NBA Midseason Awards

Most Valuable Player - LeBron James/Derrick Rose

No one is doing more for their teams right now than James and Derrick Rose.This decision could have been easier by looking at their head-to-head games, but in their only match up so far this season, James had to set with an injury. D-Rose had a good game and the Bulls squeaked out a 3 point victory. Discounting the first few weeks of the season, the Heat go as LeBron goes. If he has a sub-par outing, his team is likely to lose. LBJ has carried his team to many more victories than he has cost them and one look at his 51 point, 11 rebound, and 8 assist game shows that he still has the ability to win games. In general, LeBron plays his best when he is up against his best competition and so far this season, the opposite could be said about Rose. When Rose nets 30 points or more, his team is 9-5, which is actually below their season winning percentage. When LeBron scores 30 or more, his team is 13-3 with 2 of those losses coming against the Celtics. Although this is just a small sample, it shows to me that when LBJ plays his game, there is no one better and no one more valuable to his team. Runner-up - Derrick Rose (Derek)

While he may be overshadowed because of the success the Heat and Celtics have been having lately, Derrick Rose is putting on an MVP show so far this year and to some people it has gone unnoticed. Although Lebron (my runner-up) has done nice work with his talents in South Beach, I still believe the Miami Heat psychologically believe that Dwayne Wade is the leader of their team. As far as my memory serves, there has never been an MVP award given to somebody who isn’t the leader of his team. One could also make a case for Rose to be most improved: increasing his 3 point FG% by 10 percent, FT% by 7 percent, assists by 2 and points by 4 per game but it isn’t right to give him both, so I’ll stick with the most prestigious. Already this year he has led his team to a 4^th quarter comeback 13 times. Runner-up - LeBron James. He is always going to be in the discussion as long as he is in the league, although an argument could be made that Dirk Nowitzki is more valuable to his team than either of these guys. (36-9 with him, 2-7 without him). (Aaron)

Rookie of the Year - Blake Griffin/Blake Griffin

This could have been the easiest decision of them all. With all due respect to John Wall, The Poster Child is doing everything in his power to make the Clippers a relevant organization. I considered him Comeback Player of the Year as well but I figured you can't be both a rookie as well as a comeback player. All he has done is tear apart YouTube and Sportcenter is highlight dunks that make your jaw drop. He plays the game with a recklessness that is rarely seen in professional athletes and every time he skies in the air, you almost want to tell him to stop for fear of the Clipper's cursed franchise finally delivering their final revenge. Runner-up - John Wall (Derek)

Just like Derek said, this was the easiest decision of the awards, and unless Michael Jordan clones his past self, there won’t be another decision this easy in a long time. Not only does he tear down the rim on a nightly basis while dunking better than the majority of the guys who have been doing it for a few years now, he has shown improvement on both his overall offensive and defensive games. With a work ethic that rivals Derrick Rose, look for this young man to possibly be in the Most Improved category next year. Runner-up - Landry Fields (Aaron)

Defensive Player of the Year - Dwight Howard/LeBron James

Dwight continues to be a force on the boards and with his shot blocking. He might be the the best defensive center since Camby was in his prime and until he decides to give up the throne, I don't see any other players equaling his defensive abilities. Runner-up - Tyson Chandler (Derek)

Sometimes they say: the best defense is a good offense. The net points scored for the Heat against opponents with LeBron on the courts: +325. Net points scored for the Heat against opponents while LeBron is off the court: +3. Runner-up - Kevin Garnett (Aaron)

Sixth Man of the Year - Glen Davis/Tyrus Thomas

Big Baby has been extremely effective in coming off the bench and getting spot starts now and then. He might not be the most talented bench player or the most athletic, but Davis has been consistent with his offense and doesn't need the game to run through him. His ability to take charges (or flop on them) has also been a major benefit to his team. Runner-up - Jamal Crawford (Derek)

Thomas doesn’t play the most minutes of any 6^th man in the league or score the most, but he is the most effective 6^th man of the year to this date. His efficiency is what many NBA teams are looking for: including shooting 47% from the field and 81% from the free throw line so far this season. The thing about basketball is that the game is not all about hitting the big 3 pointer and honestly the Bobcats are pretty bad this year. But Thomas is one of the best defenders in the league, and even his 1.7 blocks per game don’t do him justice. Thomas is a great all-around player and should be getting more than 21 minutes per game in the second half of the season. Runner-up - Jason Terry (Aaron)

