Idea: retroactive Comeback Player of the Year Award project

[GSWFan1994]

I just thought about this while reading that De'Aaron Fox won the clutch award.

Did you guys already do it in the past?

[Colbinii]

Do you mean retroactive clutch award?

We typically do year-long awards rather than Regular Season awards. It would be a fun project though.

[GSWFan1994]

Do you mean retroactive clutch award?

We typically do year-long awards rather than Regular Season awards. It would be a fun project though.

No, I meant the Comeback award actually. Just a debate on who should have won this award, if it existed, since the beginning of the NBA, up to nowadays.

But if you guys wanted to do the Clutch one, it's ok as well.

I just enjoy reading the posts and getting more knowledgeable about the game here in this part of the forum.

[penbeast0]

Not sure that either comeback pty or clutch pty will generate enough passion to carry you very far. I'd like to see a "most overrated at the time" award looking back from 5 or more years later.

[OldSchoolNoBull]

You'd have to define what players would be coming back FROM. Injury? Off-court stuff that makes them undesirable? Retirement? Just playing at a lower level for a while and then having a resurgence? Off the top of my head, I feel like you could make a case for the following players in the following years:

1986 - Bill Walton(finally had a healthy year and won 6MOY and a championship on one of the greatest teams ever)
1988 - Bernard King(ACL tears were considered career-ending back then, and he put up 17ppg, 4rpg, and 2apg in 1987-88 - not what he was before, but still amazing for post-ACL in the 80s)
1995 - Michael Jordan(this wasn't the 94 Bulls, they were floundering before he came back and led them to a 13-4 record to close the season)
1996 - Magic Johnson(came out of retirement and put up solid numbers)
1999 - Latrell Sprewell(was toxic after the Carlesimo incident, but the Knicks gave him a shot and they got to the Finals)
2002 - Michael Jordan(2002 Wizards would've made the playoffs if MJ hadn't gotten hurt)
2005 - Grant Hill(after years of injuries in Orlando, he finally had a healthy year)
2021 - Kevin Durant(easy to forget, but a fair number of people thought Durant was done as a star-level player)

These are just the obvious ones I thought of, but not every season would have an obvious choice.

[IdolW0rm]

2018 Tyreke Evans (despite only playing 50 something games) comes to mind. Spurs Diaw aswell.

[-Luke-]

Batum in his first Clippers season has a case.

Edit:
Like OldSchoolNoBull I think we would need a definition. I would prefer the "Just playing at a lower level for a while and then having a resurgence" definition and would probably exclude players who were injured.

[Rich Michmond]

Kawhi Leonard pretty clearly for 2019. Ben Simmons for 2023, too.

[rk2023]

Whether it’s comeback or clutch, count me in. Though it’s hard to conclude clutch play views s from 1996 and preceding, due to that being pre ‘play by play’ tracking.

[Narigo]

1982-Magic Johnson
1986-Bill Walton
1990-Larry Bird
1996-Michael Jordan
1998- David Robinson
2006- Alonzo Mourning
2007-Amare
2009- Dwyane Wade
2011- Chris Paul
2016- Kevin Durant
2019- Kawhi Leonard
2020- LeBron James

[rk2023]

1982-Magic Johnson
1986-Bill Walton
1990-Larry Bird
1996-Michael Jordan
1998- David Robinson
2006- Alonzo Mourning
2007-Amare
2009- Dwyane Wade
2011- Chris Paul
2016- Kevin Durant
2019- Kawhi Leonard
2020- LeBron James

Fantastic shouts, I’d add 2021 Durant too (feel like Curry would be my pick regardless). If Davis pulls a rabbit out the hat, wouldn’t be hesitant to consider him for 2023. Historically, Wilt 1971 might be a good one as well - perhaps a Jerry West season

[wojoaderge]

No to '86 Walton