Blake Murphy Sports Writing

Title: NBA Mid-Season Awards
Date: January 25, 2008
Original Source: The On Deck Circle
Synopsis: Me and my friend Dave traded thoughts on the potential NBA award winners at the midway point of the season.

This article is a Blake Murphy-Dave Power collaboration. Please forgive any statistical discrepancies as we wrote our parts two days apart.

Last year at the end of the season, Dave and I laid down our thoughts on who should win the NBA’s marquee end-of-season awards. Discussing awards at the end of the season is one of the most exciting sports topics for a lot of fans, especially in basketball where there are numerous high-profile awards and, usually, many viable candidates for each. With the season having crossed the midway point for 23 of the league’s 30 teams, Dave and I have decided to revisit our discussion from last year and publish our picks for the NBA’s six major awards, if the season were to end today. As always, feedback is encouraged, especially this time, since you can reply in kind with your own choices. Without further ado, here are our choices.

Most Valuable Player
Blake: Kobe Bryant
At the end of last season I nominated him for Defensive Player of the Year and it was largely dismissed. I’m not sure how, as Kobe’s is one of the league’s premiere defenders both on the perimeter and as the opposition drives to the hoop. Likewise, Kobe has the best offensive game in the league. While some could argue for LeBron with merit, Kobe provides the best of blend of slashing, passing, and shooting that the league has seen since MJ. So, what do you get when you combine the league’s best offensive player with one of the league’s soundest defenders, then mix in a basketball IQ in Mensa teritory and one of the most terrifyingly dedicated demeanors in sports today? You get a team that’s 27-13, good for the 4th best record in the West, shy of the top by just 1.5 games. Sure, Kobe’s supporting cast this year has been better than in year’s past due to the emergence of Andrew Bynum, but there is no arguing Kobe gets the most out of this roster. Farmar, Fisher, Walton, Turiaf, and Vlad-Rad are all capable role players, but they make up the bulk of this team’s minutes; Lamar Odom is having one of the worst seasons of his career; and while Bynum is developing into a low-post monster, he is still only good for 28 minutes and 13 points a night, so the scoring load falls on Kobe just as much this year as any other. People have many different ways of defining the MVP (best player on the best team, most important to his team, best statistical output, etc) and I like to frame the argument as “If you replaced Player X with an average player at his position, how would the team do?” Well, if you replaced Kobe with Anthony Parker (who is by all accounts an average starting 2-guard) the Lakers would be hard pressed for Ws. You could again argue LeBron here since he is getting a lot out of a minimal supporting cast, but the Cavs aren’t as good as the Lakers and LeBron is nowhere near the defender Mamba is. Most seasons a line of 27-6-5-2 on a team with a .675 winning clip would be enough to seal the deal, but this year more than any you have to look at the intangibles of the players involved. Here, Kobe hasn’t just gotten better and made the players around him better, he has changed his game in order to accomplish it.
Runners Up
LeBron James – I made a few references to him as a Kobe comparison, and he’s definately the winner with a 29.5-7.5-7 on a winning team if he steps his D up. Clearly, LeBron is the most gifted player in the league and a future top-10 All-Timer, this just isn’t his year.
Kevin Garnett – The Big Ticket’s numbers are down from prior years, but his D, intensity, and leadership have all gone up at a rate most probably didn’t think possible. With the best record in the league, it will be tough to deny KG this award (and the NBA Title) come May.Dave: “The King” LeBron James
At 6-8, 250 lbs, the man they call “The King” is living up to the hype. If you don’t believe so check out these stats: 29.7 PPG, 1.1 BPG, 2.0 SPG, 7.4 APG, 7.6 RPG and shooting a tidy 48.1% from the field. The next highest PPG total on the Cavs is 13.3 (Ilgauskas). Remember how Jordan played with some unbelieveable talent, or atleast a lot of players who could hit shots and were great role players? Well, LeBron does not have that and still manages to win games. I think it would be scary to put him on a team like Michael had. It’s almost impossible to defend him, and you can just ask the Detorit Pistons, or any other team in the NBA. As a Raptor fan I know he can be held in check, but at all costs do not chirp him… EVER… Just check the box score from the Raptors vs. Cavs game on January 9, where CB4’s crazy lady decided to chirp LeBron just a bit. He didn’t take a liking to that and decided to put up 24 in the fourth quarter alone to erase a large deficit. The best thing about LeBron to me is the fact that there is so much hype and he just plays, he takes the NBA seriously. I bet he probably doesn’t work out that hard or even give 100% in practice, but I’ll tell you this much, when it comes game time “The King” is unleashed and he goes out there to embarrass and beat up on his opponents. LeBron says “You don’t want to be like LeBron James.. You want to better then him.” Nope, sorry LeBron, I disagree, I want to be just like you. Actually let me be one quarter of you and I’m pretty sure I’d do just fine. LeBron James is the best player in basketball right now, makes a team of good NBA players into a playoff team, and always had the ability to take over games himself. I wrote later that Nate McMillan has implemented the “get Roy the ball setup”, well… Mike Brown’s method of basketball is: if the ball is not in LeBron’s hand, the game should not be played.
Runners Up
Kobe Bryant – “The Black Mamba” has put his team on his back, making players around him better and has turned the Lakers into a credible playoff threat in the West, but it’s going to be an uphill battle without Andrew Bynum for two months.
Steve Nash – You can never leave Kid Canada off the ballot for MVP as again the Suns are back to the same thing: winning. Nash has been a big part of it, making pass after pass and draining shot after shot. Steve Nash is a great leader and distributes the ball to the right player at the right time almost everytime, quarterbacking the best offense in the league.

