Lebron James Wins 2nd MVP Award - 2010 NBA Playoff TV Schedule

LeBron wins second MVP award in landslide vote
www.si.com
AKRON, Ohio (AP) -- LeBron James looked out at the sea of faces from his past and present. There's no knowing if they'll be in his future.
Scanning an audience which came to celebrate his second straight runaway NBA MVP award, James pointed out his former high school coaches and best friends. He praised his mom, Gloria, who somehow raised him after giving birth when she was just 16. He had a special message for his girlfriend, Savannah, and their two young sons, LeBron Jr. and Bryce.
James thanked them all, and then singled out one special group.
"I'm sorry," he said Sunday, halting the ceremony at the University of Akron's James A. Rhodes Arena. "But all my teammates, you have to come up here with me, man."
He was soon surrounded on the podium by Shaquille O'Neal, Mo Williams, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team he led to 61 wins during the regular season and is determined to take all the way to an NBA championship.
Each of the Cavs hugged James before forming a half-circle around him. A few players used video cameras to record the all-for-one moment.
"My name may be put on the front of that trophy," James said, pointing at the Maurice Podoloff Trophy. "But these guys have a lot to do with it."
Dominating the voting just as he dominated on the floor all season, James became the 10th player in league history to win consecutive MVP awards, and he made sure to share it with the people closest to him, the ones who can never imagine him playing anywhere but Cleveland.
"Since I was a kid, I always said I'd find a way to put Akron on the map," James said. "It will always be my home and it will always be my life."
James' comments seemed slightly ominous for a player on the eve of a big decision. He has given few clues about his intentions for when free agency opens on July 1, but James almost sounded as if he was preparing to say goodbye.
"Akron, Ohio is my home," he said. "Akron, Ohio will always be remembered. Akron, Ohio is my life and I love this city."
Later, he was asked how he could leave "all this."
"This is home for me," he said. "I love this place to death. Every day I wake up I understand that I'm not just carrying myself but I'm also carrying this city to bigger and better heights. No matter where life may head me, I'm never gone from here."
James received 116 of a possible 123 first-place votes to win in a landslide over Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant, who was picked first on four ballots. Orlando center Dwight Howard received the other three first-place votes and finished fourth.
Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant had no first-place votes and finished third.
Voting was done by a nationwide panel of sports writers and broadcasters, and this year one ballot was cast by fans in an online vote, which went to James. Players were awarded 10 points for first, seven points for second, five for third, three for fourth and one for fifth.
James finished second on five ballots and two writers placed him third. A year ago, James received 109 of 122 first-place votes.
James finished with 1,205 points, nearly doubling Durant (609). His margin of victory is the second largest in history, topped by only O'Neal, who won by 799 points in 2000. His first-place total was also the most since Kevin Garnett got 120 of 123 in 2004.
James joined Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan and Steve Nash on a who's-who list of back-to-back winners.
"Those are guys I looked up to growing up," he said. "To be in that same category is an unbelievable feat."
For the second straight year, James chose to have the award ceremony his hometown of Akron.
Last May, he returned to St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and received the award in the quaint gymnasium in front of family, friends and the student body. He moved it to a larger but still familiar stage, opting for Rhodes -- or the JAR, as it is known -- on Akron's campus, where he also played in high school.
The ceremony was open to the public, and hundreds of fans, a few of whom slept out overnight and many wearing an assortment of No. 23 James jerseys, stood in line for hours for their chance to witness yet another coronation of Ohio's basketball king.
James considered holding the ceremony in the school's new football stadium but was afraid the weather might not cooperate.
"We didn't want it to rain on my parade," he said.
James arrived fashionably late, riding in the back of a Maybach Zeppelin. He was greeted with screams from fans lining the sidewalk as he got out of the expensive ride, looking resplendent in a gray suit, blue shirt and sunglasses that weren't needed on an overcast day.
When he finally took the stage along with Cavs coach Mike Brown, general manager Danny Ferry and owner Dan Gilbert, James was serenaded with chants of "M-V-P" by a crowd estimated at 3,000. Winning a second MVP wasn't necessarily a goal. He does have another in mind.
"The only reason I do what I do on the court is to compete for an NBA championship," he said. "I understand that until I won that I won't go down as one of the greatest players ever. That's my only goal right now. This is the closest I've been to it."


