I'm going to go ahead and give out some NBA end-of-season awards. Yeah it's a little early, 41% of the games played, whatever, there is no doubt about these:
Executive of the Year, which the spec for is General Manager: Andy Elisburg
Coach of the Year: Erik Spoelstra
Most Improved Player: Bam Adebayo
Look: Miami is on pace to win sixty games this year. Pause. Blink. Gasp. Unpause. and they have been consistent at that pace through thirty-four games. There is no reasonable doubt that they will get to sixty, or very close. When they finish, say with sixty wins that will be a twenty-one game improvement over last season; a sixteen game bump from 2017/18; and nineteen games better than 16/17. That is literally hard to believe.
Why no Rookie of the Year? Ja Morant of Memphis has better numbers but it's mainly because Miami has two candidates and they're splitting the vote. RevelatioNUNN is second and the hero Herro third as top rooks per NBA.com. Does it matter if a rookie does it with a good team as opposed to a mediocre or crappy team? I think you can make the case both ways. Now if a rookie is the best player on a good team that matters. That is what I saw in Nunn in the Philadelphia game in Miami. When a rookie comes up big in big games that matters. By definition, good teams play more big games. But Kendrick is not the best player on the "Heat" so I don't think he's going to get that advantage over Morant. There's another thing and this hurts Kendrick: He's 24 years old, not 19 as Tyler is and although this is Kendrick's first season in the NBA he did play semi-pro for Santa Cruz of the G-League in 2018/19. When you think of a rookie, you think of a 19-21 year old who spent last year in college, who has been shaving for three years and cut himself both times. That's Tyler Herro whose face ought to be next to the Merriam-Webster definition of "rookie." You think of 20 year-old Ja Morant. You don't think of a 24 year-old. Only if Kendrick has games like he did against Philly all through the second half of the season would he become ROTY.
So, what about Tyler? The problem with Tyler's candidacy is that he doesn't even start for his team. That is definitely relevant and it should be. Morant has started every one of Memphis' games and Kendrick has started every one of Miami's. Thus, for the aforesaid reasons no ROTY in Miami. What of Sixth Man of the Year? By definition the sixth man doesn't start. I can see that so why can't I see Tyler winning Sixth Man of the Year? Because he's a rookie. No, I don't know.
Executive of the Year, which the spec for is General Manager: Andy Elisburg
Coach of the Year: Erik Spoelstra
Most Improved Player: Bam Adebayo
Look: Miami is on pace to win sixty games this year. Pause. Blink. Gasp. Unpause. and they have been consistent at that pace through thirty-four games. There is no reasonable doubt that they will get to sixty, or very close. When they finish, say with sixty wins that will be a twenty-one game improvement over last season; a sixteen game bump from 2017/18; and nineteen games better than 16/17. That is literally hard to believe.
Why no Rookie of the Year? Ja Morant of Memphis has better numbers but it's mainly because Miami has two candidates and they're splitting the vote. RevelatioNUNN is second and the hero Herro third as top rooks per NBA.com. Does it matter if a rookie does it with a good team as opposed to a mediocre or crappy team? I think you can make the case both ways. Now if a rookie is the best player on a good team that matters. That is what I saw in Nunn in the Philadelphia game in Miami. When a rookie comes up big in big games that matters. By definition, good teams play more big games. But Kendrick is not the best player on the "Heat" so I don't think he's going to get that advantage over Morant. There's another thing and this hurts Kendrick: He's 24 years old, not 19 as Tyler is and although this is Kendrick's first season in the NBA he did play semi-pro for Santa Cruz of the G-League in 2018/19. When you think of a rookie, you think of a 19-21 year old who spent last year in college, who has been shaving for three years and cut himself both times. That's Tyler Herro whose face ought to be next to the Merriam-Webster definition of "rookie." You think of 20 year-old Ja Morant. You don't think of a 24 year-old. Only if Kendrick has games like he did against Philly all through the second half of the season would he become ROTY.
So, what about Tyler? The problem with Tyler's candidacy is that he doesn't even start for his team. That is definitely relevant and it should be. Morant has started every one of Memphis' games and Kendrick has started every one of Miami's. Thus, for the aforesaid reasons no ROTY in Miami. What of Sixth Man of the Year? By definition the sixth man doesn't start. I can see that so why can't I see Tyler winning Sixth Man of the Year? Because he's a rookie. No, I don't know.
