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This has been one of the craziest NBA seasons in recent memory.
The race for the top spot in the Western Conference has been unreal, and one 50 win team will be left out of the playoffs.
Also, the race for the league's Most Valuable Player has been one to remember.
For the die-hard NBA fans, the debate for the league's MVP has been done time and time again this season.
But this time, not only will be debate the MVP—but the Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year.
Plus, we will reveal our most surprising and most disappointing teams this season.
My usual favorites—Erick Blasco, Andrew Ungvari, Dave Metrick and Dave Finnochio took part in this discussion.
Now, onto the awards:
Most Valuable Player
Michael Whittenberg
Before I reveal my pick for MVP, I want to reveal my five finalists in no particular order.
Kevin Garnett, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and LeBron James were my five finalists.
We all know the race will probably go down to Paul and Bryant—which is why I chose Kobe Bryant for this year's most valuable player.
This was a tough decision—Bryant gets it simply because I think he is a better leader than CP3.
Not to say that Paul isn't a leader—but Bryant has impressed me how far he has come as a leader.
It was just six or seven years ago when people thought of him an arrogant ball hog—who just cared about scoring.
Don't believe me? Just find some old interview footage of Shaquille O'Neal.
Chris Paul's numbers (21.5 PPG and 11.5 APG) are more than impressive to because no point guard has averaged at least 20 and 10 since, well let's say it's been a while.
Kobe is "arguably" the league's best player, and finally has the team record to back it up.
And now that the Lakers are over 50 wins for the first time since Shaq's departure, Bryant will finally have a realistic chance to win it this year.
Erick Blasco
I must confess that I have no clue as what constitutes the Most Valuable Player in the NBA.
Is it the best player? The most important player to his team? The most spectacular player? The most complete player?
And how does someone define these traits?
That being said, I’ll give my definition a spin.
An MVP should be a dominant player that is the driving force of his team’s greatness.
An MVP should be able to enforce his skills against even the most skilled of opponents.
An MVP shouldn’t just be a player who plays at a high level, but one who has his team play at a high level because of him.
An MVP should only play for a team that has matched or exceeded expectations as MVP’s don’t disappoint. MVP’s should also only play on teams with exceptional records.
MVP’s should be able to dominate weaker teams because of their presence, and should be able to beat elite teams because of their tremendously talented and clutch play in close games.
Numbers should not matter in determining an MVP. Players are great on basketball courts, not stat sheets.
With that as criteria, my MVP goes to Paul Pierce.
Who cares if his numbers aren’t as spectacular as Kobe Bryant’s, or if he doesn’t appear on Sportscenter as often as Chris Paul has?
Pierce has elevated himself to becoming a go-to offensive force, and a defensive stopper as well.
Despite Kevin Garnett’s presence, it is Pierce who is the most dangerous in the Celtics offense because of his ability to drive and finish, drive and dish, elevate for jumpers, and make the correct pass.
With less scoring responsibility, Pierce has been able to play physical lock-down perimeter defense on any wing player he’s matched up with.
Plus, Pierce’s help defense has been one of the best in the league.
In two head-to-head match-ups with MVP-candidate Kobe Bryant, Pierce put up 20 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and four steals in his first match-up, and 33 points, three assists, eight rebounds, and three steals in his second.
This showed that Pierce was able to dominate a number of different ways: By taking charge with scoring, and also by being a facilitator. By controlling the boards, and by being a defensive presence.
Meanwhile, in those two games, MVP-candidate Kobe Bryant shot 15-46, less than 33%.
MVP’s don’t shoot 33% against the best competition. Kobe didn’t record a single steal, had only three assists in each game, and most importantly, lost both games by 13 and 19 points.
Pierce also excelled against Chris Paul’s Hornets, going off for a combined 27.5 points, with 20-22 from the free throw line, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists.
His individual defense held Peja Stojakovic to 7-27 shooting, and his help defense kept Paul from going completely bananas (20.5 PPG, 8.5 AST, 1.5 TO). The Celtics lost a close game in New Orleans 113-106, while the Celtics blew the Hornets off the court in Boston 112-92.
Let’s also not forget that Shane Battier locked up Kobe Bryant to 11-33 shooting during Houston’s 22-game winning streak, and his Rockets scored double digit wins over the Hornets twice over the same stretch.
The one player Battier wasn’t able to stop was Paul Pierce, as Pierce’s offense got the best of Battier’s defense during Boston’s streak-snapping blowout win over the Rockets.
With that evidence, Pierce takes the award for this season’s MVP.
Dave Metrick
Winner: Kobe Bryant
He’s the best player in the league on a Laker team that may still end up with the best record in the west.
Plus, he’s sure to land the “he’s the best player and probably should’ve won this before” votes.
All that being said, it would be hard to argue against Chris Paul if he wins it.
Andrew Ungvari
Chris Paul.
That's the pick right now.
Back in February I mentioned that the best player on the team that finishes with the top-seed in the west deserved the MVP.
I'm hearing everybody else in the media saying the same thing these days. Looking at the Hornets remaining schedule, I think they'll finish first.
Paul has been fantastic this year. I picked him as my first-half MVP but never thought he'd keep up the same pace over the course of an entire season.
Not only did he do it but he did it against a much more difficult second-half schedule.
Do I think he'll win it? Absolutely not.
I'd be the house that Kobe gets it because the media feels it's his turn. Kobe's had an amazing season.
