Dark-Horse Contenders for Every Major NBA Award Entering 2013-14

Predicting who will win the NBA's postseason awards is kind of like forecasting the Oscars. Occasionally, the voting board throws us a curveball, but the favorites usually win out. 

Part of the excitement of awards season is rooting for those with an outside chance at bringing home a statue. It's why our hearts get a little warmer when Crash beats out Brokeback Mountain or Karl Malone steals a Most Valuable Player award from Michael Jordan. 

There is no glory in picking the favorite. It's like ordering vanilla ice cream at Dairy Queen or betting on Floyd Mayweather Jr. to win by unanimous decision. It's easy, it's safe and, most importantly, it's boring.

Live a little, people!

With the 2013-14 NBA season set to kick off, speculation over who will take home the richest of individual prizes has begun to mount. The projected winners are a veritable who's who of the NBA's elite. 

This time around, we take a look at the guys with a puncher's chance of pulling off the upset when the hardware is handed out at season's end. These are players with a legitimate chance at winning but, for some reason, aren't generating the kind of hype they deserve. 

The rules here are pretty simple. For every major award, I will list the perceived favorite, the other top contenders and my dark-horse choice. We will start with the less glamorous awards first and finish strong with the MVP. 

One thing to keep in mind: While I think all of these guys have a really good shot at winning, these aren't my picks to win each award (although, if interested, feel free to ask). 

Let's see if we can find this year's Rocky.

Executive of the Year

The Favorite: Daryl Morey (Houston Rockets)

The Other Contenders: Billy King (Brooklyn Nets), Joe Dumars (Detroit Pistons), Dell Demps (New Orleans Pelicans)

Dark Horse: Chris Grant (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Truth be told, it would take a major collapse by the Houston Rockets for Daryl Morey to not run away with this award. After pulling off a trade to land guard James Harden last year, Morey finished Houston's rebuild by signing center Dwight Howard away from the Los Angeles Lakers. 

With Howard on board, the Rockets have upgraded from fringe playoff team to sneaky championship contender. 

Perhaps equally as good was the job done by Cleveland's Chris Grant this summer. His offseason acquisitions may not have the flash of Dwight Howard, but he managed to make some solid under-the-radar moves that could elevate the Cavs out of the basement. 

It started on draft day with Cleveland turning a few heads by using the No. 1 overall pick on athletic 'tweener forward Anthony Bennett out of UNLV. Then, he added Russian sharpshooter Sergey Karasev with the No. 19 overall pick. 

Grant wasn't finished though. 

In free agency, he added point guard Jarrett Jack to provide a spark off of the bench and act as insurance for the oft-injured Kyrie Irving. The team also signed versatile forward Earl Clark to bolster the frontcourt. 

The move that could help Grant steal this award was the signing of center Andrew Bynum.

Once considered one of the league's elite big men, Bynum has taken a tumble from prominence thanks to a slew of knee injuries. 

The former Laker hasn't played since the tail end of the 2011-12 season after missing all of last year with a bum knee. If Bynum can return to form, the Cavaliers will have one of the most balanced starting rotations in the league, and they will be a tough out in the postseason. 

Three years removed from losing hometown hero LeBron James to Miami, very few thought the Cavs could bounce back this quick. If they do, they have Chris Grant to thank. 

Coach of the Year

The Favorite: Doc Rivers (Los Angeles Clippers)

The Other Contenders: Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat), Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs), Tom Thibodeau (Chicago Bulls)

Dark Horse: Mark Jackson (Golden State Warriors)

The Western Conference is wide-open.

The Los Angeles Clippers seem like the team to beat but have yet to even make it past the second round in the two years since star point guard Chris Paul came to town.

Elsewhere in California, there is another team that could make some noise in the playoffs this year. The Golden State Warriors possess a lethal backcourt that includes the game's most dangerous shooter, Stephen Curry, and a budding star in Klay Thompson. 

They improved their perimeter defense by adding Andre Iguodala to lock down the wing. His presence allows last year's first-round pick Harrison Barnes to lead the attack on the second unit. In the frontcourt, the W's have a solid duo in All-Star David Lee and former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Bogut.  

The man leading the charge will be head coach Mark Jackson.

Last season, Jackson led the Warriors to the second round, where they gave the San Antonio Spurs everything they could handle before falling in six games. 