Defensive Player Of The Year
Blake: Marcus Camby
The Denver Nuggets, a team with Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony heavily in the fold, are 6th in the NBA in Defensive Efficiency. Take a second to let that sink in, then go and look at their roster. Now consider the injuries they’ve been hit with all season, specifically down low. Now look at their winning record, good enough for the division lead in the Northwest. Does all of that add up? I was shocked when I researched for this award to find the Nuggets, a team I associate with high-scoring games and two big-name superstars not necessarily known for defensive prowess, to be that high for a D-rating. Then I remembered that they possess one of the greatest defensive big men of all time, a man everyone forgets about and who will probably be snubbed from yet another All Star Game, a man who constantly one-ups his own defensive (and rebounding) efforts to account for the shortcomings and injuries of his teammates. Marcus Camby is, without question, the best defensive player in the NBA. Checking in with an astonishing career high of 3.9 blocks per game, Camby is without question the best shot blocker in the league (his average this season would be one of the highest single-season averages since Mark Eaton ruled the paint). Camby also chips in 14.5 boards (11.2 of them defensive) and a full steal per game, and he’s not a slouch offensively, like some shot blockers of recent lore, either (9.5 points, 3.4 assists). Iverson and Anthony both generate a lot of steals, but those two (coupled with Anthony Carter) see a lot of good guards and wingmen get into the paint, where Camby erases almost everything.
Runners Up
Josh Smith – The best physical defender in the league, J-Smooth is putting up 3.3 blocks per game and is a large reason the Hawks are in playoff contention. His 2 steals and 8 rebounds a contest are equally legitimate, but he doesn’t negate the entire post game of opponents like Camby.
Kobe Bryant – See the MVP discussion and last year’s Defensive Player of the Year discussion for my thoughts on Kobe as a defender. Nobody is better on-the-ball, and his steals and defensive rebounds are exemplary for a player of his size. Easily the best defender of the league’s superstars.

Dave: Josh Smith
He guards the best scorer from the opposing team all the way from shooting guard up to power forward and has spent time on bigger point guards as well. He is undersized against most power forwards but makes up for it with his athletic ability and disgusting ability to get up in the air. It was a hard choice as Marcus Camby is always a favorite, this year averaging 4.0 BPG to Smith’s 3.3, but I’m giving Smith the edge because of his versatility in being able to guard the opposing teams’ best player. Averaging career highs in blocks, 3.3, as well as steals, 1.8, while putting up 7.9 RPG, which I believe he could improve on since he was putting up 8.6 per game last year, but all in all he flat out makes opposing players wish they were back on the bench. If you want to see how nasty he is just log on to NBA.com everyday after the Hawks play and you know he is going to have one nasty block on the Top 10. If he does not get selected to his first All Star Game in February, it would be a tragedy as this kid just keeps getting better and more fierce as the years pass. Oh, and to top it off, he is always a threat for a triple double with blocks, points, and rebounds, and I’m pretty sure the ceiling has not been reached as yet. For a quick glance at why players always have to be aware when Smith is roaming the floor, click here.
Runners Up
Marcus Camby – incredible season, he is the backbone of the Nuggets defense, but will probably get snubbed from another All Star Game
Dwight Howard – 2.5 BPG, 15.2 RPG, 1.1 SPG are numbers that will always be in contention for this award, and he will probably win his first in the next couple of years

