2014-15 All-Season Awards Voting Thread (Deadline today, check voter pool if not sure you're in)

[Doctor MJ]

This thread is for the voting of all awards for the '14-15 season.

Here is the link for the POY Discussion thread:
viewtopic.php?f=64&t=1382115#start_here

Here is the link for the Other Awards Discussion thread:
viewtopic.php?f=64&t=1382117#start_here

The voting is as follows:
Top 5 for POY
Top 3 for all other awards:
Offensive POY
Defensive POY
Rookie of the Year
Most Improved Player
6th Man of the Year
Coach of the Year
Executive of the Year

Only voters who I have added to the panel may vote.

Non-voters may post in this thread but DO NOT post a ballot here. If you want to put one in the Discussion thread that's fine, but it's a pain in the ass tallying up all these things in the Voting thread, don't make my life harder.

If you're unsure if you're on the voting list, check the first post of the POY Discussion thread. If you want to join, and you think I may let you, PM me.

Voters may abstain from any of the secondary award votes they want, but must vote complete ballots for any they do vote. I'll personally ask that folks give it a shot as much as well as they can. In particular, I really don't want to see POY ballots from people who don't do OPOY and DPOY ballots. If you've seriously thought about this, and you think you have a valid perspective for players overall, you should have thought about the offensive and defensive components in isolation as well.

Explanations of votes are encouraged, and responses to explanations are allowed HOWEVER: The Discussion threads are STILL the place where you should go if you want to discuss. This is not a thread for you to "feel out" your thinking. While I won't stop you from editing your post up until the deadline, if you're really not entirely sure how you want to vote, please don't post in this thread about your indecision.

[bondom34]

Well leggo....

POY: I've explained thoughts pretty fully in the discussion thread, so the final ballot had a minor tweak. I decided to stick w/ Harden at 2, even after Lebron's run only because Harden did it over a much larger sample size, so the final ballot:
1. Curry
2. Harden
3. Lebron
4. Paul
5. Westbrook

OPOY:
1. Curry, in all honesty I don't know an explanation is needed.
2. Harden, he kept the Rockets offense afloat with really little else on the roster
3. Westbrook, same as Harden, but he missed some time so I have to dock a bit there

DPOY:
1. Kawhi, I think he had similar overall defensive impact and I know its odd, but I value elite perimeter D a ton as I think it is a much more rare commodity
2. Gobert, didn't see this coming at all, but the kid is a freak and could be taking this award for years to come. He changed the Jazz defense entirely.
3. Green, he's been talked up plenty as well, the Swiss army knife of the bunch

I'm gonna skip EOY as I don't have a vote past 1.

ROY:
1. Mirotic - faded a bit in the postseason but was a key part of the Bulls success, I think w/ Hoiberg he's gonna thrive and give them the stretch type big they could use.
2. Noel - Elite defensive impact at that age is something I covet and he's got a fantastic future.
3. Wiggins - the potential is there for him on both ends but it didn't entirely translate on either.

COY:
1. Kidd - I forgot him initially but HBK pegged him, and I think he's a really underrated coach who got more out of a young undermanned team than most could
2. Kerr - Similar to Kidd, but did more with more instead of more with less
3. Bud - Disappointing postseason, but had no real star and put a good RS together

6MOY:
1. Thompson - was between him and Iggy, and though the finals were amazing for Iggy, the entire season taken into account Thompson was better, filling in as backup for Love or minutes at C, filling the stat sheet and coming out better in RPM than Iggy as well
2. Iggy - not the usual 6th man in that he wasn't a scorer, but was just what GSW needed off the bench, great defender came up big in the finals
3. Gibson - another odd pick but I just think he was at least as good as IT and had more team success


MIP:
1. Gordan Hayward - some improvements in different metrics as he didn't get much mention...
RPM: 3.89 improvement
WS/48:
WS: .097
VORP: 5.1
TS: .057
Improved his shooting and playmaking on higher volume. Great jump.

2. Butler - went from defensive specialist to a top defender with a quickly expanding offensive game
3. Giannis - made his first mini jump and became an above average wing in the league, I won't vote higher yet but expect this could be his next year


Alright, there it is!

[ceiling raiser]

Offense:

1) Curry - Had the greatest gravity on an elite offense that continued doing damage during the playoffs. Defenses had to scramble to trap him to limit his play on that end.

2) Harden - Terrific scoring/passing combo. The degree of his lift isn't as impressive to me as with Cury, since he was taking a lesser roster (partially due to health, though lesser talent than GSW matters as well) to fringe contender status as opposed to Curry taking an elite supporting to what by point differential (and my eye test) looked like an ATG squad.

3) Paul - Anchored top offense in the league, strong level of play down the stretch this year. I guess I should drop him as I did in POY voting, since the two missed playoff games are a problem for me.

Defense:

1) Leonard - Made SA look like a strong contender after his return, played ridiculous defense, the likes of which we haven't seen from a wing in some time. Unfortunately, I didn't see enough of the same in his playoff series that I did down the stretch. Still not enough to knock him down for me, but brought him back to the pack.

2) Green - His ability to switch onto as many different matchup as he can made Golden State's ridiculous defense work. Really digging the "playmaking four" tag he's received.

3) Bogut - I'm absolutely elated that he was healthy more or less for the season and playoff run this year. He didn't get much playing time in the Finals, but that was largely due to match ups. With such a depleted Cleveland roster running everything through one guy, even with bigs who played a quality, physical game in the playoffs, GS had the luxury of playing super small ball with no recourse. Still, they don't dominate to the extent they did without Bogut, even if there wasn't a monumental challenge in the Finals.

POY:

1) Curry - Good deal of lift to what I think will be viewed as an ATG team, ridiculous matchup problem. Clear-cut #1 IMO.

2) LeBron - I think his defense was better most of the season than it was last year, and it was even better in the playoffs. Offense looked terrific after the trades/break. Jumper completely shot, and I might drop him below Harden.

3) Harden - Great season, mastered the corner 3 (as a shooter and playmaker), and great offensively overall (and improved on the other end). Second half of the year three teams really took off (CLE after trades, SAS with Leonard, GSW continuing to destroy the league as they had all season)...but even so, LeBron's lack of a jumper might be the difference here.

4) Paul - Terrific season, great first round, but missing two games in the Houston series (even if the team got a split without him) has to drop him to the bottom of the 2-4 tier.

5) Davis - I don't want to read too much into EvanZ's NPI numbers, but he's really climbing up there. Unless Kawhi looks ridiculous in J.E.'s multi-year set (he did say he'd update after the playoffs, but I'm not sure if he's going to do so prior to the voting period), I don't mind bumping him out of the top 5, because I do feel greater offensive primacy detracted from his defense.

---

I'm not sure if I'm going to participate in any of the other ballots, though I'd like to challenge myself to come up with a top 3 MIP list (EDIT: Decided not to vote in the peripheral contests, but I think I would go Gobert-Davis for my top two slots...Iggy would be my 6MOY). The above should be final, unless J.E. releases his dataset, and Kawhi looks much better or much worse than I'm anticipating (though I don't think he has much room for movement EDIT: Kawhi looked pretty good in J.E.'s data. I considered him, but he's just missing out. He and Green are my two HMs).

[JordansBulls]

POY:
1. Curry (league mvp, title, best numbers in the season)
2. Harden (great numbers in the league runner up to MVP, lost to league mvp and best team)
3. Lebron (outside of top 5 for the season for numbers, but raised up his numbers in the playoffs and carried his team.)
4. Paul (Great numbers all year, beat the defending champions, but was part of blowing a 3-1 series lead)
5. Davis (Awesome player with a bad team)

OPOY:
1. Curry
2. Harden
3. Westbrook

DPOY:
1. Jimmy Butler (when he is on his game he locks down any star in today's league)
2. Kwahi (most consistent on this end but not the best)
3. Iggy (holds down wings very well)

ROY:
1. Andrew Wiggins (best numbers as a rookie and the potential star is there for him)
2. Nikola Mirotic
3. Nerlens Noel

MIP:
1. Jimmy Butler (hands down, went from role player to star.)
2. Rudy Gobert (the guy can play he advanced a lot from last year)


6th Man.
1. Iggy
2. Tristan Thompson


COY:
1. Kerr - Team went from losing in round 1 to a title the next year with pretty much the same roster.
2. Bud - Disappointing postseason, but the team was not that good in reality.
3. Jason Kidd (great job in Milwaukee)

[Quotatious]

Player of the Year

1. Stephen Curry
2. James Harden
3. Chris Paul
4. LeBron James
5. Anthony Davis

Curry and Harden were deservedly #1 and 2 in MVP voting for the regular season. Curry was better in PER, TS%, WS/48, BPM, VORP and RPM, he had much higher on/off court net (+18.0 to +8.4), and basically equal on/off court ORtg differential, but the Warriors had better defense with Curry on the court than without him (opponents had 100.0 ORtg with Steph on the court, 103.5 without him, while Harden was a clear negative - 104.8 opponent ORtg with Harden on the court, 99.6 without him). Harden led the league in WAR, but Curry was second, so overall, Harden doesn't really have a case over Curry.

CP3 is right there with Harden in terms of boxscore production, taking his hamstring injury into account he was superb in the playoffs, but Harden is clearly ahead in RPM and WAR, that makes me give it to him.

LeBron was the best player in the postseason, in my opinion, but he's clearly below Curry, Harden and Paul as far as the regular season is concerned, and he also played just 69 games, compared to at least 80 for the other guys. His postseason was great, but considering that Curry/Harden/CP3 all shot above 60% TS, and LeBron shot below 50%, his playoff edge isn't big enough to vault him into to the top 3.

Davis over Westbrook for #5 was very close, too. Kinda surprising that two PER leaders are just #5 and 6 best players, but this year is really stacked at the top, reminds me a lot of 2003 and 2006. Davis was better in RPM and WAR, that's the deciding factor for me.
The fact that AD's team made the playoffs over Russell's team doesn't have anything to do with it, although Davis playing well in the first round reinforces his case a bit (even if I think that AD's boxscore numbers overstate his impact on winning, a bit).


Offensive Player of the Year

1. Stephen Curry
2. James Harden
3. Russell Westbrook

Defensive Player of the Year

1. Draymond Green
2. Kawhi Leonard
3. Tony Allen

Green over Leonard because of more games played. Decided to go with Green over Bogut (absolutely had to reward someone from Golden State and San Antonio) because he played a lot more minutes and games, with slightly lower, but still very high, impact. Leonard over Duncan because he was averaging more minutes (played less games, though) and his on/off court defensive numbers are much better than TD's (Duncan was playing just about 28-29 minutes per game, so the "off court" sample is pretty big, and he was just barely a positive defensive presence based on that).

Tony Allen had huge impact in terms of on/off court splits (his team was allowing 8.8 less points with him on the court, and with him playing just about 26 minutes per game, there's a substantial sample "off court", so it's pretty safe to assume that Allen's defensive impact was huge - the thing is, he didn't play enough games OR minutes to justify putting him over Green or Leonard, in my opinion).

Rookie of the Year

1. Nerlens Noel
2. Nikola Mirotic
3. Andrew Wiggins

Noel already looks like a legit defensive anchor - Sixers were REALLY bad overall, horrible offensively, but their defense was slightly above average (13th), seems like all of that is because of Noel. This kid has a scary defensive potential. Already 18th in the league in DRPM, and playing almost 31 mpg in 75 games is a very significant sample size.

