RETRO: season review, playoff preview, b king askew

THE LEO 2007 NBA AWARDS (originally posted April 20th)

This has been a weird season, I suppose. The quality of play is up and down. Bill Simmons says that we, the NBA fans, deserve to be named MVP more than any player for putting up with this crap. I don't think this has been THAT bad of a season, but coming from a Celtics fan, it might seem that way. Well, Sports Guy, I have one thing to say to that: Imagine what the Sixers fans are feeling.

I know I've done this before, but I need to explain how bad things are with the old Philadelphia franchise. I would have to vote Billy King as the worst GM of this decade - worse than Isiah Thomas or Kevin McHale. Those guys walked into tough situations and had a little bit of success. King inherited a contender and slowly bled it to death, and then when he might have turned it around, continued to bleed. Ever since the Sixers made the Finals, they have been screwing with the formula that got them there: defense, defense, and Iverson shooting. They tried to pair scorers with Iverson, but they gave up too much defensively to make up the difference.

Despite what you might think, a few guys have had scoring success with Iverson around. Keith Van Horn and Chris Webber did, in fact, .... BUT, they were so bad defensively, that it didn't matter. They gave up as much as they scored. And they also hurt the defense of shot blockers like Dikembe Mutombo and Samuel Dalembert, who need muscular guys next to them. Instead of going after someone who could do a little of both (hello, Rasheed Wallace here, hometown bred) they went after shooters and scorers and collapsed on D. They kept pissing off Iverson by making bad trades. Then, when Webber didn't work out, they let him go for nothing. Iverson, understandably, mad, had enough. It was no shock to see him gone. I think Sixers fans were hoping for it, actually. He didn't deserve this.

So after a bunch of failed trades, King traded Iverson for a lot less than he was worth. At that point, I realized that the Sixers were going to be awful this season, but that there was hope. They got some extra draft picks plus Andre Miller, a solid point. Andre Iguodala was stepping up. Rodney Carney showed some promise. With those guys, plus Kyle Korver, Wilie Green, and Louis Williams (a high schooler who came out too early but might develop someday), they had depth and youth on the perimeter. Dalembert and Steven Hunter are decent centers, not scoring threats but good defenders and rebounders. It occurred to me that the Sixers had the foundation for a good team, but they were lacking a big time star. They had the supporting cast in place. They needed a big forward who could score and draw double teams. A tall order, to be sure, but if Sixers kept losing, they'd get a high draft pick and the chance to get that star.

This is where I really lost it with Billy King and the organization. After all these blown trades and bad contracts, they at least could say there was a plan. If they could just find that rare franchise player, they'd be set. I dreamed that if they had the 1989 version of Charles Barkley, they'd win the East by Christmas. Of course, that's impossible. But, two franchise players emerged this year, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. Either one of them would help the Sixers immensely. Oden would team with Dalembert to give them a big line with a huge defensive presence, and he'd eventually be the offensive key. Durant could score 20 a night immediately and play all over the court. They'd build around his scoring, easily. I was thrilled. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN EVERY YEAR! You do not get the chance to have a draft with two potential superstars very often! Sometimes, there's one great player in a draft. Usually, there's a couple very good ones. But here we had two guys who were both potential franchise makers.

And with the Sixers doing HORRIBLY while Iverson waited for the trade, the chance to get one was looking good. They would almost certainly be in the bottom three of the NBA, giving them a good shot to land one of these guys. Hell, if Pau Gasol and Paul Pierce came back, they might even be the worst team overall. Now, as Simmons pointed out this week, deliberately losing doesn't always work. Teams who tank and lose games don't always get rewarded in the draft. In fact, the worst team in the league rarely gets the first pick. Simmons has struggled with the moral question of tanking and the actual results. Rightfully so.

But, for the Sixers, I don't think anyone could blame them if they had a lost season. They just traded away their face and soul for the past ten years, and their roster was full of washed up vets and inexperienced youths. If they "rested" the Andres (as teams have been known to do), they would not win a game no matter how hard they tried. And as for their chances, while the worst team rarely wins the first pick, they do usually get in the top two. In this draft, it's enough. I still don't know if I want Oden or Durant more.

