My Choices for the NBA's Year End Awards

This should be fun. Pretend you're on the NBA's awards committee, who would you pick for the following awards?

Here are my choices:



Coach of the Year: Stan Van Gundy. Come on, who expected the Orlando Magic to be ANY good this year? I mean sure, Hedo Turkoglou has been just fantastic, but do you know of any other coach who would have the balls to call out Dwight Howard in public, enough that Howard would change the way he played for the rest of the season? Stan has been robbed of things one too many times, this time the Coach of the Year award should be his.



Defensive Player of the Year: Kevin Garnett. Major no brainer. Marcus Camby doesn't get consideration because no one else on his team plays any defense, making him the odd man out. Garnett makes everyone around him play better, even did the same in Minnesota. Remember when Stephon Marbury WASN'T as criticized as he is now?



Sixth Man of the Year: Travis Outlaw. I don't like Manu Ginobili. I hate him actually. Can't stand the guy. Just can't stand his dumb flopping, his clutchiness, just everything about him.

That being said, it's not because I hate him that I didn't pick him.

He's not a real sixth man. Come on now, how many sixth men do you know of that come into the game FOUR MINUTES into the game? He's not a sixth man if he plays more minutes than most of the starters.

Leandro Barbosa's numbers this year have horribly declined, so he's not in the running to me, either.

That being said, Travis Outlaw is great. He is instant offense, great defense, and brings tons of energy to the floor. His amazing play this year also helped the Blazers turn into a .500 squad, imagine that! That's why he's my pick.



Most Improved Player of the Year: Hedo Turkoglou. It's a toss-up between him and Mike Dunleavy, but the fact that Hedo averages more fourth quarter points than any other player in the NBA really gives it away. Hedo might not be like this next year, but he has certainly soaked up his moment in the sun. This year, the Magic will be a scary force in the playoffs.



Rookie of the Year: TIE: Al Horford and Kevin Durant.

Up until March, my choice was Al Horford. Horford has averaged a consistent double double for the season, and will be a monster on the boards in years to come.

But something happened, Durant finally figured out his role on the team. Up until March, all he did was shoot long jumpers. He is a god-awful three point shooter, watching him shoot and brick four three pointers a night was painful to watch. However, over the past two months, Durant has found his groove. He takes mid-range jumpers, drives to the basket, and rarely ventures outside of the three point line. His shooting percentage has gone up to a decent 42%, good enough for government work. All he has to do is work on his pitiful rebounding skills, and he'll be a major star for years to come.



Most Valuable Player: Chris Paul

Just because Kobe Bryant got robbed out of the award in the 2005-06 season doesn't mean he should win it this year. That excuse alone is a joke, and makes the whole thing look like a big sham, if that is seriously your argument.

Kobe really shouldn't win it this year. How different is he from last year? He's no different. The reason why the Lakers are in first place is NOT due to Kobe Bryant. It's because of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

Let's look at the 2002-03 season. Remember when in the beginning of the season, Shaq was hurt for a while? The Lakers played with just Kobe as the star, and were just abysmal. It wasn't until Shaq came back, that they picked up again and were a force again. Kobe can't carry the team by himself. This year, where do you think the Lakers would be if not for the powerful centers they have?

Would we even be having this MVP discussion with Kobe's name in it?

The defense rests, your honor.