Most Improved Player of the Year - Kevin Love/Kevin Love

I have made my passion for Kevin Love known in an earlier post and I will profess my love for him again here. The man has simply been the most dominating rebounder since either Dennis Rodman or Moses Malone. Rodman had talent all around him which help solidify his position underneath the boards but he was just completely relentless. Moses was an all around terrific athlete that was ahead of his time and was a man amongst boys on many nights. Kevin Love? He is only playing in the most competitive season that the NBA has probably seen. Posts with 40" verticals that can bang yet it is the 6' 10" big white post who cleans the glass up every night. 20 points per game is impressive and all, but in reality, someone has to score on the Timberwolves and on many other teams he is probably a 3rd or 4th option for buckets. His 15 rebounds a game are just astonishing and why I consider him the most improved player this season. Runner-up - Eric Gordon (Derek)

Can we please buy some more love for our boy in Minnesota?! The man is in the process of a double-double streak to make history and he hardly can get a highlight on the awful corrupted network that ESPN® has become. Who wants to watch a guy outwork another team every time he steps on the court though, how lame would that be? But that is exactly what he has done every game so far this year. He steps foot on the court and simply outworks the opposition. No one has averaged 20 points per game and 15 rebounds per game since Moses Malone did it in 1982. In his career he attempted 86 three point shots. Love has MADE 74 3 pointers so far this year. He is the NBA’s most improved player and has developed into one of the NBA’s best all-around players. Runner-up - Lamarcus Aldridge (Aaron)

Comeback Player of the Year - Tracy McGrady/Kris Humphries

McGrady has never played a full 82 game season and most likely never will, but this season he has yet to miss a game. Scaling back his minutes to around 25 a game has done wonders and he is actually being fairly effective for a team that has shown very little promise all year. He isn't the high scoring T-Mac anymore but he has probably been the most consistent player for the Pistons. Runner-up - Darko Milicic (Derek)

While we are at it, we might as well hand out more awards to our Minnesota boys. Humphries could be known as one of the better Gophers to play there, and he also might be known as a heart breaker to Gopher nation by leaving so early in his career. In my opinion, this is the hardest award to give out during All-Star break because somebody still might be trying to get to a full 100%, and a 2^nd half increase in minutes could shine the light on a new face. Nevertheless, Humphries is worthy as he is averaging 9 points and 9 boards this year and has played in every Nets game to this date. Runner-up - Tracy McGrady (Aaron)

Coach of the Year - Gregg Popovich/Tom Thibodeau

Pop might have one of the most talented teams in the NBA but that doesn't stop him from being impressive as a coach. With aging stars and a loaded Western Conference, Pop still has the Spurs as the top team heading into the All-Star break. He has shown his ability to adapt to changes with his team and in the NBA. The Spurs are now one of the top scoring teams in the NBA yet remain as tough of a defensive opponent as you will see. And all of this is done while cutting star players minutes and preparing for the playoffs. Pop may only have one coach of the year award but he has 4 rings and has proven again and again that he is as good as they come patrolling the sidelines. Runner-up - Scott Brooks (Derek)

It is possible to argue that all Chicago did in the offseason was add some poor defenders (Boozer, Korver, CJ Watson) and get rid of a great one (Kirk Hinrich). And through all of that, Thibodeau has his team's defensive efficiency level at the highest in the league. Working through injuries, Thibodeau has been forced to throw together some interesting lineups and still is succeeding in the deep eastern conference. Even though they haven't played together as a full squad enough to fully gel, with Boozer and Joakim Noah both battling injuries at different times, they are still going in to the All-Star break with a strong 38-16 record. If Thibodeau can keep a consistent lineup it will be interesting to see how successful he can make the team by the time playoffs come around. Runner-up - Gregg Popovich (Aaron)

Executive of the Year - Pat Riley/Pat Riley

Like it or not, Riley started a new wave in the NBA that is unlikely to go away anytime soon. With everyone competing over the services of Wade, James, and Bosh, Riley moved in and created the Superteam that is the Miami Heat. He also has placed just enough pieces around them that they are able to flourish and have become one of the favorites to win the championship. I don't think Riley is done yet and it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him pull in a few more veteran leaders before the season is done. Runner-up - Danny Ainge (Derek)

