Banter's 2014 NBA Awards

Last night, the UConn Huskies capped off a ridiculous NCAA Tournament in fittingly historic fashion as the first 7-seed ever to be the Last Team Standing. It was their Spurs-esque 4th title in 15 years (mind-boggling when you think about the leagues of teams vying for it), and equally incredible ways for Shabazz Napier and Kevin Ollie to end, and begin, their Connecticut legacies as player and coach.

Napier put on a very convincing Kemba Walker impersonation, doing seemingly whatever he wanted and coming up with innumerable huge buckets through the Huskies' run. His post-game interview only amplified the resonance. Ollie did an outstanding job of motivating and organizing these young men; keeping their play focused and intense through a series of tough opponents who played varying styles of ball. While Napier gets to move on to a league where he'll see a share of the millions his talents generate, we can only hope the next March Madness hero won't "go to bed starving". Hopefully, the NCAA can look itself in the mirror, and see how their priorities and rules about ensuring the integrity of the collegiate experience are hypocritically defeating themselves, before the game, and its athletes, suffer further.

Back in the big leagues, the regular season's coming down to its final games, which means it's time to gear up the annual debate about who deserves each of the NBA's awards. The competition was pretty thick for most of the trophies this season; a few battles with some decisive lead changes and close outcomes. In a season that where the Impiid for Embiid movement and the critical shittiness of the Eastern Conference were Adam Silver's first burdens to carry (along with that bizarre trip of a Dunk Contest), there was still plenty to applaud, so let's get ahead of ourselves by starting things off, as usual, with the future:

Rookie of the Year - Michael Carter-Williams
Carter-Williams can, to an extent, credit Philadelphia's hyperactive pace with his gaudy numbers that led all NBA freshmen in points, rebounds, assists, and steals, and put his rookie season in the same statistical realm as Magic Johnson's.

There's still plenty about his game that needs improvement for him to hit another level - chiefly his awful shooting from outside ten feet - and at 22, he's kind of old for a rookie in today's NBA. But MCW's rangy skill set and size as a PG are huge advantages for a developing player, and his unlikely outburst made him an easy choice amid a predictably shaky rookie class.

Regards to: Victor Oladipo, Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr

All-Rookie First Team: G-Michael Carter-Williams, G-Victor Oladipo, F-Giannis Antetokounmpo, F-Mason Plumlee, C-Pero Antic

Second Team: G-Trey Burke, G-Tim Hardaway Jr, F-Ben McLemore, F/C-Kelly Olynyk, C-Gorgui Dieng

Most Improved Player: DeAndre Jordan 

This award is usually the toughest to decide, not only because there are so many worthy contenders almost every season, but because of the unavoidable issue of whether a player getting more minutes due to a trade, injury, or new roster void constitutes actual "improvement".

Apologies to Anthony Davis and his sudden legions of bandwagoners, but regardless of how high his NBA stock's risen this year, he shouldn't be the MIP. The Brow's had an incredible season, no doubt, but two things work against him heavily; The first is very quantifiable: many of his per-36 averages are startlingly close to last season, indicating most strongly that he was under-appraised as a rookie, even an injured, undersized one. The second is a little more abstract, but it's pretty safely said that some of the hype around Davis has as much to do with the glimpses he's shown as what he's doing consistently, right now. The skills he flashes are so diverse, polished and casual that they promise something greater; making us forget that he's still pulling it together. The quantum leap in his game we all think we're witnessing hasn't even hit yet.

Meanwhile in L.A. DJ's undergone a complete transformation under Doc Rivers. His defensive awareness, positioning and toughness have all risen considerably. He plays with purpose on offense, able to finish without a perfect Chris Paul lob, and in the presence of a defender. As a result his numbers are up universally (both in advanced metrics and layman's stats); he's almost doubled his rebound and block averages (leading the NBA in rebounds, third in blocks) and is shooting a league-crushing .674 from the field, scoring in double-figures on the year for the first time, ranking 16th overall in Real Plus-Minus.

He hits all the criteria for this award in a big way, not only passing the eye and numbers tests, but improving organically, on a competitive team (which has to count for something), who hung tough through injuries partly because of his new level. The frightening angle is that he still has plenty of improving to do, but this season saw serious strides, for a player who - unlike Davis - didn't seem destined to unlock his potential.

Regards to: Anthony Davis, The Phoenix Suns, Lance Stephenson

Coach of the Year: Jeff Hornacek

A very strong field of worthy contenders put up a fight for the most arbitrary and results-oriented of all the NBA's awards, but ultimately whether Phoenix makes the Playoffs or not, too much went right for them this season.

