NBA Razzie Awards 2011: Who Wins Worst Player, Most Embarrassing Moment, More
The NBA Razzie Awards celebrate the absolute worst that the league has to offer.
There are a lot of embarrassing moments throughout the season, but these awards commemorate the absolute best of the worst that we saw in 2011.
Sifting through the bottom of the slag heap, here are the (un)lucky winners of the inaugural award show.
Note to the winners: There are no prizes for pickup.
Worst Point Guard
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Winner: Chris Quinn
Quinn, an undrafted point guard out of Notre Dame, has never been a dynamic player at any point in his career, but last season represented a low point for the perennial backup.
The veteran averaged just 2.0 points, 0.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game and had absolutely no impact for the Spurs.
Worst Shooting Guard
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Winner: Mario West
Despite posting some of the best numbers of his career, West managed to appear in just six games this season for the Nets, and it's hard to put any value into those skewed numbers.
After playing parts of three seasons in the league prior for the Hawks, the Nets were only willing to give West a look when the team was ravaged by injury.
That should tell you just about everything that you need to know.
Worst Small Forward
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Winner: Stephen Graham
No disrespect meant to Stephen Graham, but if the veteran is a team's best option to man the starting small-forward spot, they're probably not going to get very far.
With such a plethora of good candidates in this spot, it was really tough to settle on one. Graham wound up winning because of his considerable drop-offs in field-goal percentage (down 9.1 percent from previous season) and three-point percentage (down 8.2 percent from previous season).
Worst Power Forward
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Winner: Brian Scalabrine
This award has the potential to be re-named after Brian Scalabrine, but I'm going to reserve that honor until after Big Red hangs 'em up.
Scal got a deal with the Bulls thanks to new head coach Tom Thiobdeau's suggestion to bring him aboard, but he appeared in a career-low 18 games and posted some rather meager season averages of 1.1 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.3 assists.
Worst Center
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Winner: Byron Mullens
If nothing else, at least Byron "B.J." Mullens has been consistent over the last couple of seasons.
He managed to backup his 13-game rookie campaign with 13 more appearances in his second go-around, but given that he averaged just 1.9 points and 1.8 rebounds this season, I'd assume that the Thunder would have just as readily kept Rodrigue Beaubois on draft day.
Worst Overall Player
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Winner: Renaldo Balkman
Balkman was the surprising first-round pick of the Knicks back in 2006 (ahead of Rajon Rondo), and after struggling mightily in his first two seasons, the undersized power forward was shipped to Denver.
Unfortunately for Knicks fans, he was re-acquired by the team in the Carmelo Anthony deal and once again showed why he has no business as a regular in the rotation.
He played in eight games this season, averaging 2.0 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.2 assists.
Worst Coach
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Winner: Paul Westphal
I wish I could get inside of Paul Westphal's head to figure out exactly what was going on last season.
Westphal changed his rotation more often than Dennis Rodman altered his hair color, and it's maddening to think what he's capable of doing next season if given free reign once again.
Most Incompetent General Manager
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Winner: David Kahn
David Kahn and Joe Dumars really went head-to-head on this battle, but in the end, I'm going to give the nod to the lead decision-maker in Minnesota.
While he definitely wasn't as bad last season as he was when he drafted Rubio, Flynn, Lawson and Ellington in the first round, he certainly could've done a much better job of signing a center who actually gave them a presence in the middle rather than wasting payroll on Darko Milicic and Nikola Petrovic.
James Dolan Award (Worst Owner)
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Winner: James Dolan
How can an owner not win the award that is named after him?
Dolan might have been able to avoid taking home the award this season, but in a competitive race between he and a few other quality candidates, Dolan's refusal to reward Donnie Walsh after he pulled his club out of financial ruin pretty much sealed the deal.
Worst Arena
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Winner: Amway Arena
With all of the high-tech arenas being constructed around the league these days, it's really tough to look at the deteriorating Amway Arena in Orlando.
The Magic could really use a face lift to their franchise, and a new place to call home would go a long way toward achieving exactly that.
