Obligatory 2013-14 End of Season NBA Awards Thread

[Lamrock]

Now that it's the last week of the season, and because I don't want to do homework, it's time for the NBA end of season awards thread. While these awards are essentially meaningless and often given to the "wrong" players, it's still makes for a good discussion topic. Anyway, here are my bad picks with dumb analysis...

Most Valuable Player: My pick: Kevin Durant (OKC) | Who will win: Kevin Durant
Gotta be Durant. He has the edge over LeBron both statistically and from a team-record standpoint, which are the two main criteria. Durant has been Jordanesque this season, and this award is a lock at this point.

Rookie of the Year: My pick: Mason Plumlee (BKN) | Who will win: Michael Carter-Williams
Obviously Plumlee won't win this award - he might not be first-team all rookie. In any other draft class, 7 PPG would be unacceptable for a RotY winner, but Plumlee is distinguished as perhaps the only rookie actually making a positive contribution to his team, especially with the injuries to the Nets frontcourt. MCW puts up the raw numbers but his shooting and turnovers are impossible to overlook. He won this award in his very first game.

Defensive Player of the Year: My pick: Joakim Noah (CHI) | Who will win: Joakim Noah
Roy Hibbert might end up taking this award home, as he was the consensus mid-season pick. However, his decline in the second half of the season coupled with the fact that he's 7'2" and averages less than 7 boards might hurt him. Noah is carrying a top 2 defensive team, leading the league in defensive win shares and defensive rating (for whatever that's worth...) and being as versatile a defender as anyone.

Most Improved Player: My pick: Goran Dragic (PHX) | Who will win: Gerald Green
No idea who actually wins this award, but definitely someone from Phoenix. I gotta go with Dragic, who has always been good, but this season actually improved without a major increase in minutes, and in his sixth season to boot! Props to Gerald Green for finally becoming an NBA player though - I have a gut feeling he'll take home the hardware.

Sixth Man of the Year: My pick: Taj Gibson (CHI) | Who Will Win: Taj Gibson
This is tough. Chief 'kieff, Ginobili and Crawford are all good candidates, but Crawford and Manu have missed a lot of time, and Gibson's defense and the fact that he plays full fourth quarters gives him the nod in my book. That and I don't get to watch a lot of Suns games. Gibson is basically a starter who comes off the bench, and that's usually the type of player that takes this award. One of Gibson/Noah might lose to Crawford/Hibbert simply because of Chicago's record.

Coach of the Year: My pick: Gregg Popovich (SA) | Who will win: Jeff Hornacek
Even though the Suns missed the playoffs, Hornacek will probably get this award - and rightfully so! However, Popovich's brilliance can't be understated, overcoming having no current superstars and numerous injuries to post the best record in the league. I mean...

Executive of the Year: My pick: Masai Ujiri (TOR) | Who will win: Masai Ujiri
Tempted to go with the homer pick of Neil Olshey. Robin Lopez and Mo Williams were big additions among others, but it appears that he whiffed on the McCollum selection, and I don't see much of a future for the Blazers besides losing in the first round, year in and year out. Trading Bargnani and later Rudy Gay were what set up the Raptors for perhaps their best season in franchise history, after five straight lottery seasons.

All-NBA First Team
G - Stephen Curry
G - Chris Paul
F - Kevin Durant
F - LeBron James
C - Joakim Noah

All-NBA Second Team
G - Kyle Lowry
G - James Harden
F - Paul George
F - Blake Griffin
C - Dwight Howard

All-NBA Third Team
G - Goran Dragic
G - Damian Lillard
F - Carmelo Anthony
F - Kevin Love
C - DeAndre Jordan

All-Rookie First Team
Mason Plumlee
Gorgui Dieng
Tim Hardaway Jr.
Victor Oladipo
Michael Carter-Williams

All-Rookie Second Team
Nick Calathes
Steven Adams
Kelly Olynyk
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Alec Burks

All-Defense First Team
G - Kyle Lowry
G - Lance Stephenson
F - Paul George
F - Anthony Davis
C - Joakim Noah

All-Defense Second Team
G - Patrick Beverley
G - Thabo Sefolosha
F - Jimmy Butler
F - Tim Duncan
C - Roy Hibbert

[NovU]

Great thread, great list.