But if you look at the Laker's record without Bynum or Gasol in their lineup they're a .500 team.
For every impressive victory they've had at Dallas or at Utah without Gasol or Bynum, there's a home loss to Charlotte or Memphis to negate it.
Here's how I think the voting will go: Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Amare Stoudemire.
Dave Finocchio
Chris Paul's assist to turnover ratio is 4.6. In Steve Nash's best year, his assist to turnover ratio was 3.5.
Paul is leading his team is scoring with 21.5 points per game, he leads the league in assists and steals (with 11.5 and 2.7, respectively) and his team is going to win the deepest conference in the history of the NBA.
Paul does whatever his team needs him to do in every given moment to give them the best chance to win each game. No one has been more valuable to his team this year.
He's the MVP, and it's not even close.
Coach of the Year
Whittenberg: Byron Scott gets my vote.
Yes, Doc Rivers' Celtics have had the biggest turnaround in NBA history, but I find New Orleans turnaround better considering they didn't add three All-Stars to the team.
I totally respect Rivers because it took some work to get his players to gel in his system.
The Hornets won 39 games last season, and have 54 as of today.
Not only that—but the Hornets are first place in one of the Western Conference's toughest divisions.
Chris Paul may get all the credit—but Scott has played a vital role as well.
Blasco: This award has to go to Doc Rivers.
He's instilled a completely unselfish mindset in all of his players, he's coached up all of Boston's kids, his game planning and in-game adjustments have been on-point, his Celtics are the best defensive team in the league, his Celtics are the most physical team in the league, and all of his players have played hard on ever single play this season.
No team is more prepared going in to the postseason than Rivers' Celtics.
Metrick: Byron Scott
His Hornets are on the verge of finishing first in a Western Conference that's stacked like a Russ Meyer movie.
And he's putting this together with inexperienced youth and cast-offs.
Ungvari: Byron Scott
Scott has done a terrific job in New Orleans.
There are other coaches that I think who are as deserving but this year's award will go to Scott as the MVP voter's way of saying "Sorry we didn't give the MVP to your boy, Chris Paul.
But here's some hardware for yourself to help you get over it.
He managed to avoid the late-season collapses of the previous two years.
Even though the Hornets had devastating injuries to blame for those, Scott managed to give the team an identity and make them popular in the Crescent City.
The team is selling tickets and is no longer the first-round pushover that other teams in the west may have anticipated.
The Coach of the Year award is probably the least important award.
If you don't believe me, then please tell me who won the award each of the last three years.
Finocchio: What Nate McMillan instilled in his young Trailblazers this season will pay dividends for years to come.
Even though they ran out of steam, to play at such a high level, with consistent discipline, against this Western Conference was incredible. He's my guy.
Honorable Mention: Reggie Theus, Stan van Gundy
Rookie of the Year
For the first time since 2000 when both Elton Brand and Steve Francis won it, I think both Kevin Durant and Al Horford should share co-honors this year.
I think Durant should win it simply because of his numbers he has put up on offense. (20.0 PPG)
He team is so bad, but he most likely will win the award because of the reason stated above.
Al Horford should win it because he is averaging close to a double-double, and his team is in playoff contention.
Blasco: Al Horford's tough rebounding has been a key factor in Atlanta's playoff chase.
Kevin Durant’s volume scoring hasn’t made an impact in the win column.
Metrick: Kevin Durant
His stats are certainly impressive.
But when you consider he's putting up these numbers on a horrific team that has virtually no other offensive options, they're freakin' awesome.
Ungvari: Al Horford
If numbers don't lie, then you have to give the award to Horford.
He's shooting close to 50% and averaging close to 10 points, 10 boards and one block per game.
He's had 20 games this year where he's had at least 13 rebounds but more importantly, the Hawks have already won five more games than they won all of last year and appear headed to the playoffs.
Kevin Durant is averaging 20 points per game but he's doing it on 17 shots per game.
He's shooting less than 43 percent on the season and only about 28 percent from downtown.
I think Durant has really come one during these last few weeks but I think that Horford has been more impressive. He looks like a seasoned veteran out there while Durant still looks like a rookie.
Luis Scola made a case during the Rockets' winning streak but that balloon popped over the team's last ten games.
Finocchio: As much as I appreciate Kevin Durant keeping my Warriors hopes alive last night, his season was hardly rookie of the year material.
He has this in common with every other rookie in the 2007-08 class.
I officially abstain, as there is no worthy recipient for this award.
Most Improved Player
Whittenberg: If it were possible to give it to a player twice, I would give it to Monta Ellis.
But since it's not, Rajon Rondo gets my vote.
Everyone is saying Hedo Turkoglu should win it, but it's really no shocker that his numbers have gone up this season.
He's averaged double figures since the 04-05 season, and last season was his first season starting every game he played.
The reasoning may not satisfy some, especially you Orlando and Hedo fans—but I'm sticking to it.
I like Rondo because his game has improved, despite having to play with three All-Stars.
To be be honest, I really didn't think Rondo was going to be a good player in the pros.
And I definitely thought he wasn't ready for the NBA when he left Kentucky.
He proved me wrong, and he even has a chance to win an NBA title this season.
Rudy Gay would have got my vote, but he plays for one of the league's worst teams.
Blasco: Hedo Turkoglu has always been a nice player, but his new-found athleticism and confidence has been stunning.
Hedo is asked to do everything for the Magic and rarely has he disappointed.
