Post by donatello2424 on Nov 13, 2009 21:09:37 GMT -5
The mid-season awards have been on hiatus and now they are back. This time, I included who I felt was the runner up for all of the position.
*Some of the stats are off and may have changed. For example, the dpoty race was between camby and Wallace. When I wrote the part of them, both had 4 bpg and 0.8 spg.
League Awards
MVP: Etienne Preira, SG, Chicago Bulls
It is getting a bit ridiculous with him being at the top year after year. It would be very interesting to see who would be the MVP if Preira wasn’t in the league since outside of him; everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. But since he is in the league, he will be the one who wins the award year in and year out for the next several years. He is a consistent 30/7/7 type of player who can play 3 positions equally well. He is averaging around 5 total defensive stats a game (steals+blocks), which is quite crazy. Even though he puts up some great defensive stats, I don’t see him ever winning another DPOTY award. That will be saved for a PF or C who puts up 1 bpg more than EP ever will.
Runner Up: Larry Johnson, SF, Portland Trailblazers
Defensive Player of the Year: Ben Wallace, C, Cleveland Cavaliers
This came down to Big Ben and his runner up in Camby. Both have the same number of blocks and steals, so what is the tie breaker here? For me it is rebounds. I think a good defensive player can pull down boards as well, and with 1 rpg more, Big Ben wins the award. Wallace is part of a deadly big man duo with Tim Duncan. Duncan is the scorer inside, Ben is the shot blocker. Both can rebound well and even dish it if needed. The Cavs are in an interesting spot though with their team. The Anderson duo are 31 and 34, and don’t have much in the tank left. Duncan is 26 and Wallace is 27, so they need to decide what they want to do. Do they try and build around Timmy with some youth or continue to battle with father time for a ring?
Runner Up: Marcus Camby, PF, New York Knicks
Rookie of the Year: Yao Ming, C, Los Angeles Clippers
This is a tough one since there are 3 guys who could all win this award. Each has their own pluses and minuses. Pau Gasol, the PF for the Lakers, is a better scorer but his rebounding and defensive stats are lacking. Andrei Kirilenko, the favorite according to some, is a better scorer than Gasol and defender, but since he plays the 3 his rebounding numbers aren’t that high. I decided to take the best of all the worlds with Ming. Yao can score, rebound, and defend. He is the franchise piece for the Clippers and that is about it for them. They do have some picks, but besides their own, they won’t be good. If they can keep Ming and are able to rebuild via the draft and get lucky (think one of the big name guys this year), they could be a force in a couple of years. They have to keep their franchise big man, which has been a problem for the other LA team.
Runner Up: Andrei Kirilenko, SF, Vancouver Grizzlies
All-League
C: Shaquille O’Neal, C, San Antonio Spurs
Shaq was the big name guy traded this offseason, and he has shown why he cost so much. Shaq is basically carrying the Spurs to the playoffs. Of course he has some help with Larry Hughes and Reggie Lewis, but Shaq is the only guy on the team with over 16 ppg. Shaq is the best rebounding big in the league and is a top scorer as well. He isn’t a dominate shot blocker, but he plays good enough post defense to make up for that. He is very turnover prone and can’t hit ft’s, but oh well. If you take him off the team, the Spurs struggle to make the playoffs….in the east. Since they are in the West they are fine.
Runner-Up: Wang Zhi-Zhi, C, New York Knicks
Wang is an interesting player. He signed a cheap deal with the Knicks with the hope of getting a roster spot and has boomed into a star player. 27 ppg and 10 rpg makes him a force. He is helping the Knicks by providing a big man to compliment Marion. It will be interesting to see where he ends up this offseason since he will command a lot more than the 3.5 million he is signed for now and the Knicks also have to bring back Marion.
