Slam Dunk Central’s First Annual Man Of The Year Award

Posted by Jeff Sack under Slam Dunk Central's Annual Man Of The Year Award

Well we are getting to that time of the year, where two types of columns are ubiquitous all over the media,”Top Ten Lists” and “People Of The Year Awards.” Not wanting to be let out of all the fun, we here at Slam Dunk Central have come up with our version, the “Slam Dunk Central Annual Man Of The Year Award.” Since we only came into existence in May of this past year it is our inaugural award.

I thought long and hard before naming the award the”Man of the Year Award.” I have been called the most politically correct man in the United States, which to be honest, I’m not sure if it was said as an insult or a compliment. But it would probably be true. My first indication was to call it the “Person of the Year Award.” That being said, this is a NBA Website, therefore our award winner will be involved in some way in the NBA. Except for Violet Palmer, the NBA’s lone female referee, I can’t think of another woman that would be eligible. If Ms. Palmer is one day named the winner, or another worthy female comes into play we will change the Award name at that time. But realistically, this award will most always go to a man.

I also thought about Athlete, or Player of the Year, but this year our selection is neither. And it will not necessarily always go to a player. The other thing is I wanted this to be an award, unlike “Time Magazine.” Their “Person Of The Year” is not an award, they make no bones about it. It is given to the person who most effects society, for good or for bad, this year the “Person Of The Year” is Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was not meant as a compliment. I want our award to be that an award, a recognition of goodness. If it was just the man who most effected the sport, the choice would be simple, Tim Donaghy, or David Stern.

Donaghy of course was the former NBA referee who has pleaded guilty to gambling on NBA games as well as dispersing information that was helpful to other gamblers. Donaghy definitely effected the Sport, but not in a positive way. It was just another sordid example, of what Professional Sports has become in this the Year of the Scandal 2007. Stern of course is the NBA Commissioner who basically was caught asleep at the switch, as shocked by the revelations as the most casual of fans. Stern in my opinion handled the whole situation poorly. Especially rather than enforcing the rules on a bunch of NBA officials that had violated the letter of the law, he changed the rules! That ought to give NBA Fans a feeling of confidence Commissioner.

The calendar year of 2007 actually involves two different seasons, so there were a lot of candidates to choose from. From the 2006-2007 season alone we came up with a bunch of deserving candidates. Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, who was named the NBA MVP for the regular season, was right at the top of our list. LeBron James who just about carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals, with a game five performance against the Detroit Pistons in?the Eastern Conference Finals that was a game for the ages. Tony Parker, the San Antonio Spurs point guard, wining a NBA Title, and the Finals MVP, could easily have qualified.

From the current season the 2007-2008 campaign, any list has to start with Dwight Howard the Orlando Magic center. As dominant as Howard has been in the past, he has taken his game to another stratosphere this season, an early candidate for NBA MVP. The Boston Celtics have a bevy of candidates, Head of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge leading the pack. Ainge this off-season transformed a moribund Boston Celtics team into the most dominant team in the NBA for more than a quarter of a season. By trading for Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett, as well as signing key free agent role players in James Posey and Eddie House, Ainge has reinvigorated a team whose glory days ended in the late 1980’s. Garnett, Allen, along with teammate Paul Pierce would also be worthy of consideration.

As we head westward, Carlos Boozer is a name that quickly leaps to mind. Boozer has looked like he did his first seasons in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers, a nightly threat to get double digits in points, and rebounds. Boozer’s teammate with the Utah Jazz point guard Deron Williams is a rising young star. Amare Stoudemire Steve Nash, and Shawn Marion are all having great years in Phoenix. Dallas of course has a bunch of talent starting with Nowitzki, Josh Howard, Jason Terry, and Devin Harris. And how about the turnaround of the Los Angeles Lakers, as Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom have given Kobe some very strong allies.

But the man I chose never wore a NBA uniform. In fact his connection to the NBA is tenuous at best, you see he accepted a job, but never actually worked for a NBA Team. By now you may have figured out, that I am talking about University of Florida head coach Billy Donovan, who actually signed a contract to be the head coach of the Orlando Magic. But after he made the commitment, to the Magic, he had to face the people he was leaving. You have heard the phrase “an eleventh hour decision” this was more like 12:15. But in the end he did the right thing, he followed his heart. He realized that he did not need the extra money, the extra glitz, the extra glamour. When he went back to Gainesville, and saw the heartbreak in people’s eyes, he knew he could not leave.

Billy Donovan became a very hot commodity last spring after winning back to back NCAA Titles with the Florida Gators. All of a sudden Donovan was being, wined, dined, and wooed by Orlando Magic General Manager Otis Smith and the Orlando Magic Ownership. Donovan was of course flattered, and I think intrigued. After all he had just won back to back titles, he knew his players were leaving, and here was a new challenge, a new mountain to climb. Making more money, to boot! What was the downside?

Donovan found that out when he came back to Gainesville to say goodbye. The downside was the relationships he had formed, that he would be abandoning. At that moment, the grass no longer looked greener on the other side. Now did Billy Donovan basically put the Orlando Magic through a wild goose chase, in a word, yes. Do I feel the least bit bad for Otis Smith or the Magic Owners, I would have to say no. They went after someone who did not belong to them, and guess what they got burned. Is Donovan a babe in the woods and blameless, of course not he was tempted, and he was ready to stray.

But the bottom line is Billy Donovan did the right thing! He showed loyalty to the people who had supported him before he became the latest flavor of the month. Did Donovan burn some bridges? Undoubtedly, he will probably not be getting too many calls in the near future from any NBA teams. And you know what, that might just be okay, because in a world where everybody seems to be obsessed with getting to the next level, Donovan showed it was some times better to stick with right where you are at.

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7 Responses to “Slam Dunk Central’s First Annual Man Of The Year Award”

Gob on December 28th, 2007 4:27 pm

“I’ve made a huge mistake.”
james on December 28th, 2007 11:06 pm

Good concept decent idea, saw the article on ballhype, ya peaked my interest. Here is a ques to the author, do you think this coach will ever win a NCAA title again? Basically, he has to rebuild now correct?
george on December 28th, 2007 11:11 pm

Only reason I checked it out is cause one of my boys sent out sports group an email saying it was the article of the year. Seems like a good article though I think it isn’t that big of a deal he stayed where he was. I guess it is nice to see the NCAA hold onto a good coach. Though, I’m sure he got paid good money anyway. I dunno, since I’m a casual NBA fan, I like the gimmicks like the smurfs over actual NBA value, but good reads anyway, ya got props.
Slam Dunk Central’s Second Annual Man Of The Year Award » Slam Dunk Central on December 31st, 2008 9:14 pm

[...] Annual Man Of The Year Award being brought back by popular demand. Last December we published Slam Dunk Central’s First Annual Man Of The Year Award and it has been by far the most widely read column in our one year, seven months-plus of [...]
Slam Dunk Central Second Annual Man Of The Year Award » Slam Dunk Central on December 31st, 2008 9:33 pm

[...] Annual Man Of The Year Award being brought back by popular demand. Last December we published Slam Dunk Central’s First Annual Man Of The Year Award and it has been by far the most widely read column in our one year, seven months-plus of existence. [...]