Most Valuable Player
1. LeBron James - MIA - 25.4 pts, 7.0 reb, 7.2 ast (1)
LeBron sat out last night's loss to the Denver Nuggets, but his previous 3 games were magnificent. The highlight of the week was his 44-point, 13-rebound domination in Portland on Sunday. The missed game was James' first of the season, and unless the injury is more serious than it sounds, it should have no impact on his place in this race.
2. Dwyane Wade - MIA - 24.9 pts, 6.5 reb, 4.3 ast (2)
Wade had a pair of 30-point games this week, but he looked lost without his running mate last night against Denver. He shot only 37% from the field and made only 2 of 7 free throws, which would be considered low even for Shaq. You can't prove anything in just one game, but James appears to be the Heat's MVP.
3. Pau Gasol - LAL - 18.5 pts, 10.9 reb, 1.9 blk (5)
Pau returned to form this week with 4 straight double-doubles as the Lakers went 4-0. Is it just a coincidence that the Lakers play their best basketball when Gasol is playing at his best? I don't think so.
4. Kevin Durant - OKC - 28.5 pts, 6.2 reb, 3.0 ast (6)
Durant padded his lead in the scoring race this week with 3 straight games of at least 30 points, including a 40-point gem against the Grizzlies. The Thunder won all 3 games, and Durant had averages of 62% from the field, 50% from long range, and 87% from the line.
5. Kobe Bryant - LAL - 25.2 pts, 5.1 reb, 4.6 ast (7)
Kobe was having just another average week until Wednesday night, when he exploded for 39 points against the Golden State Warriors, his first 30-point outing since the calendar changed. Kobe also managed to shoot a perfect 17 for 17 from the free throw line in the last 3 Laker games this week.
6. Derrick Rose - CHI - 24.1 pts, 4.4 reb, 8.1 ast (3)
Rose's overall performance was not bad this week, with averages of 27 points and 6 assists, but his Chicago Bulls lost games to Philadelphia and Charlotte, two members of the East's lower echelon. Had the Bulls won both games, he would have held on to his #3 position.
7. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 22.2 pts, 5.1 reb, 8.3 ast (9)
Westbrook highlighted a stellar week with his second triple-double of the season last night, which was enough to earn him the Player of the Day award again. (Oops, did I spoil the surprise?) Westbrook earned at least a double-double in each game this week as the Thunder went undefeated against some tough competition.
8. Dirk Nowitzki - DAL - 24.1 pts, 7.4 reb, 2.4 ast (4)
Dirk has now missed 8 straight games, 6 of which were losses for the Mavericks. This injury proves Nowitzki's worth to Dallas, which makes it even more important for him to make sure he's fully healed before returning, because they can't survive without him for any extended period of time.
9. Amare Stoudemire - NYK - 26.1 pts, 8.9 reb, 2.3 blk (8)
Amare was very consistent this week, scoring 22 or 23 points in every game, but he dropped a spot because the Knicks lost two of those games. The losses came on the road in Utah and LA, so they weren't unexpected, but a couple of wins could have shot Amare up the rankings.
10. Dwight Howard - ORL - 21.9 pts, 13.4 reb, 2.3 blk (10)
Howard averaged over 15 rebounds per game this week while increasing his scoring output in each game, from 13 last Friday to 39 last night. He even converted 17 of 20 free throw attempts last night, but after the Magic lost their last two games, Howard wasn't able to move up in the rankings.
Close Calls:
Deron Williams, Al Horford, Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer
Rookie of the Year
1. Blake Griffin - LAC - 21.8 pts, 12.7 reb, 3.4 ast (1)
In the only award race where a unanimous vote is likely, Griffin is starting to make a case for entering the MVP race. The last time he didn't record a double-double was Nov. 18 against Indiana, and the Clippers have won 8 of their past 11, including the last 3 in a row, including a huge win that ended Miami's road winning streak on Wednesday.
2. John Wall - WAS - 15.6 pts, 3.6 reb, 8.9 ast (2)
Following a subpar performance against the Nets last Friday, Wall turned up the heat with 3 straight games at or near a double-double. The Wizards have yet to win a road game this year, but Wall sure has them playing well at home lately.
3. Landry Fields - NYK - 10.1 pts, 7.3 reb, 1.9 ast (3)
Fields had 14 points and 10 rebounds in an impressive road win over the Phoenix Suns, then had three more fairly solid games as one of the main members of the Knicks' rotation. If #1 picks were not allowed to win this award, he would run away with it.
4. DeMarcus Cousins - SAC - 12.7 pts, 7.7 reb, 1.7 ast (4)
After having the best week of any rookie not named Blake Griffin last week, Cousins began to drop off a bit this week. He averaged only 12 points and 8 rebounds as the Kings lost 3 straight road games.
