Cavs’ Larry Nance Jr.’s All-NBA voting comment makes too much sense
By Dan Gilinsky
Cleveland Cavaliers big Larry Nance Jr. sounded off on the All-NBA teams’ voting turnout, and what he said makes too much sense.
The Cleveland Cavaliers did not have any individual players named to All-NBA teams recently, which is not exactly a shocker, considering they tied the Phoenix Suns for having the league’s second-worst record in 2018-19 with a mark of 19-63 (per NBA.com).
That being said, one of the bright spots in Cleveland’s last season was Larry Nance Jr., who had a career year.
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Playing the most minutes of his career (26.8) Nance had career-bests in points (9.4 on 55.4% shooting), rebounds (8.2), assists (3.2), and steals per game (1.5), while also showing he can be a three-point threat when open, as he shot a somewhat-respectable 33.7% from deep in his first season really attempting those shots, (all per Basketball Reference).
New Cleveland head coach John Beilein (who reportedly values team-first play on both ends as much as anyone) will love Nance, who is such an unselfish player on both ends with and without the ball, and outstanding rolling/cutting threat. Nance has a really high basketball IQ, too, and obviously, he is an authority on the NBA and the game of basketball in general, since he is a good player at the game’s highest level that does a number of things well on the floor.
Nance recently sounded off on the NBA voting turnout in relation to All-NBA Teams, All-Rookie Teams, and/or the yearly awards process.
According to an official release from NBA.com, the “All-NBA teams were selected by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.”
That voting process was the case for all of the All-NBA teams/rookie teams, and I can understand the voting from writers and broadcasters having some weight to it, but them being the sole reason players do or do not make All-NBA teams doesn’t make sense, due to financial ramifications tied to making All-NBA and/or other individual awards, and players’ reputations maybe being a tad bit discounted among their peers.
Nance touched on that via Twitter (h/t Cavs Nation’s Paul John Rivera), and he’s absolutely right in saying this.
https://twitter.com/Larrydn22/status/1131652279256453120
Players should ultimately be the ones deciding who makes All-NBA teams, All-Rookie Teams, All-Defensive Teams, etc., because they are the people playing against those being awarded for being among the best in the highest level of professional basketball.
That would make too much sense, really, I would think.
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Maybe if Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love is healthier in the 2019-20 season, he could have a shot at making one of the All-NBA teams. Love only appeared in 22 games last year, though (per Basketball Reference), and has had recurring injury problems since being traded to Cleveland in the summer of 2014, so that is a big if.