Mirotic was already a high impact player, pretty mature for a rookie (but he was already 23/24 years old with a lot of experience in pro basketball in Europe. Playing just 20 minutes per game really hurts him compared to Noel, though. Plus, he was very poor in the playoffs.

Wiggins had the best raw numbers by a rookie, and he clearly shows flashes of All-Star (or even superstar) potential on offense, but his game is not really conductive to winning basketball yet.

Most Improved Player:

1. Rudy Gobert
2. Jimmy Butler
3. Gordon Hayward

Gobert is #1 to me, because he was pretty much a nobody in his rookie year, and now he's become one of the best defensive anchors in the league (and an excellent finisher on offense). Butler and Hayward were already solid players before 2014-15, they just became All-Star level this year, Gobert's improvement is definitely bigger, in my opinion.

Sixth Man of the Year

1. Tristan Thompson
2. Andre Iguodala
3. Lou Williams

Lou may've been the best sixth man in the regular season, but Thompson and Iguodala both had strong playoff runs, much better than Williams who struggled in the first round.

Coach of the Year

1. Steve Kerr
2. Mike Budenholzer
3. Jason Kidd

After the RS, I had Bud over Kerr, but the Hawks were very disappointing in the playoffs, while the Warriors did what they were supposed to do, and in a much tougher conference, at that.
Right now I'd say that Bud might be closer to Kidd than to Kerr, overall. It's funny how Kidd was considered an awful coach during his first season as a coach, with the Nets (particularly mid season, around January of 2014), but now he's considered one of the best. Bucks gave the Bulls more of a fight than I expected, and honestly, I didn't even expect Milwaukee to make the playoffs, so Kidd definitely did an excellent job.

Still, Budenholzer improved the Hawks so much (+22 wins, +5.63 SRS, conference finals appearance compared to first round exit the year before) that I think he deserves to be ranked #2.

Honorable mention Blatt.


Executive of the Year

1. David Griffin -Trading for Mozgov was a great move, and all things considered, so was trading for JR.
2. Bob Myers
3. Danny Ainge

[PaulieWal]

Player of the Year:

1) Steph Curry - No explanation needed, MVP during the RS and arguably the best player through the WCF.
2) James Harden - Gets the nod here because of a great RS and then a good showing in the playoffs. I'd still like him to be more consistent defensively but his durability and offensive prowess cannot be ignored.
3) LeBron James - I have a feeling we are gonna see more of these seasons from LBJ where he has meh regular seasons and then good-great playoffs. At his point he has 4 MVPs and he has nothing to prove in the RS anymore.
4) CP - I wanted to put him 3rd but he was hurt in the playoffs and it's possible if he's healthy they win the series. LeBron got the nod over him for what he did in the playoffs without Love/Irving.
5) GOATbrook - I thought long and hard about it. AD had a good season and then good playoffs but I think GOAT over the season was amazing. He had a bad stretch of a month but other than that he completely dominated whenever he was playing. I know some are not a fan of how he plays or what he did on the court but in a way he was playing with the Cavs supporting cast. Can't hate on that.

OPOY:

1) Curry -Unprecedented gravity in the league. Might be the first player that needs to be doubled at the half court consistently.
2) Harden - His game is ugly to watch and I am no fan of it but you can't deny that it's effective. There were still questions about his game carrying over to the playoffs and I think those questions are silly now. What Houston needs is more consistency with their roster and for Howard to be healthy.
3) Paul - This was a great RS for him, completely owned his mid-range game and great shooting from 3. Played 82 games as well, pretty much the offensive engine of the Clippers.

DPOY:

1) Leonard - His defense against the Clippers wasn't as consistent IMO but he was a legit monster during the RS and I don't think I have ever seen a wing guy play that kind of defense (except Pippen).
2) Green - Another no explanation candidate. Allowed the Warriors to play their defense and play small ball with Green as their "5".
3) Bogut - He struggled in the Finals but again had a great RS and playoffs defensively.

COY:

1) Kerr: Did more with more and won the title in his first year. Can't ask for more, he's shown he can make adjustments on the fly and that's a big plus in my books.
2) Bud - Great coach in the RS, changed their offense in the RS but needs to get Horford and Teague more aggressive in the playoffs.
3) Doc - Yeah, I know he's an idiot as a GM but I honestly though his coaching wasn't bad throughout the year and even in the playoffs he was alright.

[MO12msu]

Player of the Year:
1. Stephen Curry - Best offensive player in the league, solid defense all year, means best player in the league. Defense was aided by elite defensive supporting cast, but his offensive lift helped a defensive focused unit also have a top offense.
2. James Harden - Defense improved from absolutely terrible to slightly below average, was an offensive force despite being the clear focal point of defenses. Translated well to the playoffs.
3. Chris Paul - First 82 game season, led the best offense in the league(GOAT levels with Griffin healthy). Beat the 2nd best team in the league in the playoffs with about 6.5 NBA players, that accomplishment offset by blowing a 3-1 lead a bit, but lots of evidence shows that teammates just missed open shots. Defense slipped off a little from last year but still very good.
4. Lebron James - Underwhelming start, missed a couple weeks then came back on a mission. Was a top 2-3 player the last third of the season and the playoffs. Cleveland had a GOAT level offense with all their pieces combined. That jumper was a problem all season though and I do believe it hurt the offense once love and kyrie went down. Defense was pretty good and great at times, never consistently great though. Playoffs were great, but can't shake the feeling that we're seeing a slight push for him based on past accomplishments.
5. Anthony Davis - Probably underrated by everyone, including me. Elite offensive big man already, offensive gravity from setting a pick has gone underrated. Defense isn't "there" yet, but that doesn't mean it's not effective. When you're long and active, you have defensive impact. VERY impressed by performance in first playoff series against best defense in the league.

Honorable Mention to Russell Westbrook and Kawhi Leonard.

Offensive POY:
1. Stephen Curry - Offensive cast was filled with good passers, a few good shooters, and great finishers, but none of them could create for themselves. The "Chef Curry" nickname is perfect because he truly stirs the drink, and the team went from terrible offensively without him, to a top 2 offense with him. Oh yeah, and the GOAT shooter.
2. James Harden - Probably the best scorer(or at least creator of his own offense) in the league, an elite passer and saw all the defensive attention but still was able to do his thing. Not much else to say there.
3. Chris Paul - GOAT level offense with Griffin out there, best scoring starting 5 in the league. Best mid-range shooter in the league and still the best playmaker in the league.

Honorable Mention to Lebron James and Russell Westbrook.

Defensive POY:
1. Draymond Green - Could guard just about everyone that he was switched out on, but not only that, he shut them down. Even when the Warriors went small, they still shut down the Cavs for the most part. Also played more games than Leonard so it's hard for me to give Leonard the edge when they're so close to begin with.
2. Kawhi Leonard - Spectacular defender, made ball handlers pass it off if they saw that he switched onto him. DO NOT crossover in front of him! Spurs had second best defense in the league. Has to take a deduction for the missed games.
3. Rudy Gobert - Rim protection is starting to be underrated. The most efficient shots in the game are the three pointer AND the layup. Pacers were a top defensive team for the last two years with the immobile Hibbert in the paint. Utah had a drtg of 99(!) after deciding to start Gobert.

Honorable Mention to Tim Duncan and Andrew Bogut.

[therealbig3]

DPOY

1. Kawhi Leonard
2. Draymond Green

These first two are pretty much a toss up, but I think Green benefits a bit more from having such a great cast of defenders around him. Bogut and Iggy do a ton of heavy lifting for the GS defense as well. Not saying Leonard doesn't also play in a friendly defensive environment himself, but it's just that I see him being a little more responsible for his team's defensive success than Green.

3. Rudy Gobert

I was going to go with Bogut, but the info I've read on Gobert changed my mind.


OPOY

1. Stephen Curry

I don't think too much explanation is needed. The guy is going to be my #1 overall for the year, and it's not on account of his defense. His stats can stand up to anyone's, but he's one of those guys whose box score numbers SEVERELY underrate his impact imo. The amount of defensive attention he receives is second to none. Nobody has ever warped a defense out to 35 feet the way Curry does. Combined with his excellent passing and vision (everyone saying he's just a shooter really overlook how good he is at this...he's not Steve Nash or Chris Paul good, but I also don't think he's THAT far off from them either), as well as his insane handle, and this guy approaches GOAT offensive impact territory imo. Even when he doesn't shoot well, you can't even say that he's not having a significant positive impact out there, because there's not a defense in the world that will stop conceding those 4 on 3 opportunities to him, even if he's in a shooting slump. And if they do, they usually pay the price.

2. Chris Paul

Hugely underrated season from Paul. Arguably his best offensive season actually. There's really nothing you can even criticize about Paul's offensive game...to me, he's pretty much perfect. Maybe "too" under control (as in there might be more of a benefit to the high risk, high reward play style of a Steve Nash or a Stephen Curry), maybe "too" passive (there might be more of a benefit if CP3 looked for his shot more), but these are minor nitpicks at best.

3. James Harden

Tough choice between him and Paul. Went with Paul because it's hard to argue with what Paul accomplished this year offensively. Harden was an absolute monster without a doubt though, and the fact that he was able to lead Houston where he did despite Howard missing so much time is extremely impressive. Can't argue with the production either.


POY

1. Stephen Curry - already outlined in the OPOY discussion

2. LeBron James - the playoffs pushed him up for me. I might be heavily in the prisoner of the moment dilemma, but IDC. I think with a healthier supporting cast, the ugly inefficiency wouldn't have been nearly as ugly, and he did everything else as well as you could have possibly asked for. Herculean effort from LeBron. Needs to improve that jumper though. His offense was a step below the top 3 for OPOY as a result, but his defense puts him up here imo.

3. Chris Paul - already outlined in the OPOY discussion

4. James Harden - already outlined in the OPOY discussion

5. Anthony Davis - I can't argue with the numbers, the +/- says he's a beast, and he played great in his first playoffs. The only reason not to have him higher is due to simply having more faith in the guys ahead of him, as they simply have a longer track record, as well as questions about whether Davis's defense is good enough yet or not. Offensively, he's already there.

[HeartBreakKid]

I typed out my thought process for most of them, it's top heavy in text when it comes to POY - but the latter awards aren't too much.

A readers digest version at the bottom for those who just want to see my votes/the poor soul who has to tally all these votes

Player of the Year

Spoiler:

1) Stephen Curry - I think he has had a season that puts him on the level as peak Nash and Paul. His 3 point shooting is something made out of legend - I remember as a kid in the 90s I used to dream that a player like Stephen Curry could exist. He anchored arguably the best offense in the league, even though a lot of the talent was focused more on defense. His ability to score such an absurd amount of points in such a short span always gives this feeling that GSW cannot die off. On top of that, he is a legitimate point guard, his passing skills is amongst the finest in the NBA. He's the king of the mountain and likely the rightful MVP, and arguably the real FMVP.


2) Chris Paul - Chris Paul had an amazing season, he was underrated for most of the RS since he was kinda doing the same thing he always did. It's hard to tell if this was his best Clipper season or his worse - pretty much all of his Clipper seasons are so even, he's super consistent. I think this was probably his best or second best season as a Clip - he also played 82 regular season games - a feat that I think no one else who is in contention for POY has. That sign of durability kinda makes up for him getting his hamstring pulled in the post season, that kinda just shows bad luck that it happened to him at the very end of the season.

