[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7938330/indiana-pacers-larry-bird-named-nba-executive-year

NEW YORK — Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird has been voted the NBA’s Executive of the Year, becoming the first person to win that award, plus the league’s MVP and Coach of the Year honors.

Bird

 

The Pacers went 42-24 and are tied 1-1 with Miami in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Bird’s moves to strengthen the team during the offseason included promoting Frank Vogel from interim to head coach and signing starting forward David West.

Bird was a three-time MVP as a Boston Celtics player, then led his home-state Pacers to a 147-67 record in three seasons and their only Finals appearance in 2000.

Bird received 88 points and 12 first-place votes from a panel of his fellow team executives Wednesday. San Antonio’s R.C. Buford was second with 56 points.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

Clap, clap, clap, clap…

Gotta give this man credit… He’s done a hell of a job turning this team around.

[SpacegrassParticipant]

Bird needs to teach MJ some executive skills.  The Pacers have good depth but , no superstars yet they have a serious shot at taking out the Heat without Bosh.  If you add one top 10 player in the League to this team you have a title contender.

[Toronto16Participant]

 Wow…. Over the Clippers GM?

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

How much credit do you want to give Olshey? Stern basically put Chris Paul right in his lap.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

I think that Larry Bird has won every award out there except for the Defensive Player of the Year award, and the 6th man award.  Maybe he needs to make a run at the J. Walter Citizenship Award.

Hats off to Larry Bird for being a great coach and then a great executive.  Few NBA legends have been able to pull that off.

[UNCbasketballbumParticipant]

Larry Bird is a flat out stud.  He’s done so many good things with the Pacers organization its ridiculous.  The Pacers have an identity, tough physical, hard-nosed, don’t back down from anyone basketball.  Tuesday’s game in Miami was actually the first time I saw the Pacers play this year.  They really have a legitimate chance to knock off the Heat.

[mcbaileyParticipant]

 He also took Indy to a Finals appearance in his short coaching tenure. He’s accomplished something every step of the way. Gotta respect the man regardless of where your team loyalties lie.

[NYK2010Participant]

For one move damn other NBA execs need to step up.

For me Sam Presti not sure even if he’s the Exec. but what he’s done with OKC he deserves the award.

Nuggets guy could get it next year even outside of the no brainer Melo deal he’s done a great job.

 

 

[mcbaileyParticipant]

Indy went out and got David West for a VERY reasonable price. They also traded for George Hill, who is the starting PG, and for what they gave up for Leandro Barbosa (2nd rounder), he might as well have been free. All of those moves were very low risk, high reward and what you got was a 3 seed in the East and a team who stole a road game against Miami.

 

The article blurb in the OP only named one move, but that wasn’t all he did by a long shot.

[HitsterParticipant]

Bird made some great moves and despite David West not averaging his NOH figures this year, the team has clicked perfectly as a unit and I agree that getting Barbosa has given them that extra depth and scoring punch off the bench.

A lot of us thought it was strange when Bird drafted Paul George given they already had Danny Grainger but again that move has worked out well. The Pacers basically rebuilt with late lottery picks and most of the guys they have drafted in that era are either current starters or rotation players on their roster which few other teams have achieved.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

IF not for Ron Artest running into the stands, Bird probably has a NBA championship on his resume too.

I haven’t always been the biggest Bird fan, but he said he had a plan and he really stuck with it… He told everyone to be patient and it’s paying off.

 

 

[DolanCareParticipant]

Drafting Paul George was a huge step for the Pacer organization. There was a period where the Pacers were wayyy too conservative on draft night, and never picked up players with upside. IMO that all changed when they took a risk with George

[raybeasParticipant]

He left coaching after he got COY and took the Pacers to the Finals. He considered leaving before this year. The Pacers have Kevin Pritchard (former Trailblazers GM) as Asst GM and Bird’s right-hand man David Moroway(sp?) as GM. Larry may go out in a blaze of glory and walk away.

[aamir543Participant]

Wow, MVP, Coach of the Year(two conference finals apperances and one NBA finals apperance) and Exec of the year, that’s pretty crazy, he has a great basketball mind and surrounds himself with smart people, it’ funny how Larry is a great exec and MJ is pretty bad, and that’s being generous.

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