Worst Overall Fans
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Winner: Miami Heat
In a summer that saw the Miami Heat roster their most talented team in franchise history, the club still couldn't fill the building on time before the tip.
The team actually sent out an e-mail before the decisive Game 6 that encouraged fans to show up on time and cheer throughout all 48 minutes.
Can you imagine that they actually needed external motivation to get pumped up? Pathetic.
Most Pitiful Team
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Winner: Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves compiled just a 17-65 regular season record and didn't even land the first-overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft.
To add insult to injury, Kurt Rambis is still team's head coach and David Kahn still has autonomy in the front office.
Most Embarrassing Moment
13 of 34Winner: Tyreke Evans
Evans shouldn't really feel bad about this one considering how foolish Derrick Rose made a lot of people look this season.
Having said that, Rose's ankle-breaking crossover that sends Evans spinning into the ground like a top is definitely a clip to watch on repeat for any fan.
Worst Decision
14 of 34Winner: LeBron James
Granted that this was one was the winner by default, James' decision will live infamously in NBA lore for a very long time.
There was never anything like it before and, frankly, there certainly won't be anything like it after, considering how poorly it played out in the public sphere.
Most Epic Posterization
15 of 34Winner: Timofey Mozgov
Words can't even describe this Blake Griffin throw down over Timofey Mozgov.
Griffin rose up, used Mozgov's head for balance and delivered an emphatic tea-bagging right to Mozgov's face in front of the Los Angeles crowd.
Most Embarrassing Missed Dunk Attempt
16 of 34Winner: Von Wafer
As if missing a slam dunk isn't embarrassing enough, Von Wafer really took it to an entirely unseen level with this play.
After driving down the lane and aggressively slamming it home, Wafer didn't realize that the ball had missed, and actually begun celebrating underneath the hoop only to bump into his teammate and turn the ball over.
Well done.
Biggest Blowout
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Winner: Toronto Raptors, 112-72 Loss vs. Orlando
I'm not even sure that the term blowout is appropriate here, because this was a loss of absolutely catastrophic proportions for the Raptors.
It's always embarrassing when an opponent runs you off of the floor, but the Raptors didn't even look like they had any business competing with Orlando in this one.
Most Egregious Flop
18 of 34Winner: Chris Bosh
Some might have been pulling for James Harden to win this award, but Bosh's flop against Carlos Boozer was deserving of an Academy Award.
Bosh might have actually been touched on the nose by Boozer's elbow, but the delayed reaction and hyperbolic face-grab easily push this one over the top.
Least Athletic Player
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Winner: Jason Kapono
Kapono couldn't even negotiate a buyout of his inflated contract this season, let alone navigate through the lane off the dribble.
All this guy can do is shoot the ball, and although that's a coveted asset in the NBA, the league is turning into one that is driven by youth and athleticism.
Worst Defender
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Winner: Steve Nash
The two-time MVP award winner certainly has a lot to like about his game, but his Swiss-cheese style of defense is definitely not a point of strength.
If he ever wound up re-united with Mike D'Antoni in New York, the Knicks would be the worst defensive team in the history of the league with Nash, 'Melo and Amar'e.
Worst Shooting Form
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Winner: Shawn Marion
When Marion takes a jump shot, he's looking like he's getting ready to pass the ball, but at the last second manages to jack it up from between his chest and chin.
He has one of the most unique shooting forms in the history of the game, but as the old saying goes: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Worst Rookie
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Winner: Avery Bradley
Danny Ainge recently said that if Avery Bradley were in this year's draft class, he'd be a top-five draft pick.
Well, I'm not exactly sold on that one. Despite the team sorely lacking a backup point-guard option behind Rajon Rondo, the Celtics put an overmatched Carlos Arroyo on the court regularly before Bradley.
At least his averages of 1.7 points and 0.4 assists can only go up from here. But for a guy taken five picks after the lottery ended, I certainly expected to see more.