2010 NBA MVP Voting (Voting is on a 10-7-5-3-1 basis)
Player 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Total
LeBron James 116 5 2 - - 1,205
Kevin Durant 4 46 31 29 5 609
Kobe Bryant - 43 44 23 9 599
Dwight Howard 3 27 30 29 22 478
Dwyane Wade - 1 6 19 25 119
C. Anthony - 1 3 8 19 65
Dirk Nowitzki - - 3 7 19 55
Steve Nash - - 3 6 16 49
Deron Williams - - 1 - 2 7
A. Stoudemire - - - 1 2 5
Manu Ginobili - - - 1 - 3
Chris Bosh - - - - 1 1
Joe Johnson - - - - 1 1
S. Jackson - - - - 1 1
C. Billups - - - - 1 1
• Source: By The Associated Press



WESTERN CONFERENCE
Conference Semifinals

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Utah Jazz
May 2 Final Score: Utah Jazz 99, Los Angeles Lakers 104
May 4 Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers 10:30 pm TNT
May 8 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Utah Jazz 8:00 pm ABC
May 10 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Utah Jazz 10:30 pm TNT
May 12 Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers* 9:30 pm TNT
May 14 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Utah Jazz* 9:30 pm ESPN
May 17 Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers* 9:00 pm TNT
Lakers lead series 1-0

(3) Phoenix Suns vs. (7) San Antonio Spurs
May 3 San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns 10:30 pm TNT
May 5 San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns 9:00 pm TNT
May 7 Phoenix Suns vs. San Antonio Spurs 9:30 pm ESPN
May 9 Phoenix Suns vs. San Antonio Spurs 8:00 pm TNT
May 11 San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns* 10:30 pm TNT
May 13 Phoenix Suns vs. San Antonio Spurs* 9:30 pm ESPN
May 16 San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns* TBA TNT

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Conference Semifinals

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (4) Boston Celtics
May 1 Final Score: Boston Celtics 93, Cleveland Cavaliers 101
May 3 Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers 8:00 pm TNT
May 7 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics 7:00 pm ESPN
May 9 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics 3:30 pm ABC
May 11 Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers* 8:00 pm TNT
May 13 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics* 7:00 pm ESPN
May 16 Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers* 3:30 pm ABC
Cleveland leads series 1–0

(2) Orlando Magic vs. (3) Atlanta Hawks
May 4 Atlanta Hawks vs. Orlando Magic 8:00 pm TNT
May 6 Atlanta Hawks vs. Orlando Magic 8:00 pm ESPN
May 8 Orlando Magic vs. Atlanta Hawks TBA
May 10 Orlando Magic vs. Atlanta Hawks 8:00 pm TNT
May 12 Atlanta Hawks vs. Orlando Magic* 7:00 pm TNT
May 14 Orlando Magic vs. Atlanta Hawks* 7:00 pm ESPN
May 16 Atlanta Hawks vs. Orlando Magic* TBA

LeBron James 2009 NBA MVP

All of the different articles about LeBron James winning the NBA MVP here on one site for you. (espn.com si.com msnbc.com)