CP3 anchored the best offense, was by far the best floor general, best decision maker, best passer, best ball handler, best mid-range shooter - he was the best at a lot of things this season. He was also the best defensive point guard by a wide amount with no Rubio to contend with him. This guy played all time great offensive basketball WHILE defending the teams best guard (which in the NBA means he was defending a franchise player every night). There were even some metrics that showed Paul was the best perimeter defender, though I don't quite buy into that.

So, I don't penalize him too much on his injury, especially since he won Game 7 against the Spurs while injured. I do think his injury did cause the Clippers the series ultimately (they probably would have won the series early on), but Game 6 and Game 7 he was healthy - the Rockets just out played the Clippers who not far off from being a 2 man team.

The same reason that I put Curry over Davis might go true for Paul as well (elite offensive impact making up for Davis' very good defense). Curry is a LOT more aggressive scoring wise than Paul and Curry has the ability to drill 3s instead of 2s, so Paul's offense probably is not as explosive. Curry might be the best scorer this season, or is in talks for it, Chris Paul simply is not at that level of scoring, so I give Curry benefit of the doubt here.

3) Anthony Davis - Davis gets a lot of flack because he puts up great numbers, and he is criticized because some advance stats don't quite match what he's doing. But...his advance stats are still pretty damn amazing. The kid is making some scary leaps. He is by far the best big in the league, and as a result he offers a lot of things that his POY competitors (primarily perimeter players) cannot offer. He lead the league in shot blocking, and he is a good pick and role defender - just the fact that he can protect the rim at such a ridiculous level kinda makes up for some of the subtle he is missing on defense. He is not an all nba caliber defensive big in my opinion, but he is probably at the level below - and near the elite for a power forward. His defense alone trumps almost all his competitors (Curry/Harden/Westbrook/James/Paul). On top of that, he is an ELITE scoring big already. If people can say Malone is an elite scorer, I don't see why we can't say the same for Davis. He is NASTY off pick and rolls, and his pick and pop is even better. On top of that, he's shown the ability to hit jumpers off the dribble. He is a legit 25 point 60 TS% type of scorer, and even when others were not creating for him he did not have problems putting the ball in the hoop.

Ultimately, I thought Stephen Curry's and Chris Paul's offensive was on such a high level, that it made up for the not quite-elite defense that Davis brought to the table. Curry creates for others, brings the ball up, is a beast off ball and of course can score with a unstoppable shot at a unreal clip. Chris Paul has the best handles in the NBA, he can and will get the ball to where it needs to go - he is the premier orchestrator in the league. Davis is a much better two way player than Paul and Curry, but the gap between an amazing offensive player like Davis and potentially all time great offensive players like Curry and Paul is enough to override very good defense.



4) Lebron James - He had a pretty down RS this year. He did not play in the post, his jumper did not look good all season, before he took a vacation him and the Cavs were underachieving. With that being said he was a solid MVP candidate for most of the RS, come playoff time we saw how impact James is as a player. He really is one of the greatest passers ever, and he runs his teams offense like he was a legitimate pass first point guard. He's able to set his teammates up so well, that him not being able to shoot well is not that major of a hindrance. His ability to score in the post is a massive problem for teams - and with his vision teams have to pick their poison when it comes to doubling him.

I think James ability to defend is a bit overrated. During the RS he would go on stretches where he was good, stretches where he was awful. In the playoffs he played good defense through out, but I'm not sure if it was some DPOY type of run.

James ultimately does not get the nod over Paul, because James main attribute over Paul is his beastly ability to score, and due to him not only hyper efficient like he usually is but down right awful - I think that negated what was James biggest advantage over CP3. James offensive impact primarily came from managing and controlling the game, something that Chris Paul easily beats James at (as good as James was, floor general is what makes CP3 a future HOFer). If James perhaps was able to hit a few 3s from down town, it might have made the difference, but then again that would have basically made him peak James again.

Davis goes over James because Davis is a very comparable scorer than James, and this year I think he was an even better one. James being a ball handler and playmaker does make him a better offensive player, but I think Davis' rim protection and other underrated defensive abilities barely edge out James overall impact.


5) Blake Griffin - I'm going to be the only guy voting for Blake but this guy was really underrated. He chose to shoot jumpers for a lot of the season, and he still shot over 50% FG (LMA shoots jumpers, albeit more challenging ones and comes up with like 46 FG% but no one gave him flack about it since that's what he always did). I saw Griffin's numbers as circumstance, and that his impact was even better than it was in the past. The Clippers yet again had the top rated offense. Griffin's rebounding numbers were down, but it's because the guy plays with the leading rebounder and he is asked to play away from the rim. I was fairly confident that come playoff time, if Griffin could mix all of his attributes (bully ball, slashing, passing from every which way, ball handling, long 2s, double digit rebounding) he would become an offensive juggernaut, and he delivered.

He even surprised me in the playoffs because the guy played LEGIT defense. He was able to guard Duncan when DeAndre Jordan got totally smoked. He got massive triple doubles and was able to split a game with Houston despite CP3 going down (and with the Clippers roster where Matt Barnes was his 3rd best player, that is really impressive).

When he was put in a situation he was able to grab 12 rebounds per game (I don't know why people challenge Grififn's ability to grab boards, he proved that he could do that early in his career). He averaged 25/13/7 - thats SEVEN assist as a POWER FORWARD. I mean it's weird to say it because this guy is on so many commercials, but he is underrated, he is an animal.

POY will always be more about who was the best player this year, not who had the best narrative, or who went the deepest in the playoffs or who had a career high in boxscore stats. What Blake showed me this year makes me think that he was better than stellar candidates like Harden and Westbrook, his numbers and narrative were just suppressed (but his impact was still there, otherwise I wouldn't vote for him).



Disclaimer: How could I not include James Harden when I put two guys in who he beat? Simply because he didn't really beat them. Basketball is a team sport, and one that has many variables. To be honest, I think the top 8 or 9 players this year were all pretty much the same level, so one beating another - or getting deeper into the playoffs - or one missing the playoffs (like Westbrook) doesn't mean much to me.

I'm glad Harden finally had a good post season, though a funny thing is I don't think his impact actually matched his numbers (a phrase used against Davis). In the post season, I thought Howard was the best player on the Rockets for the majority of it. I just have this vivid image of seeing Harden get an offensive rebound off a miss and then scoring - I just think his teammates played really good (for roleplayers other than Dwight, who was playing like an all-nba caliber center).

Harden also put up some really massive stinkers, they stand out more than what Paul (his worse games were when he was healing from his hamstring, a bit more leeway especially since he out played Harden in round 1) and Griffin. Harden's numbers in round 1 were nice, but that Dallas team had like the WOAT defensive roster, so it weighed less than what CP3/Griffin did against a very good Spurs team. The infamous game 6 which the Rockets were nearly eliminated, James Harden was benched - so can I really say that Harden "beat" CP3/Griffin? Kinda doesn't add up.

To make things worse, Harden really, really, really, **** the bed against the Warriors the game that his team was eliminated. I mean that was hard to watch.



HM: Leonard, Harden, Westbrook

Offensive Player of the Year

Spoiler:

1) Stephen Curry - Fairly obvious given who my POY was. Curry was the best point guard in the game, a lot of years that usually means best offensive player to me. Not only was Curry a legit good passer and good floor general who knew how to trust his teammates, but he had the GOAT shooting season. We saw history this season, he is the best shooter to live - his quick release in conjunction with his ability to shoot off the dribble means that anyone who isn't pressed up against him for just a micro second will cost his team 3 points. To make matters worse, Curry can shoot several feet behind the 3 point line and land it at a higher rate than most players can hit normal 3 pointers.

His biggest blemmish was how Cleveland played him, but really Cleveland threw the entire kitchen sink at him. He was getting a lot of doubles and stunts thrown at him from behind the 3 point line. I actually thought him going for pick and rolls made his life harder due to him attracting more bodies to defend him.

Curry isn't one dimensional though, he also has an elite mid range game and he is so crafty that he can score with in the paint with relative ease.

When all else fails, he can just let other people handle the rock and do a Reggie Miller impression. He's an offensive juggernaut in every sense of the word.


2) Chris Paul - The second best PG in the game takes this spot here. He is not the 3 point shooter that Curry is, but he is a greater mind. He knows how to bring the best out of all of his teammates. Not only is he able to set his teammates up for easy scores, but he knows how to get the ball in the right place so his teammates can make the finishing pass. Paul lead the league in both assist and SECONDARY assist, which is really impressive (while also leading the league in AST:TO ratio, as he usually does). The Clippers had the best offense as well, so his impact was certainly tangible. In conjunction with his solid scoring ability, he is an easy pick for 2nd best offensive player.

3) Lebron James - Another floor general, albeit a 6'9 one. What he did in the post season was tremendous to watch. He orchestrated his teammates so well, and punished the entire Eastern Conference with clever passes. He stole 2 games from GSW by controlling the pace to the game, and nearly went up 3-0 as his team lost game 1 in over time. James lack of ability to hit jumpers is somewhat mitigated by his awesome posting ability, and his slashing ability is still pretty hard to stop as well. James biggest advantage over Paul I think is his motor though, but I'll give CP3 the benefit of the doubt here.


Disclaimer: Harden had an excellent offensive season as well, but I think James vision is on another level from Harden. Harden seems a bit less versatile in the ways he can run his offense than James can. I also think James is a more reliable scorer even though Harden was more efficient. It's pretty close though.

Griffin is awesome too, but ultimately I think James can do the same exact thing Griffin can do, just a bit better all around.

HM: Griffin, Harden

Defensive Player of the Year

Spoiler:

1) Kawhi Leonard - The defense this guy was on was quite amazing, during his stretch I think that was the best perimeter defense I have seen, and I've seen Pippen play. He is so fundamentally sound, on point with his switches (insanely disruptive), he can lock down guys including the King, he lead the league in steals without massive gambling, good rebounder (numbers weren't that good this year though). Only thing is he was injured so much this year, it's the only thing making me really hesitant about picking him.

2) Tim Duncan - He was my DPOY for most of the RS. Thought he was a case of he's been putting out good defense for so long no one really looks his way too much when it comes to DPOY. He protects the rim, is fundamentally sound, great rebounder - super-super consistent. There's really no flaws with Timmy, people will only surpass him on my list if they have insanely high peaks, which I think Leonard did have. I might switch Duncan and Leonard to be honest.

3) Rudy Gobert - Initially, I did not have him in my top 3 before the playoffs started, but he moved up my rankings despite not making the post season. I've thought about what he's done more rationally, and it's really amazing. I never got a chance to catch Utah play this season, but I finally was able to watch some video reports of Gobert and I loved what I saw. When Utah started Gobert they became a totally different team, so much to the point that people thought they may make the playoffs despite a poor start. His ability to rim protect makes him a goat level prospect in that area I think. I watched Duncan play a lot more, so I am giving him the benefit of the doubt, as I've got a good grasp on Duncan's footwork and positioning - I'm penalizing Gobert for something that really isn't his fault.


Disclaimer: I had Bogut #1 on my DPOY rankings, and he was my DPOY for the RS. Seeing him in the playoffs though, he looked less impressive. While him and Green anchored the best defense in the league, they also had quite a few other stellar defenders. Utah and SA's defensive statistics were good enough to make anchoring the #1 defense not the end all to be all. Bogut was not only useless in a match up against the Cavs (more of a stylistic thing most likely), he kinda got cooked by Anthony Davis along with Draymond Green, I didn't think he was all that good in the Houston series either. Overall, I just didn't see him as that impactful in the post season.