PF: Chris Webber, PF, Golden State Warriors
Webber got overshadowed in being traded by Shaq, but he is quietly putting up solid numbers. They aren’t the mind blowing stats he has when we was on the Bullets, they are still solid. The Warriors have enough talent where Webber doesn’t have to be the “man” every night. Gilbert can step up, as can Honeycutt. But don’t think that because they have other talent that Webber isn’t the key to this team. He can still score and rebound at a great clip, and is a threat to pass the ball out of the low post as well as step out and hit the 3 if open. Webber will be a free agent this offseason so it will be interesting to see if the Warriors pony up and pay him the max he will command or let him walk. The warriors have a big offseason and bringing back Honeycutt and Webber might be difficult.
Runner-Up: Antonio McDyess, PF, Milwaukee Bucks
The team that has it all is the Bucks. McDyess sometimes gets overshadowed by Grant Hill and Ray Allen, but he is a solid big man for this team, providing scoring, rebounding, and defense. The Bucks are an interesting team to keep an eye out for. With 4 top guys on the team all making top money, they could be in a hard cap situation soon. Vin Baker’s contract kills them and Baron Davis looks like a bust. They might have to ship off a star, and possibly at a discounted price due to McDyess and his buddy’s deals.
SF: Larry Johnson, SF, Portland Trailblazers
Of the players on the Blazers, Larry Johnson is probably not the guy who is considered the “star”. However, he is putting up star like numbers. 29/9 would be MVP numbers…if it wasn’t for some guy named EP. Johnson provides a great combo with Zo and KG, allowing him to shoot up 3’s and letting the big guys clear the boards for easy baskets. This might be Johnson last chance to win another ring since he is already 33, will likely see a drop off in his production, and is surrounded by several other old geezers as well. Johnson should win this award before he is taken over by the young SF’s of the league.
Runner-Up: Shawn Marion, SF, New York Knicks
This is actually a close runner-up battle between Marion and McGrady. Marion should come in 2nd due to his better everything besides scoring. Like I said in Wang’s piece, Marion is a free agent and should see plenty of offers if he decides to leave the Garden.
SG: Etienne Preira, SG, Chicago Bulls
What else can won say about the MVP? He is signed longterm for the Bulls and won’t be moving. However what is interesting is what the Bulls will do after Dike and Maxwell retire. Camby and Preira are locked up long term, but they don’t have a ton of other pieces. If they decide to trade Preira they could get a ton, but they have to be careful about waiting too long. Remember Jordan and his trade value?
Runner-Up: Allan Houston, SG, Orlando Magic
Houston is a guy whose value is not as high as is production. It isn’t that people don’t want a 30 ppg scorer on their team, it is just that his defense hurts his value. Houston is a deadly scorer and can score from anywhere on the court. He is part of why the Magic are rolling, leading their offensive juggernaut of 117 ppg. If only he had defense.
PG: Steve Nash, PG, Atlanta Hawks
Even though I can’t stand his defense, he is a still a stud scorer and passer. Nash is another guy who changed teams this offseason, and is continuing to put up All-League numbers on the Hawks. He has SAR who can score and he gives Nash the ability to distribute the rock, but it is Nash who is the guy who is going to be shooting in crunch time. The Hawks play, roughly, a 10 man rotation, but most of those 10 guys are backing up the 2, 3, 4, or the 5. Nash is playing almost 39 mpg. That could come to hurt them since he might be slower on defense than he already is. If he goes down, they are screwed this season for a title.
Runner-Up: Jason Kidd, PG, Sacramento Kings
There are a lot of good point guards now such as Mike Bibby, Sam Cassell, and Chauncey Billups, but Kidd is better than them. He is up near the top in assists and he is one of the top point guard scorers. The other guys can score, just not as well as Kidd can. The Kings are struggling, but Kidd is trying his hardest to stop the slide. He is also a top notch defender, which helps his case for 2nd team All-League aka runner-up.