CLEVELAND - Unstoppable at both ends of the floor this season, LeBron James is the NBA’s Most Valuable Player.
James, who led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a team-record 66 regular-season wins and the top overall seed in the playoffs, will receive the award Monday, a person with knowledge of the choice told The Associated Press. James chose Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, his alma mater, for the presentation, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement has not been made.
The Cavaliers announced a “major” news conference for 4 p.m. at the school, but did not give the reason.
James is the first Cavaliers player to win the award. He averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists this season, his sixth as a pro. He also finished second in voting for defensive player of the year, making him perhaps the league’s most dominant two-way player since Michael Jordan.
At 24 years, 106 days on the final day of the regular season, James is the youngest player to win the award since Moses Malone (24 years, 16 days) in 1978-79. Wes Unseld was 23 when he won it in 1968-69.
James vied all season for MVP honors with the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and Miami’s Dwyane Wade. The three played on the U.S. gold medalist Olympic team last summer and seemed to upstage each other nightly this season.
Focused right from the start, the 6-foot-8, 250-pound James sharpened his already formidable skills this season.
He started a career-high 81 games and set personal bests in field-goal (49) and free-throw (79) percentages. James became the second player to post five straight seasons of at least 27 points, six rebounds and six assists. The other is Oscar Robertson, whose extraordinarily versatile game is the one James’ is most often compared.
James nearly averaged a triple-double — 32 points, 11.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists — as the top-seeded Cavaliers breezed through the first round of the playoffs, sweeping the Detroit Pistons in four games. Cleveland will host the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 on Tuesday.
It’s no surprise James would select his high school for the ceremony. It’s where he won three state basketball championships and where he burst onto the national scene, becoming a Sports Illustrated cover subject at just 17 years old. He announced plans to skip college in the Fighting Irish’s quaint gym and recently filmed a “60 Minutes” interview there.





Let me see if I can make this clear without getting myself in trouble:
I expected LeBron James, who arrived in the pros as an 18-year-old drawing intense scrutiny and facing extraordinary expectations, to have screwed up by this time. Not a Jeff George-level screwup, i.e., clashing with coaches and consistently underperforming. Not a Michael Phelps-level screwup, i.e., getting photographed with a marijuana pipe. Not necessarily a Kobe Bryant-level screwup, i.e., committing a sexual indiscretion that cost him a reputation that he has only recently begun to salvage.
But some kind of screwup. Show up late or not at all for one game. Miss a practice because of a Nike commitment, then say it doesn't matter all that much. Shove an unruly fan who got in his face in a club. Get frustrated from double- and triple-teaming and lash out at an opponent. Complain about teammates not giving him enough help.
But here we are in the 24-year-old's sixth season, and it's as if he's following a script written by a couple of hip, yet image-conscious screenwriters. Let yourself groove a little, LeBron, but stay within the lines.
And, so, as the Cavaliers' young superstar accepts the MVP hardware that is so deservedly his, I ponder not the specifics of his exquisitely played season or the promise that he will bring the starving city of Cleveland a championship, but the fact that he has yet to make a major false step.
Incredible. Simply incredible.
Now, just because someone lives an Ozzie and Harriet upbringing, as Michael Jordan did, and someone else grows up hard, as James did, does not guarantee a certain life path. But Jordan himself credited his ability to flourish both on and off the court at least partly to a stable, two-parent boyhood, three blissful campus years at Chapel Hill under the tutelage of Dean Smith, and having superagent David Falk to blaze his marketing trail. James' hardscrabble background, in Akron, Ohio, was the polar opposite of Jordan's. He had no college coach to help check his compass. And at the end of the 2004-05 season, James fired his agents, the Goodwin brothers, and hired a group of friends to take over his endorsement career. (He would later select Leon Rose as his new agent.)
Ticket to disaster? Hardly.
James handles everything thrown at him -- criticism, marketing challenges (would anyone deny that he's a more natural performer than Jordan in his ads?), questions about not winning the big one, etc. -- as easily as he handles hounding defenses. When Washington Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson called him overrated, James simply turned it away by comparing himself to Jay-Z and Stevenson to one-hit wonder Soulja Boy. It's got a degree of cockiness, sure, but it was right for the moment. When Charles Barkley criticized James for talking too much about the free-agent summer of 2010, James responded hotly -- "He's stupid. That's all I've got to say about that" -- and moved on. Again, it was exactly right. Say your piece -- where's the law that someone can't come back at Charles? -- and forget about it.
As he thanked the Cavaliers' fans at the team's final regular-season home game last month, LeBron added, "If we win 99-20, don't boo us because you don't get a free chalupa." He had been upset that Cavs fans sometimes booed when the team didn't score 100 points to trigger a fast-food prize. Again, I thought it was the perfect note, a finger-wave at the fans but a gentle one and one James eminently deserved to make.
His play has been both sensational and exemplary. They're not always the same thing. Remember it wasn't too long ago that James' ability to take -- and make -- the big shot was being questioned. Now he's become a doubly clutch player because he may take the shot but he may also find an open teammate. It wasn't too long ago (the summer of 2006) when a lackadaisical performance at summer camp led some to ponder whether he should even be on the Olympic team. He got the message, and two years later LeBron, Bryant and Dwyane Wade carried the majority of the water on the way to the gold medal.
But the fact that James became a superstar in the tradition of Jordan/Bryant -- let's hold those exact comparisons until we see what happens the rest of the way -- is not really a surprise. It's the way he conducts himself on and off the court that has gotten my attention. True, most of the time, James seems to be reading from a teleprompter in his head, and I would prefer the less scripted, more spontaneous James, the James who calls Barkley stupid. But the kid has grown up fast, under a white-hot spotlight, and, man, what a job of growing up he has done.