"LeBron James and Chris Bosh are on his team. They weren't there last year. They still have Dwyane Wade, too." -Kelly Dwyer Runner-up - RC Buford (Aaron)

All-NBA First Team

G - Derrick Rose

G - Rajon Rondo

F - LeBron James

F - Dirk Nowitzki

C - Dwight Howard

All-NBA Second Team

G - Dwyane Wade

G - Kobe Bryant

F - Kevin Durant

F - Amare Stoudemire

C - Tim Duncan

All-NBA Third Team

G - Russell Westbrook

G -Monta Ellis

F - Carmelo Anthony

F - Kevin Love

C - Pau Gasol

All-Defensive Team
G - Rajon Rondo
G -Dwyane Wade
F - LeBron James
F - Kevin Garnett
C -Dwight Howard

All-Rookie First Team

G - John Wall

G - Landry Fields

F- Blake Griffin

F- Derrick Favors

C-DeMarcus Cousins

All-Rookie Second Team

G - Wesley Johnson

G - Gary Neal

F- Al-Farouq Aminu

F- Ed Davis

C- Greg Monroe

NBA Top 5 Teams

1. Spurs - Top record throughout the season makes this a pretty simple choice. If their age doesn't catch up to them, look for Timmy Duncan to add a 5th ring and make him the easy choice for best power forward to ever play the game.
2. Celtics - Relentless, brutal, efficient. Just a few words I would use to describe the Celts. KG has come back strong this year and the new additions will likely help out a lot in the 2nd half of the season.
3. Heat - They might struggle against the Celtics but you can't discount the talent between James, Wade, and Bosh. This team is still adjusting to each others style but the start of the playoffs is the only time that it will matter.
4. Bulls - Another team that is hurting and getting use to each other but with Noah and Boozer healthy for the playoffs, they are a force to be reckoned with. Also add in D-Rose and teams are going have to pick their poison when they get it together.
5. Mavericks - Tough choice going with the Mavericks in the top 5 but they are playing in the toughest division in the NBA and still have one of the best records in the game. Tyson Chandler is playing extremely well and Dirk is performing at his usual All-NBA level.

New Design

Just a quick post to see how everyone likes the new design of the page. There is a poll to the right that you can vote on what you think and make sure to leave any comments on what you would like to see for improvements, i.e. new content, more posting, different layout, ect. Thanks for letting us know!

Top Fails

1. Deron Williams running Jerry Sloan out of town. Honestly, how can a "superstar" like Williams who claims to be committed to winning NOT want Sloan around? The fact that Sloan was prepared to sign a year extension to stick around but instead decided to leave the organization? Deron Williams had better win 3 MVP awards and multiple championships to excuse him from this move.

2. Everson Griffen's double arrest plus planned Super Bowl party. He just gets out of jail and decides the right move is to host a huge party? Ridiculous. To be honest, it wouldn't hurt if Frazier sent a message and booted him off the team.

3. NFL labor negotiations. Both sides are arguing over billions of dollars when most of their fan base consist of hard working people trying to make ends meet during a difficult economic time? Can't be great for their image

4. Cav's losing streak. Although this was just snapped last night, its still crazy that a team could rake up 26 straight losses. These are suppose to be professionals and most of them should be playing their hearts out because they just aren't good enough to play on any other team. As bad as they are, you would think they would steal a game now and then.

5. Heckler complaining about LeBron swearing at him. Does paying for a ticket give you the right to publicly harass a man's mother without retaliation? This guy doesn't even have the stones to release his name but would rather just complain through the press. Wonder if this guy would have the same comments if he spotted LBJ on the streets. This guy would be drooling, asking for an autograph, and saying he is a number 1 fan. What a joke.

6. Brett Favre, Dancing With The Stars. I guess he has to bring his name up somehow now that the Packers won the Super Bowl. We all know he will accept, then turn it down and then have the "itch" to get back on the dance floor.

7. Melo trade rumors. Yawn, wake me when this is over. Another day, another rumor. Half the teams in the NBA have been a rumored destination for him.

