Give Red Auerbach and Bill Fitch credit for common sense.
Both remembered to thank the man who signs their paychecks before they did anything else when they picked up their hardware at the first annual NBA Awards Luncheon at the Century Plaza Hotel yesterday afternoon. Auerbach, selected by the league's general managers as the NBA Executive of the Year, and Fitch, chosen by a 66-member media panel as the Coach of the Year, both paid tribute to owner Harry Mangurian during their acceptance speeches.
The affair had a decided tinge of kelly green, as the Celtics took three of the four major awards in the aftermath of their 61-21 season and their first Atlantic Division championship since 1975-76. Larry Bird trampled Earvin (Magic) Johnson by an astounding 63-3 margin in the balloting for Rookie of the Year. The only non-Celtic to go home with additional hardware was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who lugged home his sixth career Most Valuable Player trophy, beating Julius Erving by a 147-31 1/2 margin in a vote of NBA players. Bird finished fourth with 15 votes, four fewer than George Gervin.
Auerbach thanked the owner for "giving me a free hand to do what I wanted, and the first thing I did was hire Bill Fitch." Auerbach then went on to point out that he left his coach alone, a comment which prompted Fitch to remark that "I'd like to thank Mr. Warmth for reminding me that I'm on a multiple-day contract."
Don Nelson accepted the Rookie of the Year prize for Bird, who was unable to attend the luncheon since he was in Florida at the time, while Abdul-Jabbar flew in from New York to accept his prize. "These things," Abdul-Jabbar said, "aren't always what they seem. Whoever the centers are on the last four teams in the league worked just as hard as I did. I'm sure of that. It shows you how much luck is involved."
By winning the Coach of the Year honor, Fitch became the first two-time recipient of the award, having first won it in 1975-76 with the Cavaliers. "It just proves the media has a conscience," he quipped. "I once went 15-67, and if I ever deserved the award, it was that year. But somehow they overlooked me."
On a serious note, Fitch did add, "I hope every coach sitting out there has a chance to stand up here and feel the way I do today." The second day of the annual coaches', general managers' and public relations directors' meetings did not produce any blockbuster news, but there was a continuation of the rumors that have dominated this convention since it opened on Monday morning.
Among the juicier tidbits: Indiana coach Bob (Slick) Leonard may be on his way out; a Paul Westphal-for-Dennis Johnson trade is not an impossibility; and Larry Brown is the first choice of the Dallas people to coach the newly hatched Mavericks. The Mavericks, who had to draft several people they do not want to keep, hope to leave here having made a deal or two.
"The fact that they haven't," said one general manager, "shows you exactly how hard it is to make a deal these days. People say, Trade this guy or that guy,' but with the contracts and agents, it's not always easy to do."
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