NBA Power Rankings: Who Is Leading The Pack For The Year-End Awards?
NBA power rankings are usually about the best team in basketball at a given moment, but we're taking a different approach.
As the season starts to wind down, we're taking a look at the end-of-season awards and handicapping all the favorites and contenders for these awards. It's going to be a fun finish to the season, and it should be a great discussion about who the top contenders are for said awards.
If you have any thoughts on these awards, be sure to leave them below.
Most Improved Player: Kevin Love
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Kevin Love went from nobody to somebody in the grand scheme of the NBA this year.
That's not to say that he didn't play good basketball before then, but with this streak of double-doubles, Love has become a force in this league and even made the All-Star team. He is by far the best player on the Timberwolves' roster and has done a lot to keep the team relevant through another terrible season in Minnesota.
There are few players more fundamentally sound than Love, and he's even shooting the ball well from behind the arc. Love has had an amazing season and he'll most likely be rewarded for it with the Most Improved Player award.
Most Improved Player: Other Contenders
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Derrick Rose is another guy who could make a strong run at this award, but his inclusion in the MVP race will most likely keep him out of the running.
The race will likely be very guard-driven, with players like Russell Westbrook out of Oklahoma City and Nick Young from Washington being very strong contenders, especially Young, who has really started to fill it up for the Wizards.
Another name to keep an eye on is Wesley Matthews out of Portland, who came over from Utah and really started to shine for the Blazers as they started to make a push for the playoffs. Matthews also stepped up big time after Brandon Roy went down earlier this year.
Also, I'd be foolish not to mention Raymond Felton for his contributions in New York before the big trade.
Coach of the Year: Doug Collins
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Philadelphia has gone from the team with the second pick in the NBA draft, to a team that has started to make serious noise in the Eastern Conference.
The major change for the Sixers has been Doug Collins, who came into a tough situation, made this roster believe and helped develop young point guard Jrue Holiday to the point where he could go toe-to-toe with the likes of Russell Westbrook.
Collins is running a great bench and is doing an amazing job with a roster many people didn't believe in coming into the year. One of the more stunning things is how he's gotten Andre Iguodala to buy into being more of a point forward at times. It's a move that has worked extremely well for him.
The Sixers will make noise in the playoffs, and it will be because of Collins and the job he's done.
Coach of the Year: Other Contenders
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This year, there are a couple of great names for Coach of the Year, and the first one that comes to mind after Doug Collins is Lionel Hollins.
Hollins is the man on the bench for the Memphis Grizzlies, and he's done one heck of a job, helping the Grizzlies get to the point where they are in the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
Who had Memphis in their playoff picture to start the season? Exactly.
Another name that comes up is Tom Thibodeau in Chicago. The Bulls were a moderately successful team before his arrival, but now Chicago is a force in the Eastern Conference, and the team is playing great defensive basketball.
It will be interesting to see how the field rounds into shape down the stretch.
Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard
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The man in the middle for the Orlando Magic is clearly a defensive force.
Dwight Howard is second in the league in rebounds with 14 and second in the league in blocks with 2.32. He is the centerpiece of Orlando's defense, and he's the most dominant, imposing defensive presence in the entire league.
Where would the Magic be defensively without Howard?
Think about that for a second or two, and realize how important the big man is to Orlando's defensive success. Sure, it's an obvious pick, but it's also the right one if you're voting for this award.
That doesn't mean there aren't other contenders though.
Defensive Player of the Year: Other Contenders
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This award may not be the most glamorous one, but there are some top names in the hunt behind Dwight Howard.
Andrew Bogut in Milwaukee is a guy who is perpetually overlooked, but he has had a monster season on the defensive end. Bogut leads the league in blocks with 2.73 and is seventh in the league with 11.4 rebounds per game.
Also rounding out the field is a player like Josh Smith, an athletic freak who makes a huge impact on the glass and blocking shots.
Another name to think about is Andre Iguodala. He's on the outside of the discussion, but he's a guy who plays solid defense night-in and night-out for the Sixers.
Sixth Man of the Year: Jason Terry
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The Dallas Mavericks are one of the best teams in Western Conference, and a large part of that has to do with Jason Terry.
Terry is Dallas' spark off the bench, and he has produced for the Mavericks this season. The shooting guard is averaging 16.3 points per game, is shooting a little more than 45 percent from the field and has really helped carry the scoring after Caron Butler went down with a knee injury that has kept him out for most of the season.
With how well the Mavericks have played this season, Terry certainly deserves consideration.
Sixth Man of the Year: Other Contenders
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Behind Jason Terry in the field for the Sixth Man of the Year award is last year's winner, Jamal Crawford.
Crawford has continued to produce in Atlanta after last year's strong season, and he has certainly been a major part of the Hawks as they try to make the leap to the next level in the playoffs.
I would love to consider Serge Ibaka for the award, but now that he's starting after the Kendrick Perkins trade, I think that's going to hurt his chances when it comes voting time.
Glen Davis, who has grown into his own in Boston, is another name that needs to be considered, but he also needs to get healthy and continue to produce to become a real factor.
Rookie of the Year: Blake Griffin
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Was there any doubt it would be Blake Superior?
Sure, he's not a traditional rookie, but this is his rookie season, and he has taken the league by storm this year, making the Los Angeles Clippers relevant (despite their poor record). Do you know how good you have to be to do that? The man is a miracle worker.
How else can you explain the fact that the Clippers have become a great draw on the road?
Griffin will win this award in a landslide.
Rookie of the Year: Other Contenders
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I wouldn't call the field for the Rookie of the Year a deep one, but it is a talented one.
Obviously behind Blake Griffin is John Wall, who has been extremely productive for the Washington Wizards this season, and another name to look out for is Landry Fields out of New York. Fields has turned out to be a steal for the Knicks and has become such a big part of what New York does on a nightly basis.
To round out the field, you have to think about DeMarcus Cousins in Sacramento and Greg Monroe in Detroit, both of whom have been extremely productive at times this year. However, these two names are on the very edge of the discussion.
Most Valuable Player: Derrick Rose
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This is a fun race, but at this point, Derrick Rose is the MVP of the league.
Rose has improved his play and helped bridge the gap this year when Chicago lost Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah to injuries. The young point guard has become a better distributor, and he's also been more accurate from three-point range.
Furthermore, the Bulls have become serious contenders in the Eastern Conference, with Rose playing a huge part in that.
Most Valuable Player: Other Contenders
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The field for the Most Valuable Player award is a pretty deep one, and there are a couple of very solid contenders.
Behind Derrick Rose is Dwight Howard, who has really taken his play to the next level in recent weeks and has helped carry the Magic into contention in the Eastern Conference. LeBron James is also there, but playing on the same team as Dwyane Wade will seriously hurt his chances of winning the award.
A name to keep an eye on is Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City. Durant was considered the favorite coming into the year, but his buzz kind of tapered off during the season. However, Durant took a step back into contention with his game against Philadelphia, dropping 34 points and pulling down 16 rebounds. On top of that, he drained the tying three-pointer with a man in his face.
Durant will remain in contention all year long, but I don't see him catching the frontrunners unless he really does something amazing.