Metrick: Rudy Gay
I must admit, I haven’t seen a lot of Grizzlies games this season (has anyone?), but the numbers are solid.
He's improved in just about every statistical category and his scoring has jumped from 11 points a game to 20.
Ungvari: Rudy Gay
At first I was going to go with Dwight Howard or Al Jefferson but then I realized that both have shown enough promise over the last couple years that their improvement isn't all that surprising.
I'm giving it to Gay by a nose over his fellow sophomore, LaMarcus Aldridge. Both guys have had leap years in terms of improvement but Gay's is more surprising.
After watching him at UCONN and then in his rookie year in Memphis I never believed Gay's heart was in the game.
I thought that he was going to be a lot like Tim Thomas--all the physical tools but no passion for the game. Gay proved me wrong this year.
He also proved it to management because they felt confident enough in his ability to be a franchise player that they traded their star player for cap space.
There were stretches of games where he was able to take over.
Take last week's game against the Lakers. Grizzlies' management would probably have preferred to lose the game but Gay scored 28 points, had 7 boards, 4 assists and 3 blocked shots in a Grizzlies' victory at Staples Center.
And like Durant, he’s not getting a lot of help.
Finocchio: Monta Ellis, again, in a landslide.
In terms of marginal improvement, there's just no way that anyone who got better than Ellis this season.
He's moved from "talented but wilts under pressure" to "All-Star gamer with unlimited upside." Not bad...
Honorable Mention: Rudy Gay, Rajon Rondo
Defensive Player of the Year
Whittenberg: His team as a whole plays horrible defense, but Marcus Camby gets my vote for his individual effort.
Camby is averaging 3.7 blocks per game along with 10.3 defensive boards per game.
Blasco: Bruce Bowen appears to have slipped a notch this season, and the Denver Nuggets are too poor defensively for Marcus Camby to gain any real consideration.
Shane Battier has played man-sized defense every game this year, and his professionalism and toughness have rubbed off on his teammates.
It's Battier’s defense tenfold over Tracy McGrady’s offense, as the Rockets’ MVP.
Metrick: Marcus Camby
Okay, admittedly, he’s on one of the worst defensive teams in the league.
But imagine where the Nuggets would be without him.
He's a great defensive rebounder and he's swatting away just under four shots a game.
It's a crime that this guy hasn’t been on the All-Star team in the last two seasons.
Ungvari: Kevin Garnett
Contrary to what Shaquille O'Neal believes, KG was the best defensive player in basketball this year.
He not only did it with rebounds and blocked shots but he quarterbacked the NBA's best defensive unit.
His tenacity and intensity on defense became contagious.
Consider this award the voter's way of saying
"Sorry we pretended that you didn't exist in the MVP voting after the All-Star break but you already won one. Here's something you could put next to it. I know it's not the same thing but we don't want you to think we forgot about you."
You can make the case for Marcus Camby every year.
But Camby's numbers are overly-impressive because he's a one-man team on defense that's expected to do everything for his team.
I'm sorry but you can't give the Defensive Player of the Year award to a guy on a defense that bad.
Finocchio: Dwight Howard made the most impact on the defensive end of any player in the league. He's an imposing shot blocking presence, and he simply does not allow second chances via offensive boards.
Honorable Mention: Kevin Garnett
Sixth Man of the Year
Whittenberg: Manu Ginobli
The man has only started 23 games, so technically he is a sixth man.
He plays 31 minutes per game, comes in halfway through the first quarter, and plays more minutes the starting shooting guard, Michael Finley.
But with that said, he's a sixth man, like it or not.
He averages 19 PPG and in my opinion, has been the this Spurs MVP this season. No disrespect Tim Duncan.
Blasco: It isn't really fair because he's a superstar coming off the bench, but Manu Ginobli is the sixth man of the year.
Ginobli does it all: shoot, drive, pass, defend, take extra steps on the way to the basket, and, most importantly, win.
Metrick: Manu Ginobli
It pains me to give Manu his due because there's something wildly irritating about him.
And I think Coach Popovich purposely doesn’t start him so he'll win this stupid award.
Horrible. But… you can’t argue with the numbers.
Ungvari: Leandro Barbosa
I can't give it to Manu Ginobli when he plays more minutes per game than Michael Finley does every night.
It's kind of a joke that Finley only starts because his ego can't fathom coming off the bench.
Barbosa is a killer. He's become the Suns' go-to guy when they need a big three-pointer and he's so difficult to defend.
He deservedly won the award last year and his numbers this year are almost identical.
On any other team, except maybe the Warriors, he's useless. But on this team he's more valuable than anyone except Amare Stoudemire or Steve Nash.
Finocchio: They may as well rename this the Manu Ginobli award, as he's probably the best sixth man in league history.
20 points, 5 rounds and 5 assists in 30 minutes a night off the bench.
Does any other top 15 player in the league come off the bench? No.
So it's an easy award to give out.
Most Surprising Team
Whittenberg: I'm going with the Boston Celtics
I picked New Orleans and Portland the first half of the season, but I'm going with the C's the second half.
We all knew that Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett would help the Celtics make a turnaround, but not like this.
Boston has 61 wins and have home court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Not only that, but they have also beat all of the Western Conference's best teams at least once.
That there tells me they are for real and ready to make a fun to the Finals.
Blasco: While there have been a number of positive surprises this season, the Boston Celtics take the cake.
