Most Valuable Player
1. Kobe Bryant - LAL - 28.3 pts, 6.3 reb, 5.4 ast (1)
This was the season that Kobe gave up both his scoring title and best player title to LeBron James, but because the Lakers were far better than the Cavaliers, Kobe was the Most Valuable Player in the league, although it was a very close race. The Lakers were the top seed in the West and represented the conference in the NBA Finals, and Kobe was #2 in scoring after leading the league during the two previous seasons.
2. Kevin Garnett - BOS - 18.8 pts, 9.2 reb, 3.4 ast (3)
Garnett failed to lead the league in rebounding after 4 seasons as the leader, but he posted a career-high in field goal percentage and led the new-look Boston Celtics to the league's best regular season record and their first championship since the days of Larry Bird.
3. Chris Paul - NOH - 21.1 pts, 4.0 reb, 11.6 ast (2)
In the Hornets' first full season back in New Orleans, Chris Paul led the league in both assists and steals while leading the Hornets to the second-best record in the West. For Paul it was only the beginning, as he became a perennial All-Star and league leader after his breakout season.
4. Amare Stoudemire - PHX - 25.2 pts, 9.1 reb, 2.1 blk (6)
Amare proved that he was fully recovered from the knee problems that caused him to miss most of the 2005-06 season with what may be his best season to date. Even though the Suns were only the #6 seed in the West, they were only 2 games behind the #1 Lakers, and Amare's 59% field goal percentage and 25.2 points (both 5th in the league) were a huge part of their success.
5. LeBron James - CLE - 30.0 pts, 7.9 reb, 7.2 ast (4)
There was no denying that LeBron had become the best player in the league, leading the league in scoring for the first time and averaging career highs in rebounds and assists to go with it. The Cavaliers still finished 21 games behind Boston in the East, but LeBron's big year was a sign of things to come.
6. Tim Duncan - SAS - 19.3 pts, 11.3 reb, 2.8 ast (7)
Although he averaged less than 20 points per game for just the second time in his career, Duncan was still 4th in the league in rebounding and had the Spurs in 2nd in the West heading into the playoffs, where they lost to the Lakers in 7 games in the Conference Finals. Even though he was already on the down side of his career, he was still one of the best around.
7. Carlos Boozer - UTA - 21.1 pts, 10.4 reb, 2.9 ast (14)
Boozer set a career high in scoring while leading Utah to a division title and the 4th seed in the Western Conference. He was also named Western Conference Player of the Month in November and made the All-NBA Third Team for the first and only time in his career.
8. Allen Iverson - DEN - 26.4 pts, 3.0 reb, 7.1 ast (NR)
Iverson led the league in minutes played for the 7th time in his career and finished third in the league in scoring, yet somehow failed to receive even a single MVP vote in the final season he was good enough to even be considered. It was his 12th straight season of at least 20 points per game, and it was also his last.
9. Dirk Nowitzki - DAL - 23.6 pts, 8.6 reb, 3.5 ast (11)
His stats were only slightly down from his MVP season, but Dallas dropped clear to #7 in the West and lost 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs just one season after having the league's best record. Dirk, however, was not done, and has continued to play at a high level and keep his name in the MVP race every year.
10. Dwight Howard - ORL - 20.7 pts, 14.2 reb, 2.1 blk (5)
Howard finally led the league in rebounds per game after having led the league in total rebounds for the previous two seasons, and his average was a full rebound higher than the nearest competitor. Orlando was the 3rd best team in the East, but the same record would have only earned them the 7th seed in the West.
Rookie of the Year
1. Kevin Durant - SEA - 20.3 pts, 4.4 reb, 2.4 ast (1)
Durant was the obvious runaway choice for Rookie of the Year, especially after #1 pick Greg Oden sat out the season due to injury. His rookie season wasn't as dominant as Blake Griffin's is this year, but Durant has become one of the top players in the league just a few seasons later.
2. Al Horford - ATL - 10.1 pts, 9.7 reb, 1.5 ast (2)
Horford became a starter very early in his rookie season for Atlanta and helped them earn the final playoff spot in the East, then gave the Celtics a big scare in the first round, taking the eventual champs to 7 games. Horford's growth was a little slower than Durant's, but he also started out a little behind, and has now become an All-Star and MVP candidate.
3. Luis Scola - HOU - 10.3 pts, 6.4 reb, 1.3 ast (3)
After being drafted near the end of the second round in 2002, Scola turned out to be better than expected when he finally made his NBA debut 5 years later. He has yet to miss a game in his NBA career and has continued to improve each season since his surprising rookie season.
4. Al Thornton - LAC - 12.7 pts, 4.5 reb, 1.2 ast (4)
Thornton showed a lot of promise toward the end of his rookie season, hitting the 20-point mark 16 times in the final two months of the season, but after a very good sophomore season, he took a step backwards, and is now producing at levels well below those of his rookie season.
