Better Than Bruno Mars: The Halftime Awards

Welcome to Basketball Banter's Annual Halftime Awards, where we (I) salute the NBA players who've made the greatest impact on the season's first 41 games. It's been a bit of a tumultuous campaign so far, but these are the most deserving candidates for the League's individual awards:

Rookie of the Year: Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia 76ers
Seen as a bit of a wild-card pick, even in a wild-card Draft, Carter-Williams quickly rose to the top of the class with a near quadruple-double (22/12ast/9stl/7reb.One turnover.) in an opening-night win over the Heat, and hasn't looked back much.

He can't really shoot, and he turns the ball over too much - as most rookie PGs do - but MCW's quickness and size allow him to do so much else on the court, from defending several positions, to being a menace in the passing lanes, creating well off the dribble, and rebounding more than any PG.

Carter-Williams may be lightly bumping into the Rookie Wall, but he remains enough of a favorite that this may be wrapped up unless he (God forbid) goes the way so many other Ones this season.

Regards to: Victor Oladipo, Tim Hardaway Jr, Giannis Antetokounmpo

Most Improved Player: Miles Plumlee, Phoenix Suns
I know a lot of people are jocking Anthony Davis for this award, but regardless of how undeniably he's in the midst of "The Leap", his rookie season wasn't that far off his per-minute pace this year. He's playing almost seven more minutes per game now that's he's stronger and fully healthy, so naturally his numbers will jump.

Meanwhile, Plumlee is quietly having a productive season for the Phoenix Suns, averaging a shade under 10/9 in the pivot while emerging as a dangerous weak-side shot blocker, and irritating, energetic defender.

What bears noting is that the Alpha Plumlee appeared in 14 games for the Pacers last year (whose bench kind of sucked if you recall), amassing gaudy averages of 0.9/1.6. Yeah, he scored 13 points the entire season. Now he's the White Shawn Kemp, and the prime over-achiever on maybe the NBA's biggest surprise team. Tell me who's "Improved" more.

Regards to: Eric Bledsoe/Basically Everyone on Phoenix, Anthony Davis, DeAndre Jordan, Kemba Walker, Lance Stephenson (someone cue the "cut-off acceptance speech" music)

Sixth Man of the Year: Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
I'll be the first to admit, I thought Ginobili had finally faded after last year's awful Playoff run, and just like every other time I'd said anything even remotely pessimistic about the Spurs, I was proven wrong. He's bounced back with a signature Manu Season, in line for the Sixth Man trophy yet again (in fact, he's only actually won it once, which is kind of like Shaq only having one MVP).

Ever a living testament to the old "it's not who starts the game, but who finishes it" adage, Manu continuing to be Manu is one of the biggest reasons the Spurs - while "playing for June" - are still the West's best team.

Regards to: Taj Gibson, Tyreke Evans, the favorite-turned-replacement starter (Reggie Jackson)

Coach of the Year: Terry Stotts, Portland Trailblazers
The first of two awards that have been beyond difficult to decide, Stotts gets an alarmingly slim nod over Jeff Hornacek, whose teams have both massively exceeded expectations this year.

Portland was supposed to be fighting a losing battle for one of the West's final Playoff spots, while Phoenix was supposed to be trying to be the worst team in the Conference. Instead, the Suns are currently Playoff-bound (and have more games remaining vs. the East than any West team), while Portland is fighting a losing battle for the West's top seed.

Which is really what gives Stotts the edge in a race where both coaches have devised unique systems (Stotss on offense, Hornacek on both sides of the ball) and gotten career years out of several players; Portland's level of success, which can't be ignored.

Regards to: Jeff Hornacek, Gregg Popovich, Frank Vogel

Defensive Player of the Year: Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers
Shot blocking...blah blah blah...alters everything near the hoop...blah blah blah...backbone of NBA's best defense...blah blah blah...Verticality...blah blah blah...

Regards to: LeBron James, Tony Allen, Dwight Howard

Most Valuable Player: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
*DISCLAIMER* This does not mean I think Durant is a better basketball player than LeBron James. Nobody is. But this season, in the context of the MVP award, I think he's the more deserving candidate.

Also, this has nothing to do with being "bored" of voting for LeBron. An argument as stupid as "It's KD's Turn" can't influence the most important award.

Further, this isn't just a fickle reaction to Durant's recent string of malicious scoring nights either, though they certainly haven't hurt his case.

This is the result of KD being the more vital player to the better team out of Miami and OKC thus far, averaging career highs in scoring and (Rebs+Assts), and keeping the Thunder on track through two unlikely Russell Westbrook injuries. His percentages have fallen slightly - defenses are able to key on him all the more without Westbrook - but are still within striking distance of .50/.40/.90, which is relatively even more impressive without a co-pilot.

Both Durant and LeBron are in the midst of transcendent seasons, and really either of them could take this trophy without much of a legitimate protest from anyone. Both have had to do so much for their teams, but the following facts are true:

- Russell Westbrook, who against most standards is a better player than Dwyane Wade, has sat more games for the Thunder this year than Wade has for the Heat. This puts Durant, in the sense of playing as a lone star and thus individually "valuable" to his team, at a greater disadvantage. Peripherally, Chris Bosh is also better than Serge Ibaka and Reggie Jackson.

- Aside from a career-high FG%, all of LeBron's key stats, factoring Wade's periodic absence, are below his career averages. I hate to point this out when he does so much so well, but you'd expect the opposite if anything. And the Heat are routinely losing games Wade sits.

- Miami has a worse record than OKC, and plays in a substantially worse Conference. So both of these guys are making massive MVP contributions for Top-3 teams in the absence of fellow stars, only one of them is winning against much better teams at a higher rate.

So in a race this close, the scales are tipped ever-so-slightly in Durant's favor by his unconscious domination leading to his team's superior position, in the midst of a worse handicap. So what, it is KD's turn.

Regards to: LeBron James. That's It. 

Much could evolve over the coming months to change the course of the MVP, and (most of) the rest of the awards. Good luck to the contenders; on the the Second Half...