2009 NBA Awards

the following are different articles dealing with the nba awards race from espn, cbssports, and si. i thought you would like to have all in one article so it would be easier to read. i agree with most of them: i have LeBron as MVP, Mike Brown as Coach of the Year, Danny Granger as Most Improved, D. Howard as Def. MVP, OJ Mayo as Rookie of the year, I also have a new award...... Biggest Disappointment of the Year: GREG ODEN! What do you think?????????




www.espn.com's NBA mvp votes 18 total votes from 18 diff. sports writers at espn. As you can tell only one idiot voted against LeBron for 1st place........ Jon Barry!! Maybe that is why he didn't last in the league very long. DUH!!!!!!


The tally
1. LeBron James: 89 points (17 first-place votes, 1 second)

2. Dwyane Wade: 62 points (1 first-place vote, 8 second, 7 third, 2 fourth)

3. Kobe Bryant: 53 points (8 second-place votes, 5 third, 1 fourth, 4 fifth)

4. Dwight Howard: 31 points (1 second-place vote, 2 third, 10 fourth, 1 fifth)

5. Chris Paul: 22 points (3 third-place votes, 3 fourth, 7 fifth)

6. Chauncey Billups: 8 points (1 third-place vote, 1 fourth, 3 fifth)

7. Paul Pierce: 3 points (1 fourth-place vote, 1 fifth)

8. Tony Parker: 2 points (2 fifth-place votes)





NBA Awards picked by www.si.com Ian Thomsen and Chris Mannix

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Ian Thomsen
LeBron James
FORWARD
PPG RPG APG SPG
28.4 7.6 7.2 1.69
2. Kobe Bryant, G, Lakers
3. Dwyane Wade, G, Heat
4. Chris Paul, G, Hornets
5. Dwight Howard, C, Magic
To think that LeBron has yet to peak. At 24, he has led the Cavs to the league's best record and an improvement of at least 21 victories while accumulating the numbers of a modern-day Oscar Robertson. Bryant edges Wade for second because nothing in the regular season is more valuable than leading a team into championship contention. Which does not diminish the accomplishments of Wade, who is the reason Miami is back in the playoffs after its 67-loss season in 2007-08.
Chris Mannix
LeBron James
FORWARD
PPG RPG APG SPG
28.4 7.6 7.2 1.69
2. Kobe Bryant, G, Lakers
3. Dwyane Wade, G, Heat
4. Chris Paul, G, Hornets
5. Dwight Howard, C, Magic
In addition to his overwhelming offensive play, James has developed Tayshaun Prince-like defensive skills (if he's within 30 feet of the ball when a fast break starts, he's a threat to block a shot) and a Steve Nash-like ability to raise his teammates' games. The truly frightening fact is that the six-year veteran is far from a finished product. With some improvements in his on-the-ball defense and post game, James could be the runaway winner of this award for the next five years.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Ian Thomsen
Derrick Rose
GUARD
PPG RPG APG FG%
16.8 3.9 6.3 47.5
2. Brook Lopez, C, Nets
3. O.J. Mayo, G, Grizzlies
Not only does Rose promise to eventually join Chris Paul and Deron Williams among the top point guards in the league, but he also showed instant leadership of a Bulls franchise that had been seeking an elite star since Michael Jordan. The Nets have their center for the next decade in Lopez, a huge steal with the No. 10 pick. Mayo holds on for the bronze despite a second-half sprint to the finish by Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook.
Chris Mannix
Derrick Rose
GUARD
PPG RPG APG FG%
16.8 3.9 6.3 47.5
2. O.J. Mayo, G, Grizzlies
3. Brook Lopez, C, Nets
I had Mayo on top most of the season, but his swoon in March combined with Rose's leading the red-hot Bulls into the playoffs clinched it for the Chicago point guard. Manning the NBA's most complex position like a 10-year vet, Rose has been consistent from start (18.9 points, 6.1 assists in November) to finish (19.0 points, 6.8 assists in April). Mayo may still turn out to be a star, but Rose is poised to join the elite class of point guards next season.