The NBA will announce LeBron James as its MVP on Monday, The Plain Dealer of Cleveland and The Associated Press have reported, citing unnamed sources.
A day before the Cleveland Cavaliers begin their second-round series against the Atlanta Hawks, the league will anoint James, 24.
The announcement will be made at James' alma mater, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, the reports said. The Cavaliers called a news conference for 4 p.m. ET but didn't specify the nature of the event. ESPNEWS will carry the Cavaliers' news conference, expected to announce LeBron James as the NBA's MVP, at 4 p.m. ET
His Cavaliers teammates were expected to attend.
James, whose Cavaliers swept the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs, averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists during the regular season, his sixth in the NBA, in which Cleveland won a team-record 66 games and earned the top overall seed in the playoffs.
James' coach, Mike Brown, also was honored by the NBA last month as its coach of the year. Since the ABA/NBA merger, it is only the fourth time the MVP and coach of the year came from the same team that also finished with the league's best record. The last time it happened was 2004-05 (Mike D'Antoni coach, Steve Nash MVP, Phoenix Suns), but in the group of four, only the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who won 72 games, won the championship.
The Cavs host Atlanta on Tuesday after the Hawks finished off the Miami Heat in Game 7 of their first-round series Sunday.
James, who will become the first Cavaliers player to win the award, finished second in voting for defensive player of the year.
At 24 years, 106 days, he will be the youngest player to win the award since Moses Malone (24 years, 16 days) in 1978-79. Wes Unseld was 23 when he won it in 1968-69.
Focused from the start of the 2008-09 season, the 6-foot-8, 250-pound James sharpened his magnificent skills this season.
He started a career-high 81 games and set personal bests in field-goal (49) and free-throw (79) percentages. James became just the second player to post five straight seasons of at least 27 points, six rebounds and six assists. The other is Oscar Robertson, whose well-rounded game is the one James' is most often compared.
James was in a three-way battle all season with Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and Miami's Dwyane Wade for MVP honors. The trio -- teammates last summer on the U.S. Olympic team that won gold -- seemed to upstage each other on a nightly basis.
It's not a surprise that the loyal James would select his high school for the ceremony. It's where he won three state basketball championships and where he burst onto the national scene, becoming a cover subject for Sports Illustrated as a 17-year-old. He announced his intention to skip college in the Fighting Irish's quaint gym and recently filmed a "60 Minutes" interview there.

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.

