2008 End-of-Season Awards
MVP: Kevin Garnett (Pre-season pick: Kevin Garnett)
The Celtics simply wouldn't be this good without Kevin Garnett. They'd be a playoff team with Al Jefferson but they wouldn't be legit contenders without Garnett. My second vote would go to Kobe Bryant. He's been a beast this year but I don't think you can give him the MVP simply because his teammates aren't as good as Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. That being said, if Andrew Bynum didn't emerge, Derek Fisher wasn't around as a steadying force, and Smush Parker was still on the team, the Los Angeles Lakers aren't #1 in the West. #3 is LeBron and #4 is Chris Paul. Those are the definite top four and after that it's a wide open field. Some people try to add Dwight Howard but that team isn't doing nearly as well without Hedo Turkoglu.
Defensive Player of the Year: Kevin Garnett (Pre-season pick: Kevin Garnett)
The Celtics wouldn't be nearly as good on the defensive end without KG. I can see giving the MVP to Kobe but I think this award HAS to go to Garnett.
Rookie of the Year: Kevin Durant (Pre-season pick: Al Horford)
You can make a case for Horford but Durant had a very good second half of the season and was the go-to guy on his team. Some people might say that's why he shouldn't win (good stats on a bad team) but I think Durant would put up some great numbers if he was on another team like Atlanta or the Clippers or Houston.
The All-Rookie Team: Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Al Thornton, Thad Young, Louis Scola.
Honorable Mention goes to Rodney Stuckey who didn't get a ton of playing time until the end of the year but he definitely looks like he'll be a key player in the playoffs and in the Pistons future.
The All-Bust Team: Mike Conley, Corey Brewer, Acie Law, Jeff Green, Josh McRoberts
Mike Conley wasn't terrible but he wasn't worth a #4 pick and he might not even be the best rookie PG on his team. Javarris Crittenton showed as many signs of being a breakout player as Conley did. Corey Brewer is going to be a great defensive player but I'm not sure you can get excited about taking a role player at #7. I didn't expect him to be a great offensive player but he wasn't even servicable this year. Acie Law is going to be a solid backup but he definitely isn't better than Thad Young, Al Thornton, Julian Wright and Rodney Stuckey (and maybe not even as good as Nick Young, Javarris Crittenton, and Sean Williams. Jeff Green is solid but, like Brewer, he's a role player who was taken with a top pick. And while I know it's hard to call a second round draftee a bust, McRoberts earns this because of just how bad he was both as a player and as a person. He had a lousy attitude for most of the season while the guys who teams opted for instead of him (Carl Landry, Big Baby) had great rookie seasons. As for Yi Jianlian, he didn't make the list because I had zero expectations and he actually showed some signs of life during the season. He's a tweener and probably two years away from really being a legit player but he could pan out.
Comeback Player of the Year: Kenyon Martin (Pre-season pick: Jamaal Tinsley)
So much for Mel-Mel making a leap. Tinsley is possibly the hardest player in the league to move right now. He's got a bad contract, bad attitude, and is almost never healthy. As for Kenyon, I wasn't really expecting much of anything from him after his second injury but he's become a solid contributor on a playoff team. I wouldn't be surprised if a number of teams called the Nuggets about him this offseason. Granted, his contract is still huge so he won't be getting an expiring contract in return but he has value. The question is: would the Nuggets be willing to deal him? This is a discussion nobody expected to be having before the season.
Most Improved Player: Hedo Turkoglu (Pre-season pick: LaMarcus Aldridge)
Aldrige definitely improved but if you give this award to a big man, it would be Andrew Bynum. Still, Hedo Turkoglu went from being a role player/journeymen to a player who has been getting MVP votes. While he probably shouldn't get any votes for the MOST improved player, Rajon Rondo deserves a lot of credit for improving his game and becoming a legit starting point guard.
The Bust Label Cometh: Gerald Green (Pre-season pick: Gerald Green)
Needless to say, Green is garbage. He'll probably find his way onto a roster next season but the odds of him turning his career around are worse than Darius Miles making a comeback. The rest of my picks were: Andrew Bogut*, Marvin Williams, Robert Swift, Shelden Williams, Randy Foye. I didn't think Bogut was a bum but given the players taken after him, he definitely isn't living up to expecations. The disappointment continues however he wasn't the most disappointing #1 pick. Andrea Bargnani, a pre-season CanDanny Most Improved Candidate, fell apart and added next to nothing for the Raptors. The first half of the season was bad but at least he was hitting 40% of his threes. That dropped to 27% after the All-Star break. I still have no faith in Foye and Robert Swift, Shelden Williams is a scrub, and Marvin Williams, for all of his improvement, is still a fifth starter and inconsistent.
The KG in Minny Memorial (Player Most in Need of a Trade): Michael Redd (Pre-season pick: Kobe Bryant)
Hmmm, maybe I should reconsider my MVP vote... Nah. As for Redd, he needs to go and the Bucks need to get rid of him. He could be a great fit in a place like Toronto or Houston where he could do what he does best: stand around and shoot. He's just a terrible fit in Milwaukee and is overpaid.
The Good Players on Bad Teams (Stats will jump, skills will stay the same): Chris Kaman (Pre-season pick: Delonte West)
Delonte looked like he could get this award but then couldn't find his way into the rotation in Seattle. After being shipped to Cleveland, fans quickly learned what many Boston fans now know: Delonte can look great one game and then look like he doesn't know what point guard means the next. Don't get me wrong, I'd welcome him back as a backup guard in a heartbeat but it's time that everyone realize that he has no business starting or playing anything more than spot minutes at the point.
As for Kaman, I've never been a fan and this year is why. He'll get his point, make people think he's earned his contract, but he will have little impact on whether a team wins or loses. When the defenses clamp down, he can be stopped and he is rarely able to step up and make a key defensive play himself. The fact that people think his play is a sign that the Clippers can move Elton Brand is beyond ridiculous (which means it's probably what the Clippers will do). Chris Kaman isn't a bad player but he's definitely not the impressive big man that people think he is.
Coach of the Year: Byron Scott (Pre-season pick Nate McMillan)
Doc Rivers definitely deserves a mention here but I have to go with Scott, not just for taking the Hornets to the next level but also for designing an offense in which the alley-oop is a key weapon.
First Team All-NBA: Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul
Second Team All-NBA: Tim Duncan, Amare Stoudemire, Paul Pierce, Tracy McGrady, Deron Williams
Third Team All-NBA: Dirk Nowitzki, Carlos Boozer, Andre Iguodala, Manu Ginobili, Steve Nash
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