The Melo Backpedal

Its that time of year when most students are starting to prep for finals in hopes of finishing strong in their respective courses. This is also the time of year that the NBA hands out its annual hardware. We started you off with our MVP ballot the other day in order to start some sort of debate, so now its on to the other awards. There were some tough choices to make, but we took a deep breath and laid down the cards. Check it out.

Most Improved Player Ballot
1.) Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando Magic [19.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 5.1 APG] from [13.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.2 APG]
2.) Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies [20.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.9 APG] from [10.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.3 APG]
3.) LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trailblazers [17.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.2 BPG] from [9.1 PPG, 5 RPG, 1.2 BPG]
4.) Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics [10.6 PPG, 5.1 APG, .492 FG%] from [6.4 PPG, 3.8 APG, .418 FG%]

When looking at past winner of this award, you almost have to eliminate All-Star caliber players because All-Star caliber guys have rarely won this award. That eliminates Deron Williams, David West, Chris Paul, and Brandon Roy. Although was very close to becoming an All-Star this season, few consider him a future regular at that level, and he really burst onto the scene this year, so I go with him for this award. Turkoglu has gone on record as to sat that he doesn’t want this award because it supposedly symbolizes that he hasn’t been this good of a player all along, there’s little doubt that he’s been the leagues most improved player, or at least most surprising player, this season. He’s the go-to offensive player on a 50-win team that also features Dwight Howard, the best young big man in the game, and Rashard Lewis, last summers big free agent signee. Turkoglu has also expanded his overall game, from rebounding, passing, and defense.

Rudy Gay may have been putting up huge numbers on a bad team, but the fact is he’s only 21 years old and is really starting to play like a young star. Aldridge may have made a bigger jump in his overall game, than perhaps anybody else in the league. Once he and Greg Oden team up with Brandon Roy, that’s going to be scary. Rondo was really rough around the edges last season, but this season played extremely well for the leagues best team, keeping them atop the standings and their title hopes intact.

Rookie of the Year Ballot
1.) Kevin Durant, Seattle Sonics [20 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1 SPG, .873 FT%, 34.5 MPG]
2.) Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks [10.2 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 1.5 APG, .504 FG%, 31.4 MPG]
3.) Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia 76ers [8.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1 SPG, .538 FG%, 20.8 MPG]
4.) Al Thornton, Los Angeles Clippers [12.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.2 APG, 27.3 MPG]

Rookie of the year isn’t about who put up the best numbers, but who made the biggest impact. Durant put up big numbers for a bad team, but also didn’t disappoint when the pressure was on to contribute right out of the gates, and that accounts for something. He’ll be a regular in the All-Star game once he gets a supporting cast, that much is for sure.

If Amare Stoudemire won the Rookie of the Year award putting up 13.5 PPG and 8.7 RPG for a playoff caliber team, I don’t see why Al Horford and his 10.2 PPG and 9.6 RPG can’t win him the award, either. After all, Horford made a huge difference for the Hawks, helping them end the leagues longest playoff drought in year one. Another unsung youngster is Philadelphia forward Thaddeus Young, who we predicted would be on e of the draft steals of the ’07 class. His 8.2 PPG and 4.2 RPG were somewhat modest, but he’s second in PER among all rookies and has as bright of a future as almost any of the rookies not named Durant. Al Thornton’s another guy that shined for a bad team, but that was one of the better statistical rookie seasons this year.

Coach of the Year Ballot
1.) Byron Scott, New Orleans Hornets
2.) Doc Rivers, Boston Celtics
3.) Nate McMillan, Portland Trailblazers
4.) Eddie Jordan, Washington Wizards

I believe its unethical to have the MVP and the Coach of the Year on the same team, because both are essentially getting the same credit for their teams success, but it happens all the time. For example, how is a certain coach able to receive credit for a teams success if he has the leagues MVP on his team? It works both ways. having said that, I believe Byron Scott needs to get an award for the Hornets sensational turnaround, since I don’t believe Chris Paul will. If CP3 wins, then scratch Scott as the winner of this award, at least in my book.

Doc Rivers deserves some credit for the Celtics turnaround as well. Its often said that its much harder to coach a team of stars when the expectations are at the highest, but he did as good of a job as anyone could have possibly expected. Nate McMillan took a team that most considered to be dead in the water without Greg Oden, and he made them more than respectable. Eddie Jordan, at the same time, kept the Wizards in the thick of the playoff hunt without his two best players (Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler) for a large chunk of the season. That certainly accounts for something here.

Defensive Player of the Year Ballot
1.) Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
2.) Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets
3.) Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks

Garnett may win the MVP, but its more likely that he brings home this award. Marcus Camby has the gaudy numbers to win this award, but KG plays on the leagues best defensive team and has made that unit thrive on the defensive end, unlike Camby’s unit in Denver. Don’t discount everybody’s favorite young defensive player, Josh Smith, either. He’s become a terror as a weak-side defender, in the mold of a young Andrei Kirilenko, and should be an All-Star in the East very soon. He’s only 22 years old, which is downright scary. Bruce Bowen, one of the leagues best defenders during the past five years, doesn’t get s top-three spot here because the cat seems to now be out of the bag about he defensive tactics. The league has no place for dirty players like that, if you ask me.

Sixth Man of the Year Ballot
1.) Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
2.) Leandro Barbosa, Phoenix Suns
3.) Kyle Korver, Utah Jazz

This one was on contest. As Marc Stein points out, there are actually a lot of really good sixth men in the league, just none that are on the as level as Ginobili. Last season’s best sixth man, Phoenix’s Barbosa, hasn’t been quite as good this season, but he still has the solid numbers. Then there’s Korver, who not only hasn’t had the advantage of starting a few games like the other guys (74 games, zero starts), but his arrival really helped turn the Jazz around at mid-season.

I wrote a post earlier in the season about Tony Parker taking the torch from Tim Duncan as the Spurs MVP, but I was only half right. TD is no longer the Spurs MVP, but instead its Ginobili who is now the teams MVP.

As Charles Barkley mentioned Thursday night on TNT: “If he keeps comin’ off the bench, they’re gonna have to retire this award.” Its really quite true. I mean, anytime you have an All-Star coming off the bench…

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