HM: Andrew Bogut, Draymond Green

Rookie of the Year

Spoiler:

1) Nerlens Noel - To me rookie of the year is about who is the best player in the league who just happens to be in their first year. It isn't about putting up boxscore stats, or getting more minutes than someone else. It's about what rookie do you think could help a contending team the most if they were put on one - and to me that has to be Nerlens Noel.

Nerlens Noel is a stellar defensive big, nearly all-nba caliber. This guy is scary fast, he is almost like a bug the way he is able to dart all around the court - in conjunction with his impressive length and fast hands he is able to reflect shots and passes with ease. He is highly disruptive and with his motor he is a pain to deal with through out most of the game. The only thing that he is really lacking is that his rebounding numbers are not stellar, and obviously his man to man offense can be exposed if he is up against bruiser types as Noel is very thin.

The 76ers ended up being a slightly higher than average defensive team when it came to DRTG. Normally, this wouldn't mean that much, because bringing a team to mediocre rankings doesn't require an absurd amount of talent, but considering how AWFUL the 76ers are, it's a big sign of how good Noel is. I mean the 76ers are literally the laughing stock of the league.

Now, Noel's biggest problem is that the guy just stinks offensively. I am shocked that a guy with his athleticism and length can't put the ball in the rim even when he is right in front of it. He is the worst offensive player on the worst offensive team, so he is an extreme example of a one way player. However, at the end of the day, most rookies are not actually good at either side of the court relative to the good players in the league; Noel great at at least one. Noel being a one way great defender makes him incredibly valuable by virtue of his position, as it is very rare to find a rim protector and defensive anchor - it is even more hard to find a legit defensive big than an all-star and finding a defensive big is probably the biggest hurdle teams have to go through in order to become contenders.

Nerlens Noel is not the best prospect of his rookie class, but he was the best player.

2) Nikola Mirotic - A cliche statement about rookies is usually "you could never tell they are rookie by how they play on the court" - and for the most part.....it's an exaggeration, even rookies who put up big numbers still look like rookies. Nerlens Noel always looked like a rookie despite him being my ROY choice. Mirotic though looks like a season vet, which makes sense as he is 24 years old, and has played at the highest levels in Europe for a minute now.

Mirotic takes clutch shots, attempts to take over games, calls for the ball when a rotation player would never dare - he plays in the NBA not only like he belongs there, but like he is a star. He also has the ability to back up his actions, I've seen this guy take over in times when the Bulls needed a bucket so many times. I believe there was even doing very well in some 4th quarter stat for a while (vaguely remember it was a stat produced by TNT).

His lack of minutes is not a punishment, for more so than any other award, I think lack of minutes should not matter much for rookies. ROY should be about finding out who the best guy was in their first year, the amount of minutes a guy gets it too heavily related too their coach.

There is just no way I can say that Mirotic is a worse player than someone like a 19 year old Andrew Wiggins or Elfrid Payton, it just is not realistic even if he isn't half the prospect either guy is.

3) Bojan Bogdonovic - This will certainly turn some heads, but again ROY isn't about best prospect, it's about best first year player. The 25 Bojan didn't look quite as fearless and heroic as Mirotic, but at times he was often the only guy with the least bit of heart on the Nets. Bojan and Lopez would go on stretches where it seemed like these guys basically were the team.

Bojan had a really underrated season. I am surprised that basically no one had this guy on their first all rookie team. Then again, he is 2nd round pick, euro in his mid 20s, who plays for a team that no one gives a **** about in the Nets. He is pretty damn under the radar for someone who was playing winning basketball, contributing to his Nets team making the playoffs (albeit with a losing record, but a lot of the other highly rated rookies play for poverty teams like Lakers, Sixers and Timberwolves).

Bojan is a good shooter, poised scorer overall. He put up 9 points on 46 FG%, 56% TS - that is really good for a rookie especially considering he's a guard (though he kinda has the body of a forward). Per 36 he has 13.6 points to Wiggins' 16.8, but with a higher ORTG, significantly better shooting percentage and he was on a team where his impact was more winning (hard to measure the impact of putting up stats on bottom feeders). If Wiggins' defense wasn't so bad for so much of the season, it probably would have pushed him above Bojan, but for now - the most valuable utility against these two rookies is probably supplementary scoring, and Bojan seems better at that role.


Disclaimer: I had Wiggins at #2 before the playoffs started, but I started to re-think about what it means to really be rookie of the year. I've almost always hated the ROY award simply for how it is judged, I feel like the criteria for it is even more arbitrary than MVP. Wiggin's is an awesome prospect, much better than any of these 3, but he is at a disadvantage as he has only been a pro for one year, while all of these guys had at least 2 years (Bojan and Nikola had significantly more).

I also really like Elfrid Payton this year, but like Wiggins, most of his good stats show more about his promise rather than his actual impact.

HM: Wiggins, Payton

Most Improved Player of the Year

Spoiler:

1) Jimmy Butler - He had already overachieved last year considering he was a 2nd round pick, stellar defender while putting up 13 PPG per game. Butler shot poor last year, a problem that he washed away this year.

Butler's offensive game has shown vast improvement. Not only can he make jumpers at will even with pressure, he has a consistent post game, where he is able to get highly effective shots off nearly at will. He's went from a roleplayer to someone who can create their own offense at a very high level. I had a lot of speculation if he would be able to translate his play into the playoffs as he went on a bit of a cold streak during the RS, but he surpassed my expectations - it looks like Butler did make authentic improvement, and he is significantly better now than he ever was.

2) Hassan Whiteside - Whiteside is a bit hard to judge for MIP because he left the NBA and came back when he was older and more experienced. There is obviously a massive gap between this season and his last NBA season which was 3 years ago, however one has to give him credit for drastically improving none the less. His numbers are quite eye popping, per 36 he averages 18 PPG on 15 rebounds with 3.9 blocks. His game doesn't have many subtleties, but he is certainly the type of guy who will fill up the boxscore sheet night in and night out. Considering he was a useless roleplayer in his past tour in the league, it's hard not to deny that he has drastically improved in his 3 year hiatus.

3) Harrison Barnes - I'll probably be the only guy voting for Barnes, but he is so much better than he used to be. Last year, people were saying that Barnes should be traded - and the most common rebuttal was that no one would trade for Barnes because he sucks. I feel like a lot of people did not give Barnes a chance despite his relatively young age, and he's starting to prove people wrong as he is developing into a starting caliber small forward.

Barnes just understands the game better now than before. He knows where to be, he knows when to attack, he doesn't get as easily rattled. I thought he had a phenomenal post season as well, only ruined by his bad finals performance.

Disclaimer: I don't take into considering second year players as it should be expected that they make big improvements in the NBA.


HM: Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson

Sixth man of the Year

Spoiler:

1) Andre Iguodala - Still one of the best perimeter defenders, and is able to also pass the basketball and occasionally score. Iguodala is the prime example of a 6th man, someone who comes off the bench merely due to strategy not lack of ability. Due to Iggy's ability to play shooting guard and small forward, I can literally say there is not a single team that Andre Iguodala would not start on in the NBA. He is an excellent player, and while his RS was overlooked due to his very low scoring out put, his defensive impact and timely buckets went noticed in the playoffs; especially when he became the first bench player to win FMVP.

2) Tristan Thompson - Thompson was thrown to the bench, a role that his skill set is more suited for. TT is a classic garbage man, he hustles, kills guys on glass, and does his best to defend people. He was a solid contributor to the Cavs regular season success with his offensive rebounding.

TT's value really shined when the playoffs started, and he was thrusted into a starting role (a bit contrary to the point of this award, but seeing his impact fleshed out was nice). He really is a special rebounder. Rebounding isn't about jumping up very high and snatching the ball. It's about hitting the ball into another position so you can then get it later. Thompson understands the fundamentals of rebounding that most players do not, he has a very underrated IQ. Thompson also has an insane motor and straight up out worked every team he faced on the glass, even when he was out numbered or out sized.

Not only that, but Tristan's aggression on offense was nice, due to the Cavs lack of depth we saw Tristan go for fearless jumping hooks - which aren't prime shots, but his finishing wasn't that bad.

His man to man defense, especially on the perimeter showed that he was game on that end. Guards had to work a bit before getting their shot off against the much bigger and slower Thompson.

3) Isaiah Thomas - Out of all the microwave scorers coming off that bench, the premium model has to be Thomas. He is a 100% one way player, who not only scorers into the high teens, but scores very efficiently. If he had stayed in Boston the whole year, he probably would have averaged 20 points again like he did last season. His main competitor Lou Williams is a bit more versatile, but less efficient - Thomas just fills the role better. Thomas also blows the vastly overrated Jamal Crawford out the window as Crawford is an even worse point guard than Isaiah, and on top of that he misses frequently and wildly (leading to easy fast breaks). Thomas is excellent at drawing contact despite being 5'9, even better than the much bigger Jamal Crawford and Lou Williams.

Thomas has very little utility. He needs the ball in his hands, but isn't a particularly good passer (certainly no point guard), he is horrendous on defense, he does not rebound - all he does is score, albeit very well. Due to his lack of utility, I feel like players like Tristan Thomas and Andre Iguodala can contribute more to teams with championship aspirations.

Disclaimer: I did not include Gobert as he started a significant amount of games.

HM: Lou Williams

Coach of the Year

Spoiler:

1) Jason Kidd - What he did with the Bucks is just amazing. This was a team that won 15 games last year, there were threads saying if prime Jordan was added to the Bucks would they be a winning team - and nearly everyone said hell no. The talent level from the Bucks hardly changed at all, yet the amount of wins sky rocketed. They're still a team that is composed of either brand new raw players or journey men who are bouncing around other league's benches. Jason Kidd implemented both a stellar defense and a creative - pass friendly offense, on top of great in bound plays. Watching the Bucks play earlier in the season was a joy, the synergy they have is amazing, and it really seems to be mostly Kidd who is responsible for that change. It's a shame that they have went on a huge losing streak with the injuries and trading away Brandon Knight, because it pretty much destroyed his already slim chance of winning COY. I do think his playoff run did help get him some credit back from the general populace, as his rag tag bunch put up a couple good games against the Bulls while they were drastically out matched on offense.

2) Mike Budenholzer - I thought the Hawks would be very good, I had them as the 3rd seed - but they are the #1 seed by almost 10 games and have a 60+ win season...no way I predicted that. Them going 17-0 was pretty special, and considering no one on their roster is close to a franchise player, it is pretty easy to see that the system is what made people think they might be a contender.

In the end, the Hawks struggled against a bad Brooklyn team, nearly got beat by the Wizards who missed John Wall for a few games, and got swept by a one man band in Lebron's Cavs. They weren't the contender we all thought they were, but I do not think this is really Budenholzer's fault, or any one person on the Hawks fault (maybe Korver since he missed a lot of makeable shots). In the end, the team just wasn't as good as everyone thought - it happens. I won't penalize him, as his feat was magnificent and not really matched by any coach (Kidd I think is the only one with an argument).

3) David Blatt - Blatt got a lot of drama early on in the season, but his team was just flawed. He was handled a team that had poor defensive potential, and I suppose to an extent it was his fault his team wasn't good enough on offense to make up for it, generally speaking he deserved some time to show improvement given how everyone in Cleveland was in a new situation.

Once Blatt got Mozgov and a pair of shooting guards, he was able to make Cleveland into a multi facet weapon. They were a good defensive team, and an earth shattering offensive force. The Cavs would have won the NBA title if not for Love and Irving going down (truth be told, they could have won the title with just one of those guys).

