Its that time of the NBA season again. As teams jockey for playoff seeding and prepare for the long haul of the postseason, the league mailed out its postseason ballots for media types selected to cast votes for the annual awards.
In other words, be ready to hear about the MVP candidacy of a couple of players over the next several weeks until the awards go out.
For now, heres how one guy would vote for the best players in the NBA this year:
Most Valuable Player1.)LeBron James, Miami2.)Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City3.)Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers4.)Kevin Love, Minnesota5.)Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City
The debate is between LeBron and Durant though it really isnt as close as all that. Sure, Durant leads the NBA in minutes, field goals, free throws and points and very well could catch Kobe Bryant for the scoring average title by the end of the season. Durants team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, also have a great chance to finish the season with the best record in the NBA.
Needless to say, if Durant is voted the MVP, there really isnt much to complain about.
However, few players have filled out the stat sheet as thoroughly and ardently as James has this season. Nope, James doesnt lead the NBA in any major category this season, but when it comes to the fancy new advanced metrics, James has no peer.
James has a player efficiency rating (PER) of 30.6, which is a total surpassed in a season by just Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, David Robinson and Shaquille ONeal in NBA history. He also leads in overall win shares, offensive win shares and is third in the NBA in defensive win shares, ranking behind Josh Smith and Dwight Howard.
Better yet, the Heat have played without former MVP Dwyane Wade for significant stretches this season, yet have gone 13-1 without him. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City has not been without Durant or Russell Westbrook in a single game all year.
Chalk it up as MVP No. 3 for LeBron, a total surpassed by only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jordan, Bill Russell and Chamberlain.
Now he needs to get a ring.
Rookie of the Year1.)Kyrie Irving, Cleveland2.)Ricky Rubio, Minnesota3.)Kemba Walker, Charlotte
Irving leads all rookies in scoring even though he has played in just 47 games heading into Thursdays action. Meanwhile, Rubio very well could have swiped away the Rookie of the Year award if he had not torn his ACL after just 41 games. Additionally, Kemba Walker is the only rookie this season to notch a triple-double, while Denvers Kenneth Faried posted nine double-doubles.
Sixth-Man1.)James Harden, Oklahoma City2.)O.J. Mayo, Memphis3.)Jason Terry, Dallas
James Harden will win this one unanimously. In fact, the third-year man for the Thunder has been so good this season that he ought to get consideration for Most Improved, too. With Durant and Westbrook leading the way, Harden comes off the bench to score nearly 17 points per game with four rebounds and nearly four assists. Mix this in with Hardens lockdown defense and the ability to get under seemingly every opponents skin and this selection is a no-brainer.
Expect Thad Young and Lou Williams off the Sixers to get strong consideration, too. Williams will get a few votes because he leads the team in scoring, while Young should get plenty of consideration because hes been the teams best player in a handful of stretches.
Defensive Player of the Year1.)Josh Smith, Atlanta2.)Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City3.)Dwight Howard, Orlando
Smith doesnt have the gaudy numbers like Ibaka does with the blocks or Howard with the rebounds, but thats because no one wants to go near him. Though he gets just 1.8 blocks and 1.4 steals with just 9.6 rebounds per game, Smith will finish the season with the best defensive win shares mark in the league and will be no worse than third in overall defensive rating, a stat that measures how many points the opposition scores per 100 possessions when a particular player is on the floor.
Chances are Ibaka will win this award, but heres a vote for Smith.
Coach of the Year1.)Tom Thibodeau, Chicago2.)Frank Vogel, Indiana3.)Gregg Popovich, San Antonio
Thibodeau was the coach of the year last year, but he probably did a better job this year. Last year he was at the helm as the Bulls took the top seed in the East with MVP Derrick Rose running things on the court. This year Thibodeau guided the Bulls to the top seed in the East with the reigning MVP on the shelf with injuries for 25 games.
The Bulls went 30-7 with Rose and a healthy 17-8 without him. That might not be all coaching, but some of it is.
Most Improved1.)Ryan Anderson, Orlando2.)Gordon Hayward, Utah3.)Marc Gasol, Memphis
Anderson leads the NBA in three-pointers and attempts and raised his scoring average from 10.6 to nearly 16 points per game. Better yet, as the soap opera raged and injuries ravaged the Magic, Anderson has been able to pick up some of the scoring punch.
Next years winner is Kenneth Faried. Book it now.
First TeamG Chris Paul, ClippersG LeBron James, HeatC Dwight Howard, MagicF Kevin Love, TimberwolvesF Kevin Durant, Thunder
All DefenseG Andre Iguodala, PhiladelphiaC Dwight Howard, OrlandoF Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma CityF Josh Smith, AtlantaF Kevin Garnett, Boston
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com.