5. Eric Bledsoe - LAC - 7.1 pts, 3.1 reb, 4.2 ast (5)
Bledsoe continued his roller-coaster rookie season this week with another low week, finishing with only 5 points and 6 assists in the Clippers' two wins. It's looking like Bledsoe may be saying goodbye to his spot in the rankings next week, with Evan Turner and Wesley Johnson hot on his heels.
Sixth Man of the Year
1. Jamal Crawford - ATL - 16.6 pts, 1.9 reb, 3.6 ast (2)
Crawford regained the top spot in the sixth man rankings this week, but not because so many good bench players are being made starters. Crawford scored 36 points against Toronto on Wednesday, his second 30-point effort in as many weeks, and the Hawks have won 5 in a row.
2. Jason Terry - DAL - 15.6 pts, 1.9 reb, 4.5 ast (3)
Terry seems to have finally adjusted to his role without Dirk Nowitzki around, scoring between 16 and 19 points in 5 straight games. His consistency has translated into wins for Dallas, but he's still one of the best bench players in the game.
3. J.R. Smith - DEN - 11.9 pts, 4.2 reb, 2.0 ast (NR)
Smith made 8 three-pointers in last night upset win over Miami, despite having hit only 1 in the previous five games combined. It was his second straight game scoring in double figures, and the second straight game that the Nuggets hit 130.
4. Shawn Marion - DAL - 11.7 pts, 6.1 reb, 1.1 ast (NR)
Marion has really picked up his game since Christmas, but it may have something to do with Nowitzki being out. He has scored in double figures in 7 of his past 8 games, including 25 in a loss to the Thunder last week.
5. Glen Davis - BOS - 12.5 pts, 5.4 reb, 1.3 ast (NR)
Davis has been doing a lot of scoring for the Celtics lately, a product of Kevin Garnett sitting out, but Davis' production should drop off now that KG has returned to the lineup. Davis failed to hit 50% of his shots in any of the past 3 games, which is unacceptable for a big man.
Most Improved Player
Stats shown are difference compared to last season.
1. Dorell Wright - GSW - +9.7 pts, +2.6 reb, +1.6 ast (1)
Wright scored at least 20 points in each of the Warriors' games this week, the first time he's done that this season. He's also hit at least 3 3-pointers in each of the past 4 games, and somehow is still being overlooked by most "experts" for this award.
2. D. J. Augustin - CHA - +7.9 pts, +1.8 reb, +3.9 ast (2)
Augustin averaged 20 points this week while shooting over 50 % and leading the Bobcats to 3 wins, which has extended their season-long streak to 4. He's also currently 5th in the league in free throw percentage, shooting just a hair under 91% for the season.
3. Kevin Love - MIN - +7.5 pts, +4.7 reb, +0.1 ast (3)
As he continues his amazing streak of double-doubles, let's hope the coaches show Kevin a little Love and vote him in as a reserve on the All-Star team, an honor that he undoubtedly deserves, whether his team is good or not.
4. Jrue Holiday - PHI - +6.8 pts, +1.2 reb, +2.9 ast (5)
Jrue has now scored in double figures in 10 straight games for the 76ers, and has passed out at least 10 assists in 3 of those games. Holiday appears to have a great career ahead of him, and the 76ers seem to have finally found a point guard.
5. Nick Young - WAS - +7.3 pts, +1.0 reb, +0.4 ast (NR)
Young has definitely taken advantage of Gilbert Arenas' departure, as evidenced by his 43-point showcase game against the Sacramento Kings. While Young doesn't do much besides score, his jump in points alone is worth noticing.
NBA Player of the Day
Russell Westbrook - OKC - 32 pts, 10 reb, 13 ast, 2 blk, 11-22 FG, 10-13 FT
While I may have spoiled the surprise by announcing his victory earlier, the Thunder sure didn't spoil Westbrook's second triple-double of the season, knocking off the extremely hot Orlando Magic by one point. This triple-double was also less controversial, as Westbrook grabbed his last rebound with 3:14 left and didn't have to push at the end to get it.
Predictions - 14 Jan
Upset picks are in italics.
NBA
Bulls at Pacers - Bulls by 1
Bucks at 76ers - 76ers by 2
Pistons at Raptors - Raptors by 4
Bobcats at Celtics - Celtics by 14
Kings at Knicks - Knicks by 11
Mavericks at Spurs - Spurs by 7
Hornets at Rockets - Rockets by 1
Cavaliers at Jazz - Jazz by 16
Clippers at Warriors - Warriors by 2
Nets at Lakers - Lakers by 15
Trail Blazers at Suns - Suns by 1
Prediction Results - 13 Jan
NBA: 2/3 (.667) 280/391 overall (.716)
College Basketball: 4/6 (.667) 260/311 overall (.836)
Upsets: 1/1 (1.000) 59/102 overall (.578)
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