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One of the sticking points of the NBA lockout, especially to the owners, was parity. A lot of thought was devoted to assessing the league's competitive balance on a team level.
But what about parity of awards?
The NBA has successfully marketed individuals--usually players, but sometimes coaches and executives. These star individuals, typically the league's award winners, carry a lot of value for their franchises and should play into the parity discussion. Balance is not just about teams' won-loss records.*
*Although, obviously, winning an individual award is often dependent on a team's winning percentage.
It can also be evaluated by the seven major individual postseason awards: Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year.
Believe it or not, if all teams had an equal chance at winning each award every year the team and award existed, the Phoenix Suns have been the most overrepresented and the New York Knicks have been the most underrepresented. I bet that would have thrown an interesting twist in Robert Sarver's and James Dolan's revenue-sharing arguments this summer.
Here's a complete list of how many awards each team has won relative to expectations. Expected awards are determined by giving each team an equal chance of winning each award each year both existed. For example, every franchise in the 10-team NBA in 1967 was expected to win 0.1 of each award given that year, and each franchise in the NBA last season was expected to win 1/30 of each award.
Team Won Expect Diff
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PHO 19 10.11 8.89
CHI 19 10.66 8.34
BOS 22 14.05 7.95
ORL 12 5.36 6.64
SAS 12 8.41 3.59
LAL 15 14.05 .95
MIL 11 10.11 .89
HOU 11 10.36 .64
IND 9 8.41 .59
MIA 6 5.64 .36
Team Won Expect Diff
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POR 10 9.68 .32
TOR 4 3.81 .19
MEM 4 3.81 .19
ATL 14 14.05 - .05
WAS 12 12.21 - .21
CHA 1 1.63 - .63
NOH 5 5.64 - .64
LAC 9 9.68 - .68
DET 13 14.05 -1.05
PHI 13 14.05 -1.05
Team Won Expect Diff
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DAL 6 7.68 -1.68
UTA 7 8.86 -1.86
GSW 12 14.05 -2.05
SAC 12 14.05 -2.05
DEN 6 8.41 -2.41
CLE 7 9.68 -2.68
MIN 2 5.36 -3.36
OKC 6 10.36 -4.36
NJN 3 8.41 -5.41
NYK 8 14.05 -6.05
Here's a more detailed list that shows how many of each award every team has won relative to expectations. To nobody's surprise, Celtics MVPs rank at the top of the list and Clippers Coach of the Years rank near the bottom. But the most underrepresented team when it comes to a specific award might surprise you, given how--I'd like to say--storied the franchise is.
