Around the League: Week of 4/21-4/27

[Superbone]

I thought Pops having the worst in-game interviews would hurt his chances. But nooooo.

[Mori Chu]

BTW, this cracked me up. Al McCoy had a vote for Defensive Player of the Year, and he gave PJ Tucker of the Suns his first-place vote. Come on. Seriously, that's a 100% homer vote. I'm glad Adam Silver publishes the voting now so we can see all these ridiculous homer votes.

http://www.nba.com/media/042114-2013-14 ... -Votes.pdf

[In2ition]

Come on Al, keep it real.

[TOO]

PJ Tucker is a great defender, I have no problem with his homer vote.

[In2ition]

He is, but he's not the DPOY.

[TOO]

1 vote isn't hurting anyone, plus McCoy is 107 years old, he gets a pass.

[In2ition]

You're right.

[SDC]

Missing the playoffs probably did Horny in.

you can blame mcdo for that.

[SDC]

Pops was the winner after the Suns missed the playoffs. I have no complains. Horny did a hell of a job but milestones as the postseason really do matter in this league. Goran should be second or third all NBA team but I could see him out under the same principle.

goran would have been first team if the suns made the playoffs. mcdo would have been exec of the year if he got the gasol deal done and made the playoffs.

[SDC]

Bill Barnwell of Grantland has an idea about fixing the first round: If a team goes up 3-0, the series ends. It'll never happen, but an interesting idea.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/how-t ... -playoffs/

i have a slightly different idea. the 1st vs 8th and 2nd vs 7th should be a best of 6.

[TOO]

Just go back to a best of 5 if you want a team to advance on 3 wins. Ridiculous.

[TOO]

Pops was the winner after the Suns missed the playoffs. I have no complains. Horny did a hell of a job but milestones as the postseason really do matter in this league. Goran should be second or third all NBA team but I could see him out under the same principle.

goran would have been first team if the suns made the playoffs. mcdo would have been exec of the year if he got the gasol deal done and made the playoffs.

Ok Ms Cleo, what if he trades for Gasol and doesn't make the playoffs?

[SDC]

Just go back to a best of 5 if you want a team to advance on 3 wins. Ridiculous.

i want to reward teams for getting the top seeds by making it easier for them to dispatch teams.

[SDC]

Pops was the winner after the Suns missed the playoffs. I have no complains. Horny did a hell of a job but milestones as the postseason really do matter in this league. Goran should be second or third all NBA team but I could see him out under the same principle.

goran would have been first team if the suns made the playoffs. mcdo would have been exec of the year if he got the gasol deal done and made the playoffs.

Ok Ms Cleo, what if he trades for Gasol and doesn't make the playoffs?

then he wouldnt win exec of the year. but the chances of them making the playoffs are greater, and at little cost (the indy pick). plumlee could have used a spurs like monthlong rest after injuring his knee.

[Mori Chu]

Doesn't he win exec of the year anyway? Who else would win it?

Also, I think Pop would win CotY even if the Suns squeaked into the playoffs.

[SDC]

Doesn't he win exec of the year anyway? Who else would win it?

Also, I think Pop would win CotY even if the Suns squeaked into the playoffs.

no, daryl morey is a lock for exec of the year.

if the suns won more than 50 games, horny would have been the favorite to win COTY.

[Superbone]

Tucker finished 12th, one spot ahead of both Tim Duncan and Chris Paul for defensive player of the year.

[SDC]

Pops was the winner after the Suns missed the playoffs. I have no complains. Horny did a hell of a job but milestones as the postseason really do matter in this league. Goran should be second or third all NBA team but I could see him out under the same principle.

goran would have been first team if the suns made the playoffs. mcdo would have been exec of the year if he got the gasol deal done and made the playoffs.

Ok Ms Cleo, what if he trades for Gasol and doesn't make the playoffs?

OR, what if the suns made the playoffs after mcdo signed shavlik randolph?

[In2ition]

Doesn't he win exec of the year anyway? Who else would win it?

Also, I think Pop would win CotY even if the Suns squeaked into the playoffs.

no, daryl morey is a lock for exec of the year.

if the suns won more than 50 games, horny would have been the favorite to win COTY.

How is Morey a lock for EOTY?

Do the Suns go after Pau in the free agency?

BTW, Dragic won MIP. Green finished 4th, Markieff finished 10th.

[INFORMER]

One playoff win has not eased the mounting pressure on Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel.

Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that Vogel, despite a 56-win season that secured the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, is "coaching for his job" in the wake of a prolonged slide that has stretched into its third month.

After Indiana's 101-85 triumph over Atlanta in Game 2 of the teams' first-round playoff series, sources told ESPN.com that coming back to win the series against the Hawks would not automatically ensure Vogel's safety. After a 40-11 start, the Pacers went just 16-15 the rest of the way before a humbling loss in the series opener to the eighth-seeded Hawks.

The decision on whether to retain Vogel at season's end ultimately rests with Pacers president Larry Bird, sources said, but frustration throughout the organization has been mounting thanks to a nose dive that began in February with a loss in Orlando just before the All-Star break and has shown few signs of abating.

Expectations were raised not only externally but also internally after in-season moves Bird made to acquire Evan Turner from Philadelphia and add Andrew Bynum for bench depth on top of last summer's additions of Luis Scola and C.J. Watson. All of Bird's moves, sources said, were made with the intent to get the team at least one step further and back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000, when Bird was the coach.

http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2014/st ... aching-job