I'd go with Masai Ujiri as well. But I don't think you can fault Neil Olshey for drafting McCollum. McCollum didn't get his real shot to display his skills unlike other rookies because of loaded backcourt and Mo William is still pretty decent as a back up. And Lopez was a jackpot, a perfect complement to the team.

[erudain]

Ok I'm gonna come as a homer with this one.....but most improved for me is DJ Augustin.....guy barely played in 2 years, was waived and came back to life playing with the Bulls (problem is....Bulls can't win all the awards lol DPOY, 6th man and Most Improved)

[Spree#8]

Plumlee is distinguished as perhaps the only rookie actually making a positive contribution to his team

The knocks on MCW aren't totally unfounded, but how do you even begin to make a case that he doesn't make a positive contribution to the Sixers? Their record without MCW is a glorious 1-11, his on/off is +4.9 and the alternatives at point for Philly are/were Tony Wroten, Lorenzo Brown and Casper Ware.

It's pretty easy now to complain about his shooting and turnovers, but it wouldn't hurt to consider he's a rookie who is tasked with running an offense and being the 2nd scoring option (while not having a reliable jumper) for a team featuring one other basketball player and a whole bunch of retards straight outta the D-League. Both him and Thad are often forcing things and taking bad shots, just because someone has to do it. Seriously, look at the Sixers' roster. Being a role player who dunks and rebounds for a winning team while surrounded by veteran players who carry the heavy load sound like a much easier job to me - though I do agree that Plumlee has been a positive surprise, especially in the 2nd half of the season. Giving him the ROTY award is a hell of a reach though, even considering the weak draft class.

[NovU]

Plumlee is my pick as well. He was a quite surprise that went unnoticed by many, in a team with so many big names. He was able to find his role in a talent overloaded team and made a huge contribution (which imo was a turnaround point for the Nets in finding consistency and continuity). He was solid, pretty much a player that KG needed to be this season. Just look at his competition, he outplayed everyone thoroughly. Lopez, Garnett, Evans, Teletovic, Blatche, Kirilenko, Collins, none of these players did as much as Plumlee. He was the only gem out of this sad mess.

Should that warrant him a ROTY award? Unfortunately no, mostly because it relies heavily on raw stats. Heavy usage players that has minute allowance are hugely favored.

[deihatein]

Gorgui Dieng has also been a surprised late into the season.

[Kevin]

MVP: Kevin Durant
RotY: Victor Oladipo rather than MCW because of this whole "TANKING" thing that they do.
DPotY: Joakim Noah rather than Hibbert because of his recent struggles in games.
MIP: Derrick Rose! I mean, Gerald Green.
CotY: Coach Pop is gonna win this. Mainly because of the amazing 19-game win streak but also on how he managed his veteran players.

[bowdown]

Bitch ass DeAndre over Aldridge? LMA can play C too so fuck DeAndre.

[Spree#8]

Plumlee is my pick as well. He was a quite surprise that went unnoticed by many, in a team with so many big names. He was able to find his role in a talent overloaded team and made a huge contribution (which imo was a turnaround point for the Nets in finding consistency and continuity). He was solid, pretty much a player that KG needed to be this season. Just look at his competition, he outplayed everyone thoroughly. Lopez, Garnett, Evans, Teletovic, Blatche, Kirilenko, Collins, none of these players did as much as Plumlee.

Went unnoticed because he's nothing special. A nice role player who dunks, gets a few rebounds and that's it. No offensive game but dunks and not much defense, either. He only started getting meaningful minutes because of injuries to Lopez, Garnett and Kirilenko at which point the Nets didn't have much of a choice in the frontcourt and started routinely playing Pierce at power forward. Good for him that he cracked the rotation and was able to contribute, but I really don't think it's enough to put him over MCW.