Top Bench Warmer
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Winner: Brian Scalabrine
Scalabrine takes home his second award on the list, as there is no doubt that he is the best bench warmer that the league has seen in quite some time.
Always ecstatic on the sidelines and the first to greet his teammates when they get off of the court, there is probably nobody more excited to be a part of the NBA family than Scal.
Ugliest Player
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Winner: Joakim Noah
Noah does a lot of things well for a Chicago Bulls team that is not far off from competing for an NBA championship, but he's not going to win a good-looks competition at any point soon.
With long, flowing hair that is entirely too long, a patchy beard that's missing hair in select places and a big, cheesy grin like a five-year-old for his kindergarten photo, Noah easily takes the cake with this one.
Ugliest Uniform
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Winner: Washington Wizards
These uniforms might be brand new, but there is no shortage of ugliness here.
The team looks like it is playing in the American flag, and while that's certainly a patriotic tribute in the nation's capital, it makes the team look ridiculous on the court.
Worst Contract
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Winner: Rashard Lewis
Gilbert Arenas could have easily nailed the award, but Rashard Lewis' deal is equally as bad as Agent Zero's.
Because of a deteriorating knee and a severely bruised ego, Lewis takes home the award in 2011, and it doesn't figure to get a whole lot more promising from here on out.
Worst Mascot
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Winner: Crunch
You have got to be kidding me with this mascot.
I guess Crunch gives the fans in Minnesota a reason to cheer when Kevin Love has to come off of the court, but the last time I saw something that looked like that, I was five years old and dominating the arcades of my local Chuck E. Cheese.
Most Scandalous Moment
28 of 34Winner: Kobe Bryant
It's always bad when a player gets caught cursing on camera or through the microphone, but Bryant really stirred the pot when he was nailed on this one.
He definitely did not mean to say what he did to offend anyone, but he was rather frustrated in the moment and didn't know how to express it properly.
Frankly, it doesn't matter. The tale of the tape sealed the award for the Black Mamba.
Worst Signature Shoe
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Winner: Jason Kidd, Peak NBA All-Star Jason Kidd III
Peak is a Chinese shoe company that's looking to leave its imprint within the NBA, but they certainly aren't going to make a favorable impression with sneakers like these.
There is absolutely nothing inviting about the shoe, and the odd normalcy of the shoe makes it look like it's not even meant for a basketball player.
Worst Dressed Player
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Winner: Paul Pierce
This isn't what "The Truth" rocks before game time, but when he uploaded this picture via his Twitter account around Halloween, there was a lot of fun with it among his followers.
I'm not too sure what inspired this costume for the Celtics' captain, but it's probably an idea that belongs hanging in the back of the closet moving forward.
Dumbest Tattoo
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Winner: DeShawn Stevenson
Mr. Stevenson has found himself at the epicenter of attention over the last couple of weeks as the 2011 NBA season concluded.
The veteran actually has two tattoos that are both viable candidates for this spot, but there's just no way that an Abraham Lincoln on the Adams Apple can be surpassed when talking about terrible tattoos.
Dumbest Bling
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Winner: Marquis Daniels
If you're interested in learning more about the ridiculous making of this Marquis Daniels necklace, there is a short video on YouTube that you can watch right here.
It's pretty amazing that things like this are readily made, because there are certainly a lot of better things that can be done with 2.9 pounds of 14-karat gold.
Dumbest Comment
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Winner: LeBron James
With this award, LeBron James has now tied Brian Scalabrine on the leaderboard for most wins on this season's list.
And in case you missed the comment, here it is, so you can see just how big of a mistake it really was.
""All the people that were rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They have the same personal problems they had today. I'm going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that. So they can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal. But they got to get back to the real world at some point."
"
Worst Analyst
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Winner: Tom Heinsohn
I certainly understand that Heinsohn is a big part of the Boston Celtics family, and I'll cut any hometown announcer a little slack when he's talking about his team.
Having said that, Heinsohn really takes it to an echelon unlike any other, and even the most obvious of fouls against the Celtics are clearly the wrong calls to him.
