Some of your favorite writing staff of About.com contributors got together and rubbed the proverbial crystal ball to predict which NBA players will win the various NBA regular season awards - Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, as well as naming the All-NBA teams.
BRENDAN'S PREDICTIONS
Most Valuable Player:
Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets. Less selfish than Kobe, much less size than LeBron, less help than KG. I think Paul should just edge out Garnett MVP (even though Kobe will probably win it). Paul led a young team to a 56-26 record, second best in the cut-throat Western Conference, and is clearly a player that can both carry a team on his back, or serve as a quiet catalyst for his team's offense and defense. Paul has helped turn David West into an All-Star and saved the career of Tyson Chandler. He has a multi-faceted game that you can only truly understand by watching him play. Not that his stats don't help a little bit: 21 points (49% FG, 85% FT), 11.6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals per game.
Rookie of the Year:
Luis Scola, Houston Rockets. Look, I like Kevin Durant and am a former Longhorn myself, but in terms of what a rookie brought to his team, I think Scola takes the cake this year. Then again he's also like 30 or something. Nevertheless, Scola may have been the biggest reason why Houston went on an otherwise inexplicable 22-game winning streak, and why the Rockets finished the season with the fourth-best record in the West.
Sixth Man of the Year:
Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs. As much as I want to even consider anyone else, the Spurs de jure sixth man was untouchable. One of the best sixth-man seasons ever.
Most Improved Player:
Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics. Once the hoopla wore off from the Garnett and Allen trades this summer, it seemed that all discussion of the Celtics turned into "hating on Rondo" time. His jump shot stunk. He was turnover prone. He relied too much on athleticism and not enough on his brains. Well, guess what? Rondo was listening. Rondo exceeded just about everyone's expectations this season, as the 2nd-year stud held together a team of veteran all-stars, distributing the ball evenly and locking opposing players down on defense. His stat line was a nice improvement over last season, putting up over 10 points and 5 assists per game, but it was the refinement of his shooting (nearly 50% on the season) and defense (2 steals, 4 rebounds per game, shutting down opposing point guards) that really made the big jump this year. More than anything though, his confidence grew enormously, and his decision making was supreme. Oh, and the kid just turned 22.
Defensive Player of the Year:
Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics. He was the defensive leader on the best defensive team in the league. His defensive intensity was so contagious that every one of his teammates played D as if his life depended on it. Held opposing teams to the lowest scoring average (90 PPG) and the lowest field goal percentage (41%) and lowest three point FG% (32%) in the league. Not to mention he grabbed 9.2 rebounds, notched 1.41 steals, and rejected 1.25 shots per game.
Coach of the Year:
Maurice Cheeks, Philidelphia 76ers. No coach did more with less than Mo Cheeks. He turned his super-young, super-athletic team into a sum greater than its parts, and a backwards franchise into the 7th seed in the playoffs. This came largely in part from a late season run in which the Sixers won 22 of 30 games based off their relentless fast breaking. Give Cheeks credit for the conditioning of this team and the collective attitude of his impressionable players. Furthermore, stealing game one of the Playoffs over Detroit IN DETROIT was a testament to his hard work and unending effort this season. This should be the season where he is finally remembered more for coaching a good team than for helping a girl sing the Star-Spangled Banner.
All-NBA First Team
- Chris Paul
- Kobe Bryant
- LeBron James
- Kevin Garnett
- Amare Stoudemire
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