NBA MVP Race as of January 16th, 2009

I have to agree with hollinger's top 4 picks, but not the particular order he has them in right now. Obviously, LeBron is number one in almost everyone's mvp poll. I cannot agree with Chris Paul being number two. I saw him in action Friday night versus LeBron and company. CP3 did not compare to be on the same level as LeBron. maybe James is that good right now, but Paul is not close to number two on my ballot. Kobe should be number two and should of gained some votes after the thumping they put on the Cavs. Everyone I agree with, but I would give Danny Granger some props right now for MVP.


John Hollingers Picks for NBA MVP as of Jan. 16th. www.espn.com
Choose this season's All-NBA team, and it's pretty much cut and dried which five names you'll settle on: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. Sure, you could nitpick about the lack of a true power forward and argue for Tim Duncan or Chris Bosh, and you might hem and haw for about 0.8 seconds about somebody like Brandon Roy for the backcourt, but ultimately, these are the five on which you'll settle. Since we're almost halfway through the NBA season, it seems like a good time to examine the MVP race -- because these four are likely to be 1, 2, 3 and 4, in some order, on nearly every MVP ballot come April.
Here's how I size it up at the halfway post:

4. Kobe Bryant, Lakers. Right now, he's No. 4, but it comes with one big, fat asterisk we'll talk about in a moment.
First, the facts: Bryant is fifth in player efficiency rating going into Friday's games, with the three other players on this list all outpacing him, and while he's been an asset at the defensive end, he hasn't been the imposing force Orlando's Howard (or, I would argue, James) has become.
The best line on his résumé right now is 31-7 -- that's L.A.'s record, the best in the league. Should the Lakers beat Orlando on Friday night and Cleveland on Monday, they'll have a strong leg up in the race for the top overall playoff seed.
On the other hand, the Lakers are only fourth in the power rankings, which is a nice way of saying they probably need to play better if they want to keep the Magic and the Cavs in their rearview mirror.
Now, about that asterisk -- one reason Bryant has a shot at repeating as MVP is his strong second-half trend throughout his career. Check out his splits over the past several seasons, and you'll see he consistently plays much better from January to March than in the first couple of months.
As much as any player in the league, Bryant manages himself during the season and slowly dials it up as the season progresses, then takes it down a notch in April to warm up for the playoffs. If he follows that trend this season, and if the Lakers finish with the league's best record, he has a shot at repeating.

3. Dwight Howard, Magic. Howard is ahead of Bryant in PER by a smidgeon, but the bigger reason to rate him ahead of Bryant is his defense. While three of Orlando's five starters aren't exactly renowned for being shut-down defenders, the Magic are third in the league in defensive efficiency.
That's a tribute to Howard's ability to shut down the middle and dominate the boards -- he is second in rebounding and leads the league by a wide margin in blocks. Plus, he's been able to do it while avoiding fouls and staying on the court. Howard averages 36.2 minutes per game -- just as many as Bryant -- which is rare for a big man.
And of course, he's as important to the offense as to the defense. Even when he isn't scoring, he's allowing the Orlando 3-point brigade to bomb away because of all the attention he draws in the middle. Now if he could just make foul shots -- that 58.0 percent from the stripe might keep him from the MVP award.

2. Chris Paul, Hornets. I felt a little weird about this one because the Hornets haven't quite lived up to the expectations some had for them this season … and because the three other players on this list are on the teams with the league's three best records … and because Paul, defensively, isn't on par with the three other players, even though he leads the league in steals.
But I have to put him here anyway, because he's been so spectacularly good in carrying the Hornets to what might be the No. 2 seed in the West -- even though the bench is terrible, Tyson Chandler is having a bad season and he has no backup. The Hornets somehow are No. 5 in the power rankings despite all that, and while it's a distant fifth, it would be more like 20th if Paul weren't around.
He is second in the league in PER and, in fact, his 30.53 mark will be among the best of all time if he can maintain it the entire season. In addition to leading the league in assists and steals, his true shooting percentage of 60.1 is phenomenal, considering how much offensive responsibility he has, while his 8.8 rebound rate is unbelievable for a 6-0 point guard -- he's outrebounding Danny Granger, Bryant, Wade, Ron Artest, Vince Carter, Roy, Thaddeus Young, Hedo Turkoglu, Richard Jefferson and Josh Howard, among others.

