Awarding the NBA

The long, long, ever so long NBA regular season is finally coming to a close. Everyone including journalists, players and coaches are all ready for the NBA second season to start, or as some know it, the playoffs.

Most teams have played about 80 games of the merciless 82-game season, yet the entire playoff picture has yet to be sorted out. At the bottom of the standings a number of teams rest tenuously on the bubble and the first-round playoff match-ups may not be set in stone until the final seconds of the last game tick away.

So we’ll be left to wonder through the week whether or not the Golden State Warriors will make their first postseason appearance in 14 years, if the Lakers’ recent free-fall will end up leaving them on the outside looking in and whether or not the Magic can hang on to their shred of playoff light.

What we can be sure of, however, is how the year’s awards ought to go, how they will go and how a few trophies ought to be added.

MVP

Who will win: Dirk Nowitski, Dallas Mavericks. The lanky German is the best player on the best team, and voter fatigue gives him a slight edge over the two-time winner Steve Nash. But take either of these players off of their respective squad and you’ve still got a 40-win team, and this does not an MVP make.

Who should win: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers. If the Black Mamba doesn’t score 50, the Lakers don’t often win. Take him away and their cracked squad would be lucky to hit 15 wins. (Honorable mention LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers)

Rookie of the Year

A bet so sure it might as well be fixed: Brandon Roy, Portland Trail Blazers. Duh.

Coach

Who will and should win: Sam Mitchell, Toronto Raptors. Anyone who turns Toronto into a threat deserves all the maple syrup the Northeast has to offer. Dallas’ Avery Johnson is a contender, but inheriting a 60-win team can’t touch fixing the Raptors.

Sixth Man

Who will and should win: Manu Ginobli, San Antonio Spurs. After stumbling in the early season as a starter, Ginobli moved to the bench and all his numbers went up. In one game Manu scored an utterly remarkable 24 consecutive points. A close race with Phoenix’s Leandro Barbosa, but when it comes to the clutch, Manu delivers a few more big ones than Barbosa.

Most Improved

Who will and should win: Monta Ellis, Golden State Warriors. This category is another easy pick. Ellis is averaging 10 more points (16.7) and three more assists (4.2) per game than his rookie season. Add to that the fact that he’s a smaller guard hitting 47 percent of his shots from the field and you’ve got yourself a winner.

Now on to some of our own, unofficial award categories.

Worst General Manager

Danny Ainge, Boston Celtics. Taking Sebastian Telfair in exchange for the draft pick that became Brandon Roy is grounds for immediate dismissal, especially on the hallowed grounds of a storied franchise. Add to that Ainge’s backing of the game’s most ineffective coach in Doc Rivers and playing too close with Kevin Durant’s mother. Ainge has done the unthinkable by taking the worst general manager heat off Isaiah Thomas… Though Isaiah’s foolishness will again skyrocket on draft day when the Bulls collect their lottery pick in the continued exchange for glorified garbage man Eddie Curry.

Ron Artest Gaff (or Boner?) of the Year

Bonzi Wells may well have punched his ticket right out of the NBA when he decided to stay in his hotel room and watch TV rather than show up for a Rockets road game. Wells incredulously informed the team’s trainer via text-message two hours before tip-off that, because he felt he was disrupting team chemistry, he would not suit up for the game. After the incident, Wells was suspended for the remainder of the year–the second time in three seasons he managed such a feat. And that’s probably all she wrote for Bonzi, who has bounced around, spit in a player’s face and cussed out an entire crowd. Coaches worry about whether a player will show up once he checks into a game–they don’t need to worry if a player is even going to show up to the arena.