COACH OF THE YEAR
Ian Thomsen
Mike Brown
WINS LOSES
66 15
2. Rick Adelman, Rockets
3. Erik Spoelstra, Heat
A dozen others could be recognized but no one is more deserving than Brown, who has emphasized defense while building a team around LeBron that resembles the dynamic Phil Jackson created in Chicago several years ago. Adelman started the year developing a half-court offense through Tracy McGrady and finished it winning with two young, up-tempo point guards (Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry) and a defense anchored by Shane Battier, Ron Artest and Luis Scola. Spoelstra put together the league's biggest one-year improvement as a rookie coach.
Chris Mannix
Stan Van Gundy
WINS LOSES
58 23
2. Mike Brown, Cavaliers
3. Nate McMillan, Trail Blazers
You could make a case for the coach who has taken his team from rags to riches (Spoelstra); the coach who has led his young team to the brink of hosting a first-round playoff series (McMillan); the coach whose team has dominated all season (Brown); or a few other strong candidates. But Van Gundy gets my vote for transitioning from one starting point guard (Jameer Nelson) to another (Rafer Alston) without skipping a beat, for developing spindly Rashard Lewis into an All-Star power forward and for molding a team of fourth-quarter killers (51-1 when leading with five minutes left).

SIXTH MAN AWARD
Ian Thomsen
Jason Terry
GUARD
PPG APG FG% FT%
19.5 3.4 46.1 88.0
2. Nate Robinson, G, Knicks
3. Chris Andersen, F-C, Nuggets
Terry, a starter most of his career, has a higher scoring average than any of the last 18 Sixth Man winners. He has been a steady presence for playoff-bound Dallas. Robinson (16.6 points in 62 games as a sub) had several big performances for the Knicks. Andersen (2.46 blocks) provided crucial production in limited minutes.
Chris Mannix
Jason Terry
GUARD
PPG APG FG% FT%
19.5 3.4 46.1 88.0
2. Nate Robinson, G, Knicks
3. Travis Outlaw, F, Trail Blazers
Terry is a valuable contributor on a playoff team who always seems to be operating under control. Robinson is also an explosive scorer; that's the good. The bad is that he is reckless with the ball, makes as many boneheaded plays as he does spectacular ones and often has looked to be one turnover away from being throttled by his coach. Advantage, Terry.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Ian Thomsen
Danny Granger
FORWARD
PPG RPG BPG 3PG%
25.7 5.0 1.42 40.0
2. Devin Harris, G, Nets
3. Kevin Durant, F, Thunder
Granger does a lot of scoring and a good deal of everything else for the Pacers, who were forced to rely entirely on him because of a near-year-long knee injury to Mike Dunleavy. Harris made the most of the opportunities drawn up for him by coach Lawrence Frank to join Granger as a first-time All-Star. Durant turned from an erratic rookie into a budding star who looks like he'll be dominant sooner than later.
Chris Mannix
Devin Harris
GUARD
PPG APG SPG FT%
21.3 6.9 1.65 82.0
2. Paul Millsap, F, Jazz
3. David Lee, F, Knicks
I don't understand some voters. Kevin Durant? He was the No. 2 pick in the draft last season. Danny Granger? He was already nearly a 20-point-per-game scorer and good enough to warrant a $60 million contract in the offseason. This award belongs to a player who burst onto the scene to become a star. No player fits that description better than Harris, who improved his scoring average an NBA-best 6.5 points.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Ian Thomsen
Dwight Howard
CENTER
DRPG BPG SPG MPG
9.6 2.92 .97 35.9
2. LeBron James, F, Cavaliers
3. Kevin Garnett, F, Celtics
Known as a finesse three-point team, the Magic rank No. 3 in field-goal defense because Howard controls the defensive boards and the paint. James has committed to defending, which is a big reason why the Cavs rank in the top two in scoring and shooting defense. Though KG sat for most of the final two months, his fingerprints are all over Boston's NBA-leading field-goal defense.
Chris Mannix
Dwight Howard
CENTER
DRPG BPG SPG MPG
9.6 2.92 .97 35.9
2. Kevin Garnett, F, Celtics
3. Kobe Bryant, G, LA Lakers
As tempted as I was to vote for Shane Battier, Ron Artest or Bryant, it's impossible to overlook Howard's accomplishments for the Magic, who have become a top defensive team. Howard is set to join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Hakeem Olajuwon and Ben Wallace as the only players to lead the NBA in rebounding and blocked shots.