But it doesn't matter. Because they're not going to get them. Again, this is where the franchsie really got me. Because after they traded away Iverson and basically gave up on the season, everyone was looking forward to the draft. Then the Sixers did something incredible.... ... they started winning.

WTF!

FOR ALL THOSE YEARS WE WANTED YOU TO WIN AND YOU DIDN'T!!!!! FOR ALL THOSE YEARS WE WANTED A PLAYOFF RUN AND GOT NOTHING!!! WE GAVE YOU THE OK TO START LOSING, AND YOU COULDN'T EVEN DO THAT RIGHT!!! WHY, BILLY???? WHY DO YOU TORTURE US LIKE THIS???

So that's it. They couldn't even lose the right way. They screwed up a golden opportunity and decided to play their starters full out and make an ill-advised push for the playoffs. Why? Some said it would be inspirational. They hated to give up on a season. They thought it would be good for the young kids if they tasted winning. Never mind the fact that they were way out of it. Never mind the fact that it was stupid.

Of course, they did not make the playoffs. They became the only team to ever screw up their season by trying hard and winning more. You see, unless you're gonna do good in the playoffs, the best thing for this team was to get a high pick. Getting a late lottery pick is rarely the path to success. Just ask Golden State and Seattle, who always seem to be there. The Warriors got out of it barely this year by trading and trading. If you get in that 10-15 range, it's hard to get out. Since everyone had given up their hopes for the season, the Sixers couldn't alienate any more fans by losing. But they won.

This is not a feel good story, as much as the team has tried to make it look that way. They have a gigantic hole at the four spot. Their chance of getting Oden and Durant are slim, but they now have also probably missed out on other decent players. After I realized they might not get in the top two, I began looking at guys like Brandan Wright and Al Horford. I really like Horford, and Wright has a much potential as anyone besides the big two. Recent mock drafts had the Sixers taking Xi Jianlin, a mysterious seven-footer with impressive skills. I'm leery of international players who haven't had great competition, but he might be interesting.

Well, now, the Sixers are getting none of these guys. Good job, Billy. You can't do anything right. And that is why you get my Billy King award for incompetence. That's right, I'm naming the award after you. The fact that it's not the Isiah Thomas award is disturbing and very sad to me.

H---0----0----P

On that note, a list of grades each team receives for the year:

ATLANTA: C-: The Hawks tried to make the playoffs early on, but without Joe, they were stuck. If they don't keep their draft pick, it's not much of a year. I think the trio of Joe and the Joshes works, and Marvin Williams might not be so bad. But they still don't have a great point or center.

BOSTON: C : They sucked, but they'll get a good pick and they got some youth. Not all bad, but why did they ever make that Telfair trade?

CHARLOTTE: D : They need Oden or Durant, but they tried a little too hard down the stretch. Morrison is not what we thought, and if Gerald Wallace leaves, they're still awful.

CHICAGO: B + : Ben Wallace isn't quite worth it, but they got a lot better and they still have picks and cap space. Need post scoring.

CLEVELAND: B : They get a C for the first half and an A for the second. Still need a point, but they could be in the finals this year. Really.

DALLAS: A + : That's a pretty good way to respond to the finals collapse. Everyone's favorite now.

DENVER: B- : Good for getting Iverson, but bad at working everyone in. Injuries have caused this, but they should be better.

DETROIT: A : Replacing Wallace with Webber gives them a different look, but still dangerous. The favorite in the East again.

GOLDEN STATE: B : Weird season for them to finally break the playoff drought, as young guys come out of nowhere while others disappear. But it worked in the end.

HOUSTON: A : Shane Battier was a great pickup. McGrady played great, and they just need a few minor pieces to really scare people.

INDIANA: D : Needed to make that trade, but their backcourt is terrible now.

LA CLIPPERS: C : After a crazy season, I thought they'd be in the playoffs again. But then, they're the Clippers. They need some roster management, but at least they have talent.

LAKERS: B- : Started out great, but they need more. People stepped up, but they really should have a point.

MEMPHIS: D : Miserable.... until they see the draft order.

MIAMI: B : Won the division with everyone being hurt. That's good, even if I have no faith in them to come close to last year.

MILWAUKEE: D : Injuries killed them, but they also need more D and role players. Everyone here is a shooter... that's not gonna work.

