MVP: LeBron James
Today I read Bill Simmons’ rushed NBA preview (he self proclaimed it), and noticed that he left the Cavaliers out of the playoff picture. And so, the LeBron hating train rolls along, this time from his biggest critic/supporter. Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief, however, because Cleveland had resigned the Pippen to LeBron’s Jordan – the incomparable Sasha Pavlovic. We can all keep our fingers crossed that a deal for Anderson Varejo is imminent.
Like I stated in my Eastern Conference preview - while these players play valuable roles - the most important role on this team belongs to LeBron. Without him, this team would be dreadful. They would be the worst in the league, and the Pavlovic-Varejo combo wouldn’t be able to demand a mid-level deal to save their lives (and it’s not like they’re attracting so many buyers considering their current worth). Are we totally forgetting how LeBron dominated in the Eastern Conference Finals last year? How, even though he was called out for inconsistency last year, he still led his team to 50 wins and with a stat line that looked like this (27.3 p, 6.7 r, 6.0 a).
The crucial point is this – if an MVP is supposed to be a player with the greatest individual value to his team, albeit it is a winning team, what other player better fits the bill? His candidacy for the award is only raised when it’s factored in that I feel the Cavaliers will win the highly contested Central this year, and that LeBron will improve in some of his weaker statistical categories, namely free throw percentage. Enough is enough. LeBron is the best player in this league, and needs to be acknowledged for it with the hardware.
You can also make a case for: Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett.
Sleeper pick: Pau Gasol
ROY: Kevin Durant
Luckily for Durant, the rookie of the year award is based almost entirely on individual stats, so the Sonics miserable season shouldn’t have an effect on his chances. While he is currently nursing an injury, Durant should be healthy enough this year to get on the floor, and fill out a pretty balanced stat sheet, common in other recent ROY winners (Brandon Roy, Chris Paul, LeBron). While his position is uncertain, it’s almost irrelevant when Durant’s scoring is considered. The Sonics literally need him to get 20 points a game, and considering how often their offensive game-plan will break down over the course of the season, Durant should have plenty of opportunities to create shots. His rebound total will depend on whether he slides into a forward spot, but believe you me, their will be no consistency to what the Sonics throw out this year, with another tweener draft pick in Jeff Green and two undersized big men in Chris Wilcox and Nick Collison in the fray. It could be a very frustrating and confusing season for Durant, but I have no doubt he will score at least twenty, grab around five rebounds, and average at least a steal in his rookie year. His percentages have a good chance of being shot though.
You can also make a case for: Al Horford, Al Thornton, Corey Brewer.
Sleeper pick: Luis Scola (If I don’t pick him, nobody else will)
Most Improved Player: Ronnie Brewer
This is a tough category to peg, because there are a handful of worthy candidates and it is simply too early to tell who will make the hugest individual jump in statistical categories. After opening night of the season, however, it’s hard to argue against a case for Ronnie Brewer, Utah’s second year shooting guard, who has locked down the starting gig for the year. He had an impressive debut, scoring 18 points with 4 steals, and this came with fairly limited minutes for a starter. His minutes should increase (still puzzles me why Gordan Giricek was playing the fourth quarter), making it very possible for Brewer to average close to twenty points this season. He compliments his stat line with solid percentages, and a league leading amount of steals – think around 2 per game. If he can achieve this, it makes him a great candidate for this award when you consider his numbers from a year ago. As a rookie scraping for minutes, Brewer average just 4.6 points and under a steal per game. Increasing his scoring average by almost 300 percent should be enough to make him a top candidate.
You can also make a case for: Rudy Gay, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andrea Bargnani (Yes they are all second year guys, but doesn’t the award seem to be made for them?)
Sleeper pick: Jameer Nelson or Andrew Bynum
Sixth Man: Leandro Barbosa
Don’t really see the need in picking against a guy I predicted would win last year’s award at the All-Star break, and that’s exactly what he did. Plain and simple, statistically and invariably, Barbosa is the best pound-for-pound sixth man in the NBA. He scores a ton of points in limited minutes, is deadly from long range, and has a solid passing game to spare the league’s best point guard. I say pound-for-pound, because David Lee brings a whole different element with his post presence, but when it comes down to the one guy who will revitalize a tiring squad the second he snaps off his warm-ups, Barbosa is the man. Last year I compared him to a NOS tank that gives Japanese race cars that speed-burst to the next level. Respect.
You can also make a case for: David Lee, Manu Ginobili, Jose Calderon
Sleeper pick: Walter Hermann
Coach of the Year: Jerry Sloan
Yawn. I really don’t care about this category as I have stated in the past. I went as far as to give it to a fictional movie character played by Nick Nolte in my mid-season report last season. I seemed to jock Jerry Sloan a decent amount in my Utah preview, so…there you have it. Oh yeah, it’s probably important to know that the historic coach has NEVER won the award, while the following guys have: Doc Rivers. Yes, that was a short list. But please, can someone give this guy his due?
You can also make a case for: Coaches whose teams win a lot of games.
Sleeper pick: OK, I’ll exert some effort here. Mark Iavaroni.
Defensive Player of the Year: Marcus Camby
If Camby stays healthy, he is simply the most intimidating defensive presence in the post, a title Ben Wallace has kindly bestowed to him in the past two years. You can go with a perimeter defender here, and take Bruce Bowen, but I don’t want to award Bruce Bowen for an achievement. You can take a versatile guy that fills a stat sheet, like Josh Smith or Gerald Wallace, but the overall defensive impact of those guys is far less when compared to Camby. When you have such an imposing shot-blocker lurking down low, it’s not the amount of blocks that he is getting (3.3) as much as the shots he is preventing from even becoming attempted. That’s what an intimidating post defender does - he deters field goals from even being considered. He makes them not exist, and forces his opponents to choose other scoring options. When Camby is healthy, he is the best player in the league at defending high percentage shots, by making them low percentage shots, or no percentage shots. He’s close to a unanimous choice.
You can also make a case for: Andrei Kirilenko, Gerald Wallace, Josh Smith
Sleeper pick: Emeka Okafor
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