ALL-NBA TEAMS
First Team
Ian Thomsen
Kobe Bryant
GUARD
PPG RPG APG SPG
26.8 5.2 4.9 1.46

Dwyane Wade
GUARD
PPG RPG APG SPG
30.2 5.0 7.5 2.19

LeBron James
FORWARD
PPG RPG APG SPG
28.4 7.6 7.2 1.69

Paul Pierce
FORWARD
PPG RPG APG FG%
20.5 5.6 3.6 45.7

Dwight Howard
CENTER
PPG RPG BPG FG%
20.7 13.9 2.92 57.4


Chris Mannix
Kobe Bryant
GUARD
PPG RPG APG SPG
26.8 5.2 4.9 1.46

Dwyane Wade
GUARD
PPG RPG APG SPG
30.2 5.0 7.5 2.19

LeBron James
FORWARD
PPG RPG APG SPG
28.4 7.6 7.2 1.69

Tim Duncan
FORWARD
PPG RPG APG BPG
19.3 10.6 3.5 1.69

Dwight Howard
CENTER
PPG RPG BPG FG%
20.7 13.9 2.92 57.4



Second Team
G Chris Paul, Hornets
G Brandon Roy, Trail Blazers
F Tim Duncan, Spurs
F Pau Gasol, Lakers
C Yao Ming, Rockets
G Chris Paul, Hornets
G Brandon Roy, Trail Blazers
F Paul Pierce, Celtics
F Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
C Yao Ming, Rockets

Third Team
G Tony Parker, Spurs
G Deron Williams, Jazz
F Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
F Chris Bosh, Raptors
C Shaquille O'Neal, Suns
Pierce is a first-teamer because of his leadership in Garnett's absence. Gasol stepped into Andrew Bynum's role at midseason while posting terrific numbers. Roy is a shadow MVP as the league's least-recognized fourth-quarter star. Bosh is to Toronto as Garnett was recently to Minnesota, a proud star who holds up his end regardless of others' failings. The most difficult omissions were Joe Johnson (nosed out by Parker) and KG (who missed too many games).
G Tony Parker, Spurs
G Deron Williams, Jazz
F Kevin Garnett, Celtics
F Pau Gasol, Lakers
C Shaquille O'Neal, Suns
Wade's season was enough to bump Paul from the first team. Williams, who was slowed by an ankle injury early in the season, came on strong in the second half to edge Joe Johnson on the third team. Shaq returns to the All-NBA team thanks to his best season in three years. There was no room for New Orleans forward David West, among others. Along with Paul, West has kept the injury-plagued Hornets viable in the Western Conference.





articles on nba awards
ken berger www.cbssports.com
Awards: By royal decree, King James ends MVP debate

It's the argument that never ends. What does MVP mean? It's time to stop it. It's not that hard.
Stop trying to dissect, redefine, interpret and reinterpret what should be the simplest award in any sport. Don't get caught up in trivial matters such as the meaning of words. The ultimate team award in any sport is the championship trophy. It goes to whichever team wins the championship -- the team that had the best season. And so the greatest individual honor in any sport should be decided the same way. It should go to the player who had the best season.
You can try to parse the meaning of the award by offering whatever spin you like on the meaning of the word "valuable." But that is the ultimate subjective judgment. Year-end awards are always subjective by nature, but that doesn't mean I have to decide them based on hypotheticals. How do we know how good Cleveland would be without LeBron as compared to, say, how good the Heat would be without Dwyane Wade, the Magic would be without Dwight Howard, or the Thunder would be without Kevin Durant, for crying out loud? That's not the point. The point is, how good were these teams with their best player?
So, enough. The MVP trophy is the greatest individual honor, and it goes to the individual player who had the best season.

Pretty simple. That's why the MVP ballot I'm submitting to the NBA by 3 p.m. ET Thursday looks like this:

1. LeBron James
2. Dwyane Wade
3. Kobe Bryant
4. Chris Paul
5. Dwight Howard

LeBron was the most dominant force in the game by any measure -- individual statistics, team success and how those two were related. He imposed his will more than any other player on all aspects of the game -– halfcourt offense, halfcourt defense and transition. His team had the best record in the league, largely because of him. You can carve up the statistics of my top three -- James, Wade and Bryant -- any way you like. They're comparable in most significant areas and divergent in every way you'd expect. (James, a small forward, was a better rebounder. Bryant, the perimeter assassin, was the best 3-point shooter. Wade, a great off-ball defender, was second only to Paul in steals.) Among them, the Big Three accounted for seven of the 10 50-point games in the league this season –- three apiece for James and Wade, one for Kobe. And Kobe's was the most memorable, the Roger Maris (61) he dropped at Madison Square Garden in February.
So with such closely matched statistical accomplishments, what should the tipping point be? It's a question I posed to all three of my finalists -- or was present when someone else posed it -- at one point or another this season. LeBron had the best answer.
"No idea," he said. "I'm glad I'm not on the board of selecting the MVP. There's a lot of MVP candidates out there -- myself and Kobe and Dwyane and Dwight and Chris Paul. There's a lot of guys. For me as an individual, I just try to put our team in position to win ballgames every time we go out there. And that's all I can do."
And that's what he did, better than anyone else in the NBA. He did it with his offense, his passing, his defense -- both on and off the ball -- and with his leadership, charisma, speed and brute force. I don't know how else to explain it, other than to say he was the best player in the league this season, and I defy anyone to tell me otherwise.