MINNESOTA: F : If they didn't get Iverson, they're not gonna get anyone else. Trade Garnett already.

NEW JERSEY: C : A bit of a disappointment, but could still make noise in the playoffs.

NEW ORLEANS: C : I thought they'd be in playoffs, but injuries killed them. Getting better, but still lacking a lot.

NEW YORK: C : This is almost exactly where I thought they'd end up. Isiah can't coach or run a team, but at least he drafts fairly well.

ORLANDO: B- : Getting better, but still in dire need of some scorers.

PHILADELPHIA: Z- : An F is too high.

PHOENIX: A+ : Their great season was lost in the shadow of Dallas's great season. But they've been amazing.

PORTLAND: C : Made major strides, and they have a foundation with Randolph and Roy.

SACRAMENTO: D : Slowly, they've fallen down. They have good or decent people at every position, but they just don't win. Major changes might be needed.

SAN ANTONIO: A : They just keep getting it done. 60 wins yearly and they could still win it all.

SEATTLE: D- : They've been treading water for a while now. They might have to go down before they can go up again.

TORONTO: A : Biggest surprise of the year. I never expected them to do this yet. Strange roster, but they made it work.

UTAH: A- : Breakthrough year for a lot of their guys. If they get a two guard, they'll be great.

WASHINGTON: C + : Almost very good, then not so good after Gilbert went down. They'll never be a real contender unless they get a decent big man, but they've at least made themselves a consistently dangerous playoff team.

---A---W---A---R---D---S--

MVP: Dirk Nowitzki
2. Steve Nash
3. LeBron James
4. Tim Duncan
5. Chris Bosh

Simmons isn't enthralled with Dirk as MVP, and I know he's not the strongest pick ever. But he does a lot for the Mavericks, who don;t have anyone else to be the star. You see, Josh Howard would not be having such a good run on other teams. The Mavs drafted him because they thought he might be a nice complement to Dirk at small forward because he plays inside. That's why he wasn't picked high - he didn't have a position. But he works with Nowitzki. Same with Jason Terry - he was a gunner who didn't work at the point, but now he gets open shots off Dirk. He's the key to their entire offense right now. I don't think, as Simmons suggested, that replacing him with another all-star forward would net a similar result for Dallas. He's too unique. That makes him irreplaceable, and I'll call that most valuable.

I guess you could make the exact same argument for Nash, but he gets a rejuvenated Amare, Marion stays on, and Barbosa and Bell aren't so bad. I think Phoenix has more talent than Dallas, but Dallas has been a little better, and Dirk at least has a tiny bit of D when Nash is as bad as ever.

As for other people, LeBron might have won it if he played hard the whole season. Duncan is so uniformly great that we forget about him, but he could honestly win it every year and I wouldn't mind. He always holds them together. Bosh is the only guy to fear on a team with no other discernible threats. McGrady, Kobe, and maybe Arenas deserve credit for carrying their teams.

ALL NBA FIRST TEAM: Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash

SECOND TEAM: Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Tracy McGrady, Gilbert Arenas, Dwyane Wade

THIRD TEAM: Yao Ming, tie with Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard, Shawn Marion, Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups

HM: Jermaine O'Neal, Amare Stoudemire, Caron Butler, Tony Parker, Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Rip Hamilton

COACH: Jeff Van Gundy
2. Sam Mitchell
3. Avery Johnson
4. Mike D'Antoni
5. Jerry Sloan

Van Gundy and Mitchell could both win this. Van Gundy got through another injury-filled season, but won 50 games. Mitchell won 47 games with a fairly weak team. Mitchell, however, was so bad the past few years that I don't know how he survived.

DEFENSE: Tim Duncan
2. Quinton Ross
3. Dwight Howard
4. Bruce Bowen
5. Josh Smith

He doesn't get credit because he doesn't block a ton of shots, but Duncan is the most sound fundamentally and never gives up a lot. He keeps the Spurs' D rolling. With Ben Wallace and Artest sliding, who else is there?

FIRST TEAM: those five guys

HM: Jason Kidd, Gerald Wallace, Marcus Camby, Sam Dalembert, Ben Wallace, Ron Artest, Rasheed Wallace, Shawn Marion

ROOKIE: Brandon Roy
2. Andrea Bargnani
3. Adam Morrision
4. Randy Foye
5. Jorge Garbajosa

No surprise here. I thought Morrison would score more, but he's just been decent. No one else is close to Roy.

