This weekend is one of my favorite weekends of the year, NBA All Star Weekend. When I was younger, All Star Weekend was like Christmas and my birthday combined then multiplied by a snow day. I don't think me and my friend would ever actually sleep during it; we'd just stay up watching the events then playing a ton of NBA Live 06 (for my money the most fun basketball video game ever. Definitely the best soundtrack).
Anyway, the All Star break is a good opportunity to look back at the season so far and give out some awards. For some unknown reason, I don't have a real vote when it comes to these awards, so this post will have to do.
MVP:
Surprise! I'm picking Steph Curry as MVP. Not that that's going out on a limb or anything. He's the only choice. He's been better this season than last season. His team is on pace to break the wins record. They're going to win their second straight championship. I was too young to appreciate MJ in his prime (I was born in 1992), so, for my money, he's the most unstoppable offensive force I've ever seen. LeBron was never a great shooter, so, theoretically, you could slow him down a little bit by sagging way off. With Steph, you just have to hope he misses.
If it weren't for Steph, there would still be a clear-cut MVP. And that would be Russell Westbrook. He's been playing out of his mind all season. He's number two in PER (behind Steph), second in real plus minus, and averaging an absurd 24/10/7.6 while matching his career high in field goal percentage and leading the league in steals. When Kevin Durant, who's been great once again this season, isn't the best player on your team, that's saying something.
It's been a weirdly quiet season on the court for Lebron. His biggest highlights this season are succeeding in his long and hard fought crusade to finally vanquish his nemesis David Blatt and including Kevin Love in an Instagram post. Still, though, he is still Lebron. He's lead the Cavs to the best record in the East and is still efficient on offense. He doesn't really try on defense anymore, but that's okay though, since now Tyronn Lue is going to hold him accountable. Small sidetrack here, I'm clearly not a Lebron guy and I don't understand the people that are. Like is it charming that he's got the biggest ego in the league (maybe of all time) but preaches over and over again that he's super unselfish? Is it endearing when he makes excuse after excuse for when he invariably fails to win a title for the God forsaken wasteland that is Cleveland, Ohio, many of those excuses coming before he actually loses? Is the complete lack of self awareness (like when he said he never flops or has never disrespected a coach) a quality you enjoy? I just don't get how anyone likes this guy. He sucks. Now that I'm mad, I'm lowering him in my ranking. He was going to be third, but now he's fourth. All he does is create super teams, but I can already hear him crying about how it would be unfair if Kevin Durant joined the Warriors. Screw him.
If you had told me that Kawhi Leonard would be a top five player in the NBA when we (by we I mean UConn) beat him in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, I would have said you were crazy. In college he was a big rebounder and decent scorer. I never imagined he'd become a defensive god. His offense just keeps evolving, to the point that he's the go-to man for the second best team in the NBA, a team that has LaMarcus Aldridge and Tony Parker, both of whom are still just as efficient as ever on offense. He's been amazing this season, and I don't really see his improvement stopping any time soon.
To round out the top 5, Draymond Green is another guy who, if you asked me about him when he was still in college, top 5 in the MVP voting would not have even entered my mind. He's the emotional leader of the best team ever (that's right, I said it), and racks up triple doubles like nobody's business. He's a versatile defensive stopper, immovable in the post and agile enough to guard perimeter players. His number three ranking in real plus minus says all you need to know. The guy just gets it done at an elite level every night.
MVP Ballot:
1. Steph Curry
2. Russell Westbrook
3. Kawhi Leonard
4. Lebon James
5.
Defensive Player of the Year:
For the second straight season, Kawhi Leonard should win best defensive player. He's the best perimeter defender in the NBA, and is the most important piece of the NBA's best defense. Unless you're an elite ball handler, if you dribble near him it's getting stolen. He's going to set a new career high in blocks this season. He's got a top 3 defensive rating in the league. He's the clear winner.
Hassan Whiteside has been a shot blocking machine this season, but he hasn't been as dominant as people would like to believe. Opponents are shooting 47.9% at the rim against him this season. To put it in perspective, Draymond Green is holding opponents to 42.9%. Amare Stoudemire(!) is at 48.1%. So yeah, he gets a lot of blocks. He's also not bringing the center position back.
Somehow, someway, Tim Duncan is still second in the league in defensive rating. It's amazing. He's probably the smartest defensive player ever. He's got a telepathic connection with ever teammate on the floor and always gets himself and others into perfect position. He gets penalized, though, for literally never playing anymore.
