The NBA announced the five-man rosters for its All-Defensive teams today, and the list of those honored shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone:
First Team: Joakim Noah, Paul George, Chris Paul, Serge Ibaka, Andre Iguodala
Second Team: LeBron James, Patrick Beverley, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Roy Hibbert
Of course, the beauty of NBA awards season is that the league decided — starting this season — to reveal the votes of every individual media member. Such transparency tends to cut down on the homer-ish troll selections from various voters — or, at least out them for some public shaming. One such example from this season — albeit an inadvertent one — was Clippers broadcaster Michael Smith, who accidentally flipped his Most Improved Player ballot with his MVP selections. Everyone excused the mistake a legitimate mix-up.
I always enjoy the others receiving votes section. Among the highlights: James Harden received two votes for All Defensive team.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) June 2, 2014
The same can’t be said for two inexplicable votes for James Harden for the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team. What makes the selections even more strange is the fact neither voter — Stephanie Ready, Kevin Calabro — have any affiliation with the Houston Rockets. Ready works as a reporter and analyst for the Charlotte Bobcats, while Calabro, the much-beloved former Voice of the Sonics, splits time between ESPN Radio, TNT and NBA TV on national broadcasts.
So, did Ready and Calabro pick up on something we didn’t? Probably not:
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