I wasn't sure their role players would be the right mix, I wasn't confident they’d stay healthy, I wasn't sure if they'd be a good defensive team, and I wasn't sure if Doc Rivers was the right man for the job.
Instead, the Celtics have gelled together and have played beautiful basketball from the season’s opening tip to the present.
Metrick: New Orleans Hornets
Going into the season, NBA fans knew the Hornets would be good.
We just didn’t think they'd be this good.
And anyone who says they foresaw them winning the west is lying.
Ungvari: Orlando Magic
They got a new coach who was the team's second choice, lost Grant Hill, had no first-round pick, got no contribution from last year's number one pick, and way overpaid for Rashard Lewis.
Despite all of that, they've already won 7 more games than they did all of last year and have been locked into the third spot in the east for a few months.
Stellar play from Hedo Turkoglu and the still-improving Dwight Howard have made them the league's biggest surprise.
Finocchio: The Houston Rockets won 22 games in a row this season. This was downright shocking.
Most Disappointing Team
Whittenberg: This is a no brainer.
It has to be the Miami Heat. No one expected them to stink this bad.
I myself picked them to make one more run back to the Eastern Conference Finals this season, but they won't even make the playoffs.
Only nine wins the first half of the season, and I would be shocked if they don't get the top pick in the NBA Draft.
Blasco: Even with Shaq on the decline, the Heat still had Dwayne Wade and were supposed to be respectable in the Eastern Conference.
I mean, they did win a championship 22 months ago, right?
Instead, the Heat have played infinitely putrid basketball.
The veterans have broken down, the youngsters haven’t developed, and Ricky Davis is their lone consistent scoring threat.
There are disappointments and then there are abominations. The Heat fit the latter.
Metrick: Chicago Bulls
This was supposed to be the Eastern Conference team of the future.
It was supposed to use its abundance of young talent to work a deal for Gasol or Garnett or Kobe.
Those deals never happened. Instead, they Bulls floundered all season, then finally pulled the trigger on a trade that brought them Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden. Whoops.
Ungvari: Miami Heat
Even before all the injuries, the Heat stunk.
Still not two years removed from winning the NBA title, you'd expect more from a team with Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal.
How far the Heat have fallen will depend on whether or not they end up with Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose.
Without one of the top two picks in the draft, the Heat could be looking at a long rebuilding project that could lead to Wade leaving town for something better.
Finocchio: The Dallas Mavericks backed up a 67 win season with a first round playoff exit and a dismal regular season.
But nothing could have been more disappointing than forfeiting future point guard extraordinaire Devin Harris for another first round playoff exit with Jason Kidd.
How far the mighty have fallen.
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6 months ago
Most surprising team : U guys mean to tell me that the LAKERS didn't surprise y'all? this is the same team that everybody in their mother had being in the lottery? and dont say Gasol, because even before Gasol they had reached #1 in the West. Boston had 3 perenial all-stars, they were suppose to be good.
Defensive Player of the year: how could u guys not put Shane Battier on there? who do you think guards teh opponent's best player? definitely not Tmac!
MVP: as for mvp, the popular choice is Chris Paul but I'm going with Kobe for all the things the Lakers had to go through and they still ended up at or near the top of the West. We all knew NOH was a good team, as a matter of fact, they were at the top of the West last year until Stojakovic and Paul got injured.
from 6 months ago
The Lakers surprised me by exceeding above average expectations by being very good. The Celtics surprised me by exceeding good expectations and becomming the most dominant team in the league. Don't worry Ralph, nobody is sleeping on what the Lakers have done, but the Celtics have been outstanding.
And I listed Battier as my defensive player of the year!
6 months ago
I have to say I'm shocked that even one person had the Boston Celtics as the most surprising team, let alone two. Who didn't see this coming? They took one well-rounded perennial all-star (Pierce) and teamed him with two more unselfish perennial all-stars (Garnett & Allen) who were desperate to play for a winner. And when you consider this team was in the lackluster Eastern Conference, what else could've happened?
from 6 months ago
I didn't see this at all. I always looked at Garnett as being a bit overrated. I've always seen Pierce as a player who took games off and I've never seem him defend this well. Ray Allen has never been a great defender either.
Last year, Rajon Rondo was a liability, Kendrick Perkins was a stiff, James Posey was washed up, Leon Powe was a bench warmer, Eddie House was little more than a shoot-em-up gunner, and Glen Davis was in colege.
Having talent is one thing but I didn't know the Celtics would become integrated so quickly. People fail to realize just how amazing a job of motivating Doc Rivers has done.
6 months ago
nicely put.
6 months ago
People are giving so much praise to KG, Pierce and the celts... it's crazy... how do u give credit to a sure thing? Everyone already knew what was going to happen... but with that said we're talking about the same Kevin Garnett who couldn't make it out of the first round with Sam Cassell, Latrell Sprewell, and Wally Sczerbiak (or whoever you spell it) all in a respective point in their careers at the time, and on top of it, they are in the eastern conference sure they beat top teams in the league, but the worst teams have beaten some of the top teams in the league also. Sure they do it on a consistant basis, but with that said the 67 win Mavs got put out in the first round last season, not to say that Atlanta will do that, but the Celts will definitley have their hands full in the 2nd round.
from 6 months ago
Umm...Garnett made it to the Western Conference Finals with Cassell and Sprewell--but lost to the Lakers. Look it up.