Think back to November; this team was supposed to be playing for ping-pong balls, perhaps the worst in the West on paper. Hornacek was a stereotype of potential coaching failure; a first-year HC, hired by a franchise he used to star for, and a total rebuild facing his roster, with plenty of new faces and no identity.

Only instead, he pulled a literal Cinderella Story, turning pumpkins into stagecoaches, and his Replacements roster into a serious threat, running an imaginatively deadly four-out offensive scheme. He spaced the floor beautifully and took advantage of his shooting bigs, with their ability to move on D allowing them to "small ball" like few other squads.

Once teams realized Phoenix was for real and began game-planning for them, their second-best player conveniently got injured for three months, and the Suns still stayed competitive in the ultra-tough West. Bledsoe's injury is the only thing keeping him from joining three teammates (Miles Plumlee, Goran Dragic, Gerald Green) in the Most Improved Player race, and a fourth (Markieff Morris) who's sure to get some Sixth Man love.

Every player in the Suns' rotation (with the exception of Channing Frye; their elder statesman who missed last season with a heart condition) is having a career year, and that kind of dramatic, consistent improvement is indicative of a coach who not only connects with players very well, but is good at developing skills, and smart enough to employ them optimally on the court. Hornacek's done all that this season which, remember, is only his first. Get Horny.

Regards to: Gregg Popovich, Tom Thibodeau, Terry Stotts

Sixth Man of the Year: Taj Gibson

It seems ridiculous that he's somehow still eligible for this award (what with all the cost-cutting in Chicago and Carlos Boozer not having been amnestied), but in a season where scrappy defensive effectiveness defined the Bulls, Gibson's impact has been huge.

His diverse, disruptive athleticism was invaluable to the Bulls' stalwart D, and averaging an impressive 13ppg off the bench for the NBA's most offensively-challenged team. Those of you who checked out the Real Plus-Minus link above know that Gibson's rated higher overall than Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Blake Griffin, Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard.

The race between Gibson and stone-etched contender Manu Ginobili is very close, but Taj logs 126% of Manu's minutes every night, and hasn't missed a game all year. The Spurs were the epitome of balance and chemistry this season (Spoiler Alert: the NBA's best record has nobody on my All-NBA Teams this year). The Bulls had absolutely no business being this competitive this year, and Gibson's one of the two biggest contributors (leading us to...)

Regards to: Manu Ginobili, Anderson Varejao, Jamal Crawford

Defensive Player of the Year: Joakim Noah
"The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot". - Bill Russell


A small part of me is doing this because I gave Noah this award last year, and now he's belatedly getting hype and credit across the league because of the Bulls' unexpected success. A much larger part of me believes his intensity - either deeply irritating or endearing depending on who you're rooting for - has only become more valuable as he's matured and improved his awareness, making him that much more deserving.

He's a truly unique player; a mental game master who not only plays with a high IQ but knows how to get under opponents' skin painfully well, housed by a long, athletic and quick body, fueled by an F-1 engine on overdrive. Nobody in the NBA does more to constantly disrupt the flow of an opponent's offense in a variety of ways. He can body big centers, move with smaller ones, cover help in the air or on the dribble (and switch back faster than just about anyone), and even step onto the perimeter, contest shots and slow down bigger slashers. He's everywhere.

It's an all-around nightmare of a defensive presence; one that constantly looms: "I'm going to make your life hell for 35 minutes tonight. You're going to be very annoyed no matter what you do. Be afraid". And he's good enough to instill that fear.

Regards to: Roy Hibbert, Patrick Beverley, Serge Ibaka

All-D First Team: G-Chris Paul, G-Patrick Beverley, F-Serge Ibaka, F-Anthony Davis, C-Joakim Noah 

Second Team: G-Kyle Lowry, G-Mike Conley, F-Kawhi Leonard, F-LeBron James, C-Roy Hibbert


Most Valuable Player: Kevin Durant
The King is Dead! Or at least his death-grip on the MVP trophy has been thawed.

LeBron didn't exactly lose the MVP race this year; he played at absurdly efficient, superb levels for a team that almost took for granted his ability to "do everything", relying on him more and more, especially in Dwyane Wade's absence. He put up a valiant defense.

There was just no denying Durant this season. Not with the NBA Jam numbers he put up redundantly, and the way he lifted OKC from preseason doubts, through two Russell Westbrook injuries, to a strong Playoff footing. Again, in the West. It's been said a million times but bears repeating; the gap in depth between the two Conferences was immeasurable this year, and made being elite that much harder, making Durant's Man On Fire act that much more impressive.

LeBron could be the best NBA player ever, but square in his prime, he wasn't the best NBA player this season.

