They won’t have as many of their players as they originally hoped, but the Utah Jazz’s squad will play five games in as many days during this year’s Orlando Pro Summer League from July 9-13.
Forget those plans about making a Jazz summer league/Disney World vacation. This league’s games — to be played on the practice court at the Amway Center — are not open to the public.
The Jazz haven’t announced their roster yet, but Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors will not participate. Instead, the two young Jazz players will be helping Team USA prepare for the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games as part of the USA Select team in Las Vegas.
Jazz youngsters Enes Kanter, Alec Burks, DeMarre Carroll and Jeremy Evans are expected to be on the summer-league team.
Here’s the official release from the Jazz PR staff:
SALT LAKE CITY (May 30, 2012) – The Utah Jazz announced today that the team will participate in the 2012 AirTran Airways Orlando Pro Summer League which will take place on the Orlando Magic’s practice court at the Amway Center from July 9-13. The 20-game event hosted by the Magic will also feature the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers.
The Jazz will play five games in the summer league, facing the 76ers, Magic, Pacers, Pistons and Thunder once each. The Jazz will not face the Celtics or Nets. Utah previously participated in the Orlando Pro Summer League in 2009 and 2010, when the event was held at RDV Sportsplex in Orlando.
Due to space limitations, the Orlando Pro Summer League is not open to the public and will be open only to the media and professional team/league personnel. League games will begin at 9 a.m. MT from July 9-12, and at 6 a.m. MT on July 13. Fans can access box scores, game recaps and cumulative statistics by visiting www.utahjazz.com.
The Jazz’s game schedule and the league rules for the 2012 AirTran Airways Orlando Pro Summer League are listed below. A complete league schedule is available at www.orlandomagic.com. The Jazz’s mini-camp information and summer league roster will be released at a later date.
2012 AIRTRAN AIRWAYS ORLANDO PRO SUMMER LEAGUE JAZZ SCHEDULE
(Orlando, FL – Amway Center)
- Mon, July 9 — vs. Detroit, 1 p.m. MT
- Tue, July 10 — vs. PHILADELPHIA, 9 a.m. MT
- Wed, July 11 — vs. Orlando, 3 p.m. MT
- Thu, July 12 — vs. INDIANA, 1 p.m.
- Fri, July 13 — at Oklahoma City, 6 a.m. MT
2012 AIRTRAN AIRWAYS ORLANDO PRO SUMMER LEAGUE RULES
- 10-minute quarters
- 3-minute overtime period(s)
- 5 full timeouts per team per game
- 2 one-minute mandatory TV timeouts per quarter on the first dead ball at 5:59 and then again at 2:59 on clock
- Maximum of 3 full timeouts to be used in the 4th quarter per team
- 1 :20 second timeout per team per half
- 1 full timeout and one :20 second timeout per overtime period per team
- Teams will be in the penalty on the 5th team foul of each quarter
- Teams will be in the penalty in overtime on the 3rd team foul
- No foul out rule – for each personal foul in excess of 6, the opposing team receives 2 free throws. For each personal foul in excess of 10, the opposing team receives 2 free throws and the ball.
- 10-minute halftime periods during games
- 10-minute intermission between games
Utah Jazz first-year players Alec Burks and Enes Kanter both received votes for the NBA’s 2011-12 All-Rookie team. Burks, the No. 12 pick last June, finished tied for 15th in voting with two votes, while Kanter, the third selection, was among 21 rookies to receive at least one vote.
Here’s the press release from the NBA:
CLEVELAND’S IRVING, MINNESOTA’S RUBIO HEADLINE 2011-12 NBA ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
NEW YORK, May 22, 2012 – The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving, the 2011-12 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Ricky Rubio headline the 2011-12 NBA All-Rookie First Team, the NBA announced today. Irving was the lone unanimous selection.
Joining Irving (58 points) and Rubio (49 points) on the NBA All-Rookie First Team are Denver’s Kenneth Faried (46 points), Golden State’s Klay Thompson (43 points), New York’s Iman Shumpert (40 points), San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard (40 points) and Detroit’s Brandon Knight (40 points).
