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        1^st        2^nd        3^rd        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 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.

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?

• Damian Lillard  Weber State     6-3     Junior

• Erik Austin     Jackson CC (MI) 6-3     Freshman

• Harrison Barnes North Carolina  6-8     Sophomore

• Will Barton     Memphis 6-6     Sophomore

• Bradley Beal    Florida 6-3     Freshman

• J’Covan Brown   Texas   6-1     Junior

• Dominic Cheek   Villanova       6-6     Junior

• Jared Cunningham        Oregon State    6-4     Junior

• Anthony Davis   Kentucky        6-10    Freshman

• Andre Drummond  Connecticut     6-10    Freshman

• Dominique Ferguson      Florida International   6-9     Soph

• Justin Hamilton LSU     7-0     Junior

• Moe Harkless    St. John’s      6-8     Freshman

• John Henson     North Carolina  6-11    Junior

• John Jenkins    Vanderbilt      6-4     Junior

• Perry Jones III Baylor  6-11    Sophomore

• Terrence Jones  Kentucky        6-9     Sophomore

• Michael Kidd-Gilchrist  Kentucky        6-7     Freshman

• Doron Lamb      Kentucky        6-4     Sophomore

• Jeremy Lamb     Connecticut     6-5     Sophomore

• Meyers Leonard  Illinois        7-1     Sophomore

• Kendall Marshall N. Carolina    6-4             Sophomore

• Fab Melo        Syracuse        7-0     Sophomore

• Khris Middleton Texas A&M       6-7     Junior

• Quincy Miller   Baylor  6-9     Freshman

• Tony Mitchell   Alabama 6-6     Junior

• Arnett Moultrie Mississippi State       6-11    Junior

• Reeves Nelson   UCLA/Zalgiris (Lithuania)       6-8     -

• Austin Rivers   Duke    6-3     Freshman

• Peter Roberson  Grambling State 7-0     Junior

• Quincy Roberts  Grambling State 6-5     Junior

• Thomas Robinson Kansas  6-9     Junior

• Terrence Ross   Washington      6-6     Sophomore

• Avery Scharer   Shoreline CC (WA)       6-1     Sophomore

• Renardo Sidney  Mississippi State       6-10    Junior

• Jonathon Simmons        Houston 6-6     Junior

• Terrell Stoglin Maryland        6-1     Sophomore

• Gerardo Suero   Albany  6-4     Junior

• Jared Sullinger Ohio State      6-9     Sophomore

• Raymond Taylor  Florida Atlantic        5-6     Junior

• Marquis Teague  Kentucky        6-2     Freshman

• Joston Thomas   Hawaii  6-7     Junior

• Hollis Thompson Georgetown      6-8     Junior

• Richard Townsend-Gant   Vancouver Island U.     6-5     Junior

• Dion Waiters    Syracuse        6-4     Sophomore

• Maalik Wayns    Villanova       6-1     Junior

• Royce White     Iowa State      6-8     Sophomore

• D’Angelo Williams Notre Dame de Namur (CA)      6-3     Junior

• Tony Wroten     Washington      6-5     Freshman

International players who've applied:

• Furkan Aldemir  Galatasaray (Turkey)    6-10    1991 DOB

• Jonas Bergstedt Torrelodones (Spain)    6-11    1991 DOB

• Evan Fournier    Poitiers (France)       6-7     1992 DOB

• Josep Franch    Murcia (Spain)  6-5     1991 DOB

• Maximilian Klebers Oliver Baskets (Germany)      6-5     1992

• Lahaou Konate   Evreux (France) 6-5     1991 DOB

• Mindaugas Kupsas Baltai Kaunas (Lithuania)       7-0     1991

• Joffrey Lauvergne       Chalon (France) 6-11    1991 DOB

• Abdoulaye Loum  Gravelines (France)     6-11    1991 DOB

• Nika Metreveli  Sassari (Italy) 7-0     1991 DOB

• Nemanja Nedovic Crvena Zvezda (Serbia)  6-4     1991 DOB

• Alen Omic       Zlatorog (Slovenia)     7-0     1992 DOB

• Jakub Parzenski PGB Basket (Poland)     6-10    1991 DOB

• Sertac Sanli    Galatasaray (Turkey)    7-0     1991 DOB

• Tomas Satoransky        Cajasol (Spain) 6-7     1991 DOB

• Tornike Shengelia       Spirou (Belgium)        6-10    1991

• 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.)

