I forgot to include this in today’s notes and quotes from the draft workout, so it gets its own post, because dammit if I don’t love me some veteran presents.
Luis Scola placed ninth in voting for the NBA’s Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award, the NBA announced Wednesday. Scola received 28 first-place votes and earned 528 total voting points, appearing on 84 ballots that included 12 award finalists. Generally considered to be the best dude – he also won the NBA’s sportsmanship award for the Atlantic Division – Scola functioned as a starting power forward, mentor, motivational speaker, and de facto assistant coach throughout the season for the Raptors, helping provide an infusion of experience, toughness, and leadership to the locker room as the Raptors took a major step forward in 2015-16. It’s great to have great people in the organization.
Vince Carter is the winner the award for 2015-16 for his role with the Memphis Grizzlies, which serves as what should be an unnecessary reminder that despite how Carter’s tenure in Toronto ended, he’s generally also considered to be among the best people in the NBA. Another former Raptor in Chris Bosh placed third, yet another in Jose Calderon placed seventh, and future Raptors forward Marvin Williams placed eighth.
Asked about watching the Raptors this season, Carter had this to say, per ASAP Sports transcript service:
It was awesome. It was awesome. I reached out to Kyle [Lowry] and DeMar [DeRozan]. I’m not really big on doing the whole reaching-out-through-social-media, so-everybody-sees-it type thing. It’s just not my thing. You know, we talked. I just told them, I was like, “You guys are the best,” and they should hold their head up high. Because not only did they make history, they actually changed a lot of minds of a lot of people. Everybody thought they could be here.
So I think they had a heck of a run, and I was just proud to read about it, to listen to people talk about it. Where it was like at one point they weren’t even talking about them in The Finals and next thing you know, the Raptors could possibly do it. It was great to see it, and to know at one point I was part of that and to see your record go down, I mean, all records are broken at some point. We’re seeing a lot of history this year throughout the NBA, and it’s great to see, because that’s why we play the game.
All these young kids that are growing up are now in their minds thinking they want to make history and beat the records that are being set today. So it was awesome.
The winner of the award is selected by the players each year and “recognizes the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”
Here’s a full accounting of the Raptors’ performance in award season.
MVP: Lowry finished 10th in voting
Most Improved: Lowry received a vote
Defensive Player of the Year: Lowry received a vote
Sixth Man of the Year: Patrick Patterson received a vote
All-Defense: Lowry received three votes, Bismack Biyombo received one
All-Rookie: Norman Powell received three votes
All-NBA: Lowry named to Third-Team, DeRozan placed 21st
Coach of the Year: Dwane Casey placed fifth
Executive of the Year: Masai Ujiri placed third
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Media Relations award: Raptors were a finalist
PBWA Rudy Tomjanovich award: Casey won
NBA sportsmanship award: Luis Scola won for Atlantic Division
Teammate of the Year award: Luis Scola finished ninth
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D-League Most Improved: Axel Toupane won
D-League Sportsmanship award: Scott Suggs won