Irving, the league’s top-scoring rookie, was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in December/January, February and March. He finished the season with averages of 18.5 points, 5.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals, becoming one of only six rookies in league history to average at least 18.0 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.0 steal while shooting at least .450 from the field (Alvan Adams, Grant Hill, Tyreke Evans, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan).
Rubio, the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in December/January, appeared in 41 games during an injury-shortened debut season, averaging 10.6 points, a rookie-best 8.2 assists, and 4.2 rebounds. He also led rookies with 2.2 steals.
Faried averaged 10.2 points, a rookie-best 7.7 rebounds and 1.0 block for Denver, garnering Western Conference Player of the Month honors for games played in April. His .586 field goal percentage paced first-year players. Thompson averaged 12.5 points while shooting a rookie-best .414 from three-point range, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
Shumpert, Leonard and Knight tied for the fifth spot on the All-Rookie First Team. Shumpert averaged 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals. Leonard posted 7.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.1 assists. Knight tallied averages of 12.8 points, 3.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds.
The NBA All-Rookie Second Team consists of Houston’s Chandler Parsons (33 points), Sacramento’s Isaiah Thomas (27 points), New Jersey’s MarShon Brooks (18 points), Minnesota’s Derrick Williams (16 points) and Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson (16 points).
The voting panel consisted of the NBA’s 30 head coaches, who were asked to select five players for the first team and five players for the second team, regardless of position. Coaches were not permitted to vote for players on their own team. Two points were awarded for first team votes and one for second team votes.
Attached are the results of the balloting for the 2011-12 NBA All-Rookie teams. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP.
2011-12 NBA ALL-ROOKIE FIRST TEAM
Player Team First (2 pt) Second (1Pt) Total
Kyrie Irving Cleveland 29 – 58
Ricky Rubio Minnesota 21 7 49
Kenneth Faried Denver 19 8 46
Klay Thompson Golden State 16 11 43
Iman Shumpert New York 15 10 40
Kawhi Leonard San Antonio 14 12 40
Brandon Knight Detroit 13 14 40
2011-12 NBA ALL-ROOKIE SECOND TEAM
Player Team First (2 pt) Second (1 Pt) Total
Chandler Parsons Houston 10 13 33
Isaiah Thomas Sacramento 5 17 27
MarShon Brooks New Jersey 3 12 18
Derrick Williams Minnesota 2 12 16
Tristan Thompson Cleveland 2 12 16
Other players receiving votes, with point totals (first place votes in parentheses): Markieff Morris, Phoenix, 7 (1); Kemba Walker, Charlotte 7; Alec Burks, Utah 2; Norris Cole, Miami 2; Bismack Biyombo, Charlotte 2; Enes Kanter, Utah 1; Greg Stiemsma, Boston 1; Gustavo Ayon, New Orleans 1; Nikola Vucevic, Philadelphia 1.
Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor addresses media while 1320's Tony Parks contemplates what Faux Hot Rod Hundley might say, I give him a death stare and Standard-Examiner's Jim Burton sports a fancy bow tie.
(UPDATED at 11:50 a.m. MT with NBA executive of year info at bottom.)
Kevin O’Connor has some new responsibilities and another title.
Jazz general manager. Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations. Charter member of the NBA’s revised Competition Committee.
O’Connor, the league’s second-longest tenured GM, has been selected by the NBA to be on the newly formed committee, which includes four general managers, three head coaches, two owners and one National Basketball Players Association representative.
Previously, the Competition Committee consisted of the league’s 30 GMs. That group is now called the General Managers Committee.
“The Board decided that the inclusion of owners and head coaches on the Competition Committee would add valuable perspectives to discussions about our game and how it might be improved,” said Joel Litvin, NBA President of League Operations, in a news release. “At the same time, we will continue to receive input on competition and rules matters from all 30 teams through the General Managers Committee.”
Competition Committee members include owners Dan Gilbert (Cavaliers) and Joe Lacob (Warriors); general managers O’Connor, Bryan Colangelo (Raptors), Mitch Kupchak (Lakers) and Sam Presti (Thunder); coaches Rick Carlisle (Mavericks), Lionel Hollins (Grizzlies) and Doc Rivers (Celtics); and a yet-to-be named NBPA rep.
The Competition Committee is in charge of voting on the league’s playing rules and competition-related matters before final approval is made by the Board of Governors (owners). The first of the regular meetings will take place during the NBA Finals.
