Predictions for Individual NBA Honors in 2006-2007
Individual Honors for the 2006-2007 NBA Season:
MVP: LeBron James.
Runner-up: Chris Paul
Sleeper: Gilbert Arenas
This will be a landslide. If this team plays as well as it should, James is a lock for this honor. It will be the first of many. Think Barry Bonds type-level of MVP awards, sans ginormous cranium and steroid allegations.
6th Man: Corey Maggette
Runner-up: Antonio Daniels
Sleeper: Donyell Marshall
Note that Antonio McDyess isn’t on the list. That is because he will end up starting too many games because of Rasheed’s suspensions. I’m telling you, Rasheed may miss 35 games this year because of injuries and suspensions.
Comeback Player of the Year: Amare Stodamire
Runner-up: Larry Hughes
Sleeper: J.R. Smith
This award has practically been given to Amare already. It’s a joke. Sure, he’ll go for close to 21 and 9 this year, but I think Larry Hughes’ return will have a greater impact. I list J.R. Smith as my sleeper because he was left for dead at the end of Byron Scott’s bench last season after an exceptional rookie year. The kid is oozing with potential, and is the only solid shooter on Denver’s roster. He will still have ups and downs as a third-year player out of high school, but the guy will be lights out for a couple of games and be a great addition to the Nuggets.
Most Improved: Darko Millicic
Runner-up: Francisco Elson
Sleeper: Andrew Bynum
I had this award ready to go for Robert Swift until he got hurt. Now, I’m giving it to Darko. There was nowhere to go but up for him. The guy is going to get a ton of minutes, and so far, he’s shown he has the abilities to get it done. Fatigue and conditioning are still issues for him, but the guy looks good. He’s added more muscle, and a mo-hawk to boot. That’s a good combo. Also, he’s already shown a penchant for defense and soft hands in the post. I think the kid may work out after all. Alright, I quit channeling Chad Ford. Unfortunately, I didn’t get these predictions up last week, because my sleeper pick would have knocked your socks off. Now, I look like I’m jumping on the Bynum bandwagon. This sucks.
Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard
Runner-up: Bruce Bowen
Sleeper: Tyson Chandler
Howard should lead the league in rebounding and be in the top in blocked shots, especially with all the help he will receive from Darko and Tony Battie. There will also be plenty of opportunities to block shots on guys driving by Hedo Turkoglu. I think I’ve given up my quest to get Bruce Bowen this award. It just doesn’t seem like the people will listen. He was robbed in each of the last two seasons, and now it seems as if his opportunity has passed him by. It is unfortunate.
Coach of the Year: Mike Brown
Runner-up: Eddie Jordan
Sleeper: Gregg Popovich
Should win: Jerry Sloan
If the Jazz make it to the playoffs, can we all just agree to give it to Sloan? The guy has deserved this honor at least 5 times that I can think of, yet has never won the award. It is highway robbery at this point. On the flip side, I loved Big Mike Brown when he was a Spurs’ assistant, and am still a fan. Needless to say, I won’t be disappointed when he wins it.
Executive of the Year: R.C. Buford
Runner-up: Ernie Grunfeld
Sleeper: George Shinn
Never thought I would put Shinn on that list, but if the Hornets get to the postseason because of their trades and additions, he should win the award. I listed the other two ahead of him because both teams lost key contributors and starters last season, and replaced them with low-cost players who do exactly the same things. (Read: Deshawn Stephenson and Francisco Elson) Neither the Wizards or Spurs burned any salary-cap money in doing this, and I think they both got better. Sometimes doing the little things is better than making big moves. (That little ditty may have been meant for Marc Cuban.)
Most overrated player this year: Tracy McGrady
The drop-off from a couple of years ago was almost as meteoric as his rise to prominence. Now he settles for jumpers, doesn’t play defense, and gets hurt for 25 games a year. That sounds a little bit like the guy I normally reserved for this spot, Chris Webber.
First team All-NBA:
Kobe Bryant
Dwyane Wade
LeBron James
Dirk Nowitzki
Ben Wallace
Second team All-NBA
Allen Iverson
Gilbert Arenas
Tim Duncan
Kevin Garnett
Yao Ming
Third team All-NBA
Chris Paul
Steve Nash (should be Tony Parker)
Shawn Marion
Carmello Anthony
Shaquille O’Neal
First team All-Defense
Kobe Bryant
Ron Artest
Bruce Bowen
Dwight Howard
Ben Wallace
Second team All-Defense
Larry Hughes
Rajon Rondo
Tim Duncan
Andrei Kirilenko
Tyson Chandler
Third team All-Defense
Shane Battier
Quentin Ross
Kevin Garnett
Elton Brand
Marcus Camby
What about rookie of the year?
Tom,
Wow
wher is sam mitchell.
It seems like you fogot to consider all the players from a single team.
Brian Calangelo?????
Chris Bosh??????
Andrea Bargnani????
Tom,
At the beginning of the season, I really did not expect much from Andrea Bargnani. I expected him to be like every other young Euro in recent history. I expected some solid minutes every now and then, but I certainly did not see him having the type of toughness that he showed late in the season before his Appendicitis. Bargnani has been a great suprise to me, and I look forward to watching his game develop alongside Chris Bosh (who happens to be one of my favorite non-Spur players in the NBA).
As for the other preseason awards, I did not expect things to turn around this quickly for the Raptors. I thought that Colangelo could create a winner in Toronto, especially if he kept Sam Mitchell around. Mitchell was a solid NBA player for a long career who really understood how to play. Hopefully, he can continue this success. The Raptors are definetly the biggest suprise this season.
Rondo was the best defensive PG