The Whiteboard: The NBA Awards show happens far too late
By Ti Windisch
The NBA Awards show isn’t an inherently bad idea, but it needs to happen much sooner.
First, a confession: I did not watch the 2018 NBA Awards show. Shame on me. Instead of seeing who won MVP, Rookie of the Year, and other important NBA awards, I simply got the notifications on my NBA app.
I wasn’t busy, mind you. I was actually playing NBA 2K. I easily could’ve switched over to take in the show. I just didn’t care to. Everything announced at the NBA Awards show is late news, especially considering the awards given only factored in regular season play.
The 2017-18 NBA regular season concluded on April 11. The NBA Awards show happened on June 25. There was a time, as distant in the past as it was, where the awards were debated furiously.
Way back before he became a postseason sensation, Donovan Mitchell wore a hoodie adorned with the definition of rookie. It was chippy, and fun, and it would’ve been very timely for the NBA Awards to happen right after the season.
They did not. Nobody in June really cares about the 2017-18 Rookie of the Year award. Congratulations to Ben Simmons for winning and all, but the 2018 NBA Draft has already happened and we’re mere days from the opening of free agency. Those things are what’s worth talking about now.
The unfortunate part of all of this is that this should be a massive moment for these award winners. James Harden finally snagged that elusive MVP award. Simmons beat out Mitchell in a tight ROTY race. These things felt important in April. The awards being given out then would’ve been a bigger deal.
Right now, they feel like an afterthought. The season ended too long ago, and there’s so much going on. For the players involved, and the fans watching at home, let’s find a way to make this awards show happen earlier.
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