The new General Managers Committee will meet annually to discuss the state of the game and various competition matters, according to the release.
Here’s hoping flopping and tanking are Agenda Items No. 1A and 1B. And to be a fly on the wall if O’Connor were to bring up how the league should deal with tanking with the Warriors’ owner in the room.
***UPDATE***
O’Connor finished fifth in voting for the NBA’s executive of the year award for the 2011-12 season, the league announced late Wednesday morning.
Indiana president of basketball operations Larry Bird won the NBA exec of the year award, becoming the first person to earn MVP as a player (1984, ’85 and ’86), coach of the year (1997-98) and the front-office honor.
Frank Layden was one of three people to ever win coach/executive of the year awards in the same season (1983-84) along with Red Auerbach and Pat Riley.
Bird finished with 12 first-place votes and 88 total points from a vote by NBA executives. San Antonio’s R.C. Buford (8, 56), Clippers’ Neil Olshey (6, 55), Bulls’ Gary Forman (2, 16) and O’Connor (0, 10) rounded out the top five.
More from the NBA’s press release:
As President of Basketball Operations, Bird oversaw a Pacers team that went 42-24 (.636), earning the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and finishing with the league’s fifth-best record.
Bird set the tone for the 2011-12 season by naming Frank Vogel, who had served in an interim capacity for 46 games during the 2010-11 season, head coach on July 6, 2011. He added to an already strong nucleus by signing David West in December, and beefed up the Pacers’ bench by trading for Lou Amundson and Leandro Barbosa. Indiana’s draft picks under Bird’s watch have included three key contributors on this year’s team: Paul George (2010), Tyler Hansbrough (2009), and Roy Hibbert (2008).
A three-time MVP as a player (1984, 85, 86) with the Boston Celtics, the Indiana basketball legend won NBA Coach of the Year honors in 1997-98, his first season on the sidelines, after guiding the Pacers to a 58-24 mark. In three seasons as head coach, Bird led Indiana to a 147-67 record and its only Finals appearance in 2000. Bird is the only person to win all three awards – MVP, Coach and Executive of the Year. Red Auerbach, Frank Layden and Pat Riley are the only people to earn both Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year honors.
Bird totaled 88 points and received 12 first-place votes from a panel of his fellow team executives throughout the NBA. The San Antonio Spurs’ R.C. Buford finished second with 56 points (eight first-place votes) votes and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Neil Olshey finished third with 55 points (six first-place votes). Executives were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.
Below are the results of the voting for the 2011-12 NBA Executive of the Year. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP.
2011-12 NBA EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR VOTING RESULTS
Rookie, Team 1st 2nd 3rd Total
Larry Bird, Indiana 12 8 4 88
R.C. Buford, San Antonio 8 4 4 56
Neil Olshey, L.A. Clippers 6 7 4 55
Gar Forman, Chicago 2 2 - 16
Kevin O’Connor, Utah - 2 4 10
Glen Grunwald, New York - 2 2 8
Pat Riley, Miami 1 - 2 7
Sam Presti, Oklahoma City 1 - - 5
Chris Wallace, Memphis - 1 2 5
David Kahn, Minnesota - 1 1 4
Rod Thorn, Philadelphia - 1 - 3
Dell Demps, New Orleans - 1 - 3
Rick Sund, Atlanta - 1 - 3
Danny Ainge, Boston - - 1 1
John Hammond, Milwaukee - - 1 1
Lon Babby, Phoenix - - 1 1
Mitch Kupchak, L.A. Lakers - - 1 1
Otis Smith, Orlando - - 1 1
Masai Ujiri, Denver - - 1 1
Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE - Getty Images
The Jazz’s two NBA newcomers didn’t receive any votes for the 2011-12 Rookie of the Year award.
Both Enes Kanter and Alec Burks had their moments and contributed nicely at times for the Jazz in their first years, but it is not a surprising development that they didn’t get any Rookie of the Year attention.
Associated Press photo
That is, until you consider this: Josh Selby finished 12th in the voting for the prestigious award.
