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.

Back Like Obama: The NBA Returns

This time last year, we were all in hell.

Days were getting colder, nights were getting longer, and we were facing the seeming certainty that there would be no NBA action to carry us through the long, harsh winter. 

Saved by a last-minute (though hastily-compromised, we'll see how that plays in five years) CBA agreement, we got our season, and this year us Canadian fans might even get to enjoy baketball without the constant pestering of the NHL, mired in its own lockout.

A week into the season, things are at the usual frantic pace as teams welcome newcomers and jostle for position out of the gate. Here's a look around the League at some of the highlights: 

- The early season thunder (pun intended) was stolen suddenly when OKC woke up out of nowhere and traded James Harden to the Rockets after contract talks went south. Things got thicker than James' beard when he took off with an MVP-like romp to open the season, completely revitalizing Houston's hoops scene.

The unfortunate word out of the Thunder camp is that Harden was unwilling to budge on a deal that was $5m below the max, but would have covered the difference in easy incentives, dealing a huge blow to the Thunder's uber-nucleus. So, facing four max players on a small-market team, Sam Presti's hand was forced, and now instead of a player blossoming into the NBA's best two-way two guard, he's left with a great scorer and defender at the position, unfortunately they're just not the same person. The Thunder have also started the season looking like a feeble shell of the team that shook the Spurs last May, and who's to know if they can regain their swagger?

On the other hand, you've got the Rockets, who are looking like Anna Nicole Smith post-divorce (and pre-bloating), happily inking Harden to the max after stockpiling assets for years to land a player of his caliber. The Beard now teams with Linsanity to form perhaps the NBA's most intriguing backcourt, has all the room to shine, a city on his back, money in his pocket, and a straight-up frightening start to the season under his belt. Only time will tell, but this has all the makings of a historic, franchise-altering move for both teams. 

- Amid the Harden shockwaves were tremors out of Los Angeles, where the Lakers started 0-3 and underwhelmed everyone. The problems were plenty: Mike Brown shackling his imposing offensive arsenal with a Princeton system, a lack of defensive cohesion to mask the holes at several positions, incomplete health (something massively exacerbated by Steve Nash's demise). Where the Lakers go from here is anybody's guess, but by the time Nash returns in a couple weeks, if this ship doesn't begin to right itself, Mike Brown might be getting the axe. I'm not entirely sure why he has this job to begin with, but Brown trying to co-ordinate an offense for Nash and Kobe Bryant is sort of like Riff Raff trying to give Kendrick Lamar rapping lessons.

Mike, take a page from Erik Spoelstra, who's survived a baptism-by-fire in Miami to actually become one of the NBA's better coaches, recently saying that putting Lebron James "in a box" (theoretically) during his first year in Miami "was the worst thing I could've done". You've got revolutionary talent on your team, and the two players leading it are both more experienced and simply smarter than you offensively. Let them do their thing.

- The remaining unbeaten teams are (somewhat predictably) the Spurs, and (complete f***ing shocker) the Knicks and Bucks. San Antonio's doing what they always do: play monotonously effective basketball, Milwaukee's only played two games, but the Knicks have been shooting the lights out, despite being old, hobbled and hated on by pretty much everyone outside of Manhattan (they don't even have the other Boroughs anymore). Melo's been playing like he heard everyone's mumbles about his mentality this summer, Raymond Felton appears to have shed his Burger King addiction, and Mike Woodson might finally have made a sane human being out of JR Smith. Of course, this is the Knicks so things could be a Rasheed Wallace drug violation away from completely unraveling, stay tuned.

- The player everyone was probably most anxious to see - human pogo stick/ROY apparent/unibrow revolutionist Anthony Davis - was abruptly sidelined after concussion-like syndromes from an inadvertent Austin Rivers elbow ("thanks, pal!") prevented him from traveling with the team by plane after the NBA went all NFL on us and revised their policies about head injuries. The issue of brain damage from sports injuries is a very serious and relevant one; in all cases, not just that of a rookie phenom. But Hornets coach Monty Williams spoke out and hit all the right points; that basketball's a much less physical game, that this policy was revised without much history within the sport, and the players should be more involved in the decision (Davis was apparently fine the next day). That and my fantasy team's already got enough injuries.

- Meanwhile, over in Oregon, Blazers rookie Damian Lillard has been putting on a clinic and setting the bar very high for Davis. If the Summer League and Preseason exhibitions he put on weren't enough to convince you that the stunner of Draft Lottery might also be its best player this year, then tune into a Portland game on League Pass, watch his lethal stroke, killer quickness, great passing for a score-first guard, and try lying to yourself and saying he isn't the truth. It'll likely be a two-horse race for ROY, but it should be a damn good one.

- Mavs' owner Mark Cuban's been back in the headlines (where he seems to have taken a slight backseat from after his failed foray in Major League Baseball), picking fights with Donald Trump via Twitter in an effort to get Trump to first shave his immortally horrendous haircut off for charity, and then to match Cuban's $1m for Sandy relief (in his own state no less) when The Donald scoffed at the offer. Say what you want about Mark Cuban; he comes across as arrogant and maybe a man in his position has the right to, but he speaks his mind, is the best owner in the NBA, and in this case is using his public platform to not only raise money for a good cause, but have fun at the expense of one of the most unanimously disliked people in the World. Try and hate.

- Until Love and Rubio return and make Minnesota the indisputable Official Team of League Pass, there should be an interesting fight for the interim title. Houston has to be included for Harden Watch after his early season antics. Golden State's playing some inspiring ball, has several players to watch, and could actually (maybe) be something this year. The Clippers are obvious choices. The Cavs are less obvious ones. But for my money, I'm going to be watching a lot of Nuggets games over the next few weeks. Their team is young, exciting and dynamic; they play the kind of gritty, unselfish basketball you'd expect a good team with no superstar to play, but with a level of flair an athleticism that has to put them high for any true fan. Then there's the added bonus value of Javale McGee doing something completely, utterly unforgettable. Makes an easy win.

And last, but most definitely not least, a salute to David Stern - unmistakably the best commissioner in pro sports today - who recently announced his impending retirement after what will be a 30-year reign that saw him steer the NBA from fringe market to global juggernaut. He presided over an era of absurd economic expansion that saw professional basketball become adopted in media and countries it had previously never heard of. As with any commissioner there were highs and lows; along with his knack for expansion and reputation as a policy guru, relentless worker, and "stern" negotiator, were failed attempts at social engineering (the Dress Code), failed attempts to keep his owners' wallets in line (resulting in two season-shortening lockouts, though let us note the MLB and NHL both lost entire seasons to lockouts during his tenure), failed attempts to keep his referees from fixing games for the mob, and obvious signs of a decline into senility (the Chris Paul Fiasco). Despite these blemishes, the historical record will surely state that Stern was a basketball legend for his impact on the game's sharp rise in popularity. He was as steady a leader as a league that constantly found itself in public turmoil could ask for, and we can only hope (as is indicative) that Adam Silver will wear the shoes well.

Here's to an awesome season, enjoy and take care.