The key for Golden State will be the health of Bogut. When he's on the court, he's a game-changer on both ends. The problem is that he hasn't played a full season since his rookie year and hasn't crossed the 70-game threshold since 2007-08. 

The Warriors believe that the Aussie big man is 100 percent, as evidenced by the three-year extension they gave him this offseason.

With that starting five and Barnes coming off of the bench, the Warriors are good enough to hang with anyone in the West. 

With another deep postseason run, Jackson could finally get the respect he deserves as one of the league's best coaches. 

Sixth Man of the Year

The Favorite: Jarrett Jack (Cleveland Cavaliers)

The Other Contenders: Tyreke Evans (New Orleans Pelicans), J.R. Smith (New York Knicks), Jamal Crawford (Los Angeles Clippers), Harrison Barnes (Golden State Warriors)

Dark Horse: Nate Robinson (Denver Nuggets)

The field for this award is pretty deep.

J.R. Smith is the reigning champion. Jarrett Jack could have easily won it last year. Jamal Crawford won the award back in 2009-10 as a member of the Atlanta Hawks. The New Orleans Pelicans have two candidates in Ryan Anderson and the newly-signed Tyreke Evans. 

However, don't count out diminutive scoring machine Nate Robinson. 

The 5'9" Robinson proved during his postseason run with Chicago last year that he is perfectly capable of being an offensive spark plug. He averaged 16.3 points per game in the playoffs for the injury-depleted Bulls. 

With Andre Iguodala and Corey Brewer gone, there are touches to be had in Denver. The backcourt is a little crowded with Evan Fournier, Randy Foye, Ty Lawson and Andre Miller, but Robinson will find a way to get his minutes. 

His shot selection isn't the greatest, but you could have said the same thing about J.R. Smith last year.

If Nate Rob can get the playing time, it will be tough to keep his name out of the discussion for the league's best sixth man. 

Most Improved Player

The Favorite: Eric Bledsoe (Phoenix Suns)

The Other Contenders: Jonas Valanciunas (Toronto Raptors), Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls), Reggie Jackson (Oklahoma City Thunder)

Dark Horse: Eric Gordon (New Orleans Pelicans)

If there was a Most Improved Team award, the New Orleans Pelicans might be the favorites to win it this season.

They made a big splash on draft day by trading Nerlens Noel and a 2014 first-round pick for All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday (which looks even savvier in the wake of Noel being out of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst).

The team's other major move was signing Tyreke Evans to be their sixth man and occasional small forward. 

None of New Orleans' offseason moves are as important as getting a healthy Eric Gordon back in the starting lineup. Before Evans and Holiday's presence created a buzz, Gordon was the big name that gave people in the Big Easy hope.

As the centerpiece of 2011's Chris Paul trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, Gordon has had a tumultuous run in New Orleans. He's missed 97 games in the last two seasons due to knee troubles and has generally looked disinterested in being the franchise guy. 

This season, Gordon has looked like a changed man. He appears to be healthy finally, and it showed in the preseason. He averaged 17 points per game and shot 58 percent from the field, including nearly 53 percent from three. 

Gordon has always had the talent to be one of the league's best shooting guards, but he hasn't been able to stay healthy to prove it.

If he was able to lead New Orleans in scoring over the past two years while playing half-heartedly on a bum knee, imagine what he can do if he's healthy and motivated? 

Rookie of the Year

The Favorite: Victor Oladipo (Orlando Magic)

The Other Contenders: Ben McLemore (Sacramento Kings), Cody Zeller (Charlotte Bobcats), Trey Burke (Utah Jazz)

Dark Horse: Kelly Olynyk (Boston Celtics)

Last year taught us that there's no sure thing when it comes to rookies.

No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis was the preseason favorite to win top rookie honors, but while "The Unibrow" had a respectable debut season, he was inevitably surpassed by the more impressive Damian Lillard. 

This season might be more of the same. While he wasn't selected with the first pick, Orlando's Victor Oladipo appears to be the best player in this year's rookie class. The former Indiana Hoosier is a defensive savant and will be used in a variety of ways. He looks like the best possible option to win Rookie of the Year. 

To quote Lee Corso, "not so fast, my friend." 

Boston's Kelly Olynyk put on quite the show in the Summer League, averaging nearly 18 points and eight rebounds a game. His preseason numbers weren't as impressive (nine points, 4.5 rebounds a game), but he has the tools to give Oladipo a run for his money. 