To answer your “Who?” question: Selby, a point guard from Kansas, played in 28 games for the Memphis Grizzlies this past season. And take a look at his shining stats: 2.3 points, 1.1 assists while shooting 34.7 percent from the field and 13.3 percent from 3-point range. (Granted, that long-range percentage would’ve made him one of the Jazz’s better shooters, but still. … Yes, I’m kidding.)
To compare the Jazz rookies to Selby’s less-than-stellar rookie campaign:
Burks: 7.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.9 apg, 42.9 FG%, 33.3 3PT%
Kanter: 4.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 0.1 apg, 49.6 FG%
If Selby deserved a third-place vote, Burks could’ve won the award and Kanter could’ve finished second. By the way, if Selby doesn’t ring a bell, it’s probably because he played a grand total of zero minutes in the three Jazz-Grizzlies games this past season and only appeared in 28 contests his entire rookie campaign.
For the record, my ballot reflected the final results: 1. Kyrie Irving, 2. Ricky Rubio, 3. Kenneth Faried.
Here are the official results for the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as voted upon by a panel of U.S. and Canadian sports writers and broadcasters (most of whom don’t make silly votes):
Rookie, Team 1st 2nd 3rd Total
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland 117 2 1 592
Ricky Rubio, Minnesota - 49 23 170
Kenneth Faried, Denver 1 30 34 129
Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio 1 9 15 47
Iman Shumpert, New York 1 7 7 33
Klay Thompson, Golden State - 5 15 30
Isaiah Thomas, Sacramento - 6 10 28
Brandon Knight, Detroit - 6 3 21
Chandler Parsons, Houston - 3 5 14
MarShon Brooks, New Jersey - 1 1 4
Kemba Walker, Charlotte - – 3 3
Josh Selby, Memphis – – 1 1
The summers for Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors just got a bit busier.
The two young Utah Jazz players have reportedly been invited to participate on the 2012 USA Select team, which will help prepare Team USA for the Summer Olympics in London.
Hayward and Favors, both selected to participate in the NBA’s Rising Stars Challenge this past All-Star Weekend, will join a team full of American up-and-comers, according to a CSNBayArea.com report.
The team reportedly will include: Hayward and Favors of the Jazz; DeMarcus Cousins (Kings), Jeremy Lin (Knicks), Klay Thompson (Warriors), Kyrie Irving (Cavs), John Wall (Wizards), DeMar DeRozan (Raptors), Paul George (Pacers), Kawhi Leonard and DeJuan Blair (Spurs), Ryan Anderson (Magic) and Taj Gibson (Bulls).
Details haven’t been released by USA Basketball, but it’s possible Hayward and Favors would not be able to participate with the Jazz’s summer league team in Orlando (July 9-13). Team USA will begin its preparations for the London Games in Las Vegas during the same time period (July 5-12).
Hayward struggled in the postseason (6-for-33 shooting), but he played especially well during the second half of the regular season to help the Jazz make a successful playoff push. The 22-year-old finished his second year in the NBA with averages of 11.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
Favors averaged 8.8 points and 6.5 rebounds during the season but the powerful and athletic 20-year-old came on strong in the playoffs. As one of Utah’s best players all series in the sweep vs. the Spurs, the 6-10 Favors averaged 11.8 points and 9.5 rebounds while playing stellar defense.
This morning at Jazz shootaround, I asked Tyrone Corbin about the possible lineup change for Game 4 that he had mentioned at Sunday’s practice. The Jazz coach responded, “We’ll probably make a change.”
But Corbin didn’t reveal what that probable lineup change would be, so I asked a follow-up and asked if Derrick Favors would start.
Corbin, sorta smiling but not wanting to go there: “Who you working for?”
Me, sorta searching for an answer: “Sports Illustrated.”
While I was then teased about wanting to work for the swimsuit issue by a certain funny man who does TV (Ch. 2) and radio (KFAN) in the market, Corbin revealed just a little bit more even if reluctantly. Guess that shows the power of having Sports Illustrated as your employer (even if imaginary).
“We’ll probably go bigger,” Corbin said. “We’ll probably go with the bigger lineup tonight to start the game. We’ll see.”
That bigger lineup includes Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Favors. (Click here to read more about that change.)
On Twitter, I joked that I probably should have responded “The People” when Corbin asked who I work for. I could’ve really made him anxious had I answered “The Spurs.”
