2013 Banter NBA Awards

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!

Coming to you live from the Halifax Forum it's the 2013 Basketball Banter Awards, on Eastlink local cable!

We've got plenty of awards to hand out tonight, and unfortunately our host Michael Jordan couldn't make it this evening (something about a scheduling conflict), so without further ado, here are tonight's nominees!

Rookie of the Year, presented by Thomas Ian Nicholas and Gary Busey:  Bradley Beal, Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, Damian Lillard, Dion Waiters

Defensive Player of the Year, presented by Ray Lewis and Maurice Levy: Tyson Chandler, Marc Gasol, Paul George, Lebron James, Joakim Noah

Coach of the Year, presented by Phil Jackson and Mike Rice: Gregg Popovich, Erik Spoelstra, Tom Thibodeau, Mike Woodson, Doug Collins, Frank Vogel

Sixth Man of the Year, presented by Bronn and The Hound: Ryan Anderson, Jamal Crawford, Jarrett Jack, Andre Miller, JR Smith

Most Improved Player, presented by Macklemore and Psy: Omer Asik, Paul George, Jrue Holiday, Larry Sanders, Nikola Vucevic

Most Valuable Player, presented by Adam Silver and Mikhail Prokhorov: Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Lebron James, Chris Paul

....and now, the moment you've all been waiting for (seriously, let's just get to the after-party), the winners are....

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Damian Lillard, Portland Trailblazers
What was seemingly Davis' award to lose heading into the season has, in fact, been lost, unfortunately for him it seemed, before he even got to stake his claim. While Davis put up a reasonable rookie campaign amid some concerns about his durability and frame at the NBA level, Lillard showed out for Portland, blitzing defenses with ridiculous quickness off the bounce, and an impressive set of moves for a 6'3" rookie. His playmaking ability is adept for a score-first guard, and while the NBA game hasn't come completely naturally to him (he's struggled on defense most of the season, particularly on-the-ball), he's by all accounts a gym-rat with a devotion to improving. Either way, for 2013, Dame Dash is the clear rookie chart-topper.

All-Rookie Teams:

First Team: G-Damian Lillard, G-Bradley Beal, F-Mo Harkless F-Anthony Davis, C-Andre Drummond

Second Team: G-Dion Waiters, G/F*Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (the asterisk denoting that the Bobcats didn't really have anything coherently resembling an offense this year, so slotting MKG here in a very thin rookie class isn't much of a stretch) F- Harrison Barnes, F- John Henson, C- Jonas Valanciunas

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls
The  Bulls' somewhat-controversial dismantling of the Miami Heat's historic win streak was a simple microcosm of what this team's about: brutally efficient defensive execution; it's what Tom Thibodeau was sought for by teams League-wide, and it's paid dividends with the Bulls' MVP on the shelf for most of the past two seasons.

That they pulled off that particular upset without Joakim Noah is drenched in irony, as Noah has been the heart, soul and spine of this team's defense for several seasons, and knowing Derrick Rose would be out for most (perhaps all?) of this season, he ratcheted his game up to the next level, becoming the League's most versatile post defender. A constant threat to not only disrupt big men and own the glass, but quick enough to get in front of any penetrating wingman, with the length and athleticism to make them think twice about a return trip. His increased court awareness and leadership in Rose's absence showed especially on D, where he never fell into the lapses that plagued him post-contract, fueling the system that kept Chicago above water through a litany of injuries.

All-Defensive Teams:

First Team: G-Tony Allen, G-Dwyane Wade, F-LeBron James, F-Joakim Noah, C-Marc Gasol

Second Team: G-Mike Conley, G-Chris Paul, F-Paul George, F-Serge Ibaka, C-Roy Hibbert

COACH OF THE YEAR: Mike Woodson, New York Knicks 
In a category that's defined by subjectivity and un-expectation, Woodson has risen to the top of this year's coaching crop by taking an oddly-cobbled, aging Knicks team, and turning them into the unquestioned Eastern bridesmaids with a unique inside-out attack that has had to take many forms amid numerous injuries.
Aside from adjusting his lineup all year through a perpetually-rotating cast of players, Woodson did many remarkable things this season:

First, he vastly exceeded expectations in the rabid Mecca, which between the fans, the media, the pressure, the presence of Jim Dolan, and everything else plaguing the Knicks, takes a minor miracle. Moreover, he took on a newly-assembled team with several "character issues" guys and steered them clear of any cereal-unrelated disasters. In a season of metrics-based innovation, he crafted the NBA's most devastating inside-out attack around a player (Tyson Chandler) with no low-post game, and a player (Carmelo Anthony) who wasn't very fond of posting up often, or doing things the coach's way. In convincing Melo to take more minutes at the 4-spot, Woodson was also able to make Anthony see the light that "passing can be a good thing" (consequently, a player who arguably had the most prove of anyone in the NBA this year enjoyed the best season of his career). Beyond all this, perhaps most impressive was Woodson's breakthrough with JR Smith (clearly an expert after repeatedly butting heads with the other athletic "J.Smith" who was taken as a high schooler in the teens of the '04 Draft), turning him from a talented but generally disruptive potential-journeyman into:

SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR: JR Smith, New York Knicks
You should really see the look on my face right now. If there were a "Ron Artest Wins the Citizenship Award" Award for the words I'm most shocked to be writing this season, this is a sweep:

Smith made a name for himself in the NBA as an explosive scorer who could carry any second unit offensively, but did little else, loved the continual self-dial, and conducted himself in a manner that not-so-seldom made headlines for the wrong reasons. After spending a year in China during the lockout, it was unclear what Smith's role would be upon signing with New York; even less clear how the Garden's bright lights would cast him.

Early on, Smith made an impact; as advertised, he was a lethal shooter but his game seemed to evolve; he was penetrating more, keeping defenses honest, scoring near the hoop, and getting to the line at a greater rate, becoming a much more efficient offensive weapon. This was an astonishing development after years of urging from numerous coaches had proven futile. Even more shocking, he was defending and rebounding aggressively, while playing an important role in the Knicks' pass-heavy offense, completing the full-on transformation from apparent selfish knucklehead to vital role player, while using Twitter hilariously as an outlet for his impulsive attention-getting, rather than fighting with refs and coaches.

Smith's play led to increased minutes - a career high 33.5 as of now - which naturally left him on the floor more often in the clutch, where that once-pseudo-swag he carried himself with found meaning, hitting numerous big shots to help secure wins, which puts the icing on this cake and the 6MOY in JR Smith's humble hands. Strange times we're living in.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Paul George, Indiana Pacers
Some people might find it puzzling that I don't have the guy who's likely to win this award (James Harden) included even as a nominee. While Harden's certainly come onto his new scene in a big way, becoming a Top-10 guy with the Rockets this year, it's not as though he's improved tremendously as a basketball player. He was the most under-utilized player in the NBA last year, and still posted one of the best seasons in 6th Man history. He was named to Team USA in the summer, and happily given a max contract by the guy who's very much looking like the smartest GM in the League at the moment. Now the clear #1 on a Houston squad with the fastest-paced (read: stat-bloating) game, it's only natural he'd be putting up numbers like he is.

Meanwhile, George underwent an evolution that was far less guided; one that saw him make significant statistical strides on one of the slowest-paced (read: stat-constricting) teams while having to work harder in a new role that was unexpectedly thrown at him. When trigger-happy Danny Granger went down early, the onus was on PG to become the Pacers' offensive leader (almost by committee) and get over his apparent hesitance to create his own shot. It didn't take too long for George to not only become confident in that role, but display the kind of ability to render Granger to sudden trade bait, while also upping his play on D to an elite level. His baptism-by-fire emergence is the biggest reason the short-handed Pacers will be a 50-win team (other than the depth of the Eastern Conference) and a total contrast to Harden's likely illogical victory in this category.

All-NBA Teams: 

First Team: G-Chris Paul, G-Kobe Bryant, F-Lebron James, F-Kevin Durant, C-Marc Gasol

Second Team: G-Russell Westbrook, G-Tony Parker, F-Carmelo Anthony, F-Tim Duncan, C-Joakim Noah

Third Team: G-Stephen Curry, G-James Harden, F-Paul George, F-Blake Griffin, C-Brook Lopez

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: LeBron James, Miami Heat 
The final award of the evening is a total anti-climax, defeating the entire purpose of leaving it for last, but I digress... In a season where several players put up what otherwise would be very compelling MVP arguments, LeBron silenced all. The performance he delivered this season has made people legitimately discuss the idea of a living player possibly being as good or better than Michael Jordan, and not be thrown in an insane asylum. And that's really that needs to be said.