8. All Preseason Top 25 Polls. Just taking a look at the preseason top 10 for college basketball this year, 2 teams aren't even ranked anymore and 4 teams that were unranked are in. Having rankings will never go away, but wouldn't it be cool if on January 1st, the first official polls are released? It is kind of like the anticipation for the first BCS poll being released minus the total depression realizing that football and basketball have polar opposites in playoff formats.

9. Kevin Love not being voted in as an All-Star. See my previous post/rant.

10. Michael Jordan...comeback at 50??? This isn't so much of a fail as a completely awesome moment in basketball history. Mostly, I just wanted to mention this because I would definitely show up for a Bobcats game to watch His Airness. Bobcats players were saying he still has it in practice and even threw down a dunk effortlessly. I can see no reason at all that he shouldn't try and play again. Put him in the game for 10 or 15 minutes a game and let him rest on back to back games and he could definitely ball. Of every player associated with the NBA, I think I would still call on MJ at his age to take a game winning shot in any situation.

Haven't you heard? That Kevin Love is playing like an All-Star

With the terribleness of Minnesota football finally over, its time to move onto the terribleness of Minnesota basketball. It really hasn't been a good start to the year for either the Gophers or the Wolves, but at least the Wolves have something to look forward to. The Gophers getting stiffed by Devoe Joseph has really hurt them but only because Al Nolen and Blake Hoffarber are going through some injury problems. I can honestly say that if the Gophers were a fully healthy team, they would be better off with Joseph gone. As with my other team, the UNC Tar Heels, having a player bail mid-season just seems foolish to me. Joseph skipped town because he wasn't getting as much playing time or as many shots as he wanted, but what does he expect when he jacks up contested 15 footers when the team is pushing a 3-on-1 break? Instead of seeing the season through, he lost the opportunity to play big time minutes with Nolen out and is going to only play half his senior season for an Oregon team that will be lucky if they squeeze into the NIT.

As for Larry Drew II, I gladly say good riddance to him and his stuck up attitude. He has always been a pampered player and as soon as he lost his spot to up and coming freshman Kendall Marshall, it was only a matter of time until he took his ball and went home. He was never that good and whether it was right or not, the Tar Heel faithful always seemed to let him know about it. Roy Williams and the Heels team always stuck up for him and seemed to be the only ones that had his back. Now, he leaves his team in the middle of the ACC season when a young team could use a little veteran leadership. He was dumb enough to not even transfer before the spring semester started and now he will have to sit out a year and a half before he can play and unless Iowa State decides to bring on another problem player, I find it highly unlikely that any team would be willing to sign a player with one year left who is at best a back up that can't handle an offense.

Now that I got my little rant about that out of the way, time to look at a young team that has the potential to scare a few teams. This years Wolves team is exponentially better than last year, even if their record doesn't show it yet. Last year, it seemed like only once a week the Wolves would commit themselves to playing a full 48 minutes. Now, they are actually making hustle plays throughout the game and are actually exciting to watch. With some actual athletes playing on the wing with Wes Johnson and Michael Beasley and a point guard that knows how to run an offense (Luke Ridnour), they can actually get up and down the court to makes plays on both sides of the ball. Darko is finally looking like a player with upside and his interior defense might actually place him as a top 5 center in the Western Conference. Their bench now has some depth and players like Jonny Flynn, Anthony Tolliver, and Wayne Ellington can deliver some buckets when the team needs it.

And all that goes without mentioning the superstar himself, Kevin Love. He does not get nearly enough credit for what he is doing and I am still disgusted that he was initially left off the All-Star team. Since the 1970 season, only 14 times has a player averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds a game. Only 8 different players have done this and 6 of them are in the Hall of Fame. 1 of the players not in the HoF is Kevin Love. Not just that, but K-Love is the only one shooting over 80% from the line (88%), only one who made even a single 3-pointer that season (72 made), and the only one attempting less than 15 field goals per game. How All-Star voters overlook any of this historic season is beyond me. He has SEVEN 20-20 games this year and even a 30-30 game which hasn't been done since Moses Malone in the 1982 season. And although the "he is on a team that is terrible" concept may apply, the fact that he shoots only 15 times a game, is generally double or triple teamed when getting boxed out, and is leading the league in Player Efficiency Rating shows that it isn't just being on a bad team that makes him so amazing. Rebounding is much more difficult and finding good looks to convert at such a high rate are probably more difficult on a bad team. He should be a favorite to be named on the All-NBA first team at the end of the season but instead voters will stick with the big market teams rather than giving credit to a player having a truly historic season.