Some funny people then gave their suggestions on Twitter:
- TMZ (@ColbySpradlin)
- NOT ESPN (@surlymae)
- The Galactic Empire (@TDAWGCOUG)
- Jerry Sloan (@starkadidas)
- A Big and Tall store (@chang_max)
- The Onion (@ColbySpradlin)
Hmmm. With the long offseason coming up soon, who knows, maybe I’ll consider some of those for a summer job. Wonder what Emperor Palpatine pays anyway?
Jazz fan Mason Nichols is outside EnergySolutions Arena offering some free advice to coach Tyrone Corbin from the corner of 300 West and South Temple.
Nichols came to the arena to give this pro-Favors demonstration despite not having tickets to Game 3 tonight between the Jazz and Spurs.
“I’m too poor,” Nichols said.
Favors only played an average of 23.5 minutes for the Jazz in the blowout losses at the AT&T Center this past Sunday and Wednesday. Favors has a plus-six while he’s on the court while the Jazz were minus-51 with him on the bench. Favors is fourth in the team in playoff scoring at 8.0 points per game, but he leads the Jazz in rebounding with 8.5 boards per contest.
So, fans, is Mr. Nichols correct? More Favors? Or has Corbin played him the right amount?
Gordon Hayward was one of 30 NBA players who improved the most this season, according to a panel of sports writers and broadcasters.
2011-12 KIA NBA MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD– Anderson Becomes Fifth Magic Player to earn Honor Since 1986 –
NEW YORK, May 4, 2012 – Ryan Anderson of the Orlando Magic is the winner of the 2011-12 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award, the NBA announced today. The annual award is presented to a player who has made a significant improvement from the previous season.
Anderson received 260 of a possible 605 points, including 33 first-place votes, from a panel of 121 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Ersan Ilyasova of the Milwaukee Bucks (159 points, 21 first-place votes) and Nikola Pekovic of the Minnesota Timberwolves (104 points, 10 first-place votes) finished second and third, respectively. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third place vote received.
Anderson established career highs in scoring (16.1 ppg), rebounds (7.7 rpg), field goal percentage (.439) and free throw percentage. He also paced the league and established personal bests in three-pointers made (166) and attempted (422). He increased his scoring from the previous season by 5.5 ppg and his rebounds by 2.2 rpg. Orlando averaged 107.5 points per 100 possessions with Anderson on the court, compared to 94.1 points with the 6-10 forward on the bench.
As part of its support of the Most Improved Player Award, Kia Motors America will donate a new Kia Sorento CUV on behalf of Anderson to the Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida. Kia Motors will present a brand new Sorento to the charity of choice of each of five 2011-12 year-end award winners as part of the “The Kia NBA Performance Awards.” Following this season, Kia Motors will have donated a total of 21 new vehicles to charitable organizations since its support of the NBA’s prestigious year-end honors began with the 2007-2008 season.
The 2011-12 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award is part of a series of on-court performance awards called “The Kia NBA Performance Awards.” The series, currently in its fifth season, is a significant part of the multiyear marketing partnership between Kia Motors America and the NBA, and also includes the Defensive Player, Sixth Man, Most Valuable Player of the Year Awards, and this year for the first time, Rookie of the Year. It also includes the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month which are awarded during the regular season. For more information on the “The Kia NBA Performance Awards” visitwww.NBA.com/performanceawards.
Attached are the 2011-12 voting results for the Kia NBA Most Improved Player of the Year Award winners. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP.
