Updated May 11
Here's the week's playoff-caliber mail. Come strong -- or at least memorably dumb -- or don't come at all.
From: Dave S.
Can someone please explain to me how Don Nelson was not even mentioned in the discussion for Coach of the Year? They weren't expected to go anywhere. They had a wholesale change of personnel during the season. They were injury-riddled the entire year with Baron Davis, Jason Richardson and Monta Ellis missing extensive periods. They were dead and buried and after having a game stolen from them by the refs in D.C., then go to Detroit, win and go on a tear. Did anybody do a better job ... really? B-Diddy should be discussed for MVP, too, IMHO.
I know IMHO to mean "in my humble opinion," not "in my horribly biased observation." Nelson did a great job, but did he produce a 20-win turnaround and win a division? No, Sam Mitchell did. Jerry Sloan captured his division, Avery Johnson won 67 games, and Jeff Van Gundy did the best coaching job of his career. That's why Nellie wasn't mentioned. The competition was too stiff. As for your Baron comment, that doesn't even deserve a response.
From: Tyler H.
I had a question on what you think the Timberwolves should do with Kevin Garnett? Do you think the Timberwolves can an impact player at the No. 6 or 7 spot in the draft? I would love to see a team like the Cavs trade for K.G., what are your thoughts on that? Thanks, Tony.
They should, but past history indicates they'll find a way to muck it up. Minnesota's best bet is to luck out and grab one of the top two picks. Not even the Timberwolves front office would be able to screw that up.
From: Tariq
Hello Tony, I enjoyed your article on the regular-season awards, and I can't argue with Dirk as the MVP. But my question is why isn't Duncan a greater part of the conversation? Unlike Dirk and Nash, he dominates both ends of the floor. Also, the Spurs record is comparable to that of the Suns.
I put him fifth on my ballot. Nowitzki and Nash both had more impressive individual seasons on teams with better records. Duncan had a great year, but he's averaging slightly fewer points and rebounds than the figures that won him back-to-back MVPs in 2002 and 2003.
From: Bill S.
I'm personally a big Steve Nash fan. He has actually improved on his MVP years. The Sun's would not be the Suns without him, something Dallas cannot say. If he should lose, it must be for his performance, and NOT because he has won the award previously.
I agree. Nash got my second-place vote, but it had nothing to do with denying him three consecutive MVPs. I just felt Nowitzki put together the more impressive season, even if there were some lowlights. I do agree that there might be some who will look to keep Nash from joining elite company in winning his third, but I wasn't one of them. Hopefully the race won't be close enough where those who vote that way can significantly impact the process.
From: Corey P.
I have been talking with my friends about this, but I figure I would ask someone of your stature about this. Say, the Suns receive that fourth overall pick, can you see them trying to move up to the top pick to maybe try to get either Durant or Oden? I say this because they have the firepower to do so with three first-rounders this year, and I can't really see them keeping those all anyway as they traded off the two they had last year, and I think if either the Celtics or Grizzlies got three first-rounders, one of which being the fourth, they may be better off overall than just taking one guy they hope can have an effect. I just like the thought of seeing Oden on the Suns personally, but I wanted to see what you thought about that.
The Suns can do something, especially since there is a possibility Shawn Marion could be moved this summer whether or not the team can win a championship. He knows there's a chance of it and didn't seem adverse to going elsewhere and taking on a larger role. Although he's a perennial All-Star, he still feels underrated and underappreciated. To a certain extent, he's right. Mike D'Antoni would also chop off half his mustache and all his hair to get his hands on Kevin Durant, who would be a dream in that system. Unfortunately, moving up to either of the top two spots seems unlikely, if only because no one wants to be the guy who passed on Greg Oden or Durant.
From: Paul H.
My favorite insightful Stephen Jackson memory: His answer when asked who the smartest guy on the Pacers was a couple years ago: Ron Artest. Everyone else said Jamison Brewer.
That's that genius-level understanding we don't know anything about.
From Chuck C.
I don't get the greatest upset line of Warriors and Mavs. The Warriors were not your typical No. 8 seed. They had Baron Davis and Jason Richardson injured a good part of the season. They made a major trade halfway through the season. When they finally got the new players in the system, and everyone healthy, they were the best team in basketball down the stretch. If they had started the season with the same roster they have now, and if Baron and Jason weren't injured, they would have won more games and been a much higher seed, and no one would be talking greatest upset. Will it be an upset if they do well or win in the next round? If they win then, is it the second greatest upset? This team is better than its record, and its seed, would normally indicate.
The greatest-upset moniker has to do with the fact that no No. 8 seed had ever beaten a No. 1 in a seven-game series. It had been done in five games and three, but never in seven. So take that in its literal form. It wasn't meant to disrespect the Warriors, God forbid. You're all so touchy.
From: Paul K.
Nellie is a whiner and a coach who is just good enough to get a team close to the championship but will never win one. He is a career choker and will do so again this year. As for your Top 10 truths, where is the truth about how badly one-sided the Spurs/Nuggets series was? I used to be a Tim Duncan fan, but after seeing how much he and all the other Spurs whine about officiating, surprising since they seem to never get called. I mean, how does Duncan fall on A.I. and A.I. gets whistled for the foul? Or how do you explain that in the two games in Denver, Duncan played 81 minutes combined and gets whistled for one stinking foul? It is because the NBA wants San Antonio in the Finals, and they have told the refs to get them there. The Mavs lost because the NBA doesn't want Mark Cuban in the Finals. You can discount the conspiracy factor if you want, but look at it objectively, and it may open your eyes. Why is it that no one but the TV announcers have said anything about how blatant this shaft job by the refs is. The NBA is a joke, and that is why it will always be second fiddle to the NFL.
Mavs fan?
From: Larry S.
Tony, I am already shuddering with the thought of a Spurs/Pistons Finals with 90 points for either team almost unreachable. All the extra scoring and exciting overtime games from the regular season are gone. A big reason is the extra TV timeouts, and they are very long so the network and league can make lots of money with more commercials. The flow of the game is destroyed, putting the game more in a slow halfcourt mode with many stoppages and poor shooting. That kind of play and good defensive teams put me and many others to sleep. The league needs to put a cap on the rising salaries or take less for their games, which I doubt will ever happen in order to have less commercials and a better product. I suspect a series of Detroit and San Antonio will produce another drop in TV ratings, as the extra TV commercials will aid in the creation of a slow halfcourt game with fewer hoops. Boring!
Sorry, my man, but I think that your worst fears are going to come true. And while I see your point about too many stoppages in the game, I see nothing wrong with the two best teams in basketball squaring off in a setting where fatigue doesn't become a substantial factor. That's how I look at it.
From Nick T.
Hey Tony, speaking as a medical student, I just wanted to point out, a better description of New Skin is super glue really, cyanoacrylate, AKA super glue is the main ingredient with a serving of extra pain placed in an open wound. Great column by the way.
Thanks, Nik. New Skin is a brand similar to the adhesive Phoenix's training staff was applying to Steve Nash's nose to treat his Game 1 gash. Generically, it's a liquid bandage, and as you pointed out, is a form of super glue.
