Wednesday, February 21, 2007

NBA Blog Awards: 2007 Edition

The Pro Basketball Writers Association put out their annual awards list, and – both predictably and lamentably – there wasn't a single blogger to be found.

I presume that's because they don't allow bloggers to be members, which is their loss. (Funny: I didn't see the "Sam Smith Award for Original Reporting." Maybe he should talk to Dan Steinberg about that.)

Meanwhile, the NBA blog universe has become one of the most active, vibrant, enthusiastic and entertaining in sports. And it all seems to have really exploded this season, which was the best news for NBA fans.

Because the PBWA can't (or won't) do it, here are this year's winners of the NBA Blogger Awards*:

Best Blog, Individual:
True Hoop
(Henry Abbott)
http://www.truehoop.com/

Best Blog, Group:
NBA Fanhouse
(MJD, BigLead, Shoals, Skeets, Mutoni, Edwards, Watson, Ziller, Miss Gossip, Jones)
http://nba.aolsportsblog.com/

Best Team Blog, Game Coverage:
ClipperBlog
(Kevin Arnovitz)
http://clipperblog.com/

Best Team Blog, Entertainment:
Wizznutzz
("Darvin and Dana Ham")
http://www.wizznutzz.com/

Best Commentary Blog:
Free Darko
(B. Shoals, Dr. LIC, Brown Recluse)
http://freedarko.blogspot.com/

Best Podcast Blog:
The Basketball Jones
(Tas Melas/JE Skeets)
http://thebasketballjones.net/

Best Photoshop Blog:
Yay! Sports
(The Cavalier)
http://www.yaysports.com/nba/

Best Resource Blog:
LowPost.net
(Jason Gurney)
http://lowpost.net/blogs/

Best Blogroll:
Blog-a-Bull
(Matt Bernhardt)
http://www.blogabull.com/

Best History Blog:
Jones on the NBA
(Nate Jones)
http://www.jonesonthenba.blogspot.com/

Best Newspaper Blog:
DC Sports Bog
(Dan Steinberg)
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/

Best Owner Blog:
BlogMaverick
(Mark Cuban)
http://blogmaverick.com/

Best Player Blog:
Gilbert Arenas

http://www.nba.com/allstar2007/players/arenas_blog.html

Lifetime Achievement:
SlamOnline's The Links
(Lang Whitaker)
http://slamonline.com/online/category/columnists/the-links/

There are a LOT of great NBA blogs (particularly team-specific blogs) that I short-shrifted here, so please feel free to use the Comments section to add your own nominees and favorites. This is a celebration, not a competition.

-- D.S.

* - As voted on by, um, me. Which seems a lot more trasparent than, say, the way traditional sports-media cabals (like the PBWA) do their awards voting.

UPDATE (2/22, 10 a.m.): I got an email from Steve Aschburner, the president of the PBWA, who took issue with the first two sentences of this post. (And I certainly don't blame him.) Regular readers of this blog know I can go heavy on unsupported snark, but in a post that had the potential to reach a much wider audience, I should have either ratcheted it back or shot a quick email to Aschburner for a clarification of their awards policy and membership. (Ironically, the PBWA doesn't seem to have an online presence for me to know how to contact him.) I think it's important to keep in mind that the primary intent of the post was to showcase the best NBA bloggers, using the PBWA's annual awards as a news hook to lead into my topic of choice.

21 comments:

Unknown said...

Along with Arnovitz . . .

Best Team Blog, Game Coverage:
Detroit Bad Boys

(Matt Watson/Ian Cameron)
http://detroitbadboys.com

Jamie Mottram said...

Thanks for honoring FanHouse here, Dan, although you didn't include Jones!

Good picks all around, by the way. Hard to argue with.

Unsilent Majority said...

I can't believe you shafted Abe Polin for best owner blog. What a mockery. How much is Cubes payin' you?!?!

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Jeff Clark said...

hmmm, time to update my blogroll - anyone want to add their link, feel free:

http://www.celticsblog.com/index.php?option=com_bookmarks&Itemid=70&mode=0&catid=-1&search=*

Unknown said...

Love the award for Best Podcast Blog. Don't get me wrong I listen to the Jones every day - but is there even another NBA Podcast Blog out there?

Also B. Shoals should be awarded with Best Most Difficult To Grasp Existentially Blog.

MCBias said...

I'm a little late, but it's good to see some credit for slamonline.com/links. That was really my first and only sports blog (outside of Page 2's stuff) for about 3 years, and yet too many people didn't know there was some good work going on there. Although I'm still somewhat disappointed in finding out that Lang Whitaker isn't black; completely ruined my mental picture of him.

Unknown said...

thirdstringjd . . .

Hoops Addict -- Ryan McNeill
http://hoopsaddict.360thepitch.com/

and

Basketball Revolution -- Ryne & Jordan Nelson
http://basketballrevolution.podomatic.com/

Lang Whitaker said...

Thanks, Dan. Although isn't the lifetime achievement award the one you want to avoid? I'll write an acceptance speech for tomorrow.

And McBias, I'm sorry I'm white.

Jordi said...

I am starting to lose hope in the Gilbert Blog, especially after it was revealed he phones in his posts. Is it too much to ask Scot Pollard to start blogging?
BTW, thanks for discussing some blogs I hadn't heard of yet. I guess I have some reading to do.

JG said...

Great choices by Dan and the commenters. I'll add ...

Best Team Community (West Coast)
Golden State of Mind


Best Team Community (East Coast)
CelticsBlog.com


Best Photoshop Blog (Canada)
NBA Basketball and Other Unrelatednessssss

Unknown said...

Best analytical blog
knickerblogger.net

TheHype said...

Woah wait Dan, where's

Best Ron Artest Blog, not taking responsibility on maltreatment of animals:
Ron Artest Journal

(ron artest)??

heh seriously though, good list of awardees. I'd add Miss Gossip's original site SunsGossip as instant laughter for a team site

Thanks Jason! sssss

Nate Jones said...

Thanks for the love, Dan...I guess I'm making up for that history major I chickened out on in favor of the more practical business degree. And yeah, I could always catch up with that in grad school...but you guessed it, I'm chickening out on that one for the more practical law degree...

Kurt said...

This is one way to network I guess Dan...put as many blogger cocks in your mouth as you can at once and maybe someday one of them will get famous and remember you.

mutoni said...

kurt: buzzkiller + douchebag. nicely done.

Awful Announcing- said...

Blogger Cocks is the name of my new band. Think Arcade Fire mixed with Coldplay mixed with Three 6 Mafia.

RevScottDeMangeMD said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
The Redeemer said...

best NBA player blog

Jerry Stackhouse

Anonymous said...

Love the award for Best Podcast Blog. Don't get me wrong I listen to the Jones every day - but is there even another NBA Podcast Blog out there?

Also B. Shoals should be awarded with Best Most Difficult To Grasp Existentially Blog.

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