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.