ALL ROOKIE TEAM: those guys

HM: Rudy Gay, LaMarcus Aldridge, Craig Smith, Paul Millsap, Shelden Williams, Rajon Rondo, Jordan Farmar, Marcus Williams, Walter Hermann

MOST IMPROVED: TIE - Monta Ellis & Andris Biedrins
3. Kevin Martin
4. Deron Williams
5. J.R. Smith

I picked a lot of guys that could maybe step up before the season, and I think both of the young Warriors impressed me equally. They made the playoffs, so that counts a lot.

EXEC OF THE YEAR: Bryan Colangelo

Turned this team around, and faster than I ever imagined. And the Suns team that he used to run is fantastic. He's the only guy I can praise here.

---P---L----A---Y---O----F---F----S---

Before the season started, I picked San Antonio over Miami. Right now, most people might say Dallas over Detroit. I will actually change mine a little bit and say San Antonio over Cleveland. As I said then, San Antonio knows this could be their last chance for a while, and they'll be ready for Dallas. The Mavs have been great, and if they won it all, it wouldn't surprise me. But I hate to doubt the Spurs.

In the East, none of these teams have a chance, but Cleveland might have the easiest path. They almost took down Detroit last year, and they've been playing better of late. If LeBron really is saving his best for when it matters, what then? Detroit and Miami will have to play each other in the second round, and Chicago will be in there as well. Cleveland gets a depleted Wizards team and then either the Raptors or Nets, who don't scare anyone. Once again, the playoff system has its flaws. So I'll take San Antonio over Cleveland. I don't see why not.

FIRST ROUND

Dallas over Golden State in 6

Warriors glad to be here. Nellie knows Dallas, but there's no way.

Houston over Utah in 7

Great matchup. Rockets have home court and are a little more driven.

San Antonio over Denver in 6

Despite their scoring, Nuggets can't hang.

Phoenix over LA Lakers in 6

Unlike last year, the Suns are ready. Kobe might average 50 but they won't scare.

Detroit over Orlando in 5

Magic have D and no O. Detroit has both.

Miami over Chicago in 7

I think Heat are resilient, and Bulls are inexperienced. But it will be tough.

New Jersey over Toronto in 6

Raps have no experience and are just happy to be here, but they ought to shove Vince a few times.

Cleveland over Washington in 4

This would be a great series.... if everyone on the Wizards wasn't hurt already.

SECOND ROUND

Dallas over Houston in 6

Rockets will push the Mavs hard, but Dallas is too loaded.

San Antonio over Phoenix in 7

Great series again! A contrast of styles. I think Duncan schools Amare, but who knows?

Detroit over Miami in 7

The Heat aren't what they used to be.

Cleveland over New Jersey in 6

Nets are slipping, but might have some spunk left.

CONFERENCE FINALS

San Antonio over Dallas in 7

Payback. And urgency.

Cleveland over Detroit in 7

They almost did it last year, and they've closed the gap this time.

2007 NBA FINALS

San Antonio over Cleveland in 5

Sorry, but no East team is getting close. The Spurs will handle the Cavs, but the NBA will rejoice over LeBron being on TV so much.

FINALS MVP: Tim Duncan

And when the draft lottery rolls around, I'll be watching. As will many others.

Whoops! Didn't pick a sixth man. How could I forget? Anyway, Leandro Barbosa already won it, and he's an obvious choice. Though some people, like Manu Ginobli, Monta Ellis, Steve Blake, Devin Harris, Andres Nocoini, Jason Kapono, half the Knicks (Lee, Crawford, Richardson), all the Celtics, and everyone in Toronto who isn't Chris Bosh, move in and out of the starting lineup. Hard to choose the best subs when a lot of teams don't have their rotations set.

(1. Barbosa
2. Jerry Stackhouse
3. Antonio McDyess
4. Corey Magette
5. Chris Duhon )

EDITOR'S POST NOTE: ... yeah maybe I shoudl have waited for the Warriors - Mavs series to hand out things, but then, I wanted to have a playoff preview and awards all at once. I felt sutpid about these within a month. As usual.