Other Random Thoughts

To say that LeBron James isn't the NBA MVP at this point of the season is just being foolish. He is hands down playing the best basketball in the NBA and carrying an overrated Heat team right now. As good as Dwyane Wade is and as good as Chris Bosh wants you to believe he is, the Heat are still less talented than the Lakers, Celtics, Thunder, Spurs, Magic, and possibly even the Trailblazers. They have no bench, no point guard, no post presence, and a lack of toughness that is surprising out of players that wouldn't be in the league if not for their ability to have minimum contracts. Putting all of "The Decision" nonsense behind, LBJ is affecting his team more than any other player in the NBA and deserves the MVP award perhaps more this year than in his previous two seasons with Cleveland.

The Big Ten conference just keeps getting more muddled every single day. With the only locks for the tournament being Ohio St and possibly Purdue and Wisconsin, it is still completely wide open on who will get the 4th, 5th, and maybe 6th spots in the Big Dance from the conference come March. Michigan St, Minnesota, Illinois, and Northwestern are all seeming more likely to play themselves out of the tournament rather than into it. However, with the RPI sky high for the conference, 2 or 3 of those teams will have to step up to get an invite to the ball.

Tonight marks the new year of sports for me. Its been a rough year with the Lakers, Duke, and Green Bay winning a championship last year and basically all of my teams falling flat on their faces. The Super Bowl officially ends the 2010 seasons and I hope that 2011 brings a lot better fortunes my way. The Tar Heels, Gophers, Twins, and Seminoles football team all look like they could at least contend for a championship this year and the Wolves, Chargers and Vikings can't really do a whole lot worse. While I'm on the subject of my favorite teams, I find it ridiculous that people feel as though you can only cheer for one team in a particular sport. I enjoy watching all 7 of those teams and probably follow them more closely than many of the "fans" that show up when the team has a strong season. If a person stays consistent with their teams and follows than through the ups and downs, I see nothing wrong with it. If your "favorite" team switches 3 times a season and somehow "your team" always makes the championship game, well then you deserve to catch as much flak as your friends can deliver.

Tonight, I consider 1 of my 4 "must wins" for the sport season (Vikings-Packers twice, UNC-Duke twice). 2 years ago I got my season sweep and last year I got swept along with 2 'ships shoved right in my face. Rivalry games just are built like UNC-Duke anymore and living with a Duke fan certainly doesn't do anything to take away from the enjoyment. This game is much, much more important for my Heels because a blow out loss could crush this years team that finally seems to be coming together. A win in Cameron could set the table for UNC crashing the Final Four party again this year. I predict a close game with the Heels edging it out late in the game, 84-81.

Hey! Who is this guy?!

Hello everyone... Long time, no post, eh? That "eh" was a shout out to all of my Canadian peers here at Valley City State University in case you didn't catch it. It is weird that there are so many Canadians here. Way more than were at UND actually. Maybe they were offended from the Fighting Sioux nickname or something, never know I guess. Anyways, the funny thing is, they hardly ever say "eh" unless they are pretty drunk. Kind of an interesting little tidbit about our friends from the North.

What do ya'll think of the Timberwolves trade rumors that are going around right now? I don't think there is any way the 3 team trade gets done as it is rumored to be right now. The Wolves would want more compensation for their 1st round pick, and the Nuggets are also going to want more for Carmelo Anthony.

Since the NFL season is now officially over (congrats to the Packers) we can finally look towards the MLB season. I already saw Skip Bayless post on his twitter account that his early pick to win the American League will be our Minnesota Twins. I am excited for the season. With our lack of postseason success lately, I am going to find it hard for me to pick the Twins to get to the World Series, but I will be watching every game possible and of course hope they are that successful.

Two final things, both about the Super Bowl from Sunday night. I honestly didn't care who won the game, just as long as it was a good and competitive game. In a way I got my wish because the score was close, but it really wasn't that exciting of a game for a neutral fan until the 4th quarter. Overall, the commercials were kind of a disappointment too. There were a couple good ones here and there but I thought they were down compared to years past. I'll be sure to put my good word in for next year's game to improve the game and commercials, for the sake of all of us, if they have a game next year.