5. Jamario Moon - TOR - 8.5 pts, 6.2 reb, 1.4 blk (5)
Moon was an undrafted free agent who played for 4 years in the D-League before finally getting a chance in the NBA, where he made an immediate impact with Toronto, but he has yet to duplicate the success of his first season.
Sixth Man of the Year
1. Manu Ginobili - SAS - 19.5 pts, 4.8 reb, 4.5 ast (1)
Leading one of the best teams in the league in scoring while coming off the bench makes you an obvious choice for this award, especially when that includes career-highs in scoring, rebounds, assists, 3-pointers, free throws, and minutes played.
2. Josh Childress - ATL - 11.8 pts, 4.9 reb, 1.5 ast (6)
Childress' play off the bench was a huge factor in Atlanta making the playoffs and nearly upsetting Boston in the first round, but when he didn't get the contract offer he thought he deserved after the season, he left to play in Europe, and he hasn't been nearly as good since his return this season.
3. Ben Gordon - CHI - 18.6 pts, 3.1 reb, 3.0 ast (5)
After winning the Sixth Man Award as a rookie, Gordon was moved back to the bench in his 4th season, and it didn't have a huge impact on his overall production, but it did keep the Bulls from making the playoffs, making it a failed experiment. The next year Gordon was back to his customary spot in the starting lineup.
4. Jason Terry - DAL - 15.5 pts, 2.5 reb, 3.2 ast (3)
You can't have a sixth man discussion without involving Terry anymore, but this was his first season coming primarily off the bench since he was a rookie, and his scoring average only dropped by one point per game, so Dallas has kept him there with great results for the past 4 years.
5. Leandro Barbosa - PHX - 15.6 pts, 2.8 reb, 2.6 ast (2)
One season after winning the award, Barbosa found himself right back in the running with another solid season for the Suns, boasting the 3rd highest scoring average of all bench players and playing in every game for the first time in his career.
Most Improved Player
1. LaMarcus Aldridge - POR - +8.8 pts, +2.6 reb, +1.2 ast (3)
With Greg Oden out for the season, Portland turned to Aldridge for an inside presence, and the second-year man responded well, nearly doubling his scoring average from his rookie season. He is a candidate again this year, after raising his level of play to All-Star levels after three years of being a very good starter.
2. Ronnie Brewer - UTA - +7.4 pts, +1.6 reb, +1.4 ast (11)
Brewer was moved into the starting lineup in just his second season for Utah, and was immediately a very solid player, averaging 2.2 steals per game to go along with his huge jumps in every other category. His production has slowed somewhat in the past two seasons, but Jazz fans remember what he's capable of.
3. Rudy Gay - MEM - +9.3 pts, +1.7 reb, +0.7 ast (2)
Gay exploded in his second season out of UConn, scoring over 20 points per game for the Grizzlies, who still managed to finish dead last in their division again. Gay has remained a star for the Grizzlies since, but has not reached that 20-point plateau again.
4. Chris Kaman - LAC - +5.6 pts, +4.9 reb, +0.8 ast (13)
Despite missing 26 games due to injury, Kaman was extremely impressive in his 5th year in the league, finally rewarding the Clippers for making him the #6 pick in the draft back in 2003. He still has not come within 3 rebounds per game of the 12.7 he averaged that year, as injuries have become a theme for him in recent years.
5. Hedo Turkoglu - ORL - +6.2 pts, +1.7 reb, +1.8 ast (1)
Hedo had been a solid starter for years before he had his career season in 2008. The Magic's record obviously helped Turkoglu win this award, since his jump wasn't as impressive as the others on this list, but he left no doubt that he was good enough to be a star player after this season.
NBA Player of the Day
Kobe Bryant - LAL - 37 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl, 14-31 FG, 3-6 3P, 6-7 FT
Back to today's NBA, we see a very familiar face in the Player of the Day spot after Kobe's huge game against Portland last night. Not only did they stop Portland's 6-game winning streak, but Kobe hit the shot that clinched the win in overtime in the Rose Garden.
Predictions - 24 Feb
Upset picks are in italics.
NBA
Heat at Bulls - Bulls by 1
Celtics at Nuggets - Celtics by 1
College Basketball
West Virginia at (6) Pittsburgh - Pitt by 10
(10) Arizona at USC - Arizona by 1
Georgia at (13) Florida - Florida by 9
Marquette at (15) Connecticut - UConn by 7
Northeastern at George Mason - George Mason by 22
Belmont at Mercer - Belmont by 13
Prediction Results - 23 Feb
NBA: 10-2 (.833) 478-196 overall (.709)
College Basketball: 10-3 (.769) 483-112 overall (.812)
Upsets: 2-1 (.667) 124-79 overall (.611)
Gosh, some of your rankings came out very differently than the actual rankings!
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