To think we almost didn't have a season. The 2011-12 NBA season is halfway over and its second half kicked off tonight. Much like my timing for the NHL All-Star Break, this post is a little late, but in my opinion, all is still good. Though my validity and deadlines really need to be checked, having classes that take up your time will do that. Either way now that all of that junk is past us, it's time to delve into who I think will win the NBA's regular season awards in just under two months from now when the season concludes.
Coach of the Year:
Frank Vogel in Indiana has done an absolutely terrific job with this team ever since he was named the interim head coach last season and has the Pacers 3rd in the Eastern Conference as of now and is turning them into a threat. Doug Collins' work with the Sixers can't be stated enough: who would have thought they'd be leading the Atlantic Division at this point in the season, and so comfortably at that? Also out west, Gregg Poppovich continues to solidify his eventual Hall of Fame candidacy with marvelous work with the Spurs. My winner? Collins. For as great as Popp's work is in San Antonio and as much as Vogel's turned that team around, I can guarantee you that almost nobody had the Sixers doing what they're doing right now and a lot has to do with the head honcho.
My Ballot:
1. Doug Collins
2. Gregg Poppovich
3. Frank Vogel
Rookie of the Year:
At the beginning of the season, via my Twitter feed I predicted that Derrick Williams would be the NBA's 2011-12 Rookie of the Year. As of right now, I'm not so sure Williams would make my Top 5 let alone win the award. Williams has struggled to get off the ground in Minnesota and Cleveland, surprisingly, looks like geniuses for not selecting him with either of their picks. Their first pick so far has personified excellence. Kyrie Irving is proving many of his doubters wrong who said he'd struggle playing due to the lack of playing time he had while at Duke. The Garden State resident has caught the guy of The Garden State Sports Guy and is hands down my choice for Rookie of the Year, and it's not even close in my opinion.
My Ballot:
1. Kyrie Irving
2. Ricky Rubio
3. MarShon Brooks
Most Improved Player of the Year:
Kyle Lowry is having a sensational season for the Houston Rockets that should have been, in my opinion, All-Star worthy. His shooting % has remained about the same, but he's shot up in nearly every single category including a jump to 15.9 PPG this season (13.5 PPG last season). Roy Hibbert's success with the Pacers did get the recognition it deserved as he was named to the All-Star team. Hibbert, much like Lowry, has gone up in most categories, most notably from 7.5 RPG in 2010-11 to 9.6 RPG in 2011-12. Perhaps the biggest jump of all goes to Detroit's premier power forward Greg Monroe. Monroe's gotten his chance to shine this year and has made the most of it, averaging 16.8 PPG (up from a mere 9.4 PPG last season) and 9.8 RPG (up from 7.5 PPG last year). Detroit's Monroe gets my vote and is on the rise to becoming a special player. (Note: Jeremy Lin is a choice for MIP, but frankly, he hasn't played as many games as these 3 so at the end of the season perhaps he will have a chance)
My Ballot:
1. Greg Monroe
2. Kyle Lowry
3. Roy Hibbert
Defensive Player of the Year:
Dwight Howard has had this award on lockdown the last 3 seasons. But frankly he might be facing about as much competition as he has since he started his run at collecting this award year in and year out. Serge Ibaka of the Oklahoma City Thunder is having a fantastic season on the defensive end. The post defender is averaging a ridiculous and league-leading 3.2 blocks per game. There's a reason why several people call him "Serge Iblocka." Luol Deng's defensive work this year has been incredible and worth recognition as well. Not a lot of players can do as good of a job as he can on the best player in the world, LeBron James, and Deng proves that each time he steps onto the court against James. Also of note this season was this block on Kobe Bryant to give the Bulls the victory against the Lakers on Christmas Day. LeBron James and Tyson Chandler are also in the running for the award, and it's a tough choice, but Howard is leading the league in rebounds and gives the Magic an incredible defensive presence even with lesser defenders around him. He's my choice until proven otherwise.
My Ballot:
1. Dwight Howard
2. Serge Ibaka
3. Luol Deng
Sixth Man of the Year:
The Thunder's James Harden should in my opinion have no problem running away with the Sixth Man of the Year award. Harden's offensive ability off the bench (16.8 PPG) is one of the many reasons why Oklahoma City is so successful this season. As with any award however you need a 2nd place and a 3rd place, and I'm going to go with two playmakers from the Philadelphia 76ers. Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young's contributions off the bench have been stellar. Young doesn't score as much as Williams but his presence is felt each and every time he's on the floor and has been key to the surprising success of the Sixers. Meanwhile, Lou Williams has had a terrific campaign thus far (15.6 PPG) that could have been All-Star worthy. However as of right now it is honestly James Harden's award to lose.
My Ballot:
1. James Harden
2. Lou Williams
3. Thaddeus Young
Most Valuable Player:
As with every year, the Most Valuable Player award has a long list of candidates. From LeBron James to Kevin Durant, from Tony Parker to Chris Paul, and even dark horse candidates like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Love. All are deserving in their own right. But as always with every year, this award screws deserving players out of it because of the systematic process that goes along with it that creates a narrative and a "feel good story" rather than using logic. So going against that grain, my Most Valuable Player award winner is having the best season of his entire career. And that's saying a lot considering the play that he's had during his career. Make no mistake, there's a long laundry list of candidates, and I in fact chose one of them to be the MVP before the season. While he's a candidate in his own right and worthy of recognition, I'd be stupid to not select LeBron James to be the NBA's 2011-12 MVP.
My Ballot:
1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Chris Paul
No comments:
Post a Comment