1. LeBron James, Cavaliers. Because James is playing fewer minutes than usual, people might not realize what a historic season he's having. The decline in playing time has resulted in a dip in his per-game averages, but in terms of efficiency, he's never been better.
In fact, one could argue nobody has ever been better.
At 32.09 going into Friday's games, James is on pace to put up the best PER of all time. Yes, better than any of Michael Jordan's seasons (his 31.70 in 1987-88 is the current gold standard). We're halfway through the season now, so we can't just write it off to a hot start -- James has a serious shot at setting a new mark.
He also is the lone star on the team that is No. 1 in the power rankings, tops in the Eastern Conference standings over the NBA champs and set to post one of the top all-time scoring margins (the Cavs currently are winning by 11.9 points per game; Jordan's 1995-96 Bulls and the 1971-72 Lakers were at plus-12.3).
The Cavs also are the league's top defensive team, and James has been a huge part of the success there as well -- he is averaging 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks, and has improved by leaps and bounds as an individual defender, as everyone saw when he shut down Paul Pierce in the showdown against Boston on Jan. 9.
So while his team doesn't have the league's best record at the moment, and while James' scoring average is down nearly three points from last season, don't let it fool you. Both he and his team have posted a truly historic first half of the season, and if they keep it up for three more months, there's little doubt who will be the MVP.

08-09 Guide to the NBA Season

5 Minute Guide to '08-09 season Story Highlights
www.si.com
Look for Kobe Bryant and LeBron James to duel for the MVP award
How will the Ron Artest experiment play out for the Rockets?
Allen Iverson and Vince Carter could become available on the trade market

7 postseason honors
Most Valuable Player: Kobe Bryant, Lakers
The rivalry between Bryant and LeBron James for the title of world's best player gets even hotter, but thanks to his team's superior record, Bryant retains the crown.
Runner-up: James, Cavaliers

Rookie of the Year: Michael Beasley, Heat
A matter of supply and demand: Beasley provides scoring to a team that desperately needs it. Runner-up: Greg Oden, Trail Blazers

Defensive Player of the Year: Kevin Garnett, Celtics
At 32, KG continues to set the standard for the league's top defensive team. Runner-up: Ron Artest, Rockets

Sixth Man Award: Lamar Odom, Lakers
Reluctant to accept this new role, the versatile Odom quickly finds that he thrives in it.
Runner-up: Ben Gordon, Bulls

Most Improved Player: Andrew Bynum, Lakers
To restore its defensive backbone, Los Angeles turns to a 21-year-old 7-footer -- and he delivers.
Runner-up: Rodney Stuckey, Pistons

Coach of the Year: Nate McMillan, Trail Blazers
Portland makes a big jump in the wins column, earns a playoff spot and develops a D that can key an eventual title run.
Runner-up: Rick Adelman, Rockets

Executive of the Year: Kevin Pritchard, Trail Blazers
The 41-year-old GM has overhauled not only the roster but also the team's image -- with cap space left to sign a major free agent next summer.
Runner-up: Daryl Morey, Rockets

6 major storylines to follow
The Artest Experiment
The Rockets are asking Mr. Volatility, Ron Artest, to provide championship chemistry and be the reliable third star they need to match up with the Spurs' and the Celtics' Big Threes. But who on this roster will coax Artest back in line if he acts up?

Argentine Ankle Watch
A healthy Manu Ginóbili is the key to the Spurs' extending their streak of winning every other championship, dating to 2003.