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:

• 1. Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs — Great at in-game adjustments; gets most out of roster from top to bottom; not afraid to thumb nose at NBA’s insane schedule to benefit his team by resting Big Three; tying for best record with aging Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili was superb coaching.

It’s a shame NBA voters back in the day didn’t honor Sloan for the same reason they just rewarded Popovich, but at least they didn’t perpetuate the tradition of making this a “Who overachieved” award. Sometimes that’s fitting. This year it wasn’t.

• 2. Tyrone Corbin, Utah Jazz — I was hesitant to divulge my votes, because I don’t want to come across as some homer journalist who drinks the Kool-Aid of the team he covers. But look at what Corbin has done over the past 14 months, and it’s really remarkable. I’m a bit surprised I was the only one who voted him higher than third, although there were multiple coaches that really did terrific jobs in this wacky season (Popovich, Thibodeau, Vogel, Hollins, Brooks and Karl, in particular).

Corbin took a team in shambles — after Sloan and D-Will exited stage right — and glued it back together with a bunch of new pieces. Corbin didn’t name a team captain, and it turned out he is the team captain. He guided this cast of misfits into the playoffs despite hardly anybody else believing they’d even get 25 or 30 wins. Perhaps Corbin relied on his veterans too much (namely Raja Bell, Josh Howard and C.J. Miles) and didn’t give some of his young guys enough minutes (particularly Derrick Favors and Alec Burks). That’s to be debated. But over the course of the season, Corbin instilled a belief in the team that it could achieve if it kept on keeping on. And it did. So he got my silver vote. And I drank some more Jazz Kool-Aid.

• 3. Tom Thibodeau, Chicago Bulls: I went back and forth, and forth and back, trying to decide between Thibs and Indiana’s Frank Vogel. I probably should’ve considered Denver’s George Karl some more, too.

Ultimately, what Thibodeau did this year with injuries was pretty fantastic. Not only did he get the Bulls to win as many games as the Spurs with Derrick Rose being out for a third of the season, but he also managed to keep Carlos Boozer on the court for EVERY SINGLE GAME! That sold me.

Here’s the NBA’s press release:

SAN ANTONIO’S GREGG POPOVICH NAMED 2011-12 NBA COACH OF THE YEAR

– Popovich Wins 2nd Red Auerbach Trophy after Leading Spurs to

League-Tying-Best 50 Victories –

NEW  YORK,  May  1, 2012 – San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich is the recipient of the  Red  Auerbach  Trophy  as  the  2011-12 NBA Coach of the Year, the NBA announced today.

Popovich,  who  also  earned  the  honor  in  2002-03,  totaled 467 points, including  77  first-place  votes,  from  a  panel of 119 sportswriters and broadcasters  throughout the United States and Canada. Coaches were awarded five  points  for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote  and  one  point for each third-place vote. The award was tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP.

In his 16th season as head coach of the Spurs, Popovich guided San Antonio to a league-tying-best 50-16 (.758) record. With Popovich at the helm, the Spurs ranked second in the league in scoring (103.7 ppg) and point-differential (+7.2). In the second half of the season, however, the

Spurs were the league’s most dominant team, posting an NBA-best 26-6 (.813) record while averaging league highs in scoring (108.3 ppg) and point-differential (+10.8). In the process, Popovich guided the Spurs to their 15th consecutive postseason berth, which is the longest active streak in the NBA.

The Spurs finished the season winning 10 straight games, 24 of their last 27 and 38 of their last 45. San Antonio won at least 50 games for the 13th consecutive season – all under Popovich’s tenure – surpassing the Los Angeles Lakers (1979-80 to 1990-91) for the longest streak in NBA history.

The Spurs also set a franchise mark with three double-digit winning streaks.

Popovich was named the Coach of the Month in February and March, giving him 14 Coach of the Month awards in his career, the most in league annals. His back-to-back wins marked the second time Popovich earned consecutive coaching honors (November and December, 2010).