Here's the rest of my awards ballot for 2008-09:

Rookie of the Year
1. Derrick Rose, Bulls
2. O.J. Mayo, Grizzlies
3. Brook Lopez, Nets

Rose had the biggest impact of any rookie, starting at point guard from Day 1 and leading his team to the playoffs. Not only that, he kept the Bulls on course after a deadline trade that changed the offensive and locker room dynamics.
Russell Westbrook came on around midseason, but Mayo had the more consistent year, shot a higher percentage (overall and on threes), and toiled in just as much obscurity. I gave Lopez the slight edge over Minnesota's Kevin Love because he started more games, shot a higher percentage, and blocked more shots.

Coach of the Year
1. Rick Adelman, Rockets
2. Stan Van Gundy, Magic
3. George Karl, Nuggets

The Rockets started the season without Shane Battier, finished it without Tracy McGrady and made the whole Ron Artest thing work. If that doesn't earn you Coach of the Year honors, tell me what does.
Van Gundy got a talented, sometimes nonchalant group to focus on the details -- and didn't panic when Jameer Nelson went down. The Spurs' Gregg Popovich deserves plenty of consideration, especially considering the injuries to Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili and the way the coach seamlessly integrated Matt Bonner, Roger Mason, Ime Udoka and rookie George Hill into the most startlingly efficient -- if banged-up -- operation in the league. But my third vote goes to Karl, who had his hands full with Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith and who provided the most important part of the following equation: great point guard + great coach = team success.

Defensive Player of the Year
1. Dwight Howard, Magic
2. LeBron James, Cavaliers
3. Dwyane Wade, Heat

When you lead the league in rebounds and blocks, as Howard did, you have pretty much staked your claim to this award.
Battier should be on this list every year except this one; he missed too many games. Same for Kevin Garnett. So that opened my mind to some out-of-the-box thinking. For an award usually dominated by specialists, I'm going with great all-around players for my other two picks. According to 82games.com, LeBron led all the top contenders in defensive efficiency; when he was on the floor, the Cavs gave up 7.3 fewer points per 100 possessions than when he wasn't. Wade was the only player in the league with at least 100 blocks and 100 steals and became the first player 6-4 or shorter to record 100 blocks in a season.


Sixth Man Award
1. Jason Terry, Mavericks
2. Travis Outlaw, Trail Blazers
3. J.R. Smith, Nuggets

It's hard to average 20 points a game in the NBA; even harder when you come off the bench. Thus Terry (19.5 ppg) gets the nod.
You can't leave a member of the most productive bench in the league off your sixth-man ballot; thus, Portland's Outlaw slides into the two hole. Smith doesn't like coming off the bench in Denver, but there's no debating he's good at it. Smith had 18 20-point games, and sealed his status as a top sixth man with 45 Tuesday night against Sacramento. His play has been one of the biggest reasons the Chauncey Billups trade paid such lofty dividends.

Most Improved
1. Devin Harris, Nets
2. Danny Granger, Pacers
3. Paul Millsap, Jazz

If I'd been deciding this at the All-Star break, my first vote would've gone to Chris Duhon, who went from being a pariah in Chicago to a capable floor general in New York. But Duhon's nagging injuries and the dramatic drop in his production knocked him out of my top three.
The change of scenery and increased role in New Jersey certainly agreed with Harris, who increased his averages in all the major categories and earned his first All-Star nod. It's scary to contemplate where the Mavericks would be if they hadn't traded him.
Granger became the first player in NBA history to increase his scoring average by five or more points in three successive seasons. Without Millsap, the Jazz would've been dead in the water when Carlos Boozer went down.
One caveat: Nene deserves a nod here, considering he came back from testicular cancer and increased his scoring average (5.3 to 14.6) and rebounding average (5.4 to 7.8). But those numbers aren't dramatically higher than his averages two years ago (12.2 ppg and 7.0 rpg), so it's hard to justify a most-improved vote. If the NBA still awarded Comeback Player of the Year, Nene would've gotten my vote.