Most Improved Player
Blake: LaMarcus Aldridge
Every year this is definately the toughest award to give out, as evidenced by fans always being outraged and nobody every winning the award decisively. This year, as always, there is a great debate in the making. Rudy Gay, Beno Udrih, and John Salmons have all increased their numbers two-fold, and Brandon Roy is making a case to be the first player to ever win both the Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player awards (though his stats don’t support it). I give the nod to Aldridge for two reasons. The first is the success of the Blazers. Aldridge is their second highest scorer, their top rebounder, their top shot blocker, and their second most efficient scorer behind James Jones (another Blazer candidate for this award). Aldridge has increased his points-rebounds totals by 8.3-2.4 in just 12 extra minutes, improved his free throw shooting and passing, all while lowering his foul rate to stay on the floor more. He is yet to develop as a crunch-time option (like yet another Blazer candidate, Travis Outlaw), but he is their most proven offensive weapon quarters 1 through 3. The second reason I give Aldridge the nod over other candidates (read: the second reason I give Aldridge the nod over the rest of his team) is because his development is way ahead of schedule, improving the Blazers outlook for this season and beyond and improving the inside-outside potential of an Aldridge/Oden front court combo for the next decade.
Runners Up
Chris Kaman – Chris has seen huge increases to his points, rebounds, and shooting percentage without a proportionately significant increase in minutes played. His shot blocking, defense, and post moves have all improved dramatically, with only his serial killer quotient declining.
Rudy Gay – Here you go Dave, a Rudy shout out. While still not a superstar, Rudy has proven that he can score, shoot, and rebound at rates desrving of being a #1 or #2 option in the league. The sky is the limit for Rudy and I’m interested to see how his development continues with shakeups looming in Memphis.

Dave: Chris Kaman (pronounced CaveMan)
Probably the ‘prettiest’ player in NBA, he has finally discovered his ability to play. Last year he averaged 10.1 PPG, 1.5 BPG, 1.1 APG, and 7.8 RPG, which is a solid line for a starting center in the NBA these days, it is, at best, middle of the pack. He is now averaging 17.4 PPG, 3.1 BPG, 1.9 APG, and 13.8 RPG, all career highs. What jumps out most is he obviously is the only old-school center left in the league, as he is not an athletic specimen but has probably the most polished low post game. He finishes great with both hands and is effective with his quick hook shots, as well as using his body to box out players and pull down the third most boards in the league on a per game basis. What really jumps out at me though is his blocks, as he definitely can’t jump out of a gym, but his basketball IQ is through the roof. You don’t just average 3.1 BPG, again third best per game in the NBA, by accident. He has now arguably established himself as one of the top 5 centers in the league with the likes of Dwight Howard, Yao Ming, and Amare Stoudemire.
Runners Up
Rudy Gay – Obviously this was hard to pick Kaman since Rudy Gay is my favorite player in the NBA, but the stats do not lie and Rudy has his own award coming.
Andrew Bynum – Unfortunately down with an injury and out for 2 months, his skill level has improved so much with the help of Coach Kareem, and he has arguably put the Lakers back into contention like the days when Shaq was around. P.S. thanks for not going to U-CONN for a year and entering the draft. I wonder if Bynum can say “National Championship?”

6th Man of The Year
Blake: Manu Ginobili
Although injuries and frequent moves in and out of the starting lineup hurt his chances for winning this award by the end of the year (the eventual winner is Ben Gordon now that he’s back to the bench, without a doubt), Ginobili is the template for 6th men. His style of play forces defenses to change their gameplan on the fly, he allows the Spurs to run the same tempo throughout the game without a drop off, and his stats are largely the best of the bench players. Considering he is also an effective crunch time scorer and has better numbers off the bench (18.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.8 SPG) than most players have for career highs, Ginobili is clearly the cream of the substitution crop.
Runners Up
Travis Outlaw – At 12.9 and 5.2, it is tough not to consider Big Trav as a top contender for this award. He is the heart of the Blazers’ bench (sorry, they refuse to call it a bench, so he is the heart of the Blazers’ “Black Team”) and is their 2nd option in 4th quarter situations, having made an impressive number of big time jumpers. He is a five year NBA veteran at age 23, so he has limitless potential moving forward, too.
Leandro Barbosa – An obvious choice annually now, it seems, Barbosa is the perfect combo guard off the bench in the Phoenix system. 16.8 PPG and 91 3-pt field goals cashed is a line the 29 other coaches in the league would love to be able to call off the pine.

