's emotional leader. Kidd is amazing and his team wins, but he was not the single best individual performer most nights. Last year Iverson was and before that Shaq was.

Defensive Player

Dikembe Mutombo seemed to have slowed down near the end of the season, but Ben Wallace played Big all the time, putting a Body on anyone who dared enter the paint. It wouldn't have mattered either if Mutombo was in peak gear the whole time.

All NBA teams:

First-

Tim Duncan
Shaquille O'neal
Tracy McGrady
Jason Kidd
Paul Pierce

Second -

Chris Webber
Vlade Divac
Jerry Stackhouse
Kobe Bryant
Dirk Nowitzki

Third -

Dikembe Mutombo
Allen Iverson
Kevin Garnett
Vince Carter
Gary Payton

Most Underachieved team

First George Karl mouths off on his team, then his small forward and later, a few of his peers. Like the saying goes good things happen to good people. Those outburst don't necessarily reflect a man who gets warm and fuzzy about others' acomplishments. All the Milwaukee Bucks got from their coach's issues is distraction, unnecessary attention and plenty of vacation time to resolve their problems. Milwaukee out of the playoffs? Who would have thought of it!

Best of the best

He might have not been the most outstanding player in the league, but Chris Webber is undeniably the best player on the best squad.

Hidden jewel

We read and heard it many times, and we will now say it ourselves, "Somebody please get Andre Miller a real team to run". He lead the league in assists and if you consider who his cast his, it's quite an accomplishment. The best least known player in the league.

Vindicated team

New Jersey Nets

Vindicated player

Jerry Stackhouse

Beloved thug

We wouldn't agree with every action he took or decisions he's made, but Charles Oakley doesn't just babble on for no reason. A little too outspoken but his claims don't have dead ends to them.

Golden Shovel

It's hard to have sympathy on someone who steps up to you and claims he won't try to change for the better. Dennis Rodman had already won rings, Bill Laimbeer was a savvy veteran, for Karl Malone the Jazz do have loyal die-hard fans, but the Nets comparatively do not have fans and have just gained a little credibility. With fouls cheaper than K-Mart specials, a hard head and an empty prize shelf, it's Kenyon Martin.

All rookie team

Richard Jefferson
Shane Battier
Pau Gasol
Eddie Griffin
Tony Parker

Coach of the year

Rick Carlisle

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