The Best and Worst of the 2008-09 NBA Regular Season Awards

Has there been anyone who has meant more to their team, not named Dwyane Wade? LeBron is labeled "The Chosen One" for a pretty good reason.

He averaged 28.4 points a game, and still the Cavs had three players who averaged over 11 points a game.

If you have ever seen a Cavaliers game, when you watch James and Co. operate, its like poetry in motion.

He is in a way unstoppable; too big to double because he can just pass out to an open lane (7.2 assists a game) and even if his teammate misses, you bet James is going to snatch the rebound (almost 8 rebounds a game).

You can argue that Dwayne Wade meant more to his team, but it IS LeBron James' year. The Cavs are the best team in the league and Bron Bron is the catalyst for that team.

I will be the first to tell you that I was a skeptic of the kid when he came out of Memphis. He was a freshman phenom, but I was not convinced he was first-pick material.

Boy, was I wrong. Rose was by far the best rookie this year. Numbers alone do tell a story; he averaged 16.8 points a game and dished out nearly 7 assists a game, but he is more than a numbers game.

I have watched a few Bulls games this year, and when Rose got the ball, it seemed like even though he was a rookie, a lot of defenders respected him.

He is a big point guard at 6-foot-3, so you cannot just box him out and not expect him to score. And although he had almost three turnovers a game, expect that number to drop in the coming years.

The Bulls got the best rookie, and they can sit back and relax while Rose helps that great franchise.

Seriously? Do you think there would be any other candidate?
Dwayne Wade is doing more for his team than I think any one player has done for any one team in NBA history.

How would you think your odds fared if your lineup was Chalmers, Beasley, O(ld)'Neal, and Chris Quinn? I think you could win about 15 games...in total.

Wade is one of those score-at-will players, and with an average of 30 points a game, it is hard to argue.

I know you have at least seen one episode of Sportscenter, and it seems like a montage dedicated to Wade.

Top 10 plays...of Dwayne Wade. Enjoy your time for now, Glen Rice, because Wade will get to 56.

I remember the days of defensive dominance by Ben Wallace, Ron Artest, and Bruce Bowen. It seemed like every year one of those guys won DPOY. Dwight Howard seems like the clear cut choice this year though.

Howard has recorded four consecutive 1,000 + rebounds, 1,200 + points seasons, and this year he seems to be the defensive juggernaut many expected him to become when he was drafted No. 1 out of SW Atlanta Christian Academy.

He is also leading the league in total rebounds (fourth straight year), and blocks a nearly four a game.

There is a heap of great defensive players in the NBA, like everyone on the Spurs, but Howard is by and far the best defensive player.

Surprised? Well, don't be. Adelman was the head coach of the Kings when they were giving Phil and the Lakers a run for their money for what seemed like every year.

And when you look at Houston's lineup, aside from Yao Ming, they do not have a perennial All-star.

Tracy McGrady only played 35 games, and the Rockets have emerging stars in Kyle Lowery, Aaron Brooks, Carl Landry, and—yes, that's right—VON WAFER.

I remember when I heard that name. I thought it was a cruel joke, but the only funny thing is why not anyone is considering Houston to be a title contender.

Coach Adelman has brought what seemed like a sorry excuse of a team when T-Mac went down to a playoff dark horse.

Only Adelman could take that lineup and make magic happen. And who knows...now that McGrady is not starting, Houston might get past the second round

Burn.

With LA at a lowly 19-62, it is easy to point fingers around the locker room, but I am pointing at Baron...and laughing.

Last year's playoffs with Golden State made basketball fun to watch again. They were like the brother offense of Phoenix, or "small ball" for you basketball nuts.

But when Baron decided to leave the beautiful Bay Area for Southern California, he took a pretty hefty contract (five years, $65 million) and what has LA gotten out of it? 16 PPG and nearly three turnovers a game.

When you're being outplayed by a rookie (Eric Gordon) and you make that much, you deserve the LVP hands down.

Obviously even if MJ suited up in a Clippers uni, they can find a way to go 41-41 at best, so I was not expecting Baron to turn around the franchise alone.

However, he has talent around him, so the excuses are shabby at best. Baron should have stayed with Golden State; that way we could all be happy.

Danilo Gallanari was drafted ninth by the New York Knickerbockers. And he is averaging the same amount of points as his draft position.

I looked at the draft order, and it could be that this year's draft class is so good that it overshadowed his very little contributions to the horrible Knicks.

Danilo only started two games this season, but you can also contribute that to him not performing as well as his teammates. International players are not always studs here in the states. They are usually hit or miss.

Yao is an example of a good player blossoming into a great one, and Andrew Bogut is an example of one who is not good enough.

Sadly, this coach is not giving the Reggie's in the world something to be proud of...Me and Mr. Bush are nodding our heads at this moment...and somewhere in the kitchen is Reggie Love and my all-time favorite Reggie Jackson.

But enough about that. When you inherit a basketball team, you're supposed to win; that's the general concept.

But the Sacrificial Kings are probably one of the worst teams I have seen. They look like they have no chemistry and it becomes a Kevin Martin shootout in the end.

The Kings, I am sure, did not expect Theus to rejuvenate the franchise, but I am also sure they did not expect him to go 16-65. And with all the head coaches fired this season, it is hard to see Theus sticking around much longer.

Best for Cleveland, and worst for Oklahoma City and Milwaukee. I honestly did not even know this guy existed until he started playing great basketball alongside LeBron James.

Since the 2004-05 season, Williams averaged 10+ points a game, and he has been going up ever since, but he had not played more than 66 games.

Williams is one of those Scottie Pippen-esque players, and I guess you can coin James as Michael Jordan...or Steve Kerr. Joking, but seriously, Mo Williams will be around for many years to come. Roll Tide Roll.

...he went to Alabama if you didn't catch that.