LeBron's Courtship
The Cavaliers have to continue to build a roster compelling enough to entice their own star to stay past the summer of 2010.

Sad Days in the Desert
While coach Mike D'Antoni takes his exciting Seven Seconds or Less attack East to the Knicks, Suns starters Steve Nash (35 in February), Grant Hill (36) and Shaquille O'Neal (37 in March) set in the West.

Referee Transparency
With Tim Donaghy in prison, the NBA is finally promising fundamental reform in its oversight of officials, including posting assignments on the morning of games. But this has to be more than a p.r. initiative; fans have already grown too cynical about the refereeing to be satisfied with anything short of substantive change.

Financial Woes
Will any owners be forced to sell their money-draining teams because of cash flow problems?

8 coaches with a big challenge
Mike D'Antoni, Knicks, and Lawrence Frank, Nets
Each must improve his team while the front office reshuffles the roster, laying the groundwork for a run at LeBron in 2010.
George Karl, Nuggets
He has to convince his defense-challenged players that they can stop teams without longtime stopper Marcus Camby.
Marc Iavaroni, Grizzlies
He was rumored to be in trouble when he had Pau Gasol and Mike Miller. How can he survive with the West's least-talented roster?
Scott Skiles, Bucks
He wants his shoot-first team to make D the priority. Unfortunately, he has no lockdown defenders.
Larry Brown, Bobcats
He seems curiously drawn to difficult situations. At least this job will go more smoothly than his last one, in New York.
Eddie Jordan, Wizards
What could he do if his guys stayed healthy? We may never know, as Gilbert Arenas begins the year on the sideline.
Mike Woodson, Hawks
He earned some goodwill during the playoffs, but with a poor start he'll be feeling heat again.

10 intriguing rookies
Greg Oden, Trail Blazers
Portland's other young talent relieves pressure on him to be a savior. But imagine if he is.
Michael Beasley, Heat
Questions about his reliability and character take a backseat to his All-Star numbers.
Derrick Rose, Bulls
His speed is stunning, but his decision-making must improve after just one year in college.
D.J. Augustin, Bobcats
He has the skills to be a steal at No. 9 -- provided he can survive Larry Brown's boot camp.
Donté Greene, Kings
Size, a vintage shooting stroke and three-point range offset his inexperience.
Anthony Randolph, Warriors
He's skinny and raw, but his length and open-floor ability could make him a star.
Kevin Love, Timberwolves
Kevin McHale coveted his skills, but Love must prove he can complement Al Jefferson.
Jerryd Bayless, Trail Blazers
He'll be the microwave for Portland's second unit.
Robin Lopez, Suns
His athleticism will enable him to make an impact more quickly than his twin, Brook.
Mario Chalmers, Heat
Just how important is the NBA's rookie seminar anyway?

3 All-NBA teams
First Team
G Chris Paul, Hornets
G Kobe Bryant, Lakers
F LeBron James, Cavaliers
F Kevin Garnett, Celtics
C Yao Ming, Rockets

Second Team
G Deron Williams, Jazz
G Tracy McGrady, Rockets
F Carlos Boozer, Jazz
F Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
C Dwight Howard, Magic

Third Team
G Steve Nash, Suns
G Dwyane Wade, Heat
F Paul Pierce, Celtics
F Tim Duncan, Spurs
C Andrew Bynum, Lakers

6 contenders looking for a good buy
Cavaliers: Either of their big expiring contracts (Wally Szczerbiak, Eric Snow) is likely to be shopped for a costar to help LeBron reach the Finals.
Pistons: They could dangle Rasheed Wallace and his expiring $13.7 million deal -- and/or another of their starters -- to reenergize the franchise.
Celtics: The champs will seek at least one cost-efficient vet (à la P.J. Brown last year) to replenish their front line heading into the playoffs.
Lakers: They need experience and toughness off the bench, and a smart midseason move could make the difference between a title and coming up short.
Mavericks: Having gambled big on Jason Kidd last February, they will be aggressive if a player who could put Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki over the top is available.