6 months ago
I'm going with Paul Pierce for MVP as well. True, gritty, street ball, under the whistle ballers know this as well. Paul Pierce is what we used to refer to as fundamentally sound (havn't heard this term utilized lately?). If your from the baby boomer era they were dubbed wil-o-wisps i.e Elgin Baylor.
Now before you start going Kobe crazy on me I've already stated before on another message board that I've got Paul Pierce giving Kobe 39 buckets to Kobe's 40 in a win against the lakers. I've got it on VHS if you want to see it. Just e-mail me I'll transpose it to DVD for you (for a nominal cost of course).
As a matter of fact, the Celtics didn't have KG or Ray allen, this was in the 2005-2006 season.
pmontague3000@yahoo.com
Peace, GO CELTICS GET THAT RING THIS YEAR !!!
6 months ago
As a Nuggets fan, I have to say that Camby plays TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE defense! It is awful! I don't care what his numbers are. Of course you're going to get rebounds and blocks when you allow a team to take 90 shots a game. Camby leaves his feet on every head fake and he has no idea how to defend another human being. All he can do is stand under the rim and jump for a rebound...that's not defense...that's padding your stats. Award should go to Bowen or Garnett...no other viable options.
from 6 months ago
You're exactly right. I wouldn't call Camby a terrible defender, but his numbers do give him this aura of being some brick wall at the basket that nobody can get through, when in fact, his pure defensive skills aren't refined at all.
6 months ago
Again why wasn't I asked to be apart of this?
from 6 months ago
Maybe you should take the initiative and ask Mike yourself to be involved...
6 months ago
Rookie of the Year should go to Scola or Horford in my opinion, Durant takes 17 shots a game as Ungvari said, Scola gets the vote in my opinion because he has been great in Houston and he gets his points despite the fact that he plays with T-Mac
6 months ago
Who? Nobody saw this (67 wins?) coming! No experts, no hardcore Celtics fans - http://celticsgreen.blogspot.com/2008/04/who-saw-this-coming.html see this brilliant post on another blog to remind you some pre-season thoughts about Celtics.
6 months ago
And I'm in with best player on the best team theory for MVP -> Paul Pierce. Sorry Kev, you've changed it here without no doubt, but we're 7-2 without you, you didn't want to come to Celtics when there was no Ray Allen, you was supposed to dominate in East's paints - that didn't happened.
6 months ago
@P-Did
i would of almost believe you until you broke the "GO CELTIcS" line. u are obviously a celtics fan. but nobody on that team could win the MVP because they are 3 perenial all-stars. These guys didn't even make the playoffs on their own last season...
Lebron made it, Kobe made it and Chris Paul had 39 wins in the tough west.
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Why do people always confuse a lot of blocks and a lot of steals as good defense??
Chris Paul get a lot steals but that doesn't mean he's a real good defender, in fact he's not that good an on the ball defender, but he's terribly good at reading passing lanes.
As for Camby, he gets a lot of blocks but he numerously get tortured by the man he's guarding.
which is why my DPOY would either be KG or Battier.
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6th man: Ginobli although he's only 6th man in name only . He gets starter mns.
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Most Improved: I do not want to go with either Kaiman or Gay, they are part of the worst teams out there and their improvement in no way helped the team. Which is why I'd either go with Monta Ellis, Andrew Bynum or Lamarcus Aldridge.
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Disapointing team: Miami Heat. Nobody saw this coming. and the worst thing is Wade is not even injured. Pat Riley sat him out to spare wade the Humilation. This is what makes it even more remarkable what Kobe and Lebron were doing. IF you put Lebron or Kobe on Miami, they make the playoffs and would've had one of the top 4 records in the East.
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Rookie of the YEar: Al Horford, come on, Durant has carte Blanche to jack up as many shots as he wants so of course he'll have the better stats but Horford is the real Rookie of the Year.
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Coach of the year: Byron Scott or Phil Jackson. Byron Scott coached a young team to the top of the Western Conference, he commands the respect of everybody on that team.
As for Phil Jackson, guess we now know why Dr Buss pays him 10 mil a year. This team would have fallen apart with most Coaches. But feel cleverly kept the squad together, Muscled Kobe back into the fold and has the Lakers near the top of the West.
*and no i wont reward Doc rivers who was gifted KG and Ray Allen. Any other coach could have done that.
6 months ago
oh yea, I forgot Stan Van Gundy as coach of the year candidate too.
6 months ago
Houston's streak of 22 is either an indicator that a big man can be an albatross, or the sign of some crafty coaching. May be a little of both. Adelman - coach of the year.
Most disappointing - the Bulls - a lot of young talent and zero chemistry.
MVP - Chris Paul - take him out the Hornets' lineup and they don't make the playoffs - yes I realize that is only a 7 game game difference, but it is significant.
6th man - Ginobili
6 months ago
I stopped reading when it was suggested that Paul Pierce deserved this year's MVP. That bit of garbage ruined the credibility of the entire piece. At least you had the decency to place that red flag near the beginning of the article; saved me from reading the rest of the term paper. Thanks, guy.
from 6 months ago
Credibility? Are you kidding? You do know that this is a "quintet" of opinions, don't you? Maybe you felt that one writer's opinion was wacky, but that means squat for the other contributers.
