Masai Ujiri in the press conference introducing Andre Iguodala to Denver last August (Getty Images)

Denver Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri has won the 2012-13 Executive of the Year award, the rare NBA honor that is actually voted on by colleagues and front office peers. NBA observers may never have quaked in fear in anticipation of the presence of the 2012-13 Nuggets, and the team may have bowed out of the first round in a one-sided defeat at the hands of the Golden State Warriors, but these Nuggies did do incredible work during the regular season. The Nuggets won 57 out of 82 games despite starting the season with what could have been a destructive road-heavy schedule, all while playing without a single starter that even sniffed the midseason NBA All-Star Game.

[Also: George Karl wins the 2012-13 NBA Coach of the Year award]

The Denver Post’s Benjamin Hochman was the first to report the news late Wednesday night, handing the first African-born GM in major North American sports a deserved award that will stand along Nuggets coach George Karl’s Coach of the Year award as some consolation for an injury-plagued early end to Denver’s season. Ujiri has quite a bit of work ahead of him as the Nuggets attempt to overcome that first-round hurdle for the third time in the franchise’s last quarter-century, but for now the award stands as a tangible tribute to Ujiri and Karl’s vision for a transition-based team featuring a different hero every night.

Brook Lopez during Brooklyn's Game 7 loss to Chicago (Getty Images)

A look around the league and the web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: The Classical. David Roth delves into the enervating and tacky start of the Brooklyn Nets, the five-year malaise following Jason Kidd’s trade demand season of 2007-08, and the team’s tough first year after moving across the river.
PF: Indianapolis Star. Bob Kravitz details why, despite New York’s fantastic run to pull away in Game 2, the Indiana Pacers should be the favorites in this conference semifinal.
SF: SB Nation. After an embarrassing DJ turn during Game 1, Jon Bois previews the upcoming San Antonio Spurs in-house arena music we’re expected to take in for Game 2.
SG: Eye on Basketball. Royce Young is completely correct when he points to Kevin Martin as a needed bulwark to fortify Oklahoma City’s comeback in a five-game series that they do not own the home court advantage in.
PG: SB Nation. The Chicago Bulls have cleared Derrick Rose to play basketball. They’ve also cleared quite a few players that weren’t fit to play basketball. This is Tom Ziller’s damning and accurate indictment.

(Courtesy Twitter.com/mamasasso)

The city of Chicago (or, by extension and more specifically, the city of Skokie, IL.) is quite proud of its Chicago Bulls. The team has overcome quite a bit on its way toward staring down the defending champion Miami Heat; with a chance to take a 2-0 conference semifinals lead on Wednesday. Along the way, this 90-game Derrick Rose-less run has inspired all sorts of breathless tributes.

None finer than the work of Command Signs, which gave drivers on the Edens Expressway in Chicago the chance to gawk and laugh at their wonderfully Photoshopped digital bow downs to this incessantly entertaining Bulls team.

Via The Basketball Jones, via Blog-a-Bull, via Chicagoist, via Command Signs, via the Edens Expressway, here are the billboards:

(Courtesy Twitter.com/CommandSign)

Shaquille O'Neal and Kendrick Perkins clutch and grab (Getty Images)

Shaquille O’Neal has never been shy about initiating various beefs with opponents, former coaches, or even current teammates. From Dwight Howard to Kobe Bryant to Chris Bosh and Brian Hill, Shaq has never shied away from calling out those that displeased him. Throughout all of this O’Neal has long looked petty in the process, as he’s usually the first to lash out.

This time, it’s different. This time it was Oklahoma City Thunder center (and former O’Neal teammate, for 12 games at least) Kendrick Perkins that went after Shaq. Or, “Shack.” We’re pretty sure it was Shaq.

