Half on the 82: The Midseason Awards

In what's seemed like a blink of an eye, the first half of the NBA regular season's sped by and we're already dawning on All-Star Weekend and the Trade Deadline. Things are gonna get pretty hectic over the next couple months, between the mad scrambling for financial flexibility in the offseason and the implications it'll have on the battle royale for the Larry O, we're in for some interesting days ahead. Not to say the season hasn't already been pretty entertaining so far. Here's a salute to the dudes who set themselves apart over the season's first half, the Basketball Banter Midseason Awards

Rookie of the Half: Tyreke Evans, Sacramento Kings

The Kings were destined for the Western Conference cellar this year, and although they're not making playoff moves, they've already won as many games as most heads predicted at the half. That they did this without their leading scorer can be attributed to the exploits of one Tyreke Evans, the explosive combo guard the Kings shrewdly scooped with the 4th pick last June. Reke's been an indomitable floor leader; a steady ball handler and distributor who can score at will against most defenses while being a hard-nosed stopper himself. The 20/5/5 he's averaging has him on pace to join some very elite company: Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and Lebron James are the only others to drop those numbers as rookies.

Regards to: Brandon Jennings, Omri Casspi, Ty Lawson

Defensive Player of the Half: Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

Although he's had some ups and downs, and although the Magic have looked far from the juggernaut many took them for, Dwight's gotta be the favorite to snag his second DPOY. It's very difficult to deny a guy who leads the league in rebounds and blocks, and his role anchoring a skeptical Magic defense is vital. His lurking presence in the post keeps many would-be penetrators at bay, easing the defensive burdens of, say, Vince Carter or Jason Williams. If Orlando gets healthy and wakes up, a strong record would lend even more credence to his cause.

Regards to: Josh Smith, Gerald Wallace, Rajon Rondo

6th Man of the Half: Carl Landry, Houston Rockets

A perfect fit for Houston's balanced attack, Landry's game is rounded and solid, short on dominance but with even fewer weaknesses. Far from flashy, he was always ultra-efficient in limited minutes, but this season truly came into his own as a two-way sparkplug as Houston's first man off the bench and go-to guy in the clutch. Still one of the most effective scorers in the L (55% from the field, 85% from the stripe), Carl's biggest threat in this category might be his own play; with Houston lagging a bit, he's got 'starter' written all over him.

Regards to: Jamal Crawford, Lamar Odom, Anderson Varejao

Most Improved Player: Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics

Yeah, I know, it seems a little late suggesting that Rondo's "improved" upon a postseason that saw him average a shade under a triple-double over two very tough series. Still, it would be foolish to ignore the huge strides Rondo's made to become one of the A's elite point guards and every bit as key to Boston's success as the Hall of Famers that surround him. He's one of the League's peskiest defenders (hawking 2.5 balls/games) and has come into his own as a prolific playmaker and able scorer in the key. His numbers have improved (marginally) but only tell part of the story; Rondo's a much more poised floor general who deserves an All-Star nod.

Regards to: Carl Landry, Marc Gasol, Michael Beasley

Coach of the Half: Nate McMillan, Portland Trailblazers

Injuries. The bane of a coach's existence. Not only do they strip talent from the lineup, but put the onus on the bench boss to make adjustments on fly, balancing minutes, running new plays, compensating for new mismatches. In the case of this season's Portland Trailblazers, who have been decimated by injury like few in recent memory, their maintenance of a playoff spot through extended injuries to four rotation players (including both their centers), is a slight miracle that can be attributed to Nate's steady hand at the helm.

Regards to: Rick Adelman, Paul Westphal, Mike Brown

MVP: Lebron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

Now that the Cavs are comfortably back atop the East and have swept the season series with the Lakers, Lebron's usual eye-popping numbers have vaulted him to a comfortable lead in the MVP race, regardless of how you want to call it. Is the best player on a consensus top-3 (many would argue top-2 or just even top) team? Yes. Does he have the most impressive individual numbers? Absolutely. Has he ratcheted his game up another notch this year? Career-highs in all 3 shooting categories would sugest so. Has he been unstoppable in the fourth, single-handedly winning several games for the Cavs? You see where this is going...

