Bold Predictions: 2010-2011 Season Award Winners of the NBA
Well after reading an article of this same topic, I disagreed on some of the picks and decided to make my own. Every year, a crown is awarded to those who play special roles on the team. The NBA also tallies up the best 15 players of the league, and put them into three All-NBA Teams. I also predict the playoffs, the finals, and league leaders. The crowning of Finals MVP is also included.
The 2010-2011 Season Awards are:
- Regular Season MVP
- Rookie of The Year
- All NBA Teams
- All NBA Defensive Teams
- Defensive Player of The Year
- Sixth Man of the Year
- Playoffs
- Finals
- Finals MVP
- Most Improved Player of The Year
- NBA Scoring Champion
- NBA Assist Leaders
- NBA Steals Leaders
- NBA Rebounds Leaders
- NBA Blocks Leaders
- NBA All-Rookie Team
The King of Basketball: The NBA Regular Season MVP
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You guessed right: Hailing from the Oklahoma City Thunders, Kevin Durant.
Runner Ups: Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Chris Paul.
Kevin Durant has been working extremely hard this summer. He's gone to the weight room, and has gotten endless practice. To me, he shows glimpses of Kobe Bryant's determination to get better. His experiences overseas playing for Team USA should help elevate his game even more.
Durant should average above 30 points per game next year. I'm predicting that Durant will average about 32-33 PPG, eight RPG, and two APG.
Dwight Howard will have the best season of his career, and will average 22 PPG, 13-14 RPG, and 3.2 BPG. His offensive game will improve to an extent.
Kobe Bryant will come back, healthy, but still not in his best form, as his finger injury can be considered somewhat permanent.
27.5 PPG, 5.7 APG, and 5.2 RPG.
His assist numbers should rise, as Ron Artest has a year of Triangle experience under his belt, and that should help his shots go down. Matt Barnes and Steve Blake are an obvious scoring upgrade over Farmar and Powell, and should knock down shots as well.
LeBron James' numbers will be 19.4 PPG, 10.2 APG, and 9.6 RPG. He will be close to knocking down a triple-double season, but will barely miss it. I see him playing PF less, because Chris Bosh is a natural PF, and is very vulnerable when playing center.
Chris Paul will be back like the old CP3, but better. He is coming back with 23.3 PPG, 11.5 PPG, and 2.8 SPG. The addition of Trevor Ariza should help his assists, as Ariza is a great slasher who cuts and finishes as well as the rest. Okafor and CP3's chemistry will get better as the season progresses.
The Young King: The Rookie of the Year
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John Wall? Evan Turner? Paul George? Derrick Favors? No, Demarcus Cousins.
Demarcus Cousins helps the Kings' playoffs chances greatly. He is a great prospect that will likely become one of the top centers in the league.
As long as the guy actually keeps his weight and stays physically in tip top shape, he will be a solid center for years to come.
His stats: 14 PPG, 10 RPG, and 1.9 bpg.
World Class Greatness: All-NBA 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Team
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First All-NBA Team
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: LeBron James
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Dwight Howard
Second All-NBA Team
PG: Derrick Rose
SG: Dwyane Wade
SF: Carmelo Anthony
PF: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Pau Gasol
Third All-NBA Team:
PG: Deron Williams
SG: Brandon Roy
PF: Amare Stoudemire
PF: Tim Duncan
C: Andrew Bynum
Controversy
Where's Rondo? I believe Rondo is a great, spectacular player, but he has been overrated by the public now. Rondo is still fourth in my opinion, on the PG list.
Andrew Bynum? He averaged 15 and 10 on a bum knee. Lets see him play this season, injury free, and watch his potential.
Derrick Rose over Deron Williams? Derrick Rose will have a break-out season this year. He has drastically improved his three-point shot over the summer. He also has one thing Deron doesn't have anymore, Carlos Boozer.
Al Jefferson is nowhere near Boozer, and Derrick Rose has potential to be the better scorer between the two.