2011-12 KIA NBA MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD
1st Place (5 Pts) 2nd Place (3 Pts) 3rd Place (1 pts) Total
Ryan Anderson 33 27 14 260
Ersan Ilyasova 21 15 9 159
Nikola Pekovic 10 15 9 104
Greg Monroe 10 9 19 96
Andrew Bynum 13 8 7 96
Jeremy Lin 10 8 17 91
Goran Dragic 4 8 10 54
Avery Bradley 4 4 4 36
Danny Green 3 3 3 27
Jeff Teague 1 5 7 27
Serge Ibaka 2 2 0 16
Ty Lawson 1 3 2 16
Paul George 2 1 0 13
Steve Novak 1 2 1 12
DeMarcus Cousins 0 2 5 11
Kevin Love 1 0 3 8
Roy Hibbert 0 1 4 7
James Harden 0 2 1 7
Gerald Henderson 1 0 1 6
Marcin Gortat 1 0 1 6
Kyle Lowry 1 0 0 5
Andrew Bogut 1 0 0 5
Marc Gasol 1 0 0 5
Gordon Hayward 0 1 1 4
Arron Afflalo 0 1 0 3
C.J. Watson 0 1 0 3
Brandan Wright 0 1 0 3
Tony Parker 0 1 0 3
Jarrett Jack 0 0 1 1
Marreese Speights 0 0 1 1
Following is the all-time list of winners:
1985-86 Alvin Robertson, San Antonio
1986-87 Dale Ellis, Seattle
1987-88 Kevin Duckworth, Portland
1988-89 Kevin Johnson, Phoenix
1989-90 Rony Seikaly, Miami
1990-91 Scott Skiles, Orlando
1991-92 Pervis Ellison, Washington
1992-93 Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Denver
1993-94 Don MacLean, Washington
1994-95 Dana Barros, Philadelphia
1995-96 Gheorghe Muresan, Washington
1996-97 Isaac Austin, Miami
1997-98 Alan Henderson, Atlanta
1998-99 Darrell Armstrong, Orlando
1999-00 Jalen Rose, Indiana
2000-01 Tracy McGrady, Orlando
2001-02 Jermaine O’Neal, Indiana
2002-03 Gilbert Arenas, Golden State
2003-04 Zach Randolph, Portland
2004-05 *Bobby Simmons, L.A. Clippers
2005-06 Boris Diaw, Phoenix
2006-07 Monta Ellis, Golden State
2008-09 Danny Granger, Indiana
2009-10 *Aaron Brooks, Houston
2010-11 Kevin Love, Minnesota
2011-12 Ryan Anderson, Orlando
In case you were wondering who the Utah Jazz won’t be getting with their own first-round pick (now Minnesota’s at No. 18) or with the Foldin’ State Warriors’ lottery selection (unless they get leapfrogged out of the top seven in the lottery), here is the intriguing list of 66 early entry candidates for the 2012 NBA Draft (P.S. The Jazz do have the No. 47 pick in the second round):
-
Damian Lillard Weber State 6-3 Junior
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Erik Austin Jackson CC (MI) 6-3 Freshman
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Harrison Barnes North Carolina 6-8 Sophomore
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Will Barton Memphis 6-6 Sophomore
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Bradley Beal Florida 6-3 Freshman
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J’Covan Brown Texas 6-1 Junior
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Dominic Cheek Villanova 6-6 Junior
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Jared Cunningham Oregon State 6-4 Junior
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Anthony Davis Kentucky 6-10 Freshman
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Andre Drummond Connecticut 6-10 Freshman
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Dominique Ferguson Florida International 6-9 Soph
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Justin Hamilton LSU 7-0 Junior
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Moe Harkless St. John’s 6-8 Freshman
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John Henson North Carolina 6-11 Junior
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John Jenkins Vanderbilt 6-4 Junior
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Perry Jones III Baylor 6-11 Sophomore
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Terrence Jones Kentucky 6-9 Sophomore
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Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Kentucky 6-7 Freshman
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Doron Lamb Kentucky 6-4 Sophomore
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Jeremy Lamb Connecticut 6-5 Sophomore
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Meyers Leonard Illinois 7-1 Sophomore
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Kendall Marshall N. Carolina 6-4 Sophomore
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Fab Melo Syracuse 7-0 Sophomore
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Khris Middleton Texas A&M 6-7 Junior
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Quincy Miller Baylor 6-9 Freshman
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Tony Mitchell Alabama 6-6 Junior
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Arnett Moultrie Mississippi State 6-11 Junior
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Reeves Nelson UCLA/Zalgiris (Lithuania) 6-8 -
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Austin Rivers Duke 6-3 Freshman
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Peter Roberson Grambling State 7-0 Junior
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Quincy Roberts Grambling State 6-5 Junior
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Thomas Robinson Kansas 6-9 Junior
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Terrence Ross Washington 6-6 Sophomore
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Avery Scharer Shoreline CC (WA) 6-1 Sophomore
