Forty games down and we are halfway to the postseason, allstar votes begin to pile up, and the league has just become more interesting with all the dramas looming on and off the court. Isn’t it the perfect time for the midseason awards? Hell yes!
Now, you may disagree with my picks, but I assure you, mine is far better than Kelly Dwyer’s. If you don’t know him, you might not visiting NBA sites or you only read Quinito Henson’s blogs.
Curtains up, human wave from the crowd, now drum rolls please... then end it with a cymbal. That’s the way to kick things off. Now, here are my midseason awardees:
Rookie of the Year
Blake Griffin. Only Landry Fields comes close to him, and most of you don’t even know who Fields is. Griffin is so good he is even going to play for the Allstar squad this February, and that’s for sure. The last time a rookie played in the ASG was Tim Duncan back in 1997. Well, that explains the potential greatness of Griffin. But some say Griffin is all but a spectacular dunker player, but he proved his critics wrong by scoring 47 points against Indiana where he dunked the ball once only, showing, then, his versatility in scoring. Hands down to this kid, the up and coming superstar out in LA.
Coach of the Year
Gregg Popovic. I’ve read several blogs about midseason awards but I haven’t read a single credit to Coach Pops yet. I’ve read Thibodeau, Spoelstra, Rivers, but their teams were expected to shine this season. On the other hand, did anyone expect the Spurs to lead the standings up to this very point of the season? None. Nada. Wala. We all thought it’s the fall of the Spurs this season simply because their core players are aging, but look how Coach Pops turned things around. 37-6 record in 43 games played. Jordan’s Bobcats should give all they have should they face the Spurs if Jordan wants to preserve that 72-10 record. Let’s just all hope Manu, Parker and Duncan would be healthy up o the end.
Most Improved Player
Dorell Wright. Among D.J. Augustin, Wesley Matthews, Nick Young and Dorell Wright, I would go for Dorell Wright. D.J. Augustin is a solid starting PG in Charlotte but we all expected him to breakthrough this season following the departure of Raymond Felton. Wesley Matthews is playing with great confidence thanks to the injury of Brandon Roy. But Matthews is inconsistent at times and he does not fill up the stat sheet at most. Nick Young is looking good this season but all he does is to score. Now, we go to my choice, Dorell Wright. 17ppg, 6rpg, 3apg, 2spg, 1bpg, and shooting 42% beyond the arc as compare to his minimal stats last year in Miami. Some say the award should be given to Russell Westbrook or Kevin Love, and Dwyer even suggested Derrick Rose. But these players were already playing at a high level last season. I hope I made a good case with my choice.
Sixth Man of the Year
CJ Miles. Why not Jason Terry, Lamar Odom, Jamal Crawford, and other big names? Well, it is the 6th man award and so the awardee must be the best player off the bench. You see, Terry and Odom started for several stretches this season, and the other big names coming off the bench are in fact not the best 6th man in their respective teams. They only play them as a reserve for in-game strategy purposes. That’s not the case with CJ Miles because his role is really a reserve player and has fit well in such role consistently, helping the Jazz win some games with his big time contributions off the bench.
Defensive Player of the Year
Chris Paul. Were you expecting Dwight Howard? Look at his stats – from being the best shot blocker for the past couple of years, he slides down to fifth place this year. Or were you expecting Kevin Garnett? Man, if only his trash talking skills would count as a defensive stat, then he would be the runaway winner for this award. All KG does is to intimidate opponents with his trash talking. Enough said. And CP3, really? Of course. He leads the league in steals with almost three take aways per game, and his New Orleans Hornets lead the league in points allowed with just 91 points a game. And recently, the Hornets limited Atlanta Hawks to just 59 points. Could he be the first guard to win the award since 1997 when Gary Payton took it over Hakeem Olajuwon, Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo.
and finally, the Most Valuable Player
No, it’s not Kobe Bryant. His points average and field goal percentage have dropped significantly this season. Not Dirk Nowitzki since he can’t keep his self healthy. Not Amar’e Stoudemire and Deron Williams because their teams start to lose focus costing them some games. Not Kevin Durant because he hasn’t shown the dominance he had when he played in the Worlds. Not LeBron James because Dwyane Wade might ‘complain.’ That leaves us with the great player in Chicago. No, not Michael Jordan, he retired several years ago. It’s the third year guy, Derrick Rose. He averages 25ppg, 8apg, 5rpg, 1spg and 1ppg this season while improving his 3pt stroke vastly, which makes him a complete player. His consistency and his single handedly carrying the Bulls in contention make him a legitimate MVP contender this season. Girls and boys ballers, welcome to the Derrick Rose era.
Still craving for more? Well, take a look at my Allstar list for next month’s Allstar festivity in Los Angeles:
Easter Conference Starters (Get voted by the fans)
C Dwight Howard
F Amar’e Stoudemire
F LeBron James
G Dwyane Wade
G Derrick Rose
Eastern Conference Reserves (Get chosen by the Coach)
C Al Horford
F Kevin Garnett
F Paul Pierce
G Joe Johnson
G Rajan Rondo
Util Raymond Felton
Util Danny Granger
( I have Josh Smith, Andrew Bogut and Chris Bosh as replacements)
Western Conference Starters (Get voted by the fans)
C Pao Gasol (Sorry China, Yao is out for the whole season)
F Kevin Durant
F Carmelo Anthony
G Kobe Bryant
G Chris Paul
Western Conference Reserves (Get chosen by the Coach)
C Kevin Love
F Dirk Nowitzki
F Blake Griffin
G Manu Ginobili
G Deron Williams
Util Russell Westbrook
Util Tony Parker
( I have Zach Randolph, Monta Ellis and LaMarcus Aldridge as replacements)
Now let’s start the discussions rolling!
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