The longest tenured coach with the same team in all four major professional sports, Popovich holds the best winning percentage of the longest tenured coaches in the other three major professional sports (.679). In addition, his 847 victories with the Spurs ranks second all-time in NBA history for most wins with one team (Jerry Sloan, Utah Jazz, 1,127)

Popovich also supports the NBA Coaches for Kids program, a league initiative in partnership with the NBA Coaches Association and Boys & Girls Clubs of America launched during the 2008-09 NBA season.  To date, the program has provided more than 155,000 Boys & Girls Club members with the

chance to attend NBA games.  Youth participants also have the opportunity to meet with NBA coaches, general managers and athletic trainers and learn the fundamentals of the game, the values of sportsmanship and teamwork, and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

The Coach of the Year Award is named after legendary coach and Hall of Famer Red Auerbach who guided the Celtics to nine NBA Championships. In 1996, Auerbach was honored as one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History as the NBA celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Following  are  the balloting results for the 2011-12 NBA Coach of the Year award and the all-time list of winners:

2011-12 NBA COACH OF THE YEAR RESULTS

Coach, Team     1st     2nd             3rd                     Pts

Gregg Popovich, San Antonio     77      24      10      467

Tom Thibodeau, Chicago  27      53      21      315

Frank Vogel, Indiana            7       27       45      161

Lionel Hollins, Memphis 6       3       11      50

Doc Rivers, Boston              1        4        9       26

Scott Brooks, Oklahoma City     0       2       3       9

Tyrone Corbin, Utah             0       1       6       9

George Karl, Denver             1       0       2       7

Mike Brown, L.A. Lakers 0       1       1       4

Stan Van Gundy, Orlando 0       1       1       4

Larry Drew, Atlanta             0       0       3       3

Monty Williams, New Orleans     0       1       0       3

Vinny Del Negro, L.A. Clippers  0       0       2       2

Kevin McHale, Houston   0       0       2       2

Alvin Gentry, Phoenix           0       0       1       1

ALL-TIME NBA COACH OF THE YEAR WINNERS

1962-63 – Harry Gallatin, St. Louis

1963-64 – Alex Hannum, San Francisco

1964-65 – Red Auerbach, Boston

1965-66 – Dolph Schayes, Philadelphia

1966-67 – Johnny Kerr, Chicago

1967-68 – Richie Guerin, St. Louis

1968-69 – Gene Shue, Baltimore

1969-70 – Red Holzman, New York

1970-71 – Dick Motta, Chicago

1971-72 – Bill Sharman, Los Angeles

1972-73 – Tom Heinsohn, Boston

1973-74 – Ray Scott, Detroit

1974-75 – Phil Johnson, Kansas City-Omaha

1975-76 – Bill Fitch, Cleveland

1976-77 – Tom Nissalke, Houston

1977-78 – Hubie Brown, Atlanta

1978-79 – Cotton Fitzsimmons, Kansas City

1979-80 – Bill Fitch, Boston

1980-81 – Jack McKinney, Indiana

1981-82 – Gene Shue, Washington

1982-83 – Don Nelson, Milwaukee

1983-84 – Frank Layden, Utah

1984-85 – Don Nelson, Milwaukee

1985-86 – Mike Fratello, Atlanta

1986-87 – Mike Schuler, Portland

1987-88 – Doug Moe, Denver

1988-89 – Cotton Fitzsimmons, Phoenix

1989-90 – Pat Riley, LA Lakers

1990-91 – Don Chaney, Houston

1991-92 – Don Nelson, Golden State

1992-93 – Pat Riley, New York

1993-94 – Lenny Wilkens, Atlanta

1994-95 – Del Harris, Los Angeles Lakers

1995-96 – Phil Jackson, Chicago

1996-97 – Pat Riley, Miami

1997-98 – Larry Bird, Indiana

1998-99 – Mike Dunleavy, Portland

1999-00 – Doc Rivers, Orlando

2000-01 – Larry Brown, Philadelphia

2001-02 – Rick Carlisle, Detroit

2002-03 – Gregg Popovich, San Antonio

2003-04 – Hubie Brown, Memphis

2004-05 – Mike D’Antoni, Phoenix

2005-06 – Avery Johnson, Dallas

2006-07 – Sam Mitchell, Toronto

2007-08 – Byron Scott, New Orleans

2008-09 – Mike Brown, Cleveland

2009-10 – Scott Brooks, Oklahoma City

2010-11 – Tom Thibodeau, Chicago

2011-12 – Gregg Popovich, San Antonio