NBA Midseason Awards: Surprises Galore

With the first half of the season now coming to an end, it's time to present our midseason awards.

Not only will I crown recipients of the traditional accolades such as MVP, etc., but I will also recognize two new titles that I’ve come up with myself: the Most Surprising Team (MST) and the Most Disappointing Team (MDT).

This season has been full of surprises, and a couple of the award winners might surprise you as well.

 First Half MVP: Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets)

That's right, Chris Paul.

No disrespect to Kobe and KG, but this guy has taken his game and his team to another level this year.

Paul is one of three point guards averaging a double-double, and leads the league in steals.  Not only that, but the Hornets are (surprisingly) in 1st place in a division featuring both San Antonio and Dallas.

His stat line: 21.1 PPG, 10.4 APG, and 2.7 SPG

Finalists: Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James

 

First Half Coach of the Year: Nate McMillan (Portland Trailblazers)

This guy should have won the award in ‘04-‘05 when he coached Seattle to 52 wins, but

so far this season he's had it on lock.  McMillan really proved himself when his Blazers won 13 straight games, and then recovered after the streak was broken to total 17 victories in their last 19 games.

Portland’s success is a little ahead of schedule, and the fact that their lottery pick, Greg Oden, hasn't played a single game only highlights the accomplishment.  As the youngest team in the league, Portland leads the Northwest Division over Denver and Utah, who sat on top of division last season.

Finalists: Nate McMillan, Phil Jackson, and Doc Rivers

 

First Half Rookie of the Year: Kevin Durant (Seattle Supersonics)

If you couldn't accurately predict the winner of this award, then you clearly haven’t been keeping up with basketball.

This guy gets it already—he knows how to play at the NBA level and is catching on very quickly.  Even as a rookie he leads the team in scoring.  His team has just nine wins, but still they aren't last in their division (though this record really isn’t something to be proud of).

He has the range and the ability to penetrate, but his biggest problems are rebounding and defense.  Although he is an exceptional scorer, this is not his significant contribution to the team, but once he learns to defend and score with his back to the rim that will change.

Leading all rookies in scoring with 19.3 PPG overall, he pretty much had the award locked up back in November.

Finalists: Kevin Durant, Yi Jianlian, Juan Carlos Navarro, and Jamario Moon
 

First Half Most Improved Player: Andrew Bynum (Los Angeles Lakers)

As one of his biggest critics after his terrible first two seasons, Bynum has impressed me

this year.  But he did dislocate his kneecap and that will keep him out of action for at least two months.

Before his injury, however, Bynum was contributing significantly to the Lakers’ surprise success this season.  He also leads the league in field goal percentage.

After Kobe Bryant criticized him last year, Bynum has come out to average a double-double this season.  Working with one of the all-time greats, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, doesn’t hurt either.

His stat line: 13.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG, and 2.1 BPG

Finalists: Andrew Bynum, Rudy Gay, Dwight Howard, and Gerald Wallace

 

First Half Defensive Player of the Year: Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics) and Marcus Camby (Denver Nuggets)

This one was too close to call, so we’ll have to make do with co-winners this year.

As one of my MVP finalists, KG is certainly worthy of the honor, but will have to share.  Aside from his 19 PPG on offense, Garnett's defensive impact on the Celtics has been imperative every game, considering the fact that Boston gives up only 87 PPG to opponents.

His rebounds are down this year and his impact on the defensive end sometimes goes unnoticed.   But this reigning Defensive Player of the Year is averaging almost four blocks per game along with 14 RPG.

When it comes to defense in Denver, Camby is pretty much the only one who deserves significant praise.  He's already had nine 20+ rebound games this year.  

Still, he doesn’t lead the league in rebounds—you can thank Dwight Howard for that.

Finalists: Kevin Garnett, Marcus Camby, Gerald Wallace, and Caron Butler

 

First Half Sixth Man of the Year: Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs)

Manu has officially been a sixth man this year, having started just two games.

  Averaging 19.4 PPG, Ginobili is the energy San Antonio needs.

Finalists: Manu Ginobili, Leandro Barbosa, and Jason Terry

Note: Ben Gordon was a starter before Scott Skiles was fired, so he's eliminated from consideration.

 

 
First Half Most Surprising Team: Los Angeles Lakers (27-12, 2nd in Pacific Division)

I know what you're thinking—Portland won thirteen straight games, and should win the MST.

But who expected the Lakers to be contenders in the West this season?  To be honest I think they can make it past the first round if they play Phoenix, Golden State, or even Portland.

As mentioned earlier, Bynum's breakout year has been a huge reason that the Lakers held the best record in the West for a week.  Kobe is playing unselfishly, and the addition of Derek Fisher has helped as well.

The Lakers are currently 3rd in the league in scoring, thanks to their bench and the rest of the crew.  But without Bynum, I doubt they will hold onto the MST throughout the rest of the season.

Finalists: Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trailblazers, Orlando Magic, New Orleans, and Boston

 

First Half Most Disappointing Team: Miami Heat (8-32, Last in Eastern Conference)

Who else but Miami is more deserving of the MDT?  They entered last season as the

defending champs, and now “sad” isn't even the word to describe how they have performed this season.

The Heat has lost 14 straight games, and the decline of Shaquille O'Neal is almost unbearable to watch. Pat Riley assembled a team to win a championship and now has to live with the results.

At times, it looks as if Dwyane Wade is laboring down the court.  Now he is being asked to do even more to compensate for Shaq’s injury.

You can bet they’ll be able to hold onto this ignominious distinction.

Finalists: Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, and New Jersey Nets

Michael Whittenberg is a senior writer for BleacherReport.com.  To view his entire archive click here.