All-Defensive Team
C: Ben Wallace, C, Cleveland Cavaliers
Of course the DPOTY has to be here. Almost 5 defensive stats per game is very solid, plus he is top 10 in rpg as well. The only problem with him is that he has D scouted, which will scare some people off. But he is still a beast and is showing it.
Runner-up: Dale Davis, C, Miami Heat
Davis is the older version of Big Ben now. He is getting older and is starting to slow down, but he is still one of the best defensive big men in the league. He is a dying breed of big men who are mainly just shot blockers and rebounders. Of the top 10 bpg guys, 5 are aging and will soon retire. BPG could look entirely different in 5 years.
PF: Marcus Camby, PF, New York Knicks
No surprise here either. Camby was the runner up for a reason. He is basically Ben Wallace without the ton of rebounds. Most people criticized the Knicks when they gave him that big contract, but Dan has an eye for talent. Camby has developed into a solid big man. He is a double-double guy who can hit his ft’s, which is extremely valuable. His bread and butter are his defense. I think he has the chance to be a guy who can block 4 shots a game and pull down at least 13 rebounds.
Runner-Up: Eddie Griffin, PF, Milwaukee Bucks
He is playing a lot of center, but he is listed as a power forward so he can win this. The 19 year old has the talent to be a dpoty in the future, especially if he keeps on developing. He still needs to become more of a true shot blocker and shoot less, but he could be the next Dike.
SF: Andrei Kirilenko, SF, Vancouver Grizzlies
How often is it that a rookie wins an award? AK has a great defensive skill set. He can steal the ball and block shots with ease, plus he is only a rookie. I was surprised with how much he stood out over the rest. As I was going through the teams looking at steals+blocks, most of the guys where in the low to mid 1’s. There were a couple around 1.7 and 1.8, but AK blew them away with his 2.7. That is more than 1 speal+block per game more than the rest of the league. I have a feeling AK will dominate the SF defensive award for many, many years, much like how Clifford Robinson did it before.
Runner-Up: Jerald Honeycutt, SF, Golden State Warriors
Honeycutt was the only other guy who stuck out when I was going through, at a measly 2.1 steal+blocks per game. Honeycutt is a weird player. He has a skill set of a pure pg and a pure big man, but somehow he can also score. He is a player who could really play all 5 positions since he has the handles to be a point, the defense to be a wing, and the rebounding to be a big man.
SG: Etienne Preirra, SG, Chicago Bulls
Yes he doesn’t have the highest number of steals per game, but I have to consider his bpg in this. Yes Jordan is still a great ball stealer, the fact that Preirra can block shots makes him the winner here. I would prefer if he was moved to SF, because that makes my life easier for these predications. Almost 3 bpg from a SG should make up the 0.4 spg deficit he has to Jordan.
Runner-Up: Michael Jordan, SG, Detroit Pistons
Even at 80 Jordan continues to impress with his defense. He is showing signs of slowing since he is now only a 23 ppg scorer and not a 30, but he is still a very impressive defender. This will likely be his last year in the league, but I think a team of MJ and Dream would be epic.
PG: Allen Iverson, PG, Milwaukee Bucks
He has to make that money somehow. I wonder what he would do on his own team as a top option. Anyway, Iverson is a skilled stealer of the ball and really helps the Bucks with that defense. The rest of his game is good, but he isn’t going to be an All-League type player on the Bucks. He does what is asked of him which is stealing the ball and then dishing it to McDyess, Allen, or Hill.
Runner-Up: Gary Payton, PG, Toronto Raptors
Not much has been heard out of Payton in recent years but he is still a skilled defensive point guard. He isn’t going to light up teams with his offense but he could be a very valuable backup PG or pure PG for a team. Rumor has it that Toronto is trying to ship him off, but I’m not sure they will get many bidders. He is still a good pg, but 11 million might be too rich for most teams. If he stays next year, a pay cut would help him win a ring.
