Handing Out Some NBA Midseason Hardware

The NBA season has reached All-Star Weekend. With about 25 games left on the schedule for most of the league's 30 teams, it's time to hand out some hardware for what has been accomplished through the first two legs of this regular season marathon.

Much can and will change in the final sprint, but here's who is most deserving at this stage:

Most Improved Player: Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves. Minnesota doesn't have much going for it. In fact, if it weren't for Love, the Timberwolves would probably be just as popular of a candidate for contraction as New Orleans (how are they not, regardless?).

Love is having a phenomenal year, one that earned him a spot on the Western Conference All-Star Team, his first of many to come. He's averaging 21.1 points, which is seven more than he averaged last season, and a league-best 15.5 rebounds, up from the 11 he snatched in 2009-10. 

Love does everything well. He's shooting 47 percent from the floor, 42.5 percent from three, and almost 88 percent from the free-throw line, all career-highs. You look at those numbers and forget that he's a power forward.

If Minnesota wasn't so inept, Love would probably be in the conversation for league's Most Valuable Player. Instead he'll have to settle for its most improved.

Sixth Man of the Year: Jason Terry, Dallas Mavericks. David Stern should consider naming the Sixth Man Award after Terry, as this could be the second time in three years that he won the award.

The Jet's engine is still running strong at age 33, giving Dallas his customary 16 points and four assists off the bench on a nightly basis. His shooting percentage from 3-point land is down four points from his career average of 38 percent, but he continues to provide the Mavericks with energy and an emotional lift on nights when they seem to need it most. 

Because of the outstanding job Mark Cuban has done constructing his team, Dallas has almost always had the luxury of bringing Terry, a starter-quality player, off the bench so the second unit rarely misses a beat. 

The Mavs are rolling along at 40-16 and Terry is a big reason for that. He's the game's best sixth man and, once again, should have the hardware to prove it.

Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic. I was tempted to give it to Rajon Rondo because watching him play perimeter defense is a treat and Howard was the recipient of the award in each of the past two seasons. 

But he shouldn't be penalized for being great, right? And the numbers don't lie; Howard is the NBA's premier defender. 

The reason big men often win DPOY is because they not only can lock down their man, but the great ones can shut down even the best guards just by discouraging their attempt to come into the paint. Rondo can't do that, but Howard does it better than anyone.

Superman is second in rebounding, averaging 13.8 per night, and is fifth in blocked shots at 2.13, a number that would be much higher if opposing slashers weren't so terrified to enter his territory. 

Orlando is always credited as one of the league's best defensive teams, which it is, but for no other reason then the man in the middle. Look at the Magic roster and find another premier, or even above average defender. Ryan Anderson? Gilbert Arenas? Hedo Turkoglu? J.J. Redick? 

The Houston Rockets were a top defensive team for five or six years with Yao Ming, but in the last two seasons played without him, they have become one of the worst.

If Orlando's seven-foot deterrent magically disappeared, the Magic would experience a similar decline. 

Rookie of the Year: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers. Remember when there were people seriously debating whether Griffin or John Wall would win this award? And remember when about 90 percent came away convinced Wall would win?

That was only about five months ago but it sure seems more distant, doesn't it?

Wall has had a solid rookie campaign, averaging 15 points, nine assists and four rebounds, numbers that would garner the award in most seasons. Unfortunately, Griffin is pretty stiff competition. 

The human highlight reel- move over Vince Carter- has been dominant all season long.

B.G. is averaging 22.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and four ferocious dunks a night for the lowly Clippers. This franchise has been a punch-line for the entirety of its existence, but Griffin's antics give Clippers fans hope for the future. 

The scary thing is he has yet to develop a consistent mid-range game, something that will undoubtedly take him to another level. Once he does that, there's no telling how great this beast is going to be.

The present still stinks for Clippers faithful, and the future looks frightening. Only this time, I'm speaking on behalf of the rest of the NBA.

Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau, Chicago Bulls. As with every award, there are a number of other candidates deserving of this award. Apologies to Gregg Popovich for me taking his greatness for granted, and to Erik Spoelstra who deals with so much B.S. down in Miami that you could make an argument that he should win by default.

However, there isn't a team or a coach being more overlooked than Thibodeau and his Bulls. Chicago finished 41-41 and at the bottom of the playoff bracket the past two seasons with much of the same personnel on the current roster.

Carlos Boozer was the only significant addition, but even he has missed 18 games in his first season in the Windy City. Despite that, Thibodeau's crew is sitting at 38-16, just two games out of first in the Eastern Conference. That's with Joakim Noah being out for the better part of the past two months and Keith Bogans starting at shooting guard.

He doesn't exactly have Phil Jackson's or Doc Rivers' roster to play with. He has also helped his point guard, Derrick Rose, take his game to another level. Rose is arguably the best point guard in the NBA today and has thrust himself into the league's Most Valuable Player discussion.

Thibodeau has lived up to his reputation as a defensive wizard, as Chicago is surrendering just 92.4 points per game, second only to Boston. 

So in a little over half of a season, Thibodeau has helped turn his young quarterback into a star and a previously mediocre roster into a serious title contender despite lengthy injuries suffered by two of his best players. 

Not bad.

Most Valuable Player: LeBron James, Miami Heat. Only three players in league history- Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bill Russell- have been named league MVP three years in a row, and I'd be surprised if that small fraternity didn't add another member in 2011.

Believe me, I hate it as much as you do, but James is once again the NBA's most valuable. He embarrassed himself over the summer and continues to lack any honest understanding of what he did and why his public image sunk so low.

With that said, nothing about LeBron has changed on the hardwood. He is still the most talented, most versatile, and most feared player in basketball.

His numbers are down, which isn't surprising since he is sharing the rock with two other all-star caliber players. If you're averaging 26 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and two steals, and your production is slightly down, you know you're the best player in the world.

While it's hard to appreciate James these days, we should all admit that his level of play this season has been impressive considering all that has happened in the past seven months. 

He went from hero to villain. Loved to hated. Cheered to cursed. On and on. It would be hard for the average player to have continued success under the circumstance, but LeBron is far from average.

In fact, he's still the best there is. 

All-NBA teams (Non-political and Center-eligible version):

First Team:

Guards- Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat; Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls.

Forwards- LeBron James, Miami Heat; Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder.

Center- Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic.

Second Team:

Guards- Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics; Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder.

Forwards- Amare Stoudemire, New York Knicks; Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers.

Center- Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks.

Third Team:

Guards- Deron Williams, Utah Jazz; Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers.

Forwards- Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves; Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies.

Center- Al Jefferson, Utah Jazz.

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