Dave: Leandro Barbosa aka “The Microwave” Instant Offense
17.1 PPG off the bench, .465 FG percentage, the favourite for the 6th man of the year award has to be Captain Barbosa. This will be Leandro’s second consecutive NBA 6th Man of the Year award. The winners of this award commonly come from playoff teams as past winners before Barbosa would be Mike Miller for Memphis, Antawn Jamison of the Dallas Mavericks, and Bobby Jackson of the Sacramento Kings. Comparing all those players, what comes to mind is the fact that all these players create instant offense as soon as they come into the game. They do not miss a beat coming off the bench and have managed the second units of their respective teams. If you have happened to catch some Pheonix games then you must have seen the impact Barbosa has on his team. He is undoubtedly the quickest player on the Suns, which compliments the team well as they are a fast paced scoring machine. He would be a first option on many teams in the NBA but this is the right fit for him. He is a big reason why they have been a championship contending team over the past two years as his instant offense has helped them run over the second units of opponents. Putting up 17.1 PPG on a team with three all-stars on the team already is unheard of, and eventually when he gets the chance to start and play over 35 minutes a game, he will more than likely put up 20 and become an all-star in the NBA.
Runners Up
Manu Ginobili – Good case for 6th Man of the Year as he puts up 19.4 PPG, but to be realistic he is still the third option on the Championship San Antonio Spurs, and only comes off the bench because he plays better off the bench.

Rookie Of The Year
Blake: Kevin Durant
While it’s unfair to say Durant has turned out better than Oden, since Oden is spending his season injured, I feel the need to bring up the debate Pennycook and I had before the draft on who should be the #1 choice. Greg Oden may be a championship winner in the future, but now we see that the Blazers have that potential in the long-run even without him, so he will be the lucky beneficiary of circumstance. While Durant’s shooting percentage is shaky and he has gone through rough patches, he has also shown the willingness and ability to take over games, including in crunch time. Durant wants the ball every possession, and his development this year reminds me a lot of Kobe’s rookie season where the Lakers understood that Kobe was the future and gave him free reign to learn on the fly. Durant’s numbers should peak back over the 20 PPG and 40% shooting marks by season’s end, blowing away any competition for the award.
Runners Up
Al Horford – Murdering TJ Ford was an accident. Dominating the East with 9 points and 9.4 rebounds a game is not. His 1 steal and 1 block per game are also promising, and his 48.4% shooting is great for a young big man. Al will definately be the player remembered as the best from those Florida teams.
Jamario Moon – Makes a lot of mistakes, even for a rookie, and has poor shot selection at times. Then again, he’s also second among rookies in rebounds, points, and minutes, and is heading to the Dunk Contest in February with the title of ‘most popular rookie.’

Dave: Kevin Durant
As I like to call him, the Rudy Gay clone, Kevin Durant is an unbelievable talent. 19.5 PPG, tops on his team the Seattle Sonics (nothing super about them these days), is an incredible rookie clip. As much as I want him to fail because my first child’s name depends on it (ask Blake), he is incredible, flat out, and has made some clutch shots already this year.Uunfortunately he is pretty much all Seattle has to look forward to right now. Great attitude for his age, seems like the type of player who learns from the veterans and will just improve as he gets more experience in the NBA game. He has been ready for this level of play for a couple years now. Short and sweet, what I can tell about this kid is the future is bright and his ceiling is high, one of the “future” top 10’s and possibly “top 5’s” in the game, and I realize that’s bold but the only thing that would keep him from that would be injury. His heart and mind are in the right place already and he just fills it up, and most importantly he wants to be the man. Seattle fans: wait until this kid peaks in size (he is expected to grow two more inches according to doctors) and weight (just have to work on pumping those bench presses out, something like 1 rep of 35 lbs).
Runners Up
Al Horford – All around game is good and like Durant has not reached his potential, he is a big reason why the Atlanta Hawks are a playoff threat in the East
Jamario Moon – A starter on one of the better teams in the East and has made an impact on the defensive end, a true breath of fresh air, once again showing Mr. Collangelo knows what he is doing. Needs to work on attacking the rim more and just keep jamming on people’s faces. Good luck in the Dunk Contest, Rap nations needs a new dunk contest champ since our last one turned out to be a punk.