The SWAT Team: All-NBA Defensive Teams
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First All-NBA Defensive Team
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: LeBron James
PF: Gerald Wallace
C: Dwight Howard
Second All-NBA Defensive Team
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Dwyane Wade
SF: Ron Artest
PF: Josh Smith
C: Tim Duncan
How did Ron not make any of the defensive teams last year? His defense was HUGE in the Lakers' success over Oklahoma and Boston. He may not be statistically impressive on D, but his presence and lockdown defense sure is.
Chris Paul plays the passing lanes better than Rondo, and is quicker and faster than Rondo, but Rondo is longer, has bigger hands, and plays better man-to-man D. You could switch either of these players, as I had a hard time to pick between the two offensive and defensive maestros.
No Buckets Allowed: The Defensive Player Of The Year
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The energetic, explosive, and wreckless enigma, Gerald Wallace? Nope.
The speedy, quick, long, and deceptive ball wizard, Rajon Rondo? Nope.
Dwight Howard makes history, winning his fourth DPoTY Award.
Is there even any competition? Dwight Howard leads the league in blocks, and rebounds. His defensive presence in the paint is a nightmare for any team. His athletic ability and size give opponents a hard time trying to get a goaltend, as he can reach the ball at any height.
Bench Mobbin': The Sixth Man Of The Year
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Lamar Odom wins this one.
His versatility leads the Lakers' deep bench as the second unit of the champs. He can score 20 on any given night. Odom's scoring ability attracts other defenders to help, and then he can do his thang'.
His playmaking should create Barnes, Brown, Vujajic, Fisher, and Theo some open shots. His rebounding ability, and never-give-up attitude can get him 10 boards per game. Even though he is very inconsistent, he still explodes on some night.
Jason Terry? Age is the matter. We saw a drastic drop of points last year.
J.R. Smith? Athletic, and incredibly gifted with the ball in his hands. Good upside, but terrible flaws. He's supposedly heading out of Denver, and might be used as a starter for his next team. Nonetheless, extremely poor shot selection at times, and coaching problems.
Jamal Crawford? His statistics are going to drop, as the Hawks have acquired another J. Crawford. He will take over some time for Mike Bibby, but don't expect the Hawks to be a big team.
Where Intensity Happens: The 2010-2011 NBA Playoffs
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The Western Conference Eight Playoff Teams
First Seed: Los Angeles Lakers
Second Seed: Denver Nuggets
Third Seed: Oklahoma City Thunders
Fourth Seed: Portland Trailblazers
Fifth Seed: Dallas Mavericks
Sixth Seed: San Antonio Spurs
Seventh Seed: New Orleans Hornets
Eighth Seed: Golden State Warriors
(Rockets and Clippers barely miss it.)
The Eastern Conference Eight Playoff Teams
First Seed: Miami Heat
Second Seed: Orlando Magics
Third Seed: Chicago Bulls
Fourth Seed: Boston Celtics
Fifth Seed: Milwaukee Bucks
Sixth Seed: Atlanta Hawks
Seventh Seed: New York Knicks
Eighth Seed: Charlotte Bobcats
(Gerald Wallace vs. LeBron James matchup = Excitement)
Eighth Seed: Golden State Warriors
The Grandest Stage of Them All: The NBA Finals
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You guessed it. The Los Angeles Lakers and The Miami Heat square off on the biggest stage of them all.
We will witness the epic warfare between Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh vs. Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, and Pau Gasol.
Game 1: Miami has homecourt advantage. Wade and Co. cannot hold off the experienced and determined Lakers and Lakers get the win, via post dominance, 97-89.
Game 2: LeBron and Dwyane Wade explode in Game 2, Kobe, Ron, and Barnes have trouble containing the Heat as the Heat win 105-92. 'Bron goes for 20 and 11, and Wade goes for 27.
Game 3: Laker fans are rowdy for once. The Miami Heat ride the winning momentum and defeat the Lakers through three quarters, then Bryant turns it on and scores 10 in the fourth, and gives Pau some nasty dishes. Lakers win 112-101
Game 4: Los Angeles rides the momentum through this one. The hungry Heat stay competitive; the game is extremely close. The last Laker possession was tied 94-94, and Kobe drives and dishes it to D-Fish for the open three. Next, Dwyane tries a three, but Kobe puts on tremendously great defense, and Wade misses. Kobe goes for 37 percent shooting and 21 points, Gasol goes for 58 percent and 28. and the Lakers take Game 4, 97-94.
