At this point every team in the NBA has played 41 or more games, which means its time for mid-season awards and honors. These are not necessarily players I am predicting to win these honors at seasons end. These are the players who are deserving the halfway point, it is subject to change.
Executive of the Year
Pat Riley, Miami Heat- After one of the most successful coaching careers in NBA history, Riley is making his mark as an executive. He not only kept Dwayne Wade, he managed to accommodate him by stealing two other franchise players. One of those players is the reigning back-to-back MVP. Enough said.
Other Candidates: Otis Smith (Orlando Magic), Donnie Walsh (New York Knicks)
Most Improved Player
Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwovles- The biggest surprise of this season, by far. He's on pace to be the first player to average 20-15 since Moses Malone in 1983. Minnesota seems to do pretty well with big-men named Kevin.
Other Candidates: Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers), Raymond Felton (New York Knicks), Michael Beasley (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Sixth Man of the Year
Jamal Crawford, Atlanta Hawks- The reigning Sixth Man of the Year is the leading candidate for the award at the half. He's the teams third leading scorer with 16 points per contest and is the league's best back-up floor general.
Other Candidates: Jason Terry (Dals Mavericks), Glenn Davis (Boston Celtics), Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers)
Coach of the Year
Greg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs- After two seasons finishing with a bottom 3 play-off seed, Popovich has the Spurs feeling like it's the early 2000's again. Despite their aging nucleus, San Antonio currently holds the best record in basketball and are looking for their fifth title in 11 years.
Other Candidates: Tom Thibodeau (Chicago Bulls), Jerry Sloan (Utah Jazz), Monty Williams (New Orleans Hornets),
Rookie of the Year
Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers- As I said in my previous post, Blake Griffin will likely be the first deserving Rookie All-Star since Duncan (I don't consider Yao Ming to be deserving). In his first 41 games in the NBA Griffin is putting up 20-12 and going toe-to-toe with elite big men like Amare Stoudemire and Pau Gasol.
Other Candidates: John Wall (Washingtong Wizards), Landry Fields (New York Knicks), DeMarcus Cousins (Sacromento Kings)
Defensive Player of the Year
Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic- While Kevin Love leads all rebounders, Dwight Howard still rules the glass. He is the only player that ranks top 5 in rebounding (13.2) and blocks (2.2). On top of that he still manages 1.2 steals per game . He's a lock for a record third consecutive DPOY and I'm not sure if there is any other player that will contend with him in the foreseeable future.
Other Candidates: Josh Smith (Atlanta Hawks), Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets), Tyson Chandler (Dallas Mavericks)
Most Valuable Player
Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls- Rose is averaging 24ppg and 8apg (top 10 in both categories) while leading the Bulls to impressive victories over Boston, Miami and Los Angeles. The explosive floor-general has not only reinvented himself, but has reinvented his team. Rose has brought the Chicago from mediocrity to excellence and could be the youngest player to win the MVP.
Other Candidates: Amare Stoudemire (New York Knicks), LeBron James (Miami Heat), Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)
All NBA Mid-Season Team
1st
G: Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
G: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
C: Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
F: Dirk Nowizki, Dallas Mavericks
F: LeBron James, Miami Heat
2nd
G: Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
G: Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat
C: Amare Stoudemire, New York Knicks
F: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
F: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
3rd
G: Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics
G: Derron Williams, Utah Jazz
C: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
F: Chris Bosh, Miami Heat
F: Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers
Power Rankings
1. San Antonio Spurs
2. Miami Heat
3. Boston Celtics
4. Los Angeles Lakers
5. Chicago Bulls
6. Dallas Mavericks
7. Orlando Magic
8. Utah Jazz
9. Atlanta Hawks
10. Oklahoma City Thunder
I think Tyson Chandler is a very strong candidate for DPOY, as is Kevin Garnett. Chandler has completely changed the culture in Dallas--transforming them into the elite defensive team they've never been with Dirk. He doesn't put up the jaw-dropping stats like Howard, but I think he deserves credit for being a huge reason for the Mav's hot first half.
ReplyDeleteGarnett has looked as good as he was in Boston's championship year and is once again the cornerstone of the league's best defense.
Anyway, just my two cents. I think Howard has some competition this year...
The argument for Garnett is pretty good. It's difficult to take the award from a player like Howard that is top 5 in rebounds and blocks. But Howard was top 5 in both categories when Garnett won DPOY for anchoring that legendary defense in 2008. However, Garnett's health is always in question he just missed 9 games (as many games as he missed in 2008) and if his annual injury bug hasn't subsided and he continues to miss action is he really deserving?
ReplyDeleteAside from that, the Celtics defense can still do pretty well without him with exceptional defenders like Rondo, Pierce and Allen in the starting lineup and Davis coming off the bench. Even the aging Shaq is getting 1 block per game. The Celtics have more defensive talent than any team in the league.
The Magic on the other hand rely on Howard who leads his team in every defensive category throughout the first 41 games of the season. With the numbers he puts up, big bodies like Gortat and Rashard Lewis were expendable and allowed the Magic to make those blockbuster trades. He is the sole defensive presence on a team that has the fourth best defensive rating in the league. For that, DPOY should go to no other player.