the 2007-08 NBA awards

As promised, my awards for a stunning and fantastic regular season. All of these were tough and I was delighted with the great play this year.

MOST IMPROVED - Hedo Turkoglu, Magic

2. Jose Calderon, Raptors
3. Louis Williams, Sixers
4. Linus Kleiza, Nuggets
5. Sasha Vujacic, Lakers

Turkoglu is an easy choice as someone who really stepped it up this season. He started out with promise in Sacramento, but never was more than a decent sub. When Orlando signed Rashard Lewis, it seemed like he would come off the bench or be a distant third option. But he was huge for them, and it was his play from outside that really helped Dwight Howard make that team decent.

Calderon did a lot after T. J. Ford went down, showing maybe he should be the guy in charge. Williams came on as a terror on a surprisingly good second unit for the Sixers. Kleiza found a nieche in Denver, so much that they wouldn't include him in any deals for Ron Artest. Vujacic redeemed himself after a few years of pretty much nothing for the Lakers, and filled in nicely with Luke Walton and Trevor Ariza out.

6TH MAN - Manu Ginobli, Spurs

2. Jason Terry, Mavs
3. Leandro Barbosa, Suns
4. James Posey, Celtics
5. Jason Maxiell, Pistons

This is another easy choice as Ginobli is an all-star but likes to come off the bench for San Antonio. He carried this team at points and is good enough to be on a high all-league team. Terry does well in small lineups in Dallas, with Kidd now handing off to him. Barbosa, last year's winner, slipped a little bit in numbers but is still crucial for them. Posey was a bargain save for the Celtics after their big three left them no money for a bench. He pretty much kept that second unit together until they brought in more people. Maxiell is the only real low-post presence for the Pistons, and he's key to their success.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Kevin Garnett, Celtics

2. Marcus Camby, Nuggets
3. Shane Battier, Rockets
3. Bruce Bowen, Spurs
5. Rajon Rondo, Celtics

Everyone is going for Garnett now because of his impact on the Celtics, and also because they want to recognize him in a year that would get MVP many seasons, but not now. He's never won it, either, so he's got sentiment. Normally I wouldn't, but I have to admit that he has transformed this team. Their defense has been the strength of their turnaround, and it's mostly due to his intensity. Also, no one else has risen up.

Camby, last year's winner, loses points because his team can't guard anyone (even though people were trying to say that they did because they play so fast.... well, the Lakers are exposing them). Battier and Bowen are great wing defenders, and Rondo is another factor for Boston because of his long arms and quickness.

ALL DEFENSE FIRST TEAM

Garnett, Camby, Battier, Rondo, Bowen

ALL DEFENSE SECOND TEAM

Ron Artest, Kings
Josh Smith, Hawks
Dwight Howard, Magic
Chris Paul, Hornets
Quintin Ross, Clippers

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Kevin Durant, Sonics

2. Al Horford, Hawks
3. Al Thornton, Clippers

I'm only putting three because there's no one else. In fact, it's mostly a two man race. Horford has put up a double-double and been the only big man for the Hawks, who are in the playoffs, so he has a lot going for him. But Durant is better. People are turning on him because he takes a lot of bad shots and his team is horrible. But for all the drama going on in the great city of Seattle, and the terrible team he's been dealt, I think he's handled it pretty well. Sure, he gets a lot of shots, but why not? Who else is going to score for this team? Any rookie that can average 20 a game has to be a major candidate, no matter what. Few guys can get to that level anymore. He's the first option already and he's scored because he has to. Look at how few rookies have gotten to that mark over the past decade. I give him the edge, but I do appreciate Horford's play.

ALL ROOKIE FIRST TEAM

Durant, Horford, Thornton
Luis Scola, Rockets
Juan Carlos Navarro, Grizzlies

ALL ROOKIE SECOND TEAM

Mike Conley, Grizzlies
Jeff Green, Sonics
Carl Landry, Rockets
Thaddeous Young, Sixers
Jamario Moon, Raptors

COACH OF THE YEAR - Byron Scott, Hornets

2. Stan Van Gundy, Magic
3. Maurice Cheeks, Sixers
4. Doc Rivers, Celtics
5. Rick Adelman, Rockets

Remember when I said that the Hornets and Grizzlies would be in the hunt for the last few playoff spots, and I thought the Grizzlies had a slight edge? Yup. I feel stupid. It's not a huge surprise that the Hornets broke through to the playoffs, but to flirt with the best record in the conference? When the conference is as tough as ever? No one saw that. Even at the all-star break, most figured they would slow down. They didn't. Chris Paul obviously gets a lot of credit, but I think Scott did a great job with a roster that has some holes. They surprised everyone the most and he should win this easily.