Blatt made great adjustments during the post season, utilized the right strategy against juggernauts like Golden State, started throwing Mozgov in the pick and role which would often give his team a lot of momentum. Blatt was just a really solid coach overall, he didn't do anything innovative or fancy, he just did all the things that you should be expected to do with his roster.

His main competitors quite frankly just dropped out of the spot due to mistakes that I noticed.

Disclaimer: Greg Popovich was my 3rd choice for POY coming into the playoffs, but I thought he looked really bad against LAC. His substitutions and adjustments were really awful, and he made terrible decisions to burn his team fouls early in quarters to put Deandre Jordan on the line, which bit his team in the ass a lot.


HM: Steve Kerr, Brad Stevens, Greg Popovich

Executive of the Year

Spoiler:

1) David Griffin - It has to be this guy, compare this Cavs team to the team last year. I know a lot of people are going for GSW, but GSW was still largely the same squad as last year and these are yearly awards.

I feel like Cleveland signing James has kinda ruined Griffin in some peoples eyes when it comes to being a candidate. But let's be real here, almost every major impact player that is on the Cavs is something Griffin signed this year and something that had nothing really to do with James coming on board.

For one, Griffin should absolutely get some credit for signing the best player in the world. I mean yeah, James chose to come back home - but I'm sure guys from both Cleveland and Miami were talking to him trying to sway his opinion. Ultimately James decided to go with Cleveland, even if he had made his mind up before coming, we still need to give David SOME credit for that.

More importantly, he then flipped his prime asset in Wiggins in order to land Kevin Love. Some might say that it's a no duh trade, but judging by how Wiggins vs Love was a gigantic debate, and we're in the end of June and it is still a debate, I would say the decision wasn't as easy as some would say.

David got out and got the roleplayers that he needed. He went after Mozgov who was really underrated talent, and didn't give up much to get him. Mozgov transformed Cleveland who had a joke defense into a good one, and they finally started winning games that they should have been earlier.

He then flipped a crappy chucker in Dion Waiters in a full upgrade in JR Smith - Smith is just like Waiters but way better range, more experience, better defender. On top of this he got a stopper as a 2 guard in Iman Shampert. He traded a bad shooting guard, and got two shooting guards who are better in return.

Finally, the nail in the coffin - the guy signed David Blatt. Blatt has proved himself to be great talent, and has even made my COY list (and many are saying he is even the COY). I need to remind people that Blatt is a rookie coach, meaning that Griffin signing him should be relevant in this years EOY.

David did what he needed to do. Maybe he got lucky with James. He certainly got lucky winning the lotto. He did the obvious thing in re-signing Irving. But that some what ignores all the things that he actually brought to the table that had nothing to do with James. David got his roleplayers through trade not free agency (the players James brought over are non impact players like Marion, Miller & Jones) and he went out to get Blatt before any of this Lebron stuff got serious.

2) Stan Van Gundy - Considering what he had to work with, he's brought the Pistons up from the bottom feeding realms. If Brandon Jennings doesn't go down, we would likely be looking at them in the playoffs. He got Reggie Jackson for basically nothing. He also made one of the guttiest moves by waiving Josh Smith, and it worked out wonders for the Pistons since it had sparked big winning streak.

3) Danny Ainge - He managed to get rid of Rondo and Green and collect even more draft picks. He's made the most trades in the league, and as a result the Celtics landed the 7th seed in the playoffs, giving their young core some needed experience. Rondo seemed to have been a cancer too, so I think he may have gotten the best out of Cuban (Rondo is gonna take up a lot of cap space also). Ainge more or less made the right draft pick when he took Marcus Smart, though trading down and getting Elfrid Payton would have been more ideal in hindsight.

Disclaimer: I generally took into account any decisions from an executive that happened after their season had ended - anything that happened before that I consider a decision that was made for the 2013-2014 season.

HM: Flip Saunders, Bob Myers

Summary of my votes

Spoiler:

POY

1) Stephen Curry
2) Chris Paul
3) Anthony Davis
4) LeBron James
5) Blake Griffin

OPOY

1) Stephen Curry
2) Chris Paul
3) LeBron James

DPOY

1) Kawhi Leonard
2) Tim Duncan
3) Rudy Gobert

ROY

1) Nerlens Noel
2) Nikola Meriotic
3) Bojan Bogdonovic

MIP

1) Jimmy Butler
2) Hassan Whiteside
3) Harrison Barnes

6MOY

1) Andre Iguodala
2) Tristan Thompson
3) Isaiah Thomas


Coach of the Year

1) Jason Kidd
2) Mike Budenholzer
3) David Blatt

Executive of the Year

1) David Griffin
2) Stan Van Gundy
3) Danny Ainge

[Texas Chuck]

POY

Spoiler:

1. Steph Curry. Not much to add here. I think he and Harden and Paul were all pretty close in the RS, but what he did in the PS in leading his team to the championship locks this down for me.

2. Lebron. His post-season showed once again his true value. His presence just gives most any team a chance to contend. The depleted Cavs played right with the Warriors for the bulk of that series. He fell behind some other guys in the RS because of the games he missed, but I can't justify taking anyone else above him.

3. Harden. very very difficult choice here over Paul. But I can't ignore that with a much worse supporting cast-especially considering all the injuries-- he led the Rockets to a better record in the RS and then his team beat Paul's team. I know many of you frown on including team results, but considering how much talk has been about Paul leading the best team offense...

4. Chris Paul -- I've never been as high on him as everyone else. I've always felt him to be a touch overrated and that his particular style of play led to better individual numbers rather than maximizing team results. (Note I don't at all think Paul is selfish or does this intentionally. Obviously the guy competes and wants desperately to win) But imo this was Chris Paul's best season ever. Just tremendous all year and played 82 games. Fought through injury in the playoffs and was just excellent.

5. Anthony Davis -- I'm not sold on him this high yet. But I just don't see taking Blake or Westbrook ahead of him.

Offensive POY

Spoiler:

1. Curry
2. Harden
3. Paul

Don't see any reason to switch the order from above. Obviously all three guys had amazing offensive years.

Defensive POY

Spoiler:

1. Draymond Green. He passes Leonard because of the added value given going to the Finals. I think Leonard is the superior defensive player, but the added value is enough.
2. Kawhi Leonard -- won the RS award and deserved to imo.
3. Rudy Gobert -- I think this guy might well have truly been the guy with the greatest defensive impact per time on the court.

HM I think DeAndre Jordan got way too much backlash on this board for placing high in the voting and for Doc constantly championing him. He was a far bigger factor defensively imo than given credit for here.

ROY

Spoiler:

1. Noel -- I don't think it was particularly close that he had the best rookie season. Had real impact defensively
2. Wiggins -- he wasn't really that good of a player, but he showed more than I thought he would and looks like he's going to be a good player. Gets credit for soaking up so many minutes
3. Payton -- pretty good play for a rookie PG on a team so strangely assembled.

Note: No idea why Mirotic is getting so much love. He really only had a handful of impactful games late in the year and was wildly inconsistent --especially for a guy with so much international experience.

MIP

Spoiler:

1. Gobert -- this guy was getting so much hype in the pre-season from Jazz fans and I thought they were setting up unrealistic hopes for the kid. Then he comes out and was tremendous--especially in the 2nd half of the season.

2. Jimmy Butler -- went from being a nice player to a borderline star player. Showed he could handle a much more significant offensive load.

3. Gordon Hayward -- was really the only offensive weapon on the Jazz and despite teams keying on him went out and had a really underrated year for them. Next year looks so promising for the Jazz and can't wait to watch them.

6MOY

Spoiler:

1. Iggy -- his value isn't in the numbers, but in his total package. Leadership, team-first play, defense, playmaking, knocking down shots. And of course to top of your year with a FMVP....

2. Thomas -- I know a lot of people don't like him, but this guy gives great production on tremendous efficiency. He is the classic 6th man archetype and had a better year than ones that won Jamal the 6MOY IRL.

3. Thompson -- does the dirty work for a team that needed it. Relentless offensive rebounder. Came up big in the PS especially after Love went down.

COY

Spoiler:

1. Coach Bud -- Sorry but I still think his coaching was the most impressive. His system maximized his roster more than anyone else's and he led his team to the ECF. I still don't understand why immediately after they got eliminated all the pretender talk started. Bothered me then and bothers me now. He, not Kyle Korver, should be the Hawk getting the most love. Especially in light of the Ferry mess to start the season.

2. Kerr -- what's to argue with? Took essentially the same team Jackson had and turned them into the best team from day 1 through winning the championship. I think his assistants played a bigger part than is getting talked about and he had such superior talent that Bud gets the edge for me.

3. McHale -- I will be the only vote here but I was very impressed with how he managed all those injuries in the RS in guiding them to the #2 seed. He clearly outcoached Rich Carlisle in round 1 which is hard to do considering Rick might be the best in-game coach in the league and more than held his own against Doc and Kerr.

EOY

Spoiler:

1. Ainge -- every deal made sense and fit a plan and he got good assets along the way.
2. Hinkie -- I hate the plan, but given the plan is what it is--he executed it brilliantly.
3. Morey -- I ripped him over Parsons and still feel like that was a big needless mistake, but every move he made from that point forward including not matching him was a good smart move.

[trex_8063]

POY
1) Stephen Curry: I think the best offensive player in the league. Made a case for himself as the greatest shooter ever, imo. Only 58.4% of his treys were assisted; so basically 5 of every 12 attempts was off the dribble (often heavily-contested).....and he still hit 44.3% on them (66.4% eFG) :o . With his amazing handles and his ability to get people to bite on hesitation dribbles and similar, he's gets a limited number of super-high% shots at the rim (68.7% finishing from <3 feet). Excellent in the mid-range, too, considering those are almost entirely off the dribble. Scored some pretty significant volume at +10.4% rTS overall. Excellent play-maker, as well. Highest OBPM in league, for what that's worth.
To cap it off he's played decent defense, too. Not like he's Patrick Beverly, but he's fairly pesky out on top, with nice defensive on/off (especially in the post-season), and good rebounding numbers for a PG. Was 3rd in the league in RAPM in January (I've no reason to believe that's gotten any lower, though I've not yet seen full season RAPM), also highest VORP and highest WS/48 in the league this year; 3rd-highest PER (and he played 80 rs games, whereas both of the guys ahead of him in PER played <70 games).
Best player on best team narrative going for him, too.

2) Chris Paul: idk if this is sort of a dark-horse pick for number 2. It was a pretty tough/close call for me, but what an amazing year. 19.1 ppg and 10.2 apg @ +6.2% rTS and a "wtfareyoukiddingme" AST:TO ratio of 4.41. In the playoffs he was equally insane: 22.1 ppg and 8.8 apg @ even better shooting efficiency (62.7% in playoffs) with 4.04 AST:TO ratio. Very good perimeter defender (with quick hands), and good rebounder for a PG, too. Didn't miss a single rs game, though did miss 2 playoff games (one totally boss hero game playing injured, though).
Had the best on/off in the league; Clippers very nearly fell apart without him. Even with Griffin, they had an ORtg 19.9 worse when Paul was on the bench than when he played. GOAT-level offense whenever he was on the court.

3) James Harden: This is more of a tie for #2 (or 2b), but have to take a stance for purposes of the vote. Also a crazy offensive player: 27.4 ppg at +7.1% rTS, with very good playmaking for a SG, too. Very good rebounding SG, and wasn't playing terrible defense this year (though ultimately it was his defense which compelled me to put him slightly behind Paul, along with his playoff performance which---though very good---was beneath Paul's).

