And The Award Goes To...

It's that time of year again with the season is winding down and the playoffs just around the corner. That means that everybody is gearing up for this year's stand out players. Below is my list of award recipients:



Coach of the Year - Avery Johnson

There's been a few coaches who I've been impressed with this year. Obviously, it's the same group that TNT, ESPN, ABC, and every other sports commentator talks about.

I didn't pick Mike D'Antoni because for some reason I get the idea that the success of that team doesn't have a lot to do with him personally. A coach makes a difference, but with him it seems to be a minimal difference. His team is just flat out good.

I didn't go with Flip Saunders, even though he's gotta be one of my favorite coaches in the league, because we already knew that Detroit was the top team. If he deserves the Coach of the Year, then so does Popovich!

So that leaves me with the Little General. I know, I know. Dallas is a good team already too. But there's one major difference. Their mindset. Avery has got everyone on that team believing the way he wants them to. They've really imporved their defense (I don't care what Charles Barkley says, they have...) and are poised to go deep into the post-season. How a guy as small as he is and with as high of a voice as he has, gets respect from twelve or more professional ball players is beyond me. But he does, and he does it well.


Rookie of the Year - Chris Paul

Not much needs to be said here. Obvious choice. The kid almost made the frickin' All-Star squad! Can't say enough about him. Too bad he won't be stickin' around New Orleans. I've get twenty bucks that says he'll bolt just as soon as that contract allows him.

Gotta give him credit for what he's done with what he has, though. I don't think anybody expected the Hornets to do as well as they have this year.

He's basically shown the Jazz what they could have had. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Deron Williams fan, and I think he'll do great. But Chris Paul was an impact player, and that's what is important in any draft.



Most Improved Player - Boris Diaw

Simply incredible. This cat reminds me a lot of Andrei Kirilenko in the way that he can fill up a stat sheet. On a team that has plenty of role players and plenty of talent, he somehow finds a way to consistently post incredible numbers. He's versatility is priceless. On Yahoo! fantasy sports they have him listed as being able to play an position from shooting guard all the way up to center.

I would take Boris on any team, any time. If given the right opportunity I think that he could make an All-Star squad. To be honest, I hadn't heard much about him until he got to Phoenix. But now he's on everyone's radar because he poses a serious threat to any team.



Defensive Player of the Year - Andrei Kirilenko

I'm tired of hearing the cases for Ben Wallace and Bruce Bowen. They're both great defenders, don't get me wrong, but is there a more intimidating defender in the league than AK47? Just by his mere presence in the key is enough to throw any player off. He's dominating the block category and his steals are excellent as well.

Most people disregard him because he's missed so many games this year. That shouldn't matter. The games he was in, he was amazing. The scary thing is, he's just getting started!

Most Valuable Player - Kobe Bryant

This is a tricky one. It all comes down to what your definition of "MVP" is. It doesn't seem like it should be such an ambiguous term, but believe me, it is. Some people pick the guy who has been the difference maker on the team in comparison to how they did the prior year. Some people pick the guy who is the team's main source of offense. Some people choose the guy who, if they could pick anyone in the league to build a new team around, they'd pick. To me, the MVP is the guy who would be the Most Valuable Player on any team he was placed on. The guy whose team wouldn't win without him on the floor, regardless of what team it is.

To me, that guy is Kobe Bryant. Any team you placed him on would be lethal. He's positioned his team to clinch a playoff spot, albeit only 7th. However, if he were removed from that team, they would be at the bottom of the barrell - Odom Schmodom. I would trade any other player in the league just to have Kobe Bryant. Keep your Steve Nashs, Tim Duncans, Shaquille O'Neals, and even your Le Bron's. Again, don't get me wrong, all those guys are AMAZING players. But if I had the choice of anybody in the league to pick for my team, hands down it would be Kobe Bryant.

Well, that's it. That's all she wrote. See ya in the playoffs!

As a side note, I'm pulling for any of these three teams to win it all:

> Miami Heat
> Phoenix Suns
> Dallas Mavericks

Late.

Becoming Colangelo...

It's no secret that the past few U.S. olympic basketball teams have failed to meet the high expectations set by their transcendent predecessors in the early nineties. Instead of fusing the NBA's greatest into a star-studded team, the U.S. team has taken a different approach. This may have been a successful formula for the original Dream Team (meshing Jordan, Bird, Magic, Barkley, Robinson, Malone, Stockton, and others), but it actually seems to be counter-productive with today's players. The reasons for this are a topic in and of themselves (which I wouldn't mind taking up sometime in the near future on this blog), but the fact is: in 2008 we're going to see a completely different Olympic team than we ever have before. Whether this leads to America's doom or success, we'll soon find out.

Jerry Colangelo, Suns chairman and CEO, will be overseeing the drafting for the team's roster. He has decided to steer clear of the "star-studded" blueprint of the past and put together a conglomeration of All-Stars, defenders, and role players. The unfortunate part is that likely candidates are now getting snubbed - case in point: Allen Iverson. '04 Olympic co-captain and easily the most passionate player on the team was not invited to attend Colangelo's try-out. Granted, not everyone is going to get to play, but this raises a few questions that are a slight variant of my last post...

If you were Jerry Colangelo and you had to put together the 2008 Olympic team, who would you select to compete in Beijing?


Keep in mind:
> There are NO salary restrictions

> Although many players turn down the opportunity to represent their conutry, assume you could have whomever you want

> Remember that chemistry is very crucial to success

> This team MUST be able to not only compete with other countries, it must reclaim the glory of the Dream Team by outclassing most other teams

> Lastly, don't forget that players like Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Tony Parker, Ilgauskas, and the like will most likely play for their home teams and are therefore disqualified from joining the U.S. team!


Make America Proud!!

What Would You Do?

Probably the hardest job in the NBA is that of the General Manager. Their jobs depend on the quality of team, which may or may not be out of anyone's hands. However, my recent reflection on some of the NBA's best and worst GM's caused me to ponder a few questions. What would you do if you were GM...

* If you had to choose one person from the 2006 All-Star squad (East or West) to build around, who would it be?

* Who is the one player that you think would be a mistake to build around?

* What NBA market would be the best place for recruiting?

* Who would be the best coach for your team?

Final question:
* What 10 players would you pick to create a team?
> Taking into account the need for role players
> Assuming there is some sort of salary cap