Welcome into NBA post production of iHeartRadio in the NBA. I'm Sarahustak, NBA analyst for the S Network, and today is Friday, April nineteenth, and from our extraordinary core group of NBA journalists were joined now by NBA dot Com senior writer Michael C. Wright. And Michael, We've got a lot of things going on right now. Has been a good week as we have started the playing games. We will have the final two playing games in the East and the West taking place tonight, the early game seven
o'clock on ESPN between the Heat and the Bulls. At nine point thirty on TNT will be the Pelicans and the Kings. But this week was also the week that the awards ballots were due one hundred voters. You are one of those one hundred, as the finalists will be announced in just a couple of days April twenty first on TNT. Let's get into it because you've been doing your MVP latter all season. But there's a lot of other interesting and intriguing discussions to be had about some
of these awards and where things may fall. So let's start with the MVP. You've already had your final MVP Ladder. But what was your decision making going into that and how challenging was it for you to fill out your ballot.
I would say it wasn't hard to fill out the ballot. Actually for me, I mean it was Nicola Jokic MVP. This would make I think the fourth year in a row I voted.
For him for MVP.
Just what he's done in keeping Denver where they are, and then just the fact that, like you know, last year, they sort of went into the playoffs limping, stumbling, they were on a little bit of a slump, and they're rolling right now going into the playoffs, and he's just been amazing.
So that was an easy one.
But I think the hardest for me was that number two, the number two guy, And you know a lot of people are very into Luka Dacic, and you can't deny what the man is done.
He's put up historic numbers. But I just keep going back to the fact that Shake Gilders.
Alexander led a team that was tenth last year to the number one seed, and he was very consistent, average thirty plus a game. He did his thing defensively, led the league in steals, and so for me, My number two was shake Guild just Alexander, and then I had Luka Dancis number three, followed by Giannis and then Jason Tatum. Jason Tatum. You could easily put Jaylen Brunson right there
in at fifth spot. But for me, I just couldn't get over the fact that Jason Tatum was the best team on the best team in.
The league by far, so he had to go there at five.
For me, I feel that, and I like that, and I am not a voter, so I didn't have a ballot, and I am glad about facts like that, so I don't have to put pen to paper or however it works with it because to that point, with the Knicks have done in the fact though, to me that they're the number two seed, for it's a hard It's a fine line of just how you want to frame it, given the fact that Boston has been so far and away the best team in the NBA, Tatum being the
best player on that team, but the compliments of the
roster everyone else involved. To see the Knicks get the number two seed in the East is something that in how instrumental Jalen Brunson has been a part of that change in a driving force, and that that's where I think the back end of the MVP ballot probably is more challenging maybe for some Towards the top, I'm with you with Shay gils A, Alexander and the number two spot for as tremendous, tremendous as Luka Dancic has been, and it's going to be a fun series to watch
him in the Dallas Mavericks and Kyrie go against the Clippers. The number one spot for OKC in SGA and what he's done this season, I think very much deserves that, and I think Jokic for most people will will be the runway favorite there for another MVP Defensive Player of
the Year. Michael, very interested to see what you've got on this one, because I think, again the dialogue discussion just kind of how you frame this in terms of records, in terms of impact of a player or something that will be talking about her, or just kind of the viewpoint for each voter, who who do you have on your ballot?
Well, I had to use just simple logic here, and because everybody's all about Rudy Gobert and they're saying that there's no way that Victor Women and Yama should be able to win the award, and that's probably true. He's gonna he's gonna win Rookie of the Year, that that'll be a runaway. But I ended up going with Victor women Yama as Defensive Player of the Year. And really
my argument is, switch those guys on their teams. Put put Victor women Yama on the Minnesota Minnesota timberward and would you do you tell me that you're telling me that the Timber wasn't not gonna be better defensively. That's my argument there. I think he's the most impactful defender in the NBA. I mean, just over the.
Month of April, Victor averaged six blocks per game.
And you know, I get it that San Antonio doesn't rank high defensively. I get all of that, but again, just eye tests and then again.
Switch them. Put Rudy Gobert on the.
Spurs and put Victor Wimbyama on the Timber w and you tell me what they look like defensively. So that was it for me, And then I think, who was it? But I have I had bam Adebayo at third. He was really good for Miami this year. They're really gonna need him tonight without Jimmy Butler in that playing game. So those are my three. Argue with me if you want to, but Victor's the guy for me.
I won't argue with you. But I will put a little love on the name of Alex Caruso.
Oh yeah, yeah, he's all defensive team for me.