Should that warrant him a ROTY award? Unfortunately no, mostly because it relies heavily on raw stats. Heavy usage players that has minute allowance are hugely favored.

Most good rookies are on bad teams because of the draft's structure. Your advanced stats will look bad much more often than not when you're on a bad team. Since team records aren't much of a factor in ROTY (and they shouldn't be - it would be stupid to expect rookies to lead their teams to great records), raw stats shouldn't be discounted.

Having tons of minutes, a big role and freedom as a rookie on a terrible team is both a blessing and a curse. The good thing is someone like MCW gets valuable game experience right away, gets to play through his mistakes and adjust his playstyle to the NBA. I'm sure it will benefit him in the long run. The bad thing is that such a role is probably too much for most rookies to handle and when they also happen to be on a sub 20-win team, there's an excellent chance advanced stats won't like them very much. Rookies who end up on good teams are usually worked into the rotation more slowly and given a role they can realistically handle, likely resulting in better advanced numbers and not necessarily meaning they are really better.

RotY: Victor Oladipo rather than MCW because of this whole "TANKING" thing that they do

Aside from the MCW vs Oladipo discussion, it just never ceases to amaze me how so many teams, over so many years have tanked in the NBA and yet this year's Sixers seem to be the only ones getting so ripped for it. It's especially incredible since they don't even have the worst record in the league. Well, if most people still haven't (or don't want to) been able to understand that by now, I guess I really shouldn't bother.

You do realize that Oladipo's team has won a whopping 5 more games than Philly and are right behind them in the tanking rankings, right? Out of all the arguments against Carter-Williams winning ROTY, this is probably the worst one yet.

[NovU]

The real reason the any advanced stats depicts Carter-Williams as a shit player is because of his piss poor shooting. It's below league average in massive volume.

[SoF'nAwesome]

Good read, sir.

I think Griffin should be on that NBA 1st team somehow.

[Andrew]

Most Valuable Player: Kevin Durant

It's the way the winds are blowing this year, but it's not just hype or the notion of giving it to someone different: he's earned it. LeBron's had another fine year, but it's not his best and Durant has managed to outperform him in a few areas including PER, which is no easy feat when you're talking about a player of LeBron's calibre. I'd be surprised if it goes to someone else and if it does, it would be the wrong decision.

Rookie of the Year: Michael Carter-Williams

With the Sixers tearing everything down around him, it's not really fair to say he didn't lead them to a lot of wins or have a huge impact. There's only so much he can do as a rookie playing the most difficult position in the league, on a terrible team. He needs to shoot the ball a lot better and curb the turnovers a little, but the latter isn't too outrageous for a point guard, especially a first year player who's adjusting to the NBA game. His numbers are otherwise respectable and if we're questioning whether or not they're Rookie of the Year-worthy, here's an interesting comparison:

Michael Carter-Williams (2013/2014): 16.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 6.3 apg, 1.9 spg, 0.6 bpg, 40.5% FG, 26.4% 3PT, 70.3% FT, 48.0 TS%, 43.1 eFG%, 15.5 PER
LeBron James: (2003/20014): 20.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.9 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.7 bpg, 41.7% FG, 29.0% 3PT, 75.4% FT, 48.8 TS%, 43.8 eFG%, 18.3 PER

Per 36:
Michael Carter-Williams (2013/2014): 17.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 6.6 apg, 1.9 spg, 0.6 bpg
LeBron James: (2003/20014): 19.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 5.4 apg, 1.5 spg, 0.7 bpg

Now, MCW is definitely not LBJ, and I'm certainly not suggesting he ever will be, so let's not get carried away here. However, their rookie numbers are quite comparable and LeBron was Rookie of the Year in the strong class of 2003, the same season that Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade posted good numbers of their own and their teams made the Playoffs. From a historical perspective if nothing else, Carter-Williams isn't undeserving of ROY and compared to his fellow rookies this season, he 's certainly not unworthy. I think he's a solid choice and the right choice, all things considered.

Defensive Player of the Year: Joakim Noah

With Hibbert tapering off and Noah's impressive play throughout the year, notably at the defensive end, I'd say he's got this award locked up. Not much else to say.

