foxsports
By Don MacLean
FOX Sports West and PRIME TICKET
ARCHIVE
When Utah hosts Dallas on Friday, one NBA team will have played 20 games and officially hit the quarter pole in the NBA season.
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MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Ever since LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, this award became as wide open as it's been in a few years. Team success plays a big role in this one, so we won't know for a while who the real contenders are for this award. Dirk Nowitzki is off to a fast start, averaging 26 & 8, and the Mavs have won six straight to post a 13-4 record that ties them for second in the West. You want to say Pau Gasol is having an MVP-type season, but how do you give it to him instead of Kobe Bryant, who is third in the league in scoring...they might cancel each other out and neither of them gets the award. Derrick Rose is second in the league in scoring at 26.6 per game, and eighth in assists, but will his team have enough success to really put him in the running? Dwight Howard has his team tied for first in the East but his numbers are down a little bit from last year. Not sure 22 a night can get you in the MVP. MACLEAN SAYS: It's not clear cut, and I 100% reserve the right to change my opinion when we revisit these in a month, but Nowitzki. |
| ALSO UNDER CONSIDERATION: Kevin Durant (OKC), Russell Westbrook (OKC), Chris Paul (N.O.) | |
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COACH OF THE YEAR This one is really hard to judge this early since team success is the sole reason you win Coach of the Year, but there have been some good stories here early. The best early-season story has been the New Orleans Hornets and the job first-year head coach Monty Williams has done. Yes, Chris Paul is back in the lineup, but he has them buying in defensively and they are off to a 12-5 start. The San Antonio Spurs have the NBA's best record, so Greg Popovich also has to be in the conversation. The Spurs are playing different this year, and who would've thought they would have the best record in the league with Tim Duncan averaging just 14 a game? Jerry Sloan has never won Coach of the Year in the NBA, amazingly, and the Jazz are off to a good start and look to be a contender in the West, so maybe this is the year Sloan breaks through. MACLEAN SAYS: Right now, Williams, but that 11-1 start was followed with a 1-4 stretch, so who knows if this team can sustain it. |
| ALSO UNDER CONSIDERATION: Rick Carlisle (Dallas), Byron Scott (Cleveland) | |
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ROOKIE OF THE YEAR It's a two-man race between Blake Griffin and John Wall, and both are off to spectacular starts. The numbers are similar in terms of scoring, but Griffin has something that Wall doesn't have yet, that monster, signature game that everybody hears about 44 points, 15 rebs and seven assists against the Knicks. This is going to be interesting to watch as this race unfolds. MACLEAN SAYS: Griffin. Wall has missed some time with injuries and Griffin has been as advertised. |
| ALSO UNDER CONSIDERATION: N/A | |
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MOST IMPROVED PLAYER This award is always pretty interesting as you always have to ask yourself, did he improve or did he just get an opportunity to excel because of an injury, trade, etc.? Roy Hibbert got better. He improved his body which allows him to move better and stay on the court for longer stretches. His numbers are up at 16 & 10 this year compared to 11 & 6 a year ago. Eric Gordon is having a breakout year, averaging just over 24 a game, good for sixth in the league. He has more of an opportunity to score with injuries to key teammates, but he is no doubt, much improved and much more confident than a year ago. Paul Milsap, same thing. Good player already, but having a breakout year averaging over 18 points a game as compared to 11 a year ago. MACLEAN SAYS: Hibbert looks like a different player. |
| ALSO UNDER CONSIDERATION: Kevin Love (Minnesota), Michael Beasley (Minnesota), Russell Westbrook (OKC) | |
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DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Every year Dwight Howard plays, this is his award to lose. Howard is fifth in rebounding and fifth in blocked shots so far this year and those ranks will probably go up as this year moves on. And it's more than just numbers with Howard, his presence and rim protection make the whole Orlando team better defensively. Right now, no one in the NBA affects the game from a defensive standpoint as much as Dwight Howard. MACLEAN SAYS: Let's just call it the Dwight Howard award. |
| ALSO UNDER CONSIDERATION: Emeka Okafor (New Orleans) |
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