And I think so often we think about the dominance of a big and that's something that we often, you know, we'll watch and marvel at in that is you talk about that switch. I think Minnesota Timberwolves would would be signing up for that in a heartbeat, especially now as they're getting set for this series against the Suns. But yeah, but he's someone I give a little bit of love to. I do think that's fascinating. And again this circles back to just how you frame it and what you look
at in terms of record. I'm sure a lot of voters will say there's no way that I am voting for a player for an award like that it has what the worst record in the league or towards the bottom one of those. However, watching him and watching his progression through the season, the tracking, the timing, the understanding the switch a bit. All those things you can't say. You can't say enough things about him and so, and
I mentioned Caruso. He's going to be a big question mark here as the Bulls are playing the Heat obviously without Jimmy Butler. But if Caruso is not playing tonight for the Bulls at all, also factor in. Okay, you said it runaway favorite. I don't think anyone has any questions that Victor webbin Yama is the rookie of the Year. How did you fill out the rest of your ballot?
Okay, let's see what I got here. Oh, it was pretty easy. That one was easy too. I mean Victor wimen Yama. Then Chet Holgren. Look, you're a defensive anchor on the team. It has the first seed in the West, and Chet has been.
Pretty good all year. Put it like this, if Victor does.
Not come into the NBA, you take Victor out of it. Chet probably wins the thing. Just running away.
I have a question for you, and I don't mean to cut you off, but since you are in that circuit,
you've seen these teams. You obviously have been on a Wombee tracker throughout the course of the year, but also have seen a lot of Okay, see, was there any point during the season, I know there was maybe in November December jet there was some discussion of oh, could Chet actually end up being Was there any point in your mind that you thought he at a moment in time the season had surpassed when Bin Yama for Rookie of the Year.
I think Victors or where it was a question. Yeah, I think it was early on it was Chet.
Chet was the guy early on because Oklahoma City sort of hit the ground running and he was playing great. And then you remember, like that whole first month, month and a half, maybe even two months of the season, the Spurs are trying to play Victor Wimenyam as a as a power forward, and so around that time I would say that Chet was the guy, and then Victor
ended up surpassing him. It was like, as soon as they moved Victor Wimenyama to center, it was over because it just unlocked so much with the Spurs, and he could do so much and I'm talking about defending the paint, you know, the basket, but he could also get out
on the perimeter and make things happen. So to me, that switch sort of just opened up It opened up victor skill set essentially, and you got to see a lot more so, I would say around November or so, I think he passed Chet hunger and especially that second matchup they had where Vic goes down the court, he hits a three and then coming back he blocks checks shot, and that was like the image that sealed it for
me right then. But anyway, Brandon Miller was my third pick in that he was great with Charlotte.
I thought he was.
He was especially towards the latter half or the latter part of the season and how he finished things off. Going to be interesting to see some of the changes new front office, new coaching changes that occur with them this summer. And yeah, in terms of Wenby and Chat watching their individual matchups and how competitive and how seriously they took an embraced going up against one another. You
absolutely love that Coach of the Year. I think there was a lot of really really deserving candidates this year to be amongst a discussion what does your ballot look like?
I think that was pretty easy too. You go from tens to first, No, tensa first, it's Mark Dango. Oh, I mean I like that. You know the thing is too.
I think you could have made an argument for him probably each of the last two years too, because what he's done as far as developed, helping to develop all that young talent, and you know, the thunder when they brought him in, he sort of had that reputation as a developmental guy, a guy that could develop young talent, and that's exactly what he's done.
So that was pretty easy.
Now when you go to second and third, that's where I was a little conflicted. I liked what Joe Mizzoula did in Boston because you know, last year, I mean because the thought last year was that, oh, he and this great team, which is sort of true. Obviously that's true, but you still got to coach him. And the thing is is that they you know, they sort of came they were in the image of emay Udoka like that
last year. This year he's sort of putting more of his fingerprints on everything, and I think that they have really responded to the coach and you I mean, you could see the buy in from the Celtics and they're a little bit different under Joe Mizzoula, but not in a bad way.
They've been pretty good.
And then third, I had to go with e May had to go at email because what he did with Houston it was phenomenal. And you know, you look at that roster and it's sort of devoid of talent, except you know, they've got some challenged young guys. But I think that I May was able to get the most out of them. I mean, like you started to see sort of the unlocking of Jalen Green this year. You know, I mean, he's been You've seen flashes throughout his whole career, but I think you saw him better on a more
consistent basis. You saw him start to eliminate some of the things that younger players do. Now he's still not there, but I think with e May, there's a sense that he's going to get there, and there's a sense that Houston is right.