Van Gundy made the most of a second chance and created just the right offense for their talents. Cheeks, whom I thought was brought in to be loyal to the organization as they went through rough times, managed to get a lot out of this unknown squad. I couldn't be prouder of him, no matter how they do this round. Rivers won't get much credit for the Cletics' turnaround, but he hasn't ruined anything yet. Adelman managed to win more games than Jeff Van Gundy did, even with the usual injuries still haunting Houston, and a dramatic change of style.

MVP - Kobe Bryant, Lakers

2. Chris Paul, Hornets
3. LeBron James, Cavaliers
4. Kevin Garnett, Celtics

I can't believe I'm writing this, because I'm tired of all the Kobe-fawning the media have displayed over the past few years out here, but I like him. It may have been a terrible thing, but his tirades lit a fire under this team and he wisely came back and bought into them. Yes, this roster has improved a lot over the past year, but then he also carried this team with Bynum missing a lot of time, and Gasol out in some spots too. I think about this: before the Gasol trade, Bynum was giving them some offense and a lot of D. Then he got hurt. They still played fairly well. Then they traded for Gasol, who gave them good offense but not a ton of D. They never had both of these guys on the court at the same time to complement each other. They went through changes and had more injuries than people realize. They made a lot of lineup changes. Through it all, though, Kobe stayed vicious and they won 57 games in a ridiculously tough conference. I think that counts as something.

In any other year, Paul might have gotten it. Actually, so would have LeBron, and he's gonna be third despite an unfathomable stat line. Paul is just a hair under Kobe for keeping a team no one expected to be great. As Bill Simmons, John Hollinger, and others have said, he might be having the best season of any point guard ever. He controls everything there and sets everyone up. David West and Tyson Chandler owe their surges to him. That roster doesn't look impressive, but he carried them to more wins than they've ever had, in a tough year. The only thing holding him back? I don't know how far he can go in the playoffs, whereas I expect the Lakers to do something (and dominate the next few years as well). If he proves himself now, (he's off to a good start), he might change my mind.

LeBron's unbelievable season loses a lot for his team not being that great in the weaker half, but he could still go off in the playoffs and scare everyone. Garnett, for as much as he has done, just can't compete with these great seasons. He's not even the person to fear most for opponents offensively on his own team. He's already got an MVP, so I think he'll be okay, especially if he gets the ring.

Think about it this way: if the Lakers had traded Kobe for, say, Ben Wallace, Andres Nocioni, Tyrus Thomas, and Ben Gordon, how terrible would they be? Terrible. Beyond terrible. They would be the first-half Bulls without Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng... and look how the Bulls turned out. If the Hornets didn't have Paul, they would probably be awful, but pending on what point guard they had. The Cavs would obviously suck without LeBron because they built the whole team around him, but they only won 45 games with him. The Celtics, meanwhile, would probably still be decent if they hadn't made the KG trade - not great, but a playoff team with Al Jefferson and Ryan Gomes helping the guys they have now. Does this make any sense? I don't know. But I think the scenarios of people not being there favors Kobe.

It's not sentiment or a lifetime achievement award; I just think he's broken through. I hope that's enough. If not, well, there are three other guys I can accept. This is a great year and they all deserve recognition.

One note for my all league team: I couldn't decide between Duncan and Howard as my starting center. Both were so good, and Duncan is usually listed as a forward, but I put him in at center all the time. I decided to go with both. It's a good year. We can have 6 people on the first team. This also means that we don't have 3 east guys and 2 west guys, which seemed a little unfair.


ALL NBA FIRST TEAM

Kobe, Paul, LeBron, Garnett
Dwight Howard, Magic
Tim Duncan, Spurs

ALL NBA SECOND TEAM

Carlos Boozer, Jazz
Dirk Nowitzki, Mavs
Amare Stoudemire, Suns
Steve Nash, Suns
Chuancey Billups, Pistons

ALL NBA THIRD TEAM

Paul Pierce, Celtics
Tracy McGrady, Rockets
Chris Bosh, Raptors
Allen Iverson, Nuggets
Manu Ginobli, Spurs

HONORABLE MENTION

Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets
Antawn Jamison, Wizards

That's all. More playoff notes coming soon.