All-Rookie
C: Yao Ming, C, Los Angeles Clippers
Yao is looking like the stud everyone thought he was going to become. Granted the Clippers suck but the stats he are putting up are solid. If Mike really wants to, he can become a stud sooner rather than later with some articles. Yao has the potential to be the next top big man since Shaq. 17/11 is very good for a rookie and that should keep on going up.
Runner-Up: Nene Hilario, C, Toronto Raptors
It’s no surprise he is starting, because the Raptors are pretty bad. They have a good foundation but of course want that superstar from the draft. Hilario has the chance to be a nice double-double player whose main focus is rebounding and shot blocking. I think the Raptors would be fine with that.
PF: Pau Gasol, PF, Los Angeles Lakers
Gasol is another rookie on a shitty team that is contributing. He is close to 20 ppg as a rookie, so that is a huge bright spot for the Lakers. His defense and rebounding are a bit slow to come, but he has the potential to be a sick #1 option who will score in bunches. I think a great rating set for him would be A C C B+ B, that would be interesting.
Runner-Up: Luis Scola, PF, Boston Celtics
It was either him or Drew Gooden of the Pacers. Gooden is a better rebounder, but I have to go with Scoal’s offensive game. 12 ppg is very decent for a rookie who isn’t getting much playing time. He is very raw and likely won’t be a contributing player in the league, but a little offensive spark off the bench is always a good thing.
SF: Andrei Kirilenko, SF, Vancouver Grizzlies
No surprise here, another rookie on a crappy team. Kirilenko is putting up high ppg stats, but I feel those are inflated. What isn’t inflated is the fact that he is a very good defensive wing who can rebound. If he can develop an offensive game (aka pump 15 points into it), he could be a deadly player with a nice all-around. I just have a hunch that, if left to improve on his own, will be a good SF. Good, not great. He is going to be a stud defender and possibly a nice 8 or 9 rpg SF. If he is surrounded by more talent his ppg will drop.
Runner-Up: Caron Butler, SF, Denver Nuggets
Butler has surprised a lot of people with how well he has played this season. Yes the Nuggets suck but Butler can possibly be Stevenson’s #2 guy at the other wing position. 15/8 is very nice. On that note, there are a lot of good rebounding small forwards going out of drafts recently.
SG: Fred Jones, SG, Seattle Supersonics
The surprising player out of this draft has made a big splash so far. Seattle is barely hovering around .500 and Fred Jones is helping that out. Almost 17 ppg has made him a great steal. He is at a point where he can become a very nice player, or could fizzle. His age is a concern but if he improves slightly in a couple of areas, he could be a very nice starter for the Sonics.
Runner-Up: John Salmons, SG, Dallas Mavericks
Salmons is helping to keep Dallas in the playoffs…in the west that is. He is averaging around 16 ppg and rpg in just under 30 mpg. Think of where he would be if he was playing around 35 mpg. He isn’t the sole reason why the Mavs are in the playoffs, for that I give the award to Damon, but he is producing at a solid clip and can contribute. Whether he will improve enough to be a serviceable player for the future is up in the air though.
PG: Smush Parker, PG, Charlotte Hornets
Most would want jay Williams here, but his mpg are being limited playing behind Brent Barry. Charlotte sold off most of their pieces, but Smush is one of the only talented guys left on this team. He is only 2 guys scoring over 10 ppg. His percentages are bad and he turns it over a lot, but the fact that he is putting up 13/7.7 apg is merit enough for him to win the point guard role here.
Runner-Up: Jay Williams, PG, Seattle Supersonics
Seattle made a huge trade in shipping off Nash. They got the faller of the draft in Williams, but he isn’t getting much playing time. However in the limited 26 minutes he plays each game, he is showing promise. 9 ppg and 6 apg is solid for a rookie. Add in only 2 topg and he is looking solid. Seattle is at a crossroads since they don’t have their picks. Right now they are playing Barry at the point to try and win some games. I think that Jay might be ready to lead this team if they tinkered with the DC.
