04/25/24
April 08, 2002
Kidd for MVP? How about The Truth, Paul Pierce?:
Hey, J-Kidd is the best point guard in the league, and a great MVP candidate, but how about Paul Pierce of the 45-32 Boston Celtics? This guy kills everybody, including the Nets (remember his 46-point second half in December?) and leads the NBA in points in the fourth quarter. He had 32 Sunday night against NJ and is third in the league with 26.5 PPG. Pierce is also good for 7 rebounds, 3 assists and almost 2 steals a night. And he shoots the three at just over 40%. People need to start including Pierce when they talk about Vince (Raps are 8-0 without him), T-Mac (disappears in the fourth) and Iverson...
And while we're at it, what about Jim O'Brien for Coach of the Year? If you think Kidd is the MVP than the Nets turnaround can't be solely attributed to Byron Scott. As this writer points out, O'Brien turned around essentially the same Celtics team. Scott dumped Marbury and added Kidd. No wonder they're better this year.
posted by Conquistador to basketball at 10:54 AM - 3 comments
How can you not consider Rick Carlisle in Detroit for coach of the year? When Bird retired as coach for the Pacers, I was not happy about the possibility of having Carlisle (then the assistant) as the new head coach. Rick who? I thought. Now I know. Pistons have a decent team of athletes, but they are not that much better than any other team in the East (in fact, talent-wise, they are far worse than some teams). But they are in second place.
posted by jacknose at 03:00 PM on April 08, 2002
It's Carlisle or O'Brien for CoY, and I love the Pistons, but it really should go to O'Brien. That situation could have easily become a huge ugly meltdown ruining careers left and right. But, they righted the ship, I don't think we can give them too much credit for their decent record, because it's patently obvious that this is the worst year for the Eastern Conference since...who knows? I hate to say it but being the best team in the East is kind of like being the leading scorer for the Denver Nuggets. Byron Scott is a great coach. The Nets run his system to perfection and the Nets are distinct from every other team in the NBA with their style.
posted by pastepotpete at 06:59 PM on April 08, 2002
I think the Celtics need to make a playoff run before anyone notices Paul. He's hampered by the fact that he's playing in the East, home of talented 2s and 3s -- so at first glance, he kind of blends in with the rest. If the Celtics make some noise in the playoffs this year, people will start to realize why. But Paul should definitely be considered as an MVP candidate. As for O'Brien -- hard to say. He deserves some votes. On the other hand, if I were voting for a Coach of the Year it'd be Dick Harter.