6 months ago
Ok PAUL, if you take LeBron off the Cavs they don't make the playoffs, if you take Kobe off the Lakers they don't make the playoffs, if you take McGrady of the Rockets they don't make the playoffs, if u take Iverson off the Nuggets they don't make the playoffs (they're having a hard enough time trying to make the playoffs with Iverson), if you take Tim Duncan off the Spurs they don't make the playoffs, I am sick of hearing "If you take Chris Paul of the Hornets, they don't make the playoffs."
That is really no substance for a good arguement... because you can do that with alot of teams and it doesn't mean anything. MVP's don't fold under pressure, and so far Chris Paul has had a very exceptional season, BUT, for some reason everytime they play the Jazz Deron Williams gets' the best of him, why is that? Hope they don't see them in the playoffs. There is not another point gaurd in the league besides Chauncey Billups, D-Will, Steve Nash and Iverson (when he feels the need to play PG) who can be mentioned in the same breath as this guy, because let's face it, there aren't alot of All-Star point gaurds these days, so it's no problem for CP3 to abuse other sub-par or role player point gaurds on a regualr basis.
Now SG and SF, I can throw names out there for days, which takes me to my real arguement... CP3 is not faced with the adversity Kobe Bryant faces everynight, facing every teams best defender, Ray Allen. Ron Artest, T-Mac, Rip Hamilton, Shane Battier, Bruce Bowen... I can keep going too... but you get my drift. So why does he really deserve the MVP? He's leading the league in assts and steals... which are two excellent categories, but those are PG stats, you're not going to get a SG or Forward or Center to do well in those categories bcuz that's not their main focus... so kudos to him for doing what his natural position is supposed to do, but I am not impressed... that does not make him dominant that he can stand in the passing lane and catch a bad pass, because that's where the majority of his steals come from, as we've all seen he is not a very good on the ball defender, and because he can pass the ball to guys who can make shots...
What's impressive is when you make necessary stops to enable your team to win a ball game... or when you completely take over a ball game and win it, which we have seen Kobe and LeBron do all season. I haven't seen anything clutch about this guy all season long, it's either they blow you out or they lose.
6 months ago
My MVP goes to KB24
Most Improved Player, Monta Ellis/ Andrew Bynum
DPOY K.G
6th Man Award : Manu Ginobili
Most Disappointing Team: Denver Nuggets all that talent and they're fighting for the 8th spot
Rookie of the Year: Kevin Durant, did you see him the other night against the Nuggets... he is indeed a clutch player, I look forward to seeing him mature within the next couple years .
Coach of the year: The Zen Master, Phil Jackson, finally calming Kobe down and getting him to become a team-mate and not a 1 man freak show was one of the toughest tasks bar-none, and putting the in position to win the western conference as stacked as it is.
from 6 months ago
Bynum has only played 35 games, so he can't win Most Improved Player.
Trust me Bynum was my pick also--but you can't win an award if you haven't even played half the games in a season.
6 months ago
Only one person had KG as DPOY? *shakes head in utter disbelief*
6 months ago
True Bynum has only played 35 games, but it has been such a drastic turn around from his play last year , that u can only assume he will become better and even people have been saying that once he comes back for the playoffs, that the Lakers will be a really dominate force... But I see where you're coming from--saying he hasn't even been around for 50% of this season.
6 months ago
Someone tell me how the Celtics are the most surprising team in the league? How can a team be such a surprise with 3 all stars on it. If they didnt win 50+ games it would be a surprise. It has to be the Hornets by a landslide. Did people think they would be top 2 in the West? Doubtful. I would have said 7-8 seed, maybe. But come'on. And Paul Pierce an MVP? There is just no way. Of course you can look good with Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett taking some pressure off of you. And when you have KG screaming in your face, your not going to let him down, so you play better defense. How about we split the MVP with Kobe and Paul sharing it? Fair?
6 months ago
BEST answer- Metrick picking NO Hornets.. Not even close and I can't imagine how you could even validate picking anyone else... WORST answer- Blasco choice of Pierce at MVP. He started out with a great rant on the MVP voting, and how bad and vague the curriculum is, then flopped hard with the pick.. Pierce isn't the most valuable player on his own team... MVP in my eyes is simple. Take a player away from that team, and evaluate that team without them and whoever's team would be hurt the most by that ONE players loss, truly is the most valuable... Thats obviously not how it works so the shouldn't call this award an MVP because it doesn't truly reflect who truly is most valuable to their team...
6 months ago
Why isn't Pierce the MVP of Boston? He's played better defense than Garnett has. He's been a more intimidating offensive player with great range, powerful slashing, and an automatic jumper. He's gotten to the free throw line at will, and he's the guy who usually has the ball in his hands when the Celtics need a key bucket. But since the mainstream media fellates Garnet harder than Pierce, Garnett is the undisputed best player right?
"And when you have KG screaming in your face, your not going to let him down, so you play better defense."
Man, those T-Wolves rosters had SO many defensive players of the year! What AWESOME defense Minnesota played that they escaped the first round exactly once!
"Of course you can look good with Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett taking some pressure off of you."
Of course you can look good with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen taking some pressure off of you.
Of course you can look good with David West and Peja Stojakovic taking some pressure off of you.
Of course you could look good with the multitude of talented and confident Lakers offensive players taking some pressure off of you.
Al Jefferson has nobody taking the pressure off of him, lets give him the MVP.