Most Improved Player: Goran Dragic

In two additional minutes per game, the only area where Dragic's stats have dropped is his assist numbers, and it makes sense since he's been called upon to score more, upping his scoring by almost six points per game. I could see him losing the award to a player with a bigger increase in minutes and thus a more significant jump in raw stats compared to the year before, but Dragic was being called an All-Star snub this year and he played a huge role in the Suns overachieving to almost 50 wins, which in most other years would mean a Playoff appearance. I think MIP will be his consolation prize.

Sixth Man of the Year: Taj Gibson

I kind of don't want to pick Gibson as it really feels like a homer pick, but he's had the best season of his career, helped the Bulls to a respectable record following Rose's latest injury and exemplified what a sixth man is; someone who could start on a lot of teams, but plays a key role off the bench and is the kind of player who can finish games, even if he doesn't start them.

Coach of the Year: Jeff Hornacek

Gregg Popovich has been outstanding as always, Doc Rivers has done a fine job in Los Angeles and the Clippers seem less likely to fade out early in the postseason as a result. However, Jeff Hornacek deserves a lot of credit for what the Suns managed to do this year, exceeding everyone's expectations and seemingly setting themselves up for even more success in the not too distant future. A very impressive season for a rookie head coach.

Executive of the Year: Masai Ujiri

I'll also go with Ujiri. For the second straight year, trading Rudy Gay has been someone's good luck charm. You've got to give due credit to the players and coaching staff of course, but I'd have to agree with Ujiri has done a fine job shaping the Raptors into a team that's found its way back to respectability.

All-NBA First Team

G - James Harden
G - Chris Paul
F - Kevin Durant
F - LeBron James
C - Joakim Noah

All-NBA Second Team

G - Kyle Lowry
G - Stephen Curry
F - Paul George
F - Blake Griffin
C - Dwight Howard

All-NBA Third Team

G - Goran Dragic
G - Damian Lillard
F - Carmelo Anthony
F - Kevin Love
C - LaMarcus Aldridge

All-Rookie First Team

Mason Plumlee
Tim Hardaway Jr.
Victor Oladipo
Michael Carter-Williams
Trey Burke

All-Rookie Second Team

Gorgui Dieng
Steven Adams
Kelly Olynyk
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Ben McLemore

All-Defense First Team
G - Chris Paul*
G - Lance Stephenson
F - Paul George
F - Anthony Davis
C - Joakim Noah

All-Defense Second Team
G - Stephen Curry*
G - Jimmy Butler
F - LeBron James*
F - Tim Duncan
C - Roy Hibbert

* You could certainly argue for other players, but I think they'll get in there due to being bigger names.

[benji]

Defensive Player of the Year:

phpBB [video]

[Fizz3476]

Imma go with Oladipo in RotY. I mean look at the FG% that he fcking gets every game. Compare it to Oladipo's play style

[Andrew]

Defensive Player of the Year:

phpBB [video]

I stand corrected.

[Mandich]

Imma go with Oladipo in RotY. I mean look at the FG% that he fcking gets every game. Compare it to Oladipo's play style

Are you kidding me ? He is shooting .419% from the field. And while I do realize he still is a rookie, how is that a good number ? I don't even know what you ment by this "compare to style play thing". Hope you did.

[rise]

MVP: Durant, no question

ROY: this year sucks. I want to pick Oladipo, but I know MCW is going to win it

DPOY: Noah. the amount of hype the guy gets is kind of ridiculous, but he's probably the best defensive big in the league. better than hibbert, anyway

MIP: Goran Dragic. Definitely deserved an All-Star appearance this year, and he came out of nowhere. Lillard getting in over him was a joke.

6M: Not many GREAT sixth men this year for some reason. i'll give it to Jamal Crawford

COY: Popovich would win it every year if it were a true vote of best coach, but let me give a shout out to Steve Clifford, who more than doubled the Bobcats win total from last year and turned that into a playoff berth that very few people expected.