4) Lebron James: Seemed like he was coasting a bit in the rs; his box and advanced metrics quite a bit reduced from all years in recent memory, but he was still leading the league in RAPM back in January. Insane impact on that team's success: 50-19 (.725) when he played, 3-10 (.231) without him; on/off numbers fantastic, too. Was leading what would be in contention for GOAT offense during the final 43 games of the rs. And took a badly-depleted team to game 6 of the finals against the most dominant team of the 21st century.
Must sustain some criticism, though, for missing 13 rs games and for perhaps contributing to his own extreme primacy after both Love and Irving were out. Not that I think it would have necessarily changed the outcome, though.

5) Anthony Davis: While he's got one of the highest PER's ever recorded and the 2nd-highest WS/48 this season......his RAPM in January was tied for 30th (well behind ALL of the other major candidates), his on/off trails that of Curry, Paul, and Lebron; and the Pelicans were 39-29 (.574) with him, 6-8 (.429) without him (not as huge a drop as expected based on his numbers). Overall, his impact just seems to lag behind his box/advanced numbers a bit. So that creates a touch of skepticism for me, and then he missed 14 rs games, too.
Was fantastic in the playoffs, though.


OPOY
1) Stephen Curry: Largely outlined above. Recap: arguably GOAT shooter who was scoring biggish volume on insane efficiency, while also being the primary playmaker/facilitator on the team (2nd-rated offense in league). Had 2nd-highest ORAPM in January (behind only Lebron), and the 2nd-highest offensive on/off (behind only CP3).

2) Chris Paul: Again already outlined above. Little added info regarding his offensive impact: 4th-highest ORAPM in January (behind Lebron, Curry, and Harden), but THE highest offensive on/off in the league this year.

3) James Harden: Tough call, given Lebron's at times insane offensive impact indicators; Harden's impact data doesn't quite match his. Nonetheless, it's hard to deny the massive volume and efficiency; and he did have the 3rd-highest ORAPM back in January. And again, there's Lebron's 13 missed games.


DPOY
1) Draymond Green: Just like so much of what he brings on defense. The versatility if going to a small line-up or if caught on a switch: I've literally seen him guard every position this season (and he's not bad against any of them). Excellent pnr defender, he's stubborn as hell as far as contesting the low post-up, closes out on shooters really well, gets steals and blocks, gets defensive rebounds.....he does it all. He's sort of the "energy guy" out there, too. His DRAPM in January was was 4th-best in the league, behind Kawhi, Iggy (limited minutes, though), and Eric Bledsoe (? which strikes me as a somewhat "noisy" result; not that he isn't a good defender). His defensive on/off was the 2nd-best I've found (only Rudy Gobert's was better).

2) Kawhi Leonard: Tough perimeter defender who also has the size/strength (and skill) to defend guys like Lebron in the post. Gets steals at an utterly insane rate without (from the limited Spurs games I saw) gambling over-much. Had the highest DRAPM in January (somewhat limited minutes role, though), and had a nice defensive on/off, too (in the rs, at least.....defensive on/off was terrible in the playoffs, though obv this stat doesn't filter out line-up noise). His somewhat limited minutes and 18 missed rs games is what definitively puts him behind Green for me. It'd be super-close otherwise.

3) Rudy Gobert: Initially I really didn't know who to pick for #3. And this is somewhat an odd pick for me because I have to admit: I've seen almost none of Gobert's play this year (brief fragments of a couple games, nothing more). But he blocks shots at an excellent rate, has the best defensive on/off in the league (and had respectable DRAPM, too, which was before they began utilizing him to great effect). At the end of the season when they were largely starting Gobert and giving him sizable minutes, Utah's defense was unreal: DRtg of 98.9 (-6.7 to league avg) in the final 30 games.
And vs Bogut, I can't ignore that Bogut only played 23.8 mpg (vs. 26.3 for Gobert) and also missed 15 games (Gobert didn't miss any).

[Dr Spaceman]

Top 5 for POY

1. Stephen Curry

Spoiler:

The way things are going it's looking like he might be one of the few true unanimous POY. That's elite company, and I think general perception is still lagging behind how good this guy actually is.

2. LeBron James

Spoiler:

Certainly can't be argued as the wire-to-wire leader, but post LeBreak he was absurd, to a degree that IMO dwarfs what everyone but Curry was doing during that period. Comparing the multiyear scores SSB has provided leaves one with the conclusion that LBJ must have been around a 5 the first half, and around a 10 the second half of the season. Wow.

James' defense was back to form in a crucial way this season, probably only slightly behind peak 2012/13 form. Less energy/acceleration, more brains and brawn. Clearly superior defensively to Paul and Harden, and when push came to shove arguably better than both offensively, or at least reasonably close. He made the Warriors series as competitive as it could possibly be, and just from a pure stamina/athleticism viewpoint I don't see any player being capable of his playoff run. That doesn't make it better, per se, but it's something to chew on. I do give him some dings for the way he carried himself this season, and maybe retroactively the more I learn this could be a serious problem. LeBron's GOAT case to me is starting to rest on whether Cleveland can hit a plane of elite team dominance next season especially and in the following years, and from everything I've heard about James' attitude as well as the situations betwenn he and Love/Blatt I'm more pessimistic than I want to be. Not relevant to this year though.

I would knock James for his jumper being broken, but it didn't hinder him in any real sense and so it feels like chipping at an iceberg with a screwdriver. James is the most capable player in the league, and his impact is higher than anyone and debatable with Curry.

3. Chris Paul

Spoiler:

Paul's best season IMO, and he's far better defensively than Harden in my book. His midrange shot is an incredible weapon now, and he's excellent at creating space for his jumper, to go along with his incrementally improving playmaking. Has the most complete offensive skill set of any guard, and the Clippers were a dominant offensive team despite a so-so RS effort from Griffin. He played excellent ball in the playoffs, maybe the best of his career. Two missed games do hurt him, and the reduced title odds definitely hurt him in comparison to LeBron.

4. James Harden

Spoiler:

Weird player to evaluate. On the one hand, looks like he provided the most raw lift of anyone and made the WCF. On the other hand, he did this by basically spamming isolations and using a strategy that doesn't on its face look conducive to true championship ball. Looked good on D during the season, but collapsed when his offensive load went up in the playoffs. On the other hand, had some dominant PS performances especially against the Warriors and if he's not Paul's offensive equal he's very close. That said, the Clippers were clearly the better team, and systemic roster flaws contributed more to that result than either star.

5. Anthony Davis

Spoiler:

Anchor of his team day-in day-out, 2nd best O+D player in the league after LBJ, stunning show in the first round. The best age 21 season of all time.

HM (in order): Draymond Green, Kawhi Leonard, Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook, Marc Gasol

Top 3 for all other awards:

Offensive POY
1. Stephen Curry

Spoiler:

Huge lift, murdered in the finals, quirky skills make him the hardest player in the league to contain. Possesses gravity in a way I don't think we've seen in any player, ever. Key to one of the most unique historically dominant teams of all time.

2. Chris Paul

Spoiler:

A different skill set than James Harden, and one that IMO led to better overall results any way you slice it. More orchestration than cannibalization. While you can argue Harden played he way his roster dictated, IMO they weren't optimized to the degree Paul or Curry's team was. Harden had some unique talents on his team that he didn't make extensive use of.

3. James Harden

Spoiler:

Probably the most raw life here, but again I don't think it was an entirely optimal strategy and he did have some playoff struggles.

Defensive POY
1. Draymond Green

Spoiler:

Played basically every game, switches onto everyone from Gasol to LeBron to Harden and does an excellent job, covers absurd amounts of floor space, key to the #1 D in the league. All-around fantastic season.

2. Kawhi Leonard

Spoiler:

Maybe actually a bit better overall, but he was inconsistent this season missing a lot of games and was better after the ASB, although this is exaggerated. Very close between he and Green.

3. Rudy Gobert

Spoiler:

Short burst, but during that period he provided a drastic and evident amount of lift. Led the #2 D after getting the starting nod, and played 600+ more minutes than Bogut.

Rookie of the Year
!. Nikola Mirotic

Spoiler:

Bst actual season here; provided actual impact on a serious playoff team. Plugged in at a few different positions and adapted well. Better defense than i thought, and I'm much higher on his potential than most. I don't think he has the ceiling of Wiggins by any stretch, but I don't think it's a given Wiggins ends up a far superior player.

2. Andrew Wiggins

Spoiler:

Beter on offense than I thought, way worse on defense. Had a very good, promising season for a raw prospect overall, and at this point is a clearly more impressive prospect than Noel as far as I'm concerned.

3. Nerlens Noel

Spoiler:

His defense was legitimately very good. I think it was overstated with the presence of the other two rookies, especially McDaniels, who did some absurd things on defense as well. Noel is more raw defensively, although I'm impressed by his very low foul rate.

Most Improved Player
1. Rudy Gobert

Spoiler:

I didn't even know his name last year, this year he's 3rd on my DPOY ballot. Crazy.

2. Anthony Davis

Spoiler:

Like I said earlier, I think he had the best age 21 season ever and his career trajectory is basically infinite right now. Still, his actual improvement was not on the level of Gobert.

3. Khris Middleton

Spoiler:

Another guy who I barely knew anything about, who came onto the scene as a defensive terror and was big in the Bucks' turnaround. He's a perfect fit with that weird lengthy switching defense.

6th Man of the Year
1. Andre Iguodala

Spoiler:

Most closely fits the actual 6th man definition, and holy hell did the Finals show he's still a tremendous player. He was so key for GSW despite his bench role. Kerr has also talked about Iggy's sacrifice setting the tone for the entire locker room, and I'm inclined to agree with that. Consulate veteran, consummate champion.

2. Tristan Thompson

Spoiler:

Really made a name for himself in the playoffs, but he wasn't as dominant in the Finals and the other candidate actually swung a series being inserted into the starting lineup.

3. Patty Mills

Spoiler:

Unusual pick, but he was huge this year especially with what Parker was going through. Missed a ton of games otherwise he might be #2. Looks GREAT in RAPM.

Coach of the Year
1. Steve Kerr

Spoiler:

"As a humble outsider who came in and nailed it..." Seriously, Kerr was just a natural as a head coach in a way we haven't seen before. Picked the right assistants, made the right decisions, and from an outside perspective looked like the true emotional leader of an amazing locker room.

2. Mike Budenholzer

Spoiler:

Playoffs have a lot to do with injuries, and the fact is his roster way way way defied expectations. I won't write off Atlanta as a serious contender just yet.

3. Jason Kidd

Spoiler:

Impact was clear and immediate, and seems to be at the forefront of a lot of strategic trends. Serious eye for underutilized talent.

Executive of the Year
1. Daryl Morey

Spoiler:

He's the anti-Hinkie that where Sam sells high, Morey buys low. He created an incredibly flexible roster that had an unusual plug-and-play capacity, and contributions from lesser guys really swung them playoff series. Think about every midseason acquisition this season, and now think about how many were good. All the good ones belong to Morey. Terry, Brewer, and Smith were huge acquisitions, and Morey has quietly become great at stashing away promising foreign players like Motiejunas. Also, despite being the Mockingjay of the analytic movement, he proved he's not married to anything with several of his anti-mored acquisitions this year.