Regards to: Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant

This and That

Some random thoughts from what's been going on in the League the past little while:

- There hasn't been enough Raptors hate lately, so let me take this opportunity to rip into a soft, passive team that would be aptly called the Brontosaurs. Their "franchise" player's been playing with the tentativeness of a rookie, not a four-time All-Star. Their point guard, a model of offensive efficiency, underlines this team's wide-spread defensive shortcomings. Their bench is America's Next Top Model thin. They've been getting blown out by shitty team after shitty team en route to walking punchline status and more than their share of lottery balls. The only positives the team can take away from this season are the emergence of Andrea Bargnani as a lethal scoring threat and that their washed-up, overpaid big-name acquisition will come off the books this year as opposed to next. That should do little to quell the reality that they'll finish the season 7-10 spots lower than they should've in the East this season... At least there's always next year (to again insult expectations)

- Meanwhile, across the Mississippi, much more exciting things are going down. 4.5 games separate seeds 2-8 in the West, setting up a scramble for seedings that will be every bit as contested as last year. While the Lakers have been running away with the conference all year, there's been plenty of impressive play from the teams nipping at their heels. San Antonio was rescued from early injuries by stellar reserve play and, now at full health, hold the safest lead on their second seed while Houston has somehow defied T-Mac's inevitable collapse with their best season in recent memory. Utah has to be that "team nobody wants to play" now that they're back at full strength and looking even better than they did at this time last year. Even sleepers like New Orleans and Portland, that nobody's really talking about come playoff time, could sting a higher seed in the opening round; the disparity in talent between these teams is so small that anything could happen. We're being set up for another killer Western playoffs, hopefully this time it happens.

- Somewhere on the set of The Price is Right, Drew Carey's pleasuring himself to the highlights from last night's Cleveland/Orlando showdown. Anyone who still doesn't think Lebron James should win the MVP is politely asked to remove Dwyane Wade/Kobe Bryant's nuts from their throat.

- In completely un-related news, Rockets forward Carl Landry was shot in the leg last night. Apparently Landry, who's won much praise in Houston for his energetic and ridiculously efficient play, was sidewiped in his SUV while on a late-night munchies run. After pulling a U-turn, he got out of his car to investigate the damage, when two dudes from the perpetrating car rolled on him fired two shots, one of which Landry took in the leg. He took off, somehow still outrunning the gunmen with a slug in his stride. The motive of this bizarre incident is still unknown, but luckily Landry was alright; treated and released for a flesh wound, he'll be back in the Rockets' lineup inside a month. Let's hope this is the last we hear of this business.

- Scott Skiles was always a master at alienating his younger players in Chicago, his tough-love, old-school attitude wore thin with many players who found him intense, constricting and intolerant on and off the court. So imagine the fireworks that went off in his head when he discovered that Charlie Villanueva had posted on Twitter from his phone during halftime of the Bucks' recent win over the Celtics. How dare he? The NERVE! Forget that he scored a team-high 19 in a huge win for a team fighting for its playoff life, he was publicly called-out and Skiles banished the evil Twitter from his locker room. Actually. This really happened. If Skiles still has a job this time next year I'll rock a fu-manchu 'til he's fired.

- And finally, a funny story from a buddy of mine who was at the Lakers blowout win over the T-Wolves a few weeks back. It was late in the fourth quarter of a long-decided game when reserve center DJ Mbenga, sopping up garbage minutes like a Sham-Wow, was sent to the line for two. The Staples crowd broke into the "MVP! MVP MVP!" chorus usually reserved for Kobe, to which Mbenga (who, for the record is averaging 3/1.5 in 12 appearances this season) horrendously bricked both shots.

Hope everyone's got their brackets stacked; the Madness starts tomorrow. Enjoy the action.