DPOY Ballot:
1. Kawhi Leonard
2. Draymond Green
3. Hassan Whiteside
4. Tim Duncan
5. Paul Millsap
Rookie of the Year:
Technically, this is a two-horse race, but if it weren't for the New York City Hype Machine, this award would be the easier to call than MVP. Karl-Anthony Towns has been amazing this season. He has a positive real plus minus on a terrible Timberwolves team, which is an accomplishment by itself. He leads all rookies in PER, scoring, rebounds, and double doubles (he's fifth among all players), and ranks in the top five for rookies in field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and blocks. Oh, and he shoots 37.5% from 3. This guy is going to be a monster.
Yes, Kristaps has some awesome highlights and is a very good shot blocker. He also just doesn't show up half the time, shoots like 10% from the floor, and is allergic to the paint. If you legitimately think he's rookie of the year, then I have some Joba Chamberlain stock I can sell you.
ROY Ballot:
1. KAT
2. Kristaps
3. Jah Okafor
4. Nikola Jokic
5. Myles Turner
Most Improved Player:
This award isn't very deep this season, so I think I like C.J. McCollum here. His scoring is way, way up, and his percentages remain mostly the same despite the dramatic increase in minutes and usage. He's a crafty scorer, that much we knew coming out of college. He just needed to get fully healthy and get consistent minutes. Him and Damian Lillard combine to form one of the most dynamic backcourts in the NBA, and are the driving force behind Portland's surprising season.
Andre Drummond has improved his defensive rating and scoring and is owning the glass, but man, that free throw shooting. I can't tell how serious people are when they say Steph Curry should be Most Improved, but this isn't an award for reigning MVPs. He should still be on the ballot this season, though. I'll give Jae Crowder some love here. At times he's been the Celtics most important player. He's a great glue guy, picking up the slack on offense whenever needed, and guarding the top wing on defense.
Most Improved Ballot:
1. C.J. McCollum
2. Will Barton
3. Andre Dummond
4. Jae Crowder
5. Steph Curry
Most Unimproved- Markieff Morris
Sixth Man:
I'm going Will Barton, who could also win Most Improved. This award usually just goes to the top bench scorer, but Ryan Anderson's defense is just so bad. Barton has helped the Nuggets be less bad than people thought, all while putting up great numbers. His three point shooting really stands out, since it's a full 10% better than last season. He's like a perfect version of Corey Brewer. Coming in off the bench with his hair on fire, creating chaos all over the court and living in transition.
Victor Oladipo thrived coming off the bench, but he's started too many games to qualify. Ryan Anderson can't be completely ignored, he is the leading bench scorer after all. Andre Iguodala is another top candidate, leading the deadly second unit in Golden State while perfecting the corner 3. Manu Ginobili just won't die, and he should get some consideration.
Sixth Man Ballot:
1. Will Barton
2. Andre Iguodala
3. Ryan Anderson
4. Manu Ginobili
5. Victor Oladipo
Coach of the Year:
With apologies to Tyronn Lue, Brad Stevens has become the best coach in the East and a top 2 coach in the NBA. This Celtics team should not be number 3 in the East, but there they are. Stevens is a genius who gets the most out of every player he coaches. Celtics are number 3 in defensive efficiency and number 9 in offensive efficiency. Six teams are top ten in both (Golden State, San Antonio, Clippers, Toronto, Cleveland, Boston) and the Celtics have the least talented roster out of any of those teams. Sure the Celtics are deep, but deep with role players. Stevens has maximized the talent he has.
Coach Pop should always finish top two in this award. The Belichick of the NBA, Popovich has been the best coach in the league for years. That won't change until he retires. Luke Walton won't get much consideration, since he technically wasn't the coach and has the most stacked roster. Don't cry too much for Luke, though. He's going to become a very rich man this offseason. David Blatt showed once again this year why he's got a reputation as an x's and o's guru, as well as a master motivator.
Coach of the Year Ballot:
1. Brad Stevens
2. Gregg Popovich
3. David Blatt
4. Rick Carlisle
5. Tyronn Lue
ALL NBA TEAMS:
1st Team:
G Steph Curry
G Russell Westbrook
F Lebron James
F Kawhi Leonard
C DeMarcus Cousins
2nd Team:
G Kyle Lowry
G James Harden
F Kevin Durant
F Draymond Green
C Andre Drummond
3rd Team:
G Chris Paul
G Jimmy Butler
F LaMarcus Aldridge
F Paul Millsap
C DeAndre Jordan
1st Team All Defense:
G Tony Allen
G Danny Green
F Kawhi Leonard
F Draymond Green
C Hassan Whiteside
2nd Team All Defense:
G Russell Westbrook
G Thabo Sefalosha
F Paul Millsap
F Serge Ibaka
C Tim Duncan
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