2. Bob Myers

Spoiler:

Made the riskiest possible move in almost every capacity this offseason, and most of them were proved correct in a huge way. getting Kerr was a runaway success, and standing pat was clearly the right move, although this is muted a bit by the fact we had no idea Draymond was this good.

3. David Griffin

Spoiler:

Midseason trades clearly saved theca's season and Love was a huge get.

[CBA]

Explanations are in the other thread.

Executive of the Year
1) David Griffin
2) Daryl Morey
3) John Hammond

Coach of the Year
1) Steve Kerr
2) Mike Budenholzer
3) Jason Kidd

Sixth Man of the Year
1) Andre Iguodala
2) Tristan Thompson
3) Lou Williams

Most Improved Player
1) Rudy Gobert
2) Jimmy Butler
3) Hassan Whiteside

Rookie of the Year
1) Nerlens Noel
2) Andrew Wiggins
3) Nikola Mirotic

Defensive Player of the Year
1) Draymond Green
2) Kawhi Leonard
3) Andrew Bogut

Offensive Player of the Year
1) James Harden
2) Stephen Curry
3) Chris Paul

Player of the Year
1) Stephen Curry
2) James Harden
3) Lebron James
4) Chris Paul
5) Anthony Davis

[RebelWithACause]

Gonna leave out executive of the year.
Added a honorable mention if it was really close and I wanted to give a shoutout.

Player of the Year
1) Stephen Curry
2) LeBron James
3) James Harden
4) Chris Paul
5) Anthony Davis
HM: Westbrook

Offensive Player of the Year
1) Stephen Curry
2) Chris Paul
3) James Harden

Defensive Player of the Year
1) Draymond Green
2) Kawhi Leonard
3) Andrew Bogut
HM: Rudy Gobert

Sixth Man of the Year
1) Andre Iguodala
2) Manu Ginobili
3) Lou Williams

Most Improved Player
1) Rudy Gobert
2) Jimmy Butler
3) Hassan Whiteside

Rookie of the Year
1) Nerlens Noel
2) Andrew Wiggins
3) Jordan Clarkson

Coach of the Year
1) Steve Kerr
2) Mike Budenholzer
3) Gregg Popovich

[Clyde Frazier]

This thread is for the voting of all awards. It will close after next Friday night.

Very busy at work over the last week. Will be on a train with wifi traveling tonight, though so i’ll get my votes in by the end of the night.

[Doctor MJ]

This thread is for the voting of all awards. It will close after next Friday night.

Very busy at work over the last week. Will be on a train with wifi traveling tonight, though so i’ll get my votes in by the end of the night.

Okay. And just so it's clear, I'm not trying to be an ass about emergencies should they come up.

[Doctor MJ]

My official votes now, short of a late change of heart.
Player of the Year:
1. Steph Curry - this one's just plain easy. The team worked like a dream, and while it's a great ensemble, I don't know if I've ever seen a scorer freak out a defense more than that Curry did to his opponents.

2. LeBron James - I'm still really debating whether LeBron deserves to leap up from the 4th spot where I had him at the end of the regular season. I'm on record having major concerns about how he played. Fact is though that the Cavs can claim to be the best team for the second half of the year, and even with injuries fought the champs as well as anyone else in the playoffs. LeBron is the engine making that happen.

To be clear: I just copy and pasted this wording from my rough draft, but it's still really true. I'm still not really clear on where to put LeBron.

3. James Harden - the king of Lift this year. In the regular season, no one did more with less.

4. Chris Paul - I fully understand those who have Paul higher here. It's a weird situation. If the Clippers close out that Game 6 against Houston with ease, he definitely surpasses Harden on my list. Harden isn't the reason that didn't happen and so he doesn't deserve to be rewarded for it. Similarly Paul played well, he doesn't deserve to be punished. The fact remains though that all of our objective measures say that Harden had a bigger lift in the regular season, and then for all intents and purposes his team upset Paul's team in the playoffs having a better record with Paul on the floor than without him. It's not a reason to drop Paul, but searching for a reason to raise Paul, I just don't see it.

5. Anthony Davis - an absolute giant awakening. A case can be made he's already the best player in the world. But while it's clear at this point that he's having superstar impact, he's not proven in terms of leading truly epic teams. While I don't doubt Davis will get there, the fact is that right now he's doing his thing on a team that isn't going to scale the way it's currently playing.

Honorable Mention in alphabetical order:

Marc Gasol - got a little overhyped this year as a legit MVP threat, but he remains the foundation of a strong team on both sides of the ball

Draymond Green - no question in my mind at all he deserves to be here. Playoffs made it utterly laughable that Klay Thompson is considered by most the 2nd star of the Warriors.

kWh Leonard - there's now no doubt that Leonard is a superstar talent that the Spurs can continue to build around

John Wall - there are several guys around the same tier as Wall, but to me he has the season with the fewest blemishes of the bunch

Russell Westbrook - as I've indicated, I've got major issues with Westbrook's play this year, to the point where I question whether he deserves a spot here. Realistically though there wasn't really a doubt in my mind that with a healthy season he'd be a strong candidate for a Top 10 spot, and it's awfully hard to literally penalize Westbrook for what he does in a no win scenario so long as he's working his ass off. And that he surely was.

Offensive POY
1. Steph Curry - realistically the kitchen sink was thrown at the guy, and the scheme built around him still worked. He's done more this year to put his name next to the dictionary definition of "Offensive Anchor" than anyone else.

2. James Harden - no one lifted his team's offense more. He loses out because I simply have more confidence in building around Curry's offense than Harden's the way Houston is currently using him.

3. Chris Paul - 3rd on the list but still has an excellent case for winning the thing. The Clipper offense worked so well I feel like a bad person saying it, but I feel like he and Griffin still aren't fully realizing their potential together.

Defensive POY
1. Draymond Green - an easy choice for me after the playoffs are over. I questioned how he'd fit in against serious opposing threats of size. Turns out he that no matter the Warriors adapt, Green remains incredibly useful and that their big (Bogut) is the guy who fits in less well.

2. Khris Middleton - the "quiet Draymond" this year. Very much of the same breed of players who we didn't used to think of in this light. Middleton has yet to really prove it in the playoffs, but at this point I see no reason to leave him off this list considering what he did all year.

3. Rudy Gobert - The Jazz were 27th in defense for the first half of the year, and 2nd for the second half. Hard to imagine not giving him the mythical DPO-Half-Y, but how to factor in the first half? Well the reality is Gobert was helping the defense all year, and played more minutes than Kawhi. So tough as it is, he squeaks in the 3rd spot here.

ROY
1. Nerlens Noel - It was between he and Wiggins for me. Mirotic had a hell of a month or so, but for the most part he just had a much smaller role than these other guys did, and he's a lot older, which if I'm honest does matter to me here. Between the two putative budding superstars, who both showed improvement over the course of the year, the thing is that Noel can point to actual team effect more than Wiggins. In the second half of the year Noel's team did considerably better than Wiggins' did when they were each on the floor, and specifically it was happening because of defense...which is Noel's forte. Simply put, Noel seems more established as a defensive anchor than Wiggins does as an offensive one.

2. Andrew Wiggins - for reasons stated. Certainly the future looks bright for him.

3. Elfrid Payton - Probably seems like a real slap in the fact to Mirotic, but Payton had a lot asked of him all year and he did solid under that pressure.

MIP
1. Rudy Gobert - by a country mile. Going from a guy many (including me) couldn't pick out of a pile of other big man stiffs, to being the single scariest defender in the game, it's just huge. Incidentally, sometimes 2nd year players get DQed because they are seen as simply doing what everyone expected them to do. Gobert was not expected, and so I could use that as his loophole, but really he serves better as an example for why no one should get DQed. Had things bounced differently before the draft, he almost certainly goes much higher. That shouldn't have any effect on how we see it when a guy makes the leap.

2. Jimmy Butler - yeah, as has been pointed out by many, he's a worthy candidate here.

3. Hassan Whiteside - I penalize him in this category because he only played half the year, but still, extraordinary jump.

6MOY
1. Andre Iguodala
2. Tristan Thompson
3. Boris Diaw

I'll just address all 3 at once: To me it makes no sense to consider a 6th Man from a bad team here without addressing the necessary huge WTF involved. That being: The top 6th Men on great teams are fulfilling a role that the vast majority of semi-stars on crappy teams couldn't do, and should be seen as a higher echelon than those guys as a result. I think Iguodala was a clear cut case of this from the beginning of the year, and Thompson is now: These guys are a hell of a lot more noteworthy that ANY STARTER on the Celtics...so how exactly can the guy who can't start on the Celtics get the nod over them?

There is room to say "Well actually, he should be starting?", but short of that, I think people need to remember how unimportant it is to be "the first guy off the bench" on a team that isn't even worth turning the TV on for.

COY
1. Steve Kerr - okay, so I officially have a crush on Kerr. What a legendary entrance into the coaching ranks. You could write a book on how he evaluates his players, how he asks him to do things, how he assembles his coaching brain trust, and how he keeps an environment of effective brainstorming. Surely there was luck too, but there's just no reason to think that Kerr couldn't run really any kind of organization the way he's done things here.

2. Mike Budenholzer - Stock has fallen some as the Hawks came down to earth, but we still saw major improvements from this team on many fronts in making a very solid team out of no talents that are really that exciting.

3. Jason Kidd - A very impressive first year in Milwaukee. He definitely pushed the right buttons. I'm not really a "do more with less" holy grail-er though. I've seen plenty of times in the past where someone does something very impressive all things considered, but never actually takes that last step toward greatness. If and when Kidd does it, then he'll leapfrog others in these awards.

EOY
1. Bob Myers - Here's where I have to emphasize again: The EOY is a weird award for many reasons, but one is that one guy is the figure head for an Executive Team that can include the actual Owner. It's one thing to praise a guy like Kerr for choosing to add Gentry to his staff, but Myers is arguably only the 4th most powerful person in the room for the big Warrior decisions (owner, son, Jerry West), why should he get the award? There's just no other way to give awards for executives other than to treat each candidate's name like they are doing the same thing. And I personally don't really mind just saying, "The Warriors did the smartest stuff this year".

On that note, there's just no way around it: The Warriors could have kept Coach Jackson and traded for Love. Both moves would have made sense. They did neither, and both ended up being about as HUGE as huge can get. Sure there's some luck involved, but their reasoning made sense even though it cut against the grain, and to me that's the most impressive thing you can do as an executive team.

2. David Griffin - I've been railing against Griffin all year, but he still gets my #2 spot frankly because it was a really weak year for candidates. Griffin gets absolutely NO credit for LeBron, and very little for Love. But the Mozgov acquisition was absolutely crucial. One can - and I do - knock the move to a degree based on the fact that we all knew the Cavs needed a legit big, but that only puts Griffin behind an exec team like the Warriors. Fact is, Griffin did what needed to be done, and because of that the Cavs could well have won a title this year. That ain't nothing.

3. Danny Ainge - You can actually make a real case Ainge deserves this award. Dude just keeps making small deals that amount to stealing the jewels one sliver at a time. But to me those little things are on their own are not enough to put a guy above others who actually made BIG moves in a given year.

[RSCD3_]

Only voting for RPOY now, might edit in the ohters if I have time

1. Curry

Clearly best RS, Outstanding offensive impact and neutral to very slightly positive impact. He had a Great PS and a very good finals.
He has possibly GOAT level Anti-Gravity ( if we assume gravity how close the defenders position themselves to the rim ) and that has allowed him to anchor Starting lineup without an actual post player or another wing. Iggy/Bogut/Green are all plus passers for their position but without curry there's not any really consistent shot creators (beside Livingston and his specialty is the midrange ) which would lead to a lot of sets going nowhere.