On the verge of turning things around.
I could not agree with you more on all of those things, and especially with Emay Yudoka and that Houston team, which for a while we thought they might have a chance to be in the play in which was shocking to think about that turnaround. However, this is where I think in terms of filling out the ballot and Mark Dagnall you're spot on. I think that's an incredible story too.
For as much as we talk about the importance of the G League and just home growing, if that's how you want to term it, so many players the development of that. That's the story of Dagnalton, what he did with the Oklahoma City Blue team and just how he was a part of their G League team. They saw what he was doing with that part of the organization and then making that jump. But he may Udoka still
that's a team that's not in the playoffs. Jamal mostly and what he did, and then in the fifth seed Chris Finch, like Minnesota, we thought the Timberwolves and go Bear in Karl Anthony Towns were never gonna work together, and just the season that they they had and put together that they were amongst the top one, two three of the Western Conference and very well could have finished in the top of the conference. I would put his
name in it. So that's why I think there's there's a lot of a lot of candidates, unlike your ballad, but I.
Think Jamal though.
Jamal Jamal would have been my number two. That might have been Jamal would have been my number two.
It might have been a little bit of an oversight for me there because Jamal, like what he's done with the Magic and not like he has sort of transformed like sort of like May did in Houston, he sort of transformed the culture there. Like those guys are dogs on defense, yes, and not only that, they they have this mentality where they all play for one another.
Like they have not been the.
Greatest offensive team, but they are so scrappy on defense that they they they're gonna be in pretty much every game they play. And that's Jamal Moseley. Yeah, that's an oversight on my part because you.
Know, but you said, but you framed exactly. It is the culture shift and we often use those terms, but everything about their team and how they play is a part of what he's instilled since getting there. And yeah, I just can't say say enough good things about just the identity that they now play with and playing for each other, all of those things so impressed with And
it's gonna be gonna be interesting to see. That's an interesting four or five matchup between them and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who bigger staff and that group trying to hold things together. We get a lot of fun series to come and a couple more awards to see what your ballot looks like to come. We're gonna take a quick break and get to six Man and Most Improved Player right after. Back to NBA Postercustak joined by the great Michael C. Wrights.
Ballance were due this week. The finalists will be announced on April twenty first on TNT. For many of the NBA awards, UH six Man of the Year. Michael, who do you have on this?
That one was a little harder.
I will say that one was harder, but I ended up going with Maleigue Monk and Sacramento.
I mean, okay, they could use them, Yeah, they use them right now.
Sure could, they sure could right now.
But Nazri was second, and then Bagan Bogdanovich because like, just if you look at the the I guess the analytics and the box score stuff, he's sort of right.
There for me.
But Maleague Monk, I just like what he did this year with the Kings, I mean he was invaluable to them, and they, like you said, they really need him tonight because this is a huge game for them, and like.
You know, they're on the verge.
If this happens, if the Pelicans end up beating the Kings tonight. Do you realize it'll be the first time since like nineteen ninety four that one team beat another one six times in one season because they knew because they played for a regular season games and then they play once in the play oh with the season tournament in the quarterfinals.
So they are five and zero against the Kings. Yeah, it's crazy.
I have to say in regards to that, I have a hard time thinking that the Kings won't be able to put together a win against the Pelicans without Zion tonight. I think he's been such a major factor. However, you say that, and the Pelicans spent a decent amount of time the season playing without Zion, and if they start putt putting the pieces together, yeah, that's crazy. And to think about the Kings being a two seed last year and then not even properly making the playoffs.
So honestly, I'd like to see him make it again though, like two years in a row. That would be nice to see the Kings make it two years in a row, and like.
It would be a fun mess Deer and Fox and again shake Gildes Alexander, Like there's there's a lot of fun matchups within a matchup and Sibonis his size and big on the inside. That's an area for Oklahoma City, they mister, I think that'd be that'd be a relatively interesting series. Okay, what about what about our last one? Most Improved Player? I feel like this one always there's a little bit of gray area of age, second, third
year players, four kids? Should you be improving? Is this the natural progress or you're just getting more usage and that's why the numbers and the production has gone up. There's a lot of ways to look at it. So what does your ballot look like? And kind of how do you view you the way in what you frame this award.
You know that the way I look at it has sort of changed over the years because I think I made a mistake a couple of years ago. It might have been last year voting John morint Is is most improved Player because he came into the league, is one of the you know, top picks. He was supposed to be that, so that I fel like I made a mistake.