Tm Award Won Exp Diff
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BOS MVP 10 3.31 6.69
DET DPOY 6 1.07 4.93
LAL MVP 8 3.31 4.69
CHI MVP 6 2.01 3.99
PHO Executive 5 1.56 3.44
LAC ROY 5 1.68 3.32
ORL Improved 4 0.77 3.23
PHO 6th Man 4 1.07 2.93
PHI MVP 6 3.31 2.69
ATL Coach 5 2.45 2.55
GSW ROY 6 3.65 2.35
ORL DPOY 3 0.77 2.23
IND Improved 3 0.94 2.06
WAS Improved 3 0.94 2.06
CHI Coach 4 2.01 1.99
BOS 6th Man 3 1.07 1.93
DAL 6th Man 3 1.07 1.93
SAS MVP 3 1.34 1.66
TOR ROY 2 0.54 1.46
CHI Executive 3 1.56 1.44
SAC Executive 3 1.56 1.44
WAS ROY 4 2.56 1.44
SAC ROY 5 3.65 1.35
POR ROY 3 1.68 1.32
ORL ROY 2 0.77 1.23
MIA DPOY 2 0.81 1.19
MIA Improved 2 0.81 1.19
NOH ROY 2 0.81 1.19
MIL MVP 3 1.82 1.18
PHO MVP 3 1.82 1.18
PHO ROY 3 1.82 1.18
HOU MVP 3 1.91 1.09
GSW Improved 2 0.94 1.06
PHO Improved 2 0.94 1.06
POR Improved 2 0.94 1.06
CHI ROY 3 2.01 0.99
ATL DPOY 2 1.07 0.93
DEN DPOY 2 1.07 0.93
HOU DPOY 2 1.07 0.93
MIL DPOY 2 1.07 0.93
SAS DPOY 2 1.07 0.93
UTA DPOY 2 1.07 0.93
CHI 6th Man 2 1.07 0.93
IND 6th Man 2 1.07 0.93
MIL 6th Man 2 1.07 0.93
NYK 6th Man 2 1.07 0.93
PHI 6th Man 2 1.07 0.93
CHA ROY 1 0.23 0.77
IND Coach 2 1.34 0.66
DEN Executive 2 1.34 0.66
SAS Executive 2 1.34 0.66
NJN ROY 2 1.34 0.66
SAS ROY 2 1.34 0.66
BOS Coach 3 2.45 0.55
LAL Coach 3 2.45 0.55
UTA MVP 2 1.45 0.55
MEM Coach 1 0.54 0.46
TOR Coach 1 0.54 0.46
MEM Executive 1 0.54 0.46
TOR Executive 1 0.54 0.46
MEM ROY 1 0.54 0.46
MEM 6th Man 1 0.54 0.46
ATL Executive 2 1.56 0.44
BOS Executive 2 1.56 0.44
CLE Executive 2 1.56 0.44
LAC Executive 2 1.56 0.44
OKC Executive 2 1.56 0.44
WAS Executive 2 1.56 0.44
CLE Coach 2 1.68 0.32
POR Coach 2 1.68 0.32
CLE MVP 2 1.68 0.32
ORL Coach 1 0.77 0.23
ORL Executive 1 0.77 0.23
MIN Improved 1 0.77 0.23
MIN MVP 1 0.77 0.23
ORL 6th Man 1 0.77 0.23
MIA Coach 1 0.81 0.19
NOH Coach 1 0.81 0.19
MIA Executive 1 0.81 0.19
NOH Executive 1 0.81 0.19
NOH 6th Man 1 0.81 0.19
MIL Coach 2 1.82 0.18
PHO Coach 2 1.82 0.18
HOU Coach 2 1.91 0.09
HOU ROY 2 1.91 0.09
ATL Improved 1 0.94 0.06
DEN Improved 1 0.94 0.06
HOU Improved 1 0.94 0.06
LAC Improved 1 0.94 0.06
OKC Improved 1 0.94 0.06
PHI Improved 1 0.94 0.06
SAS Improved 1 0.94 0.06
BOS DPOY 1 1.07 -0.07
CHI DPOY 1 1.07 -0.07
IND DPOY 1 1.07 -0.07
LAL DPOY 1 1.07 -0.07
OKC DPOY 1 1.07 -0.07
PHI DPOY 1 1.07 -0.07
ATL 6th Man 1 1.07 -0.07
DET 6th Man 1 1.07 -0.07
LAL 6th Man 1 1.07 -0.07
POR 6th Man 1 1.07 -0.07
SAC 6th Man 1 1.07 -0.07
SAS 6th Man 1 1.07 -0.07
DAL Coach 1 1.15 -0.15
DAL MVP 1 1.15 -0.15
DAL ROY 1 1.15 -0.15
CHA Coach 0 0.23 -0.23