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Renardo Sidney Mississippi State 6-10 Junior
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Jonathon Simmons Houston 6-6 Junior
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Terrell Stoglin Maryland 6-1 Sophomore
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Gerardo Suero Albany 6-4 Junior
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Jared Sullinger Ohio State 6-9 Sophomore
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Raymond Taylor Florida Atlantic 5-6 Junior
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Marquis Teague Kentucky 6-2 Freshman
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Joston Thomas Hawaii 6-7 Junior
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Hollis Thompson Georgetown 6-8 Junior
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Richard Townsend-Gant Vancouver Island U. 6-5 Junior
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Dion Waiters Syracuse 6-4 Sophomore
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Maalik Wayns Villanova 6-1 Junior
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Royce White Iowa State 6-8 Sophomore
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D’Angelo Williams Notre Dame de Namur (CA) 6-3 Junior
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Tony Wroten Washington 6-5 Freshman
International players who've applied:
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Furkan Aldemir Galatasaray (Turkey) 6-10 1991 DOB
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Jonas Bergstedt Torrelodones (Spain) 6-11 1991 DOB
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Evan Fournier Poitiers (France) 6-7 1992 DOB
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Josep Franch Murcia (Spain) 6-5 1991 DOB
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Maximilian Klebers Oliver Baskets (Germany) 6-5 1992
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Lahaou Konate Evreux (France) 6-5 1991 DOB
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Mindaugas Kupsas Baltai Kaunas (Lithuania) 7-0 1991
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Joffrey Lauvergne Chalon (France) 6-11 1991 DOB
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Abdoulaye Loum Gravelines (France) 6-11 1991 DOB
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Nika Metreveli Sassari (Italy) 7-0 1991 DOB
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Nemanja Nedovic Crvena Zvezda (Serbia) 6-4 1991 DOB
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Alen Omic Zlatorog (Slovenia) 7-0 1992 DOB
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Jakub Parzenski PGB Basket (Poland) 6-10 1991 DOB
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Sertac Sanli Galatasaray (Turkey) 7-0 1991 DOB
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Tomas Satoransky Cajasol (Spain) 6-7 1991 DOB
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Tornike Shengelia Spirou (Belgium) 6-10 1991
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Mathieu Wojciechowski Gravelines (France) 6-6 1992
(From the NBA: Players wishing to enter the 2012 NBA Draft were required to submit a letter to the NBA to be received no later than Sunday, April 29. Players who have applied for early entry have the right to withdraw their names from consideration for the Draft by notifying the NBA of their decision in writing no later than 5 p.m. ET on Monday, June 18.)
(NOTE: UPDATED at 2:45 p.m. MT with my ballot information…)
Tyrone Corbin hasn’t had a full season as head coach of the Utah Jazz yet, but he caught some attention in his second irregular season after replacing Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan last year.
Spurs’ bench boss Gregg Popovich has been named the 2011-12 NBA coach of the year by a landslide, earning 77 of 119 first-place votes (and 467 points) to win his second Red Auerbach Trophy. The aging Spurs finished at an NBA-best 50-16 along with Chicago, whose coach, Tom Thibodeau (27 first-place votes, 315 points) took runner-up after doing a terrific job in Derrick Rose’s injury-plagued season.
(Full disclosure: I was fortunate enough to be one of the voters.)
Corbin was rewarded for helping the Jazz defy most critics’ low expectations and guide Utah to a better-than-expected 36-30 record and into the playoffs. He received the sixth-most points, tying with OKC’s Scott Brooks with nine points. (Corbin received one second-place vote and six third-place votes.)
Indiana’s Frank Vogel finished third with seven first-place votes (161 points), Memphis’ Lionel Hollins was fourth (six, 50) and Boston’s Doc Rivers (one, nine) was fifth. Brooks had nine points but received two second-place votes.
The Jazz haven’t had a coach win the NBA honor since Frank Layden in 1983-84. Inexplicably, Jerry Sloan never received the top coaching prize despite his Hall of Fame-worthy coaching career and unprecedented legacy with one franchise.
I debated whether or not to share my ballot, but what the heck. Drum roll, please …
My 2011-12 NBA Coach of the Year ballot: