On the day the Phoenix Suns played their first Western Conference finals game in more than a decade, Suns general manager James Jones was honored as the league's Executive of the Year.
In a tight vote, which is conducted by the league's executives themselves, Jones got nine first place votes and had 65 total points, just edging out Utah Jazz vice president of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey, who also had nine first place votes and finished with 61 total points.
Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks finished third with five first place votes and 51 total points, while several other executives--- including Leon Rose (Knicks), Tim Connelly (Nuggets), Travis Schlenk (Hawks), Mitch Kupchak (Hornets), Sam Presti (Thunder) and Neil Olshey (Blazers) each received at least one first place vote.