CHA DPOY 0 0.23 -0.23
CHA Executive 0 0.23 -0.23
CHA Improved 0 0.23 -0.23
CHA MVP 0 0.23 -0.23
CHA 6th Man 0 0.23 -0.23
DEN Coach 1 1.34 -0.34
SAS Coach 1 1.34 -0.34
NJN Executive 1 1.34 -0.34
IND ROY 1 1.34 -0.34
UTA Coach 1 1.45 -0.45
DET Coach 2 2.45 -0.45
GSW Coach 2 2.45 -0.45
NYK Coach 2 2.45 -0.45
PHI Coach 2 2.45 -0.45
SAC Coach 2 2.45 -0.45
WAS Coach 2 2.45 -0.45
UTA Executive 1 1.45 -0.45
UTA ROY 1 1.45 -0.45
MEM DPOY 0 0.54 -0.54
TOR DPOY 0 0.54 -0.54
MEM Improved 0 0.54 -0.54
TOR Improved 0 0.54 -0.54
MEM MVP 0 0.54 -0.54
TOR MVP 0 0.54 -0.54
TOR 6th Man 0 0.54 -0.54
DET Executive 1 1.56 -0.56
GSW Executive 1 1.56 -0.56
HOU Executive 1 1.56 -0.56
LAL Executive 1 1.56 -0.56
MIL Executive 1 1.56 -0.56
POR Executive 1 1.56 -0.56
BOS ROY 3 3.65 -0.65
DET ROY 3 3.65 -0.65
NYK ROY 3 3.65 -0.65
LAC MVP 1 1.68 -0.68
POR MVP 1 1.68 -0.68
CLE ROY 1 1.68 -0.68
MIN Coach 0 0.77 -0.77
MIN DPOY 0 0.77 -0.77
MIN Executive 0 0.77 -0.77
ORL MVP 0 0.77 -0.77
MIN ROY 0 0.77 -0.77
MIN 6th Man 0 0.77 -0.77
NOH DPOY 0 0.81 -0.81
NOH Improved 0 0.81 -0.81
MIA MVP 0 0.81 -0.81
NOH MVP 0 0.81 -0.81
MIA ROY 0 0.81 -0.81
MIA 6th Man 0 0.81 -0.81
MIL ROY 1 1.82 -0.82
OKC Coach 1 1.91 -0.91
OKC ROY 1 1.91 -0.91
BOS Improved 0 0.94 -0.94
CHI Improved 0 0.94 -0.94
CLE Improved 0 0.94 -0.94
DAL Improved 0 0.94 -0.94
DET Improved 0 0.94 -0.94
LAL Improved 0 0.94 -0.94
MIL Improved 0 0.94 -0.94
NJN Improved 0 0.94 -0.94
NYK Improved 0 0.94 -0.94
SAC Improved 0 0.94 -0.94
UTA Improved 0 0.94 -0.94
CLE DPOY 0 1.07 -1.07
DAL DPOY 0 1.07 -1.07
GSW DPOY 0 1.07 -1.07
LAC DPOY 0 1.07 -1.07
NJN DPOY 0 1.07 -1.07
NYK DPOY 0 1.07 -1.07
PHO DPOY 0 1.07 -1.07
POR DPOY 0 1.07 -1.07
SAC DPOY 0 1.07 -1.07
WAS DPOY 0 1.07 -1.07
CLE 6th Man 0 1.07 -1.07
DEN 6th Man 0 1.07 -1.07
GSW 6th Man 0 1.07 -1.07
HOU 6th Man 0 1.07 -1.07
LAC 6th Man 0 1.07 -1.07
NJN 6th Man 0 1.07 -1.07
OKC 6th Man 0 1.07 -1.07
UTA 6th Man 0 1.07 -1.07
WAS 6th Man 0 1.07 -1.07
DAL Executive 0 1.15 -1.15
ATL MVP 2 3.31 -1.31
NJN Coach 0 1.34 -1.34
IND Executive 0 1.34 -1.34
DEN MVP 0 1.34 -1.34
IND MVP 0 1.34 -1.34
NJN MVP 0 1.34 -1.34
DEN ROY 0 1.34 -1.34
NYK Executive 0 1.56 -1.56
PHI Executive 0 1.56 -1.56
WAS MVP 1 2.56 -1.56
LAC Coach 0 1.68 -1.68
OKC MVP 0 1.91 -1.91
GSW MVP 1 3.31 -2.31
NYK MVP 1 3.31 -2.31
SAC MVP 1 3.31 -2.31
ATL ROY 1 3.65 -2.65
LAL ROY 1 3.65 -2.65
PHI ROY 1 3.65 -2.65
DET MVP 0 3.31 -3.31
Dan Feldman is an author of Basketball Prospectus.
You can contact Dan by clicking here or click here to see Dan's other articles.
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