6 good buys to be had
Trail Blazers: Instead of waiting for next summer's free-agent crop, they could package Raef LaFrentz's expiring $12.7 million contract for help this season.
Allen Iverson, Nuggets
Other expensive teammates could join Iverson and his expiring $20.8 million salary on the market if Denver goes south (as expected).
Shawn Marion, Heat
Miami will not move Marion, who is owed $17.8 million in the final year of his deal, unless it receives a major star in return.
Michael Redd, Bucks
A rebuilding Milwaukee can be persuaded to trade Redd and the $51 million (over three years) remaining on his contract.
Vince Carter, Nets
The declining star is a bad fit on New Jersey's young roster, and a team could get him on the cheap since he's owed an onerous $67 million over the next four seasons.
Mike Bibby, Hawks
A good start by Bibby, who is making $15.2 million in the final year of his contract, could pique interest from a contender seeking short-term help in the backcourt.
The Entire Roster, Knicks
Team president Donnie Walsh will take calls from any team about any of his players. Make your best offer! Someone? Anyone?

NBA All-Star Game MVP: Lebron James

Lebron James was the NBA All-Star game MVP, but will be the league MVP? I think he is right now, but if Danny Ferry doesn't get him any help by Thursday's trading deadline, he will not only lose the MVP, but also lose confidence in Cleveland. We as Cleveland fans will lose him just like we are going to lose C.C. Sabathia and possibly Derick Anderson.
Everyone seems to be making moves to get better for the long haul, but the Cavs. I don't want to hear that danny Ferry is strapped with contracts. Bullshit! He is the one that made the dumb signings, so he better be the one to get them out of it. Lebron needs some credit for trying to stay calm about wanting help, and Cleveland not making any moves yet.
They need some help, or am I the only one that thinks this? Just today, the Nets offered Vince Carter for Jermain O'Neal. I keep looking for Cleveland to show up next with a move, but I doubt it will happen. All of you Ohio sports fans give some feedback here, let me know what you think.

The Early Race for NBA MVP is ON!

Here are these guy's early picks for MVP. I have to go with LeBron. The Cavs are on the right track and the talk of him leaving are gone because he would be stupid to start over somewhere else. I think D-Wade is right there in the hunt, but his team isn't in the title hunt. The same goes for Dwight Howard and the Magic. It should be interesting as they get to the all-star break, but I see LeBron James at the top of everyone's list.

1. We're about one-third of the way through the regular season. How would you assess the MVP race?

Ian Thomsen: LeBron James is the front-runner. He has never played better or been more valuable. His Cavaliers have the second-best record in the league and look for the first time like true championship contenders. Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Kevin Garnett are going to be in consideration, but this is shaping up to be LeBron's year.

Jack McCallum: There isn't much assessing to be done -- it's LeBron. Team is improved. He's improved. Kobe isn't having an MVP year. The Celtics' Big Three has too much balance. The main comp comes from Wade, and the Heat aren't good enough to make him a viable candidate.

Chris Mannix: Very tough race to call. LeBron, Kobe, Wade, and Paul have been filling stat sheets, and you can take your pick between Garnett and Paul Pierce in Boston. But let me ask this: Who among us expected Denver to be only 4½ games out of first place in the Western Conference two days before Christmas? Anyone? I know I didn't. The lion's share of the credit goes to Chauncey Billups, who has reenergized the franchise with his toughness and leadership. Billups will rarely put up gaudy numbers, but the way he has single-handedly turned Denver into a cohesive unit has been nothing short of remarkable.

Steve Aschburner: Got to go with LeBron here. He organizes and orchestrates Cleveland's offense. He is asserting himself defensively like never before. Pluck him off that team and Cleveland would plummet more in the standings than the Lakers without Bryant, the Magic without Dwight Howard or the Hornets without Paul. James is ready for his MVP close-up.