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Apr. 24—MORGANTOWN — They are two shining stars currently barreling through the NBA playoffs and, seemingly, on a collision course for each other prior to the NBA Finals.
One is Mike Gansey, the general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The other is Joe Mazzulla, head coach of the Boston Celtics.
When it comes to WVU's claim to NBA fame, the list pretty much begins and ends with Jerry West.
Rod Thorn would be the exception. The man who drafted Michael Jordan, won the 2002 NBA Executive of the Year and then also played a major role in putting together the 1992 Dream Team for the Barcelona Olympics is worth due credit.
West's accomplishments, both as a player and an executive, would take up the rest of this column. If interested, that's why Google was invented.
Then there is Mazzulla and Gansey—both former WVU hoops standouts—and what may be the greatest hypothetical situation WVU basketball fans could ever hope for.
We say hypothetical, because we don't know how the voting will go, and in Cleveland, the final roster decisions fall on Koby Altman, the President of Basketball Operations.
But, there's an outside chance Mazzulla wins NBA Coach of the Year, while Gansey wins NBA Executive of the Year this season.
Seriously, with all of West's accomplishments noted, would a Mazzulla-Gansey sweep be the pinnacle of WVU pride in the professional ranks ?
We'll leave that thought right there, but there is no doubt the path to the Finals in the Eastern Conference go through either Cleveland or Boston.
Both teams are currently up 2-0 in their first-round playoff series.
Here are their arguments:
It's been seven years since LeBron James last wore a Cleveland uniform. For a generation, James was the Cavaliers' only path to NBA success.
Altman and Gansey basically said, "We'll see about that."
Now, it's taken just about every bit of those seven post-LeBron years to put it together, but the Cavs are now the No. 1 seed in the East, having built a team through trades and the draft.
Gansey and the Cleveland front office have pushed all of the right buttons in what has been a tedious rebuilding project, but one that has proven small-market teams can thrive if ran the correct way.
Mazzulla led the Celtics to the NBA championship a year ago. He's now on a mission to repeat.
He's also moved completely on from the narrative that surrounded him in 2022 that he was just the fortunate guy who was in the right place at the right time.
He unexpectedly inherited one of the NBA's top rosters that year, after Boston suspended then-coach Ime Udoka and named Mazzulla the interim.
Boston removed the interim tag after Mazzulla's rookie season. Two years later, it's never been more clear that the Celtics respond through Mazzulla's leadership. In turn, Mazzulla has flourished by building deep connections with his players.
That was never more evident than last Sunday after Boston star forward Jayson Tatum fell hard to the floor and hurt his wrist.
Tatum laid on the ground, as Boston's trainer began to go to him, but Mazzulla held him back.
Mazzulla yelled, "Get up, " seemingly lending enough strength to Tatum to get back on his feet.
The video of the moment, as they say, has gone viral.
Mazzulla was asked about it after the game.
"Everything's built on love, " he said. "Everything's built on the relationship that we have."
That is not just some lucky guy who became the head coach of the Boston Celtics. The situation has now become the Boston Celtics are lucky to have Mazzulla.
With that said, here is your stat of the day: If Mazzulla were to win coach of the year, it would end a drought of 44 years.
The last time a Boston Celtics' head coach won coach of the year came in 1980, when Bill Fitch accomplished it.
Larry Bird was a rookie then, that's how long it's been.
And so, we get back to our original thought. It's probably more likely that neither is honored this season, but what Gansey and Mazzulla have accomplished in the NBA is nothing short of a dream come true for WVU.
Continue reading...
One is Mike Gansey, the general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The other is Joe Mazzulla, head coach of the Boston Celtics.
When it comes to WVU's claim to NBA fame, the list pretty much begins and ends with Jerry West.
Rod Thorn would be the exception. The man who drafted Michael Jordan, won the 2002 NBA Executive of the Year and then also played a major role in putting together the 1992 Dream Team for the Barcelona Olympics is worth due credit.
West's accomplishments, both as a player and an executive, would take up the rest of this column. If interested, that's why Google was invented.
Then there is Mazzulla and Gansey—both former WVU hoops standouts—and what may be the greatest hypothetical situation WVU basketball fans could ever hope for.
We say hypothetical, because we don't know how the voting will go, and in Cleveland, the final roster decisions fall on Koby Altman, the President of Basketball Operations.
But, there's an outside chance Mazzulla wins NBA Coach of the Year, while Gansey wins NBA Executive of the Year this season.
Seriously, with all of West's accomplishments noted, would a Mazzulla-Gansey sweep be the pinnacle of WVU pride in the professional ranks ?
We'll leave that thought right there, but there is no doubt the path to the Finals in the Eastern Conference go through either Cleveland or Boston.
Both teams are currently up 2-0 in their first-round playoff series.
Here are their arguments:
It's been seven years since LeBron James last wore a Cleveland uniform. For a generation, James was the Cavaliers' only path to NBA success.
Altman and Gansey basically said, "We'll see about that."
Now, it's taken just about every bit of those seven post-LeBron years to put it together, but the Cavs are now the No. 1 seed in the East, having built a team through trades and the draft.
Gansey and the Cleveland front office have pushed all of the right buttons in what has been a tedious rebuilding project, but one that has proven small-market teams can thrive if ran the correct way.
Mazzulla led the Celtics to the NBA championship a year ago. He's now on a mission to repeat.
He's also moved completely on from the narrative that surrounded him in 2022 that he was just the fortunate guy who was in the right place at the right time.
He unexpectedly inherited one of the NBA's top rosters that year, after Boston suspended then-coach Ime Udoka and named Mazzulla the interim.
Boston removed the interim tag after Mazzulla's rookie season. Two years later, it's never been more clear that the Celtics respond through Mazzulla's leadership. In turn, Mazzulla has flourished by building deep connections with his players.
That was never more evident than last Sunday after Boston star forward Jayson Tatum fell hard to the floor and hurt his wrist.
Tatum laid on the ground, as Boston's trainer began to go to him, but Mazzulla held him back.
Mazzulla yelled, "Get up, " seemingly lending enough strength to Tatum to get back on his feet.
The video of the moment, as they say, has gone viral.
Mazzulla was asked about it after the game.
"Everything's built on love, " he said. "Everything's built on the relationship that we have."
That is not just some lucky guy who became the head coach of the Boston Celtics. The situation has now become the Boston Celtics are lucky to have Mazzulla.
With that said, here is your stat of the day: If Mazzulla were to win coach of the year, it would end a drought of 44 years.
The last time a Boston Celtics' head coach won coach of the year came in 1980, when Bill Fitch accomplished it.
Larry Bird was a rookie then, that's how long it's been.
And so, we get back to our original thought. It's probably more likely that neither is honored this season, but what Gansey and Mazzulla have accomplished in the NBA is nothing short of a dream come true for WVU.
Continue reading...
