CEDRIC GOLDEN: HERE’S THE BEST AND THE WORST OF THE NBA
The long summer has officially begun now that basketball season is over. So enjoy the latest edition of the Ceddys — the best and worst of the NBA playoffs.
Best move: Kevin Durant signing with the Golden State Warriors. It worked out for KD just as we knew it would. He sits atop the basketball universe with the potential to win a handful of titles in the Bay Area before he’s finished.
Playoff MVP: LeBron James. Durant got the win, but James did nothing to diminish his standing as the best player on the planet. James became the first to average a triple-double during the NBA Finals, averaging 32.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 7.8 assists during the postseason.
Defensive MVP: Draymond Green, Golden State. “DayDay” is arguably the most versatile player in the league, but his temper got the best of him last season when he was suspended for one game during the Finals. There were no such
woman’s shirt during a St. Patrick’s Day parade. As a result, questions about his off-field activities persist.
Running backs coach Gary Brown says he sees a more disciplined Elliott, and the former Ohio State star acknowledged easing up on his nightlife in recent weeks as the team’s offseason program accelerated.
“You learn from your mistakes,” Elliott said. “And if you don’t, it could be brutal. Just part of life.”
When Elliott reports to training camp after a fiveweek break, he’ll be preparing for what figures to be a similar workload after he led the NFL with 322 carries for his league-best 1,631 yards.
Because Elliott is a good blocker and pass-catcher, the Cowboys really don’t have a reason to take their All-Pro off the field, except they know they must.
And that’s why the question comes up even though Elliott turns just 22 the day the team is scheduled to arrive in California.
“You have to learn how much your body can take,” said Elliott, the fifth rookie to lead the NFL in rushing since the 1970 merger.
“That’s really important, so developing a routine, week in, week out, that will keep you fresh, that will keep you from having those nagging injuries.”
Quarterback Dak Prescott was the fellow rookie sensation who helped the Cowboys to a 13-3 record and top seed in the NFC before losing to Green Bay in a divisional playoff. The NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year faces the same encore question.
“We’re going to get better together,” said Prescott, who set rookie records in passer rating (104.9) and completion rate (67.8 percent). “He’s kind of my partner in crime. If I need something, he’s going to make sure on the field and off the field it happens.”
Elliott had a 60-yard score and an 83-yard touchdown on a screen pass as a rookie, but breakaway runs top his list of ways to improve in his second season. Brown said drills where Elliott tries to elude defensive backs are one way to work on what they call second-level running.
“You try to come up with different creative ways to keep him motivated, other than the way he is motivated already by just being better,” Brown said. “But you’ve still got to give him more. You don’t want it to get stale.” Elliott is listening. “You can say I’ve proven myself, but I’ve got to keep doing that,” he said. “So it’s all just kind of learning this offense inside out and kind of learning more beyond what I do.”