And-Ones: Awards, Nocioni, Williams-Goss

The NBA’s awards will be unveiled a little differently this year than we’ve grown accustomed to in the past. Per an Associated Press report (via NBA.com), the league’s first televised award show will be held on June 26, in between draft day and the start of free agency. In the past, winners of awards like MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and others have been announced throughout the postseason. This time around, they’ll be revealed on TNT after the Finals.

In addition to being announced in a new way, this year’s set of awards will also be voted on a little differently. Broadcasters employed by teams are no longer involved in the process, as Pacers play-by-play man Mark Boyle and Bulls announcer Chuck Swirsky confirmed (Twitter links). According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, the voting pool has been reduced from about 125 voters per award to 100 broadcasters and writers, most of whom cover the game nationally.

As we wait to see how the changes to the award process affect this year’s results, let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world…

• Real Madrid forward Andres Nocioni announced on Monday that he intends to retire at the end of this season (Twitter link; English link via Sportando). It has been several years since Nocioni last appeared in the NBA, but the 37-year-old appeared in 514 total regular season games for the Bulls, Kings, and Sixers over the course of eight seasons. In those games, he averaged a respectable 10.5 PPG and 4.5 RPG.
• David Yapkowitz of Basketball Insiders identifies several notable Eastern Conference players who may benefit from a change of scenery, including a pair of Knicks.
• Before he transfered to Gonzaga two years ago, Nigel Williams-Goss thought “long and hard” about heading to the NBA, notes Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. Following the Zags’ loss in Monday’s championship game, the junior guard could opt to go pro or to return to school for his senior year.
• Which college basketball coaches are the top candidates to make the leap to an NBA head coaching job? Sean Deveney of The Sporting News breaks down some of the possibilities.