Or, making more sense, let's give it to LeBron since he has nobody taking the pressure off of him. But you choose Paul or Kobe, why?
from 6 months ago
First, your argument is flawed right out of the gate in even mentioning the Timberwolves because with Garnett they were much better then the Celtics were with just Pierce. Pierce led them alright.. Led them str8 into the lottery... His cast was awful so that's borderline unfair, but nontheless.. Second, if you read my definition of an MVP, Patrick who commented above me was right on.. When you have that much help, and two other veteran leaders as they do, it significantly decreases his value.. Even if you admit that it's arguable that Pierce is the best on that team, you certainly shouldn't be the MVP of the whole league.. Third, under my true def of MVP I would not choose Kobe at all, nor would I choose Paul but he would fall 2nd.. My choice would be LBJ... Under the true def of what the most valuable player to any of their teams in the NBA would be,LBJ would take it hands down... Again, maybe not with whatever the curriculum is now, but the most truly valuable asset to their team is LBJ hands down... Forget the playoffs, shit, forget 20 wins without him on the Cleveland Cavs....
from 6 months ago
Are we talking about career MVP's or this year's MVP. I only commented about Garnett's tenure in Minnesota as a way of responding to Patrick that players don't automatically sh*t their pants when Garnett asks them to play defense.
So then what is the point of an MVP if it diminishes great players for having great teammates? It's a frustrating award that I hate voting on. A best player award would be a bit easier to digest but then what constitutes "best," especially in this era where, while defense wins championships, stats and offensive prowess carry more weight than, say, Tim Duncan's flawless defensive rotations. Most Useful Player? Most Talented Player?
All I know is that Paul Pierce is (in terms of his play, not his inspirational qualities) the catalyst for the only dominant team in the league and that means a whole of a lot more to me than the fact that Chris Paul can only drive or pass going right, and has trouble making plays when he's getting roughed up, as my MVP example and the Utah Jazz have demonstrated repeatedly this season.
Or that LeBron James' Cavs still have a flawed offense where LeBron James has to do everything for them all the time (inflating his stats).
Or that Kobe Bryant still has times where he becomes either overly passive, or overly shot happy, or the opposing team's best player shuts him down (see MVP criteria).
Even Duncan's poor man-to-man defense and his jump shooting has declined this year. There are no dominant players right now who always excel against the best competition, but Boston has been consistently dominant throughout the year. So again, my reasoning takes me back to Pierce for the game's premier offensive award.
from 6 months ago
Some good points... I only went back to the Timberwolves to draw a comparison to Pierce in Boston pre-three... Garnett could have been a wonderful motivator and Pierce as well, but that can only take you so far... You got it or you don't...You can't will a teamate to be great... Maybe a bit better,or a little more driven, but.....I hate debating MVP as well and we seem to really have more common opinions to what is actually relevent... Anyone could really make a compelling agument for up to 15 players because the guidlines can really be manipulated to fit many.... Perhaps that is why it is the way it is.... It stimulates unwinnable arguments similar to those of religion or politics and keeps the bloggers blogging... You simply cannot have a decisive winner when the curiculum is so vague unless its a once in a lifetime Jordan-esk type guy...I bet there were compelling arguments against him in his prime by people just like us..... Someone scores a lot of points, they ballhog... Someone with great defense or passing ability is great in their role but not a leader or motivational speaker,or no killer instinct,or they didn't clinch a high enough seed for the playoffs... Great players on great teams have so much help that "so-in-so" would go crazy and have more points if they had those teamates...They play in a weeker conference so they don't see the competition "so-in-so" see's.... You get the point.....
from 6 months ago
Looks like we both get the point :)
6 months ago
Blasco: the heat won the championship two years ago. Great article guys, keep up the good work
from 6 months ago
Yeah, my sentence structure made that unclear. I didn't want to say two years because in reality, it was 14 months from the begining of the season backwards, but you are right.
from 6 months ago
...and changed, sorry for the confusion.
6 months ago
No way kobe should win MVP..... he takes 30 shots a night and has 2 all stars around him. Andrew bynum would be most improved player without the injury. He has the best coach ever as well. Chris Paul has made that whole team better and is averaging more points and assists then God himself Steve Nash did his two MVP years.
6 months ago
How do you justify Chris Paul as MVP when he too has an All-Star on his team? For that matter Peja Stojakovic and Tyson Chandler, those guys aren't perinial all-stars, but they are damn good. Kobe has been playing without Andrew Bynum for more than half the season, and Pau Gasol has missed 9 or ten games due to injury, not only that, Kobe is playing through an injury himself, and plays against every teams best defender, Chris Paul does not have to deal with that kind of pressure night in and night out as Kobe does.
Besides that his numbers aren't of All-Star caliber anyway. It's also funny that people mention K.G. for MVP when in fact he and Pau Gasol have very similar numbers, sh*t I guess Pau Gasol should be atleast an honorable mention then right? O, by the way the Hornets just lost to the Lakers tonight. In which Kobe was 2 assists shy of a triple-double, and he's not the top MVP candidate because.....
6 months ago
In my mind chicago was by far the most dissapointing team. I mean when you have Deng, Gordon, Thomas, Duhon, Nocioni, hughes, and i am forgetting so many because im not even a bulls fan! Im not sure if it was Scott Skiles' fault, but someone really needs to get this team working! Most disapointing team by far. Im not disapointed in the heat. I expected this, they suck, they need a whole wipe clean change. But the bulls...wasn't expecting this.
6 months ago
Wow, I didn't think I'd disagree with the article this much.
