Bleacher Report NBA Midseason Awards

The NBA has always been a league built upon the surprises and disappointments of its teams and players, and this season has been no different.

There are always teams that perform below general expectations and teams that take the league by storm and become serious contenders in their respective conferences.

The mid-point in each season is usually where the serious contenders and breakout starts separate from the pretenders.

Surprise Team of the Year

In the Eastern Conference no team has taken been more impressive than the Charlotte Bobcats. Led by Gerald Wallace, the Bobcats have four more wins than they did at the same point last season.

The front office is clearly committed to this team winning now, already bringing over veteran guard Stephen Jackson from the Golden State Warriors. Jackson is averaging over 20.0 ppg since coming over to the Bobcats.

Surprisingly, the Bobcats have improved greatly this season because of their defense , although they are commonly mistaken for an offensive "run-n-gun" team. The Bobcats have the number one defensive rating—points allowed per 100 possessions.

Mid-Season All-NBA Team

G Chris Paul , NOH

No player combines the offensive aggressiveness and defensive prowess around the perimeter quite like Chris Paul.

Although his team is struggling this season, Paul is once again dominating competition on a nightly basis and is one of only two players in the NBA to average 14 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals per game.

G Dwyane Wade , MIA

Boy D-Wade must be tired. I sure would be if I led an NBA team in points, assists, steals, blocks, and free throw attempts.

Simply put, no player—not named LeBron—means more to his team than Wade.

If you take Wade off of the 23-20 Miami Heat, there is no way you could convince me they would have more than 10 wins.

I'm sure most people reading this will be screaming "WHERE IS KOBEEEEEE!? He's the BEST PLAYER on the BEST TEAM in the league!" And you know what, it is hard to argue with that.

But if you simply take the names away from the players and compare the numbers it is easier to understand.

Wade averages more points, assists, steals, and blocks than Bryant does. He shoots a better percentage from the floor and makes almost as many free throws as Bryant attempts, all while averaging one more minute per game.

F LeBron James , CLE

Do I even need to write anything? I do not see why  I would. No player is as valuable to his team and no player demands the attention all over the floor that King James does.

Including James only four players have averaged 29-7-7 in single season while shooting over 50% from the floor. The other three players—Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, and Larry Bird—are all in the Basketball Hall of Fame and are considered top ten players in NBA history.

James is the best player on the best team—record-wise—in the NBA which should put him on this list regardless of his mind-boggling statistics.

F Kevin Durant , OKC

This pick should again ruffle some feathers amongst NBA enthusiasts who believe that Carmelo Anthony deserves this spot more-so than Durant.

Though Melo has been lighting up the scoreboard, Durant has matched him point-for-point and has surpassed Anthony in many other categories.

Durant averages almost a full rebound more per game than Anthony, averages more blocks than Melo, and shoots a better percentage from the floor, three-point line, and the free-throw line.

C Tim Duncan , SAS

Despite popular belief, Timmy D does  in fact start as center for the San Antonio Spurs.

Dwight Howard is widely considered the best center in all of basketball but when comparing their numbers the race is much, much closer.

Duncan averages almost three full points per game more than Howard does, and averages twice as many assists as Superman.

Even though Howard averages 2.7 more rebounds per game than Duncan, you have to factor in that Howard plays two more minutes per game than his counterpart.

Mid-Season All-Underated Team

G Rajon Rondo , BOS

You would think after having one of the best individual playoff runs in NBA history Rajon Rondo would be a household name.

But mid-way through a season in which he is setting career-highs in every single major statistical category, Rondo is still flying under the radar.

With an NBA Championship already under his belt, Rondo is playing more efficiently than any other point guard in the league. Rondo is the only player in the NBA to average 14.0 points, 9.0 assists, and 2.0 steals while shooting over 50% from the floor.

G Russell Westbrook , OKC

Like Rondo, Westbrook is a young point guard with the reigns to one of the most talented teams in the NBA.

Averaging close to 16 points per game, Westbrook has already become one of the elite point guards in the NBA even at the age of 21.

Westbrook will most likely be snubbed when it comes to All-Star voting but do not let that fool you, Westbrook is a player.

F David Lee , NYK

When thinking of dominating rebounders in the NBA, one usually rattles off Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan, Chris Bosh, and Kevin Garnett amongst others.

You wouldn't normally think of New York Knicks forward David Lee, even though he is one of only three players—Chris Bosh and Zach Randolph—to average 19.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game.

Lee is fifth in the NBA in double-doubles, ranking higher than Tim Duncan, Al Jefferson, and Amare Stoudemire.

Lee has improved his scoring along with his passing compared to last season, showing that he can make improvements to his weaknesses pretty easily.

F Gerald Wallace , CHA

As I mentioned earlier, Wallace is the main cog in the Charlotte Bobcats engine. 

Wallace leads the NBA in minutes per game and has improved his rebounding by a remarkable 3.3 boards per game, even though he's only playing four more minutes per contest.

Wallace should be a coaches choice to the all-star game, and if not it will further prove his lack of respect from the media and fans.

C Joakim Noah , CHI

Along with Rajon Rondo no player deserves to be on this list more-so than Noah.

Like many people born in Kentucky, I can not stand Noah. In his college days at the University of Florida he routinely made himself look like a jerk in wins over my beloved Kentucky Wildcats...but I digress.

Noah has almost doubled his points and rebounding from last season, and is shooting 10% better from the free-throw line.

Noah has become a reliable inside force for the Chicago Bulls and is one of the main reasons that they are still in the playoff race.

Odds are Noah won't make the all-star game, but Noah still has shown drastic improvement from last season to this season.

Midseason Coach of the Year

Nate McMillan , POR

Nate McMillan deserves two Coach of the Year awards for the job he has done this season with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Just take one good look at the injury report for the Blazers and you will see why.

The top two centers for Portland—Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla—went down with season-ending injuries in the first 30 games of the season.

Travis Outlaw, one of the top reserves on the team, is out for 3-5 months with a left foot injury and has only played in 11 games this season.

Nicolas Batum, another key reserve, is 'out indefinitely' after right shoulder surgery and is not expected to return any time soon.

Even with superstar Brandon Roy also missing multiple games this season, the Trail Blazers sit at 27-18 and are currently holding on to the four-seed in the tough Western Conference.