Here’s Perkins’ tweet, sent out during TNT’s coverage of the thrilling double-header that saw the Chicago Bulls beat the Miami Heat, and the San Antonio Spurs come back to top the Golden State Warriors:

Do Shack ever stop talking about himself. SMH

— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) May 7, 2013

LeBron James knows that the onus is on him (Getty Images)

It’s true that the first game of a conference semifinal series isn’t the typical “shock the world”-type setting, but the Chicago Bulls truly did shock the NBA with their Game 1 victory over the Miami Heat on Monday. The Heat had won 41 out of 43 games prior to that defeat, including the team’s first round sweep of the Milwaukee Bucks, and yet a gritty, determined Bulls team managed to hand Miami its third loss in 44 tries.

With that win in place and the Heat’s ears most assuredly perked up, shouldn’t we expect the defending champs to return to form in Game 2? To startle the still-filling-in home crowd with a quick pounce and eventual blowout win? To destroy a Bulls team working without four former starters in Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, Richard Hamilton, and Luol Deng?

Sure. Then again, these are the Chicago Bulls we’re talking about.

George Karl at a Nuggets practice in April (Getty Images)

He’d trade it in without hesitation for a chance at a Game 7 against the Golden State Warriors, but awards like these usually don’t work that way. George Karl has rightfully won the 2012-13 Coach of the Year award. The Denver Nuggets head man led his star-less roster to 57 wins this season, before injuries and matchup issues led to a first round ouster at the hand of the upstart Warriors. The award comes nearly 30 years into Karl’s coaching career, and this is the first George has ever received this honor on the NBA level.

A richly deserved honor, it should be noted. Karl’s Nuggets traded away MVP-vote earnin’ Carmelo Anthony over two years ago, and in the seasons since the team has quietly added assets, while centering its team on a transition attack that features a different hero every night. Even the team’s closest approximation of a “star,” 2012 All-Star Andre Iguodala, turned in an off year after being dealt to the Nuggets.

On top of that, the Nuggets had to endure one of the more one-sided starts to a season schedule that we’ve ever seen in our many years of obsessing over this league.

Blake Griffin, in the waning moments of Friday's Game 6 loss (Getty Images)

With every season that ends, for the playoff teams at least, we felt it right to take a look ahead. TNT already has the rights to "Gone Fishin'," and because we're sure that someone, somewhere, still likes that Wyclef song, we're going with "Gone Till November." And, yes, we know the season starts in October. Today? The Los Angeles Clippers.

From the minute the deal sending Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers was announced, it became obvious that the long-suffering franchise was suddenly in the hands of someone special. Most importantly, it was in the hands of someone sullen, with significant sway. After the deal Clipper big men Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan could be seen celebrating following a Clipper practice, all the way back in December of 2011, in full view of teammates that would be likely packaged off to New Orleans in exchange for Paul’s gifts. CP3 mentor Chauncey Billups was quickly given a gig as the team’s resident sage. Coach Vinny Del Negro was quickly given the dubious eye.

Despite whispers about the potential years’ worth of Los Angeles vs. Los Angeles battles in the Western Conference finals, the Clippers have stumbled somewhat. A second round ouster in Paul’s first, chaotic year as point guard in 2012 was passable enough. A 2013 first round dismissal at the hands of a Memphis Grizzlies franchise (if not fully returned roster) that lost to the Clippers in a similar series 12 months before was galling enough. Chris Paul, team leader, appears ticked. Ticked, more than enough.

And Vinny Del Negro, Clippers coach, appears to be on his way out.

Two inspired characters. (Getty Images)

Sadly, the inspiration behind the “Marge Simpson” character ‘Simpsons’ mastermind Matt Groening created a quarter-century ago died last month. Margaret Ruth Groening’s subsequent obituary in The Oregonian reads about as impressively as obits tend to get, topping off with a tribute to the local basketball club.

Via The Oregonian, here’s the remembrance:

As high school valedictorian and Miss Everett, Margaret's highest honor was being named May Queen of Linfield College. She graduated from Linfield in 1941 and married classmate Homer Groening, whom she chose because he made her laugh the most. Margaret taught high school English before starting a family, and her love of language was apparent in the many Double-Crostics she completed (in ink). Margaret and Homer supported the Oregon Symphony, the Portland Trail Blazers and many local yarn shops (Margaret was a talented needlework artist).