Game 5: The Miami Heat come out hungrier than ever. Bryant explodes for 35 points, including eight in the fourth. Nonetheless, the team couldn't help Kobe, and the Heat blows by the Lakers during the fastbreaks, and beats the old team, 94-79.
Game 6: Bryant and Co. close out the Heat before giving them any opportunities. The Lakers play a decent game. Bryant gets 27, Wade scores 24, and Bron scores 22. The Gasol-Bynum combo is too much for the Heat to handle, as they both combine for 48 points, and 28 rebounds. The Lakers close out the NBA Season, 91-84.
Captain Clutch: The 2010 NBA Finals MVP
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The Los Angeles Lakers Guard, Kobe Bryant will be the NBA Finals MVP.
After averaging 30.2 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 6.1 RPG in the the whole 2010 NBA Playoffs, and 27.4 PPG, 5.7 APG, and 5.3 RPG in the NBA Finals, Kobe Bryant is still the reigning king of the postseason.
Determination: Most Improved Player of the Year
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The Most Imrpoved Player of the Year will be: Andrea Bargnani:
The departure of Bosh may mean more minutes and exposure for Bargnani. The former First Pick may show some serious progress without Bosh. With limited scoring options from Toronto, Andrea might become the first option on offense.
Runner Ups:
DJ Augustine: The departure of former Bobcat, and starting point guard, Raymond Felton only means starter minutes for DJ Augustine. He will be the X-Factor of Charlotte reaching the Playoffs again.
J.J. Hickson: The future of Cleveland will be a solid power forward in the future, but he won't break out this year.
Anthony Randolph: Hopefully he isn't derailed by injury this season, and will continue to show progress in his game. He has a chance to be Lamar Odom without the inconsistency.
Buckets, Buckets, Buckets: The NBA Scoring Champion
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As competition may have just died down, Kevin Durant takes this one.
Kevin Durant is only 21, and averaging 30 points a game already? Durant's amazing scoring lethality has people believing that he will beat Kareem Abdul Jabbar's record as the NBA All-Time Scoring Leader.
Although very hard to imagine, it isn't that far-fetched for Durant. He is a consistent player, who can shoot outside as smoothly as can Ray Allen, draw fouls as well as Wade, and has the length and height to mess around inside. Durant leads the league in free throws attempted, and is the youngest scoring champion of all time.
Runner Ups
Carmelo Anthony: The only real scoring competition for Durant is Anthony. Although Anthony is in his peak years, he won't be averaging above 30 this season.
Kobe Bryant: Kobe isn't the scorer he used to be, with his ailing knees slowing down his once unstoppable and lightning quick first step, and his injured index finger of his right-shooting hand affecting his play. He had just rehabilitated his body, and expect a great season from Bryant, to show that he is not declining rapidly.
Monta Ellis: The rising star Monta Ellis has gone unnoticed. He averaged 26 PPG last season, and if he can stay healthy, look for a superstar scorer in Northern California. I'm EXTREMELY surprised how Monta Ellis was not an All-Star this past year. How Billups and Kidd made the All-Star team over Ellis is just ludicrous.
The Offensive Maestro: The NBA Assist Leaders
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For now, the New Orleans Mighty Mouse, CP3, Chris Paul is still the best point guard in the league. Chris Paul will come back with a great season. His torn meniscus is the reason he was a bit forgotten last season, but he will lead an unlikely Hornets team to the postseason. Many forget that Paul was once an MVP candidate, not long ago.
He hasn't even hit his best years yet, and has so much room to improve his already incredible game.
Runner Ups
Deron Williams: will always be No. 2 to CP3. A very close No. 2, Williams is a perfect combination of size, speed, and quickness needed for a point guard to dominate. Williams can shut down Paul one on one, and is an excellent three-point shooter.
