While April may signal the end of the “March Madness” craze around the country, it means the beginning of a new and better time in sports — the NBA playoffs. While the exact seeding hasn’t been set, one thing factor free for speculation is who will win the annual end-of-season awards. Here are my picks:
Most Valuable Player – LeBron James, Miami Heat
In the world of sports predictions, this is about as close to a layup as you can get. Not only has James put together a monster year as his average of 26.8 points per game would indicate, but he’s doing so at an incredibly efficient rate (56.5 percent shooting). He also leads all forwards in assists with 7.3 per game. The fact that he’s doing this on a roster as talented as the Miami Heat’s only makes those numbers more impressive. He is the best player on a team that won 28 straight games. Perhaps the most impressive thing about James’ season is that he has totally eclipsed Kevin Durant, who is having a career year with the Thunder.
Rookie of the Year – Damian Lillard, Portland Trailblazers
This is another no-brainer. Lillard’s average of 19.1 points per game is almost a full six points ahead of the second highest scoring rookie, Anthony Davis. The same is true for assists. Although the Blazers have struggled to get wins this season, Lillard’s statistical dominance is undeniable, and he will run away with this award.
Coach of the Year – George Karl, Denver Nuggets
Everybody knew the Nuggets had a talented roster at the beginning of the season, but finishing with a top-three record in the cutthroat Western Conference without a tried and true superstar is not an easy feat by any stretch of the imagination. Andre Iguodala and Ty Lawson are great players, but Karl deserves a ton of credit for making this team one that nobody wants to face in the playoffs.
Defensive Player of the Year – Larry Sanders, Milwaukee Bucks
There is not a player in the league who has a greater effect on his team’s defense than Larry Sanders. Sanders’ average of 2.86 blocks per game is good for second in the league, but his true value is manifested in advanced analytics. A study presented at the 2013 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference revealed opponents’ field goal percentage drops more than 10 percent when Sanders is within five feet of the basket.
Most Improved Player – James Harden, Houston Rockets
I know most of you are probably thinking Harden was already a great player, but the jump he made this year was one from sixth-man extraordinaire to bona fide superstar. He has the fifth-highest scoring average in the league and led a Rockets team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2009. The best is yet to come from the bearded one.
Sixth Man of the Year – J.R. Smith, New York Knicks
Carmelo Anthony gets all the credit in the Big Apple, but Smith has been exactly what the Knicks needed down the stretch as they clinched the second seed. Smith has been a contender for this award several times in his career, but his commitment to attacking the basket rather than being a high-volume midrange shooter will clinch it for him this season.
Dimitri Skoumpourdis is a 20-year-old mass communication sophomore from Houston.
