With the NBA’s All-Star break in the rearview mirror, it seems like as good a time as any to hand out midseason awards. The usual suspects make their presence felt, while a few newcomers get their seat at the table as well.
Most Valuable Player (MVP): Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
It was a close race with LeBron James, but Durant gets the nod because of the way he put the Thunder on his back when Russell Westbrook went down with another knee injury.
Durant scored 30-plus points in 12 straight games earlier this season and is once again running away with the league’s scoring title, but the fact that Durant is an unbelievable scorer isn’t new.
It’s more impressive that Durant has been able to keep Oklahoma City on top of the Western Conference after more than a month with Reggie Jackson and Serge Ibaka as his secondary scoring options.
Durant was more aggressive attacking the rim without Westbrook. The Thunder are at their best when Durant doesn’t settle for perimeter jump shots, and it will be interesting to see if he stays assertive going forward now that Westbrook has returned.
He is good enough to still win the scoring title settling for jump shots, but assuming he wants to add an MVP or NBA championship to his résumé, putting his head down and going to the hoop is his best bet.
Defensive Player of the Year: Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers
When Hibbert came out of Georgetown, he may have been the softest 7-footer to enter the NBA in a long time.
Since then, Hibbert has built himself into an elite interior defender and shot blocker. Now as physically dominant as he is large, the former Hoya anchors the league’s best defense, allowing just 91 points per game.
The Pacers are currently sitting just ahead of the Heat in the East, and Hibbert’s presence in the middle is a big reason why. He’s the Defensive Player of the Year at the halfway mark and there isn’t anyone close to him.
Coach of the Year: Jeff Hornacek, Phoenix Suns
Heading into the season, Phoenix was projected to be among the league’s bottom-feeders, battling it out for the No. 1 overall pick in the next NBA draft. We’re nearly four months into the season, and if the playoffs started today, the Suns would be in.
Considering Phoenix ranks near the top of the league in scoring with a roster of no-names headlined by Goran Dragic, Hornacek is clearly doing something special as a first-year coach.
Portland coach Terry Stotts is a legitimate candidate, but Hornacek should be a virtual lock for the award if he guides this Phoenix team to the playoffs.
Rookie of the Year: Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers are an absolute dumpster fire of a basketball team, but Carter-Williams has been the lone bright spot.
He’s had a solid rookie season for a point guard, and since this is easily the weakest rookie class in years, that’s enough for him to be the Rookie of the Year in a runaway.
Disaster of the Year: New York Knicks
After entering the season looking to build on last season’s postseason success, the bottom has fallen out of the Knicks’ season in 2014.
Currently sitting well outside the playoff picture, the Knicks have an unhappy Carmelo Anthony, an overpaid J.R. Smith and an aging roster. And did I mention their point guard was arrested last week on a series of felony gun charges?
It’s like Isiah Thomas never left. The World’s Most Famous Arena is currently home to the league’s most dysfunctional mess.
James Moran is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from Beacon, N.Y.