2. James, had possibly the 4th best RS and is where he is on my list due to playoff play. He stepped it up in a huge way once love went down and than once again for kyrie. He turned into a super russell westbrook rebounding like a C, running a racket on the AST%/TOV% numbers and played very well defensively for most of the playoffs until around game 5 or 6. Sweeping the Hawks and winning twice against the Warriors was not what was supposed to happen with this level of suport. I'vwe never seen a team depend on one player more. However the RS gap is too much for lebron to make up.

3. Harden, Improved on both ends and showed up in the playoffs for the first time since San Antonio 2012. He had the second best Regular season and was almost as good as curry offensively. Despite being still a negative on defense, he wasnt giving back a huge amount like he was last year, he was simply kind of bad instead of worthy of laughter from the entirety of the NBA. He was providing the most lift that anyone could in the nba to Houston and while he was more ball dominant than steph he frequently made good decisions with the ball that justified it. The lack of a parsons also made him shoulder more offensive responsibility not to mention the hospital loving cast he walked to the postseason with. He played Great in the playoffs and gave the warriors almost as much of a punch as lebron. He is 3 but this is a very close vote with him versus lebron, he went out with a horrific game 5 but he still put up 115 ORTG with 28/8/6 on only 63.2% TS through.

4. Chris Paul, If you've got a background in Advanced Stats and a soul, you cant help feel sorry for this guy, he's consistently put up in the good fight in years past as his team faces better teams and he gets the lion share of the blame despite not having the support. However as much as I like the guy and he was at harden's level for much of the Rs, I have to say I still have concerns about how valuable he can really be in his current role.

While I believe that Paul absolutely could have been a #1 Alpha in 08 or 09 his current state of athleticism coupled with the relative predictability of his game introduces some doubt about how much Chaos he can cause to opposing defenses. I believe that for offensive stars unpredictability is an important part of the game, because it makes defenses second guess themselves, foul because their afraid of being out of position and under/over rotation. Point is it can soften a defense and indirectly make it easier for others to attack. This is why I think his offense wasnt as impactful vs the Rockets wasnt as dominant as the stats say it was. It was still very good but I cant put him above these three guys.

Anyways diatribe aside I think Paul still had a wonderfully effective year, passing and scoring especially in the playoffs. This was a close call as well, but his missing of two games and the clippers collapse prevents me from taking Paul over Harden. He Still had a Great Playoffs and this year was his best since 2008 and 2009.

5. Davis, Had a Great year, 30 PER hahaha. Seriously Davis has a multifaceted game and if he can turn all those facets on, absolute greatness will flow out of him. He isnt quite as his peak yet but there are just so few things you could even call weaknesses of his, yet so many strengths.


On offense you have

- A guy with a very good jump shot for a 4 from midrange
- A great faceup game
- A huge lob threat
- a decent post game, and he can punish smaller guys
- a great knowledge of cutting
- putback monster
- great handles for a big
- Good passing instincts for a big

149-26 bad pass ratio = 5.73 assists - bad pass a great ratio ( Garnett, Griffin and Webber were routinely around 5-7 )

Defensively

- fast hands
- great lateral mobility
- quick leaping and 2nd jump ability
- rebounding
- decent rotations
- great at forcing PG/SG into tough jumpers
- doesnt even struggle with almost any post player anymore

Great 4 game playoff run, the warriors said we'll let him get his and Davis Gladly accepted the task

Putting up 32/11/2 on 61 TS% with 116 ORTG against the #1 defense

This guy is gold.

Offensive Player of the Year

1. Curry
2. Harden
3. Paul

Defensive player of the year

1. Kawhi
2. Green
3. Gobert

ROY

1. Noel
2. Wiggins
3. Mirotic

MIP

1. Gordon Hayward
2. Draymond Green
3. Jimmy Butler

[MisterHibachi]

POY:

1. Stephen Curry: don't think I need to explain this one, this dude probably gonna be unanimous.
2. LeBron James: While I think he is the best player in the league, he wasn't so pre-injury. Playoffs were awesome, he did literally every single thing well except score efficiently. Ran the offense really well, and was his team's best defensive player as well. He was the offensive and defensive anchor of a Finals team
3. Chris Paul: I think if his team didn't collapse with a 3-1 lead he would've locked up #2 on my list. Harden went further than him, but I think CP is just a better player, both offensively and defensively.
4. Harden: great regular season, great post season for his standards. I think his first two games in the WCF might've been the top 2 games of the playoffs, so that was cool to see.
5. Davis: special player with a special series against the best team in the league.

HM: Westbrook, Leonard, Blake, Gasol, Wall.

OPOY:

1. Curry: again, very easy. Dude gave a great Cleveland defense fits in the finals by being 24 feet from the hoop. And that was no anomaly.
2. Paul: I think he's more a 1b than a 2 here. Complete control of the game on offense and very efficient.
3. LeBron: SSB provided some great numbers through out the season and in the POY thread as well. Cleveland was running a 9+ offense with him post injury. Very impressive, and the PS were as well, despite the atrocious offensive efficiency in the finals which I'm gonna chalk up to injuries, fatigue, and the game plan.

DPOY:
1. Draymond: just as important to GS's defense as Curry was to their offense. Maybe more.
2. Kawhi Leonard: a continuation of last year, and an embodiment of the new perimeter defensive anchors.
3. Rudy Gobert: despite the rise in importance of the perimeter anchor, a paint anchor is still just as crucial as ever.

MIP:
1. Hassan Whiteside: despite the limited sample size, still a great leap. Dude was at the YMCA in October and is getting max contract talk now.
2. Jimmy Butler: defensive drop off, but the offensive improvement makes up for it.
3. Rudy Gobert: the defense is special and he's a true game changer on that end. I had no idea who he was last year.

6 MOY:
1. Andre Iguodala: the Finals MVP was the cherry on top of an exceptional season despite the low raw numbers. He's a jack of all, fitting into whatever the team needs. True team player and true MVP.
2. Tristan Thompson: great replacement after Love went down. Big factor in their great playoff defense.
3. Lou Will: thought he played outside the offense a bunch of times, but he was a real spark and won the Raptors a few games with his shot making. Traditional 6th man pick.

COY:
1. Mike Bud: his team fell apart in the CF, but that was partly due to injuries and partly due to just facing LeBron James. No one expected them to win 60 games and get the #1 seed. No one.
2. Steve Kerr: he was dealt a great hand, but still deserves credit for making it work. We saw its possible to screw that situation up last year (Mark Jackson).
3. David Blatt: So many expectations, so much pressure. Thought he did a great job coaching in the playoffs. Out coached every coach in his way other than Kerr, which he did for the first 3 games. But then again there weren't that many adjustments he could've responded with in the finals, his options were severely limited.

[GSP]

POY

1. Cp3
2. Steph
3. Lebron
4. Davis
5. Westbrook

HM: Harden, Kawhi, Cousins, Blake, Wall

Offensive POY
1. Steph
2. Cp3
3. Harden

I think Steph and Cp3 is a tossup, but ill go with Steph for superior portability and offball game. Even tho i think Cp3 is much better onball, best midrange shooter this season, pickandroll and generally is more reliable in the halfcourt. Steph knows when to pick his shots and increase his volume when his team needs it. Thats been a knock on Cp3 pretty much his whole career and i dont think he will ever get it. Honorable mentions to Westbrook and Lebron who i think are arguably better than Harden on offense, but he has a larger body of work, he just proved me wrong in the playoffs, had some alltime bad stinkers, but some alltime great performances too. That near 50pt first quarter he led against golden state was INSANE

Defensive POY
1. Draymond
2. Tony
3. Kawhi

I think Tonys the best defender in the league but i had to dock him for the minutes/missed time. Draymond isnt far behind plus his minutes/role he took this season was massive. Biggest reason they can go small and still keep alot of their defensive principle. Tony is the defensive anchor of the Grizz, Marc is very important for that he does for their defense but his impact (and weaknesses and protecting paint) isnt on Tonys level. I think its clear now. The way he pretty much singlehandedly destroyed the Warriors perimeter offense in games 2 and 3 were insane and he was hurt all series too. Its a shame but i wouldve loved to a see a healthy Tony and Conley in that series. Its very tough to leave Gobert out, hes my early favorite for DPOY next season. Honorable mention to Bogut as well

ROY
1. Noel
2. Niko
3. Wiggins

MIP

1. Gobert-very impressive year i think after his showing against Spain he was on alot of ppls radars but he legit looks like an alltime great defensive anchor in the making. Who saw THAT coming even with his already earthshattering physical gifts?

2. Jimmy
3. Whiteside

6MOY
1. Iggy- honestly this is one of the best 6th man seasons of alltime. I dont think its being given enough credit even after the finals MVP. He is still very much in the discussion with the best perimeter defenders in basketball, his ballhandling, passing and transition game were HUGE. Especially when Warriors were struggling against teams to pick up their tempo/pace he was almost always the sparkplug. I wouldnt put it on the level of 05 Manu, 86 Walton, best 6M Mchale seasons but i think he might be better than anyone else (prolly a couple others i cant think off ATM)
2. Tristan
3. Lou

COY
1. Brad Stevens-This might look like a bit of a homer pick but hes the best coach in the league. For this criteria i guess team success has to count a bit against him but his ingame adjustments are 2nd to none. Just look at the team we have i have no clue how we had the 18th ranked offense. Look at that roster and IT only played 20 games. We execute extremely well our offense isnt talent at all. I mean Kerr and Bud have numerous offensive players better than our best discounting IT who played 20 games (Steph, Klay, Lee, Iggy, Teague, Korver, Millsap, Horford), and numerous defensive players too (Draymond, Bogut, Iggy, Millsap, Carroll, Thabo). Im more confident giving the large bulk of the credit of the teams success to Stevens too, on both ends of the court. We cant ignore Ron Adams is one of the best defensive minds of this era, and Gentry tho to a lesser extent on offense. Its also VERY telling that we played Cleveland (a healthy one at that) MUCH closer than Atlanta did. Yeah Atlanta missed Korver late in the series but they were already getting abused and that was with Love out and Kyrie missing games. Both got swept but we put up a better fight and against a healthy Cleveland which might well be the best team in basketball

2. Steve Kerr-he is legit but i dont know how legit yet. No Gentry next year so will see. What i like about Kerr he has no problems giving credit to his defensive coaches for adjustments like Ron Adams or that assistant coach that told them to go small in the finals. He is great at judgment calls, he helped built a great culture and offense. I want to see more of him next season

3. Bud-very disappointing postseason but he is great at building a culture/system, just couldnt adjust at all in the playoffs, Brooklyn who should never be in the playoffs gave them alot of problems. When Korver was defended as tight as he was in the playoffs they looked lost on offense. Now he deserves credit for using Korver the way he did all season but in the 2nd half and the playoffs Korvers impact considerably fell so it could just be him regressing/teams gameplanning better.

I want to give Blatt an honorable mention. He stepped it up in the playoffs while he was underwhelming early on. He may very well be the 2nd best defensive coach behind Thibs. I think Brad outcoached him, but he got the better of Thibs and Bud and went toe to toe with Kerr in the finals. As for Jason Kidd i dont know yet. I think hes a top 10 coach for sure, their offense is still bad and im inclined to believe the defensive coordinator the Bucks have deserves more credit than him for their D.

EOY
1. Myers
2. Ainge
3. Morey