First and foremost, I agree with the MVP issue. It's either Kobe or Paul, though I'm leaning slightly towards Kobe (I'm a Lakers fan, it happens.)
COY, I'm cool with. I gave it to Nate McMillan for the first half, but it's Byron Scott now that the Blazers tapered off. He's kept his team atop the most contested conference in the history of the NBA, and that's damn impressive.
ROY, I'd have to say Durant. Those who say Horford because he's on a better team, realize that they play in the Leastern confernce. I bet if you put Seattle in the East, they could come damn close to making the playoffs.
Most Improved is where I have big issues. For those who chose Rudy Gay, I'll admit, I'm a huge fan of his. However, I've been saying this for a while now, but I don't think it's fair to give the MIP to a player who's only in his second year. Of course he's going to improve, rarely do you see a player be worse in year two than when they were a rookie. And Monta Ellis, he can't win it again anyways, he had it last year. It has to be Hedo. Sure, he's been solid for most of his career, but he vaulted to All Star status this year. He's been the best clutch player on Orlando and I don't know if Orlando is a playoff team without his contributions.
Most everything else looks good...though I'd have to say the most disappointing is Chicago in a landslide. They were supposed to compete for a top seed, not a top pick.
from 6 months ago
It's not intrinsically that Horford is playing for a better team, it's Horford's contributions towards his team. His rebounding has been consistent throughout and has filled a vital niche for Atlanta's growth.
And Atlanta IS 13-17 against the West, bad but not horrible. Seattle is 8-22 against the East, definitely horrible.
Obviously the West has a greater number of high quality teams than the East but I hate this assumption that a team in the West is strictly better than any Eastern Conference team simply because it is a Western Conference team. The Sonics suck. They've sucked all year. They didn't settle on a playing rotation early in the year, they never settled on a point guard until the trade deadline (and they chose the wrong one in Earl Watson), Kevin Durant has only marginally improved, the team wasn't a good defensive team and they've given up on defense over the second half.
Can we not make the Sonics martyrs for playing in the West?
Meanwhile, Atlanta has beaten Dallas, Phoenix, Orlando (twice), Utah, Cleveland, Denver, the Lakers, and Golden State. Obviously the Hawks don't have what it takes to beat Boston in the first round, but this isn't the Seattle Supersonics we're talking about. Atlanta isn't the joke of an eight people want them to be.
from 6 months ago
I'm not trying to make the Sonics martyrs for playing in the West, I just think the Hawks could probably be doing what they're doing, with or without Horford. Personally, I think his stats are a little inflated because of the people he's playing with. Just look at his fellow starters - Bibby, Johnson, Smith, Williams. If I'm correct, he's playing with two former All Stars (Johnson and Bibby), while the other two COULD be All Stars someday. Durant....well, the only person worthwhile on that team is Jeff Green, and he didn't start for most of the season and is also a fellow rookie. Despite that, he's still averaging 20ppg with defenses keying in on him every night.
from 6 months ago
Yeah but Smith, Johnson, etc, aren't taking away Horford's 10 rebounds a game which is something Atlanta has desperately needed the last few years because all of their frontcourt players have been long, lean, and weak. Who's going to rebound for them? Zaza Pachulia? Atlanta's full court offense wouldn't have a catalyst without Horford.
As for his points, he never gets his points on set plays...that's all work around the glass. He'd get the same 10 points on any other team he'd play for.
Horford also plays some defense, even though he gets pushed around far too much and he isn't real strong.
Durant gets his 20 points but they're hollow points. They all come on jumpers and they don't put any pressure on defenses. Plus, Durant is a poor defender and is one of the weakest players in the league. I'm not going to give a prestigious award to a one dimensional scorer on an awful team.
from 6 months ago
So, basically, you're giving this to Horford because his team is better. That seems to be what it boils down to. You say Durant gets a "hollow" 20ppg, but without him, do the Sonics even win 10 games this year? I think ROY is one award that you can't give to a person based on how good or bad his team is, it's pretty unfair if you ask me. Everyone knew that the Sonics weren't going to be worth a damn after letter the two faces of their franchise go. He's at least brought some excitement to that team and has been a pretty good offensively this year. I'll admit, his defense is pretty terrible, but he's not there to play awesome defense, he's there to score points, and he does that pretty well. Like I said though, it's not his fault his team isn't worth a damn, and that shouldn't be the deciding factor in the ROY award.
from 6 months ago
I look at which player has made the most impact this season. If Durant wasn't on the Sonics, one of their other guards would have been given free range to jack up 20 shots a night to score 20 points, and the Sonics would still be terrible.
Is it fair that Durant has bad teammates? Probably not, but Portland was bad last year and Brandon Roy was an easy ROY pick despite having lesser numbers than Durant. You know why? Because Roy can control a game with his presence and can do multiple things to hurt you.
All Durant can do is score. Horford's best quality is rebounding. Isn't 10 rebounds roughly equal to 20 points? When somebody talks about a prodigious game a player has, they mention 20 and 10, so I assume 20 points and 10 rebounds are comparible numbers. Well, Durant has 20 points on a garbage team and Horford has 10 rebounds on a team that used to be garbage but now isn't. Why is Durant the rookie of the year?
6 months ago
I don't know what to think for myself now! Every writer here has explained their opinion very well...enough for me to jump the fence many times.
Keep up the great work!
6 months ago
Kobe Bryant will win the MVP.