Coach of the Year
Blake: Nate McMillan
Apparently, there is an argument here. I can’t find the basis for it, though. Some have suggested Doc Rivers (Babysitter of the Year?), Phil Jackson (give the award to Kobe, instead), or Byron Scott (ok, that’s a legitimate claim), but McMillan is, in my books, head and shoulders above the rest. Portland was expected to be lottery bound with ot without Oden, and it’s not just the play of Brandon Roy that has helped this team succeed. Nate has a keen ability to get production out of all 10 of his rotation players almost nightly, and has done an admirable job managing egos and playing time for the 3rd youngest team in NBA history. Anyone who has Joel Przybilla playing at a level that is almost worthy of his paycheque must be a basketball mastermind, and Nate is finally in a situation where he can flourish as a molder of young talent.
Runners Up
Byron Scott – The Hornets were supposed to be decent, but I don’t think anyone expected them to be at the top of the West at the halfway point. Without a good shooting guard, Scott has found ways to get Chandler more involved on offense and has had the confidence to let CP3 go balls to the wall and find himself as a superstar.
Eddie Jordan – Losing Agent Zero was supposed to spell doom for this team, but instead they are still in the thick of things for the divison crown and home-court advantage in the first round. Everyone knew Butler and Jamison could play, but Jordan has coaxed value out of Andray Blatche, Brendan Haywood, Antonio Daniels, and my favorite ex-Raptor-scrub Roger Mason.

Dave: Nate McMillan
I originally had picked Byron Scott as my mid-season award winner but upon further investigation and deep thought I have concluded that the coach of the Portland Trailblazers Nate McMillan is the mid-way point coach of the year. 32-50 was the record for the young delinquents from Portland last season. 25-16 so far this year has them just 7 games from reaching the same win total as last year. One thing helping this case immensely is the fact that Brandon Roy, his second year PG/SG, plays the game like a 7 year veteran. McMillan has designed the offense to develop around Roy’s game, and the quote “Make sure the ball is in Roy’s hands,” has been mentioned many times to being the key to the Portland offense. Like the Oakland Raiders, the Trailblazers have been known as the “thugz” of the NBA but this year that is the furthest from what they are. A young team that is only on the way up, after having the number 1 draft pick in Oden go down for the year, most teams would have diminished, but this team prospered. McMillan has been able to mesh all the young talent he has and put out a playoff caliber team. One thing I judge coaches on is the play calling that is made at the end of games, to have the ball in the right persons hand to win the game. Even in the past two weeks the Blazers have won games down the stretch with shots from Outlaw or Roy—McMillan draws it up and the team delivers. These kids obviously have a ton of faith in their coach’s decisions. Don’t be surprised if he wins this award in consecutive years, as he seems to have long-term coaching potential.
Runners Up
Byron Scott – Wuite the team he has in New Orleans, with the best point guard in the league and Tyson Chandler and David West playing like all stars. Refreshing to finally see someone using Chandler the way he should be used.
Isaiah Thomas – Isaiah motions to Randolph to come and sit beside him so they can talk about his play, Randolph casually walks right by him, and says “FUCK YOU MAN!”

Introducing Two New Awards
Blake: The Dave Power Award (given to the most overhyped and exaggerated talent), Winner: Ty Thomas
So, we’re in agreement now that Ty Thomas isn’t the “Next Coming” or anything like that? Sure, he has freakish athleticism and decent skills at both ends of the floor, and yes, he carried LSU while the media hyped Big Baby, but Thomas has floundered this year in Chicago. Unable to carve out a niche for himself and not dedicated or mature enough to develop into an all-around player (yet), Thomas has spent a lot of time watching Chicago lose. Once untouchable, the Bulls now seem willing to part with him in any deal where they’d acquire a low-post scorer, and to make it worse Thomas is losing minutes behind Joe Smith (who himself would have been a winner of this award if it existed back in the day). I’m not hating on Ty, that’s not what this award is designed to do. Instead, I’m hating on the pole-jockers who thought he would be the next Amare, Marion, or K-Mart right away. This award goes to them.

Dave: The Rudy Gay Award, Winner: Rudy Gay
Keeping this to a minimum because I could explain to you how he has all the tools to become a legit superstar in the NBA (which by the way is up and coming). Rudy Gay, and although I don’t like to say it, Kevin Durant, are key parts to the future of the NBA. This is going to be the type of players that coaches and GM’s are looking for in the future: tall, lanky and extremely athletic freaks. Unblockable shots, great shooting touch, and already both showing they are able to make the shots needed to win games. Both need to become more consistent but this is what I see the NBA going to over the next 10 years: tall, long and athletic shooting guards. I’m extremely excited for the dunk contest, and Rudy Gay will put on a show to be crowned the Dunk champion. I remember hearing a couple years ago, “Rudy Gay will never be an all-star,” and only a couple weeks ago, “Rudy Gay is not one of the top athletes in the NBA.” I think most people would be hard pressed to find 10 players in the NBA who are more athletic. The combination of speed, size, length, and leaping ability put him in an elite group. He should be an NBA all-star for the 2008-2009 season, and if all goes well this year in the NBA dunk contest, he has a legitimate chance to be a starter in future events.

Check back at the end of the season when I’m sure we’ll have our picks for the 82-game award winners.