It was between his first to second year, Like it was it his second year that you voted this or won it? Third year he won it.
I think that was was it last season? I think it was last season.
Oh that it would have been last season, so probably is.
But I felt like I made I felt like I made a mistake there because the hike was there. You knew he was going to be what he is, and so that was a mistake on my part. See I admit my mistakes right here on.
This podcast to you.
But this year, I'm not sure I made a mistake. I think it was sort of hands down Tyrese Maxie.
Now.
I saw Kobe White the other night. I saw he did, he dropped the high forty two, played his butt off. But Tyrese Maxy all year long, he's been sort of the guy that has really made the Sixers go, especially with Joelle and b missing some time, they really needed him to sort of up his production and we've seen it. He was my number one, and you'll probably be surprised my second one, but I went with Jalen Williams in ok.
See oh okay, yeah, yeah, well he was my number two. Okay, he was my number two because.
I mean, I love Jalen Williams.
He's great.
He's gonna give you a consistent eighteen nineteen a night. H Maybe double digit rebounds. The kid can play. But then number three, I went with Kobe Waite, and you know, just he's doubled. Well, he's more than double his points per game from last year, just playing well like last or the other night. He had that forty two points, but the most important number was he had zero turnovers.
That was you for them.
I so the thing I'll say, And I love Jalen Williams, a huge fan, and I'm fascinated to watch how this entire team. I think just their first taste of the playoffs is going to be interesting. But I think for as much attention as a SGA is gonna get, he's going to be a big part of that. That's though, where I would refer to it being his second year, and that's kind of an interesting balance of Okay, is this a natural jump, but he feels to have a
unnatural jump, Kobe White, I'm with you on that. The fact that he's done this now and it is fifty. This is a bulls team too, that a bunch of disjointed parts, the los Zack Lavine trying to put piece things together. I know, no one is that excited about an opportunity to you know, be a nine seed and
still continue to get in through the play in. However, I think just what he's put together and even the other nine has been something special with you on Tyres MAXI I know Cam Thomas, the Brooklyn Nets has had a lot of a lot to say about most improved player he is he is. But I think that's where
for voters. One record factors in to how it impacts winning, I'm sure, and three just the natural progression of that's where I go back to, you know, what does it mean in terms of just getting more shots, a higher volume of shots, more usage. How that factors and so Yeah, and to your original question or point about John Moran's uh lowry markin and won last year and Jah won
the year. Okay, okay, big thanks to our great producer Peter Peter Kowder for yeah, good job, Peter, uh clutch got Steph Curry, you know the.
Cooker you already knew that.
Definitely Steph, and he's sort of been the bright spot for what's been just an uncharacteristically I wouldn't say ugly, but it's just been.
A really tough season for them.
And let's be real about it, Draymond Green has a lot to do with that, just just the suspensions and stuff like that. I mean, you think about the games he missed and what the Warriors record was when he missed the you know, the games he missed, and that may be the difference between them actually being in the playoffs as opposed to fighting for a playing spot. So it was it was rough, and he was like one
of the bright spots. And then some of those young guys too that are starting and starting to mature and show that they might be some serious contributors here in the future for them.
But Steph was definitely the clutch guy for me.
Then I had DeMar Derozen and that was a tough one because you're looking at again, you know, you were just discussing it records and stuff like that, and the Bulls obviously are fighting for that playing spot, but they've had a ton of injuries and like you were saying, they were just trying to move around the parts, trying to figure out what was gonna work best. But then number three for me was actually Shay Gilg just Alexander.
Oh okay, he's been clutched this year and obviously, like I said before, when I make the argument for him for MVP.
You go from tenth c to the first seed. That's pretty clutch.
But no, he actually had to make some things happen in clutch situations. And sometimes you got to really define what clutch is. And I think a lot of people just say clutch is in the word clutch, but technically it's you know, any game within five points in the last five minutes. Yeah, right, And so all three of those guys have really, you know, really kind of stood out in those clutch situations. And I'm not talking about
just clutch the word. I'm talking about the true definition of it as it pertains to the NBA and game. So that was that was the way I went, How would.
You go on that curry for the win? That's all I know. Yeah, everything after that, I don't need to know anything. Michael, thank you for unveiling your ballot. We appreciate it, We appreciate hearing from you, and we'll continue to watch read all of your good stuff on NBA TV, NBA dot com and until we talk to you next. Enjoy, enjoy these first round of the playoffs.
We'll do I'll be all over the place, so it'll be fun.
We know it.
We know it.
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