Rajon Rondo: I truly believe Rondo is overrated, after being underrated for so long. Rondo is NOT the best point guard in the league. He does play exceptional man-to-man defense, but is terrible behind the arc. He can't shoot free throws.
Plus, with three perennial All-Stars who can still put up decent numbers on your team, you should get more assists than this. However Rondo is a ball wizard who captivates us all. He can score and dish in a variety of ways.
Steve Nash: The old get older. One season, is one year older. No matter what. Steve Nash is still playing at an all-star level, but it will decrease as he has declined. As good as a 35-year-old can play, they can't be on top forever.
The Grand Thief: The NBA Steals Leaders
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Who records the most steals this season? Only the quickest man in a Hornet Jersey, Chris Paul.
Rajon Rondo may be the better one-on-one defender than Paul, but Paul plays the passing lanes better than anyone in the league. His ultimate quickness gets him multiple steals from opponents on the dribble.
Runner Ups
Rajon Rondo: The steals leader last year, Rondo is one heck of a defender. He impacts defense with his long arms, big hands, defensive ferocity, and persistence. Rondo is the best point guard defender in the league, as he can sneak up for the offensive rebound, poke the dribbling ball, hustle for the loose ball, and lockdown foes.
Monta Ellis: Monta was second in steals last year, and he uses his great quickness to get his steals. The emerging superstar will be an All-Star this year, and will add more steals to his break-out season.
Crash Of The Boards: The NBA Rebounding Leaders
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Who is the most athletically gifted center with perfect height and timing? Dwight Howard.
Howard will easily win this year. There just hasn't been anyone who can crash the boards that can compete for this title.
Runner Ups
Carlos Boozer will be an extremely important piece to the Chicago Bulls success this year. He will need to play out of his mind this year. His physical strength adds to his great post fundamentals and smarts.
Zach Randolph was second in rebounds last year. He will have a steady tenure with Memphis. Hopefully, Randolph will stay out of trouble everywhere and get another All-Star caliber season.
The Human-Eraser: The NBA Blocks Leaders
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I know you're getting tired too, but Dwight Howard will EASILY win this one again.
Howard's low post presence is extremely intimidating. When you have a near seven-footer with the hops of a guard and the physique of a wrestler defending your basket, you're guaranteed to be a great defensive team. Just imagine a Hakeem Olajuwon, with the vertical leap of Kobe Bryant (Kobe is 38', Dwight's is 40'), and the body of Ben Wallace. Scary huh? Not to mention he is so effective on weak-side help, because he can nearly touch the rafters.
Runner Ups
Josh Smith: The athletic leaping monster in the form of Josh Smith can soar like no other. He is quick and agile at 6'9", with great length, and extreme jumping ability to boost. He is able to execute the newest fad in the NBA, the Chase-Down Block, and excels at shotblocking as well.
Javale McGee: In my mind, I personally see Javale McGee as the most athletic big man in the league. This man is a legit seven-footer, with bouncability to boost. He is speedy like no other center, and can outrun a lot of guards on the fast-break.
With enough training, Javale can hopefully stay out of foul trouble, which is limiting his potential. In just 16 minutes of play, he averages 1.68 blocks per game. He is however, first in the league in blocks per 48 minutes. That is how ridiculously great this kid's potential is.
The Next Generation: All-Rookies 1st and 2nd Team
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First All-Rookie Team
PG: John Wall
SF: Evan Turner
SF: Wesley Johnson
PF: Derrick Favors
C: DeMarcus Cousins
Second All-Rookie Team
SF: Al'Faroug Aminu
SF: Paul George
SG: Xavier Henry
PF/C: Greg Monroe
C: Cole Aldrich
This season, Epke Udoh will be derailed by injury. Gordon Hayward will be nothing more than Adam Morrison, and Caracter/Ebanks won't get minutes. Patrick Patterson and Ed Davis will need some more grooming, but I would gladly put them in here, as they are close and barely missed it.
Thank You For Reading
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Thank you for reading Bleacher Report readers.
Hopefully you liked my work, and enjoyed it. I am very biased towards my opinion, but I do consider yours. I am interested in your opinion, so if you may, comment on your picks of the winners.
Thank you.