EOY: Ujiri. All he did was trade off the cancerous Rudy Gay for pieces (something I would never have taken in the first place), but it was a big time move that paid off.

All-NBA teams:
Paul/Curry/Durant/Lebron/Noah
Westbrook/Harden/Griffin/Aldridge/Howard
Dragic/George/Anthony/Love/Jefferson
shout-outs to DMC, Anthony Davis, Lowry, and Lillard

Rookie Teams:
Burke/MCW/Oladipo/Giannis/Adams
Calathes/Hardaway/McLemore/Plumlee/Olynyk
shout-outs to what Dieng, McCallum, and Zeller have been doing lately as well

Defensive Teams:
Paul/Stephenson/George/Duncan/Noah
Butler/Sefolosha/Lebron/Howard/Hibbert

[Masai]

The Raptors getting love is the best. I agree wholeheartedly with the Executive of the Year, and every other team Lowry was chosen on.

[NovU]

Though I only praised Plumlee in this thread, I actually also like both Oladipo and MCW's seasons. Despite the inefficiency in their shooting, they showed their potentials. As Spree#8 noted, if they develop right, you are probably looking at stars with prolific stats.

MCW's only flaw is in shooting at the moment. He's all around, meaning multi-dimensional. His TOV% suggests that he's actually not really as bad as his actual TO per game suggests. He's shown that he's a capable distributor at the very least with 30 AST% anyway. And perhaps he can improve in this area as well. Also to note, he can rebound, steal, and has defense potential as well. That's just a nice complete skillset for a point guard. As for shooting, this will be a great challenge in his career. If he can raise it up to anywhere between 53-55 TS%, I think you are looking at a perennial all-star point guard with great all around game that wins you a lot of games.

On the other hand, Oladipo has been more one dimensional than MCW. Perhaps it was due to sharing the floor with players that like to handle the ball. But he's shown his potential as a scorer. He can be aggressive and attacks the rim.

[benji]

It's his three point shooting and even worse his free throw shooting.

He's fine on twos.

Oladipo's been barely more one dimensional. 16/5/5 with 2 stls vs. 17/6.5/6.5 with 2 stls.

I don't really have a problem giving ROY to the best rookie of those who played the most though.

Personally though I wouldn't even award one this year.

[NovU]

Oladipo's been barely more one dimensional. 16/5/5 with 2 stls vs. 17/6.5/6.5 with 2 stls.

Since when did benji rely on boxscore stats?

Oladipo
21.9 AST%
19.2 TOV%
7.5 TRB%

MCW
30.2 AST%
16.9 TOV%
9.8 TRB%

Difference is noticeable. One's a facilitating point guard number (also a better rebounder) and the other's not.

These two have identical dismal WS48 of .028. WP48 also has them nearly identical with Oladipo .050 and MCW 0.049. As these stats suggest, If we presume they produced same amount of wins at same rate, each of them did it differently. Oladipo produced with better scoring efficiency. Meanwhile MCW produced in other areas to make up the piss poor shooting.

[Alpha_]

MCW will win the ROY, but Oladipo will have a better career.

[benji]

Since when did benji rely on boxscore stats?

Oladipo
21.9 AST%
19.2 TOV%
7.5 TRB%

MCW
30.2 AST%
16.9 TOV%
9.8 TRB%

Difference is noticeable. One's a facilitating point guard number (also a better rebounder) and the other's not.

These two have identical dismal WS48 of .028. WP48 also has them nearly identical with Oladipo .050 and MCW 0.049. As these stats suggest, If we presume they produced same amount of wins at same rate, each of them did it differently. Oladipo produced with better scoring efficiency. Meanwhile MCW produced in other areas to make up the piss poor shooting.

Do you understand what the phrase "one dimensional" means?

[NovU]

Defined by per game raw stats (pts, reb, ast, stl)? You tell me.

Hey, per 36 minutes stats says "Oladipo assists nearly as good so MCW is barely a better passer! ... Nice one. Oladipo still has no passing game whereas MCW does. That makes him more one dimensional.

[benji]

Tim Hardaway is a rookie you'd call "one dimensional" not Oladipo.