Olynyk may not possess Oladipo's defensive chops, but he makes up for it on the offensive end. He's a 7-footer that can crash the boards and can score either in the paint or from the outside. Another factor that will help the floppy-haired center's case is that Boston doesn't have many scoring options (especially up front). 

With Rajon Rondo still nursing an ACL injury, the Celtics are in the market for a go-to guy. Veteran Jeff Green will do his part, but don't be surprised if the big rookie gets a decent amount of touches as well.

It's a stretch to think Olynyk will average the 18 points and seven rebounds he put up in his final year at Gonzaga, but the door is open for the No. 13 overall pick to have a huge first season. 

Defensive Player of the Year

The Favorite: Dwight Howard (Houston Rockets)

The Other Contenders: Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies), Serge Ibaka (Oklahoma City Thunder), Tony Allen (Memphis Grizzlies), Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls)

Dark Horse: Larry Sanders (Milwaukee Bucks)

This was a toss-up between Milwaukee's Larry Sanders and San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard.

Both are talented young defenders who have started to make a name for themselves over the years.

Leonard plays in a defense-friendly system with the Spurs, and he's a potential breakout candidate in his third season. 

Inevitably, size won out. As good as Leonard (and guys of his ilk) are at holding down the perimeter, Defensive Player of the Year has gone to a big man every year for the last nine seasons. Ron Artest, in 2003-04 with the Indiana Pacers, was the last wing player to receive top defensive honors. 

That's not saying Leonard can't buck the trend. It's just the odds aren't really in his favor. In truth, Sanders is a bit of a long shot as well. While he finished third in total blocks and second in blocks per game, he is one of a bevy of skilled shot-swatters. 

It is tough to separate yourself from the Serge Ibakas and Dwight Howards of the world. It also doesn't help that Milwaukee might not be very good this year. It tends to be harder for voters to notice you when you play for a lottery team in a small market. 

Still, Sanders proved last year that he's only going to get better. With continued improvement on both ends of the court, it won't be long before he grabs everyone's attention and establishes himself as one of the league's best centers. 

He's only 24 years old and coming off a season where he sent away nearly three shots a game. It's a crowded field but, with another big year, Sanders might be able distance himself from the pack. 

Most Valuable Player

The Favorite: LeBron James (Miami Heat)

The Other Contenders: Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks)

Dark Horse: James Harden (Houston Rockets)

Betting on LeBron James to win MVP is akin to the ordering vanilla ice cream example I used in the opener. It's a safe pick and nobody will knock you for it, but it's boring because there's no risk involved. 

Every season, the MVP is King James' to lose. That has been evident for a while now. The fun is watching the guys trying to knock him from the throne.

With Russell Westbrook out for the first 4-6 weeks of the season, Kevin Durant will have carte blanche to fire up as many shots as he wants. He could put up video game numbers this season. 

The same goes for Carmelo Anthony, one of the game's purest scorers, in New York. Now that he has a better supporting cast, Chris Paul will definitely be in the mix as well. 

How about we dig a little deeper though? 

Indiana's Paul George can make a case for Most Valuable Player if he builds on last year's breakout season. He's the best player on a team that has a very real chance at winning a title. Now that he's healthy, Chicago's Derrick Rose will be looking for his second Maurice Podoloff Trophy as well. 

Houston is where things get interesting.

The Rockets have two legitimate contenders for MVP. Center Dwight Howard is healthy and happy, which could lead to a monster season. He's one of the few players capable of affecting the game on both ends of the court. 

The only knock on D12 is Houston isn't his team. That distinction goes to the man with Duck Dynasty beard, James Harden.

Harden established himself as one of the game's elite in his first season as a starter and, according to GM survey, is already considered the league's best 2-guard (per CBSSports' Zach Harper).

"The Beard" finished fifth in the NBA in scoring last season with an average of 25.9 points per game. No player got to the line more frequently than Harden, who led the league with 792 free-throw attempts.

Now that he's had a full season to adjust to being the go-to guy and with Howard taking the pressure off of him, Harden could be even better this year.

Before he can make a run at MVP, he will need to improve in a couple of areas.

First, he has to be smarter with the basketball. His 3.8 turnovers per game (as well as his 295 total TOs) led the league. Secondly, he has to become a better defender, which he has focused on this offseason. 

Over the span of one season, Harden has elevated from key reserve to potential superstar. If voters are looking for someone that's less vanilla, look no further than this man right here.