Regards to: LeBron James, Blake Griffin, Joakim Noah

All-NBA First Team: G-Chris Paul, G-Stephen Curry, F- LeBron James, F- Kevin Durant, C- Joakim Noah

Second Team: G-Goran Dragic, G-James Harden, F-Blake Griffin, F-LaMarcus Aldridge, C-Dwight Howard

Third Team: G-John Wall, G-Kyle Lowry, F-Dirk Nowitzki, F-Kevin Love, C-Al Jefferson

Rising Suns: Grabbing Life by the Hornacek

Happy New Year Everyone!

Newly-minted 2014 marks Basketball Banter's fifth anniversary; somehow I've managed to keep people interested in my esoteric, convoluted NBA monologues for half a decade.

Along the way Banter's seen many changes; from its infancy as my disorganized rants, to regular segments like the Water Cooler, Top 9s and POWER RANKINGS!!, to its placement on the back-burner after I signed on to write for BallOverAll.com. Through it all, the one thing that's kept it going has been the people supporting it; you guys are awesome and here's to much more Banter.

A lot of zany shit is going on in the NBA this season, but perhaps nothing has been as dramatically quizzical as the completely illogical emergence of the Phoenix Suns as a legitimate West Playoff team. So to kick off 2014, here's some thoughts on the most Banter-worthy squad so far this season:

Jeff Hornacek has been famous for strokes over the years; both the subtle brush “hello” to his kids before every foul shot, and the smooth follow-through of his jumper.

As familiar as we became with those, it’s Hornacek’s stroke of brilliance with the Phoenix Suns this season that’s standing out the most, taking what many pegged among the Western Conference’s very worst teams to the thick of the Playoff hunt in his first season.

Monday night, the Suns rolled into L.A. to face their Division-leading Clippers – one of those “statement games” – and ran them out of Staples Center with a vicious lesson in defensive rotation, and ball movement.

They’re now a half-game behind the Artists Formerly Known as Lob City, and forcing everyone to not only take them very seriously, but ask just how the hell this is happening. Nothing about this team makes sense really, they’re not supposed to be good: It starts in the backcourt where they play two point guards, one of whom had no experience with a starting unit prior to November. Their forward rotation is comprised of journeymen, identical twins, and a guy who missed all of last season. They salary-dumped their only established center for an injury liability who hasn’t dressed yet.

And somehow they’re threatening for homecourt when the West has never been tougher; the result of things going right in too many places for Hornacek not to be credited with an elite NBA coaching debut.

It’s almost unprecedented; virtually every player in Phoenix’s rotation is enjoying a career year; Dragic and Bledsoe look like All-Stars, while the latter is probably the MIP at this point. PJ Tucker has broken out as a lockdown perimeter guy. Miles Plumlee warmed the cold Indiana bench last year, and is now channelling Shawn Kemp. The Morris’ are sporadically dangerous. Gerald Green is suddenly much more than the NBA’s best Uncontested Fast Break Finisher. It’s contagious.

Not only has Hornacek motivated a team that had absolutely no reason to believe in itself to play with balanced poise, but used a system of creative lineups to emphasize his team’s strengths. They space the floor incredibly well on offense and collapse with suffocation on the other end. Heavy on athleticism and short on size, Phoenix is often playing a Miami-style game of pressure-and-rotate. This forces lots of turnovers and lets their young legs exploit the open court.

Most of their halfcourt sets feature a four-out perimeter with both Frye and Morris-Squared serving as stretch threats, Bledsoe slashing from one wing and Dragic doing both from the other. This not only gives the Suns plenty of room to swing for open looks, but doesn’t hurt them on D; Morris-Squared can guard bigger wings, Bledsoe can lock up virtually any guard, and the entire team rotates well enough to go zone whenever it suits them.

The Suns are a breath of fresh air in this NBA era of “Big 3s” and Big Markets; they look like a finely-tuned college team, consistently executing with that token “want it more” effort, and the synergy only purely bred from a team without stars that knows they need to work together. They’ve been encouraging enough that not a single eyelash has been bat about the Lottery pick they’re apparently playing themselves out of.

While the season’s gotten off to a hotter start for the Suns than anyone could’ve fathomed, a small part of the success has to come from the surprise factor they’ll no longer be able to take advantage of. Phoenix has a rather large target on them after leaving a trail of Western corpses in their wake; teams will be circling the calendar, reviewing tape, resting up and certainly not underestimating the Rising Suns.

Hornacek’s debut season will only thicken as more experienced coaches unload their arsenal of tricks on his unconventionally awesome team, but the honeymoon is over, the Suns are for real, and every indication is that this team is in good hands.