4/8/2010 NBA Awards: LeBron, Evans, McMillan … SportingNews.com | Radio | Fantasy | Magazine | Yearbooks | Today | Mobile | Shop id •••••••• Auto-login LOG IN | free membership SN Blogs Community Fantasy NFL MLB NBA NHL College FB College BK NASCAR Golf Boxing/MMA NBA Home Scoreboard Schedules Standings Odds Fantasy The Baseline NBA Awards: LeBron, Evans, McMillan and More Wednesday, April 07, 2010 Posted By Sean Deveney 8:00 PM Up-to-the-minute stories and reaction, long- form columns, exclusive player coverage, the usual blog silliness, and every kind of cred under the sun. We will speak as many, but remain one. Chris Littmann Benson Taylor Does The NBA Need Divisions? Sean Deveney The NBA's divisional breakdowns have become increasingly senseless over the Eric Freeman years, but Eric Freeman notes the unbalanced schedule still has its merits. Gerald Henderson RANK TEAM LAST Just a few days ago, the NBA dropped its annual awards ballots into my 1. Cleveland Cavaliers 1 inbox and, after many hours of computing, about two gallons of coffee and Contact The Baseline 2. Orlando Magic 3 several broken pencils, I finally figured out how I am voting. The ballot is in, The Baseline 3. Los Angeles Lakers 2 and it looks like this: 4. Phoenix Suns 5 The Baseline on Twitter 5. Denver Nuggets 8 MVP: LeBron James, Cavaliers 6. Atlanta Hawks 6 7. Utah Jazz 9 Runners-up: Kobe Bryant, Lakers; Kevin Durant, Thunder; Dwight Howard, 8. Dallas Mavericks 4 Magic; Dwyane Wade, Heat 9. Boston Celtics 7 10. San Antonio Spurs 10 The winner: James pretty much did everything asked of him this year. He is 11. Oklahoma City Thunder 12 in contention for the league’s scoring crown, at 29.7 points per game . He 12. Portland Trail Blazers 11 is No. 35 on the rebounding list at 7.3 per game, and though he is a small 13. Miami Heat 13 All popular stories in All Topics 14. Milwaukee Bucks 14 forward, he is sixth in assists (8.6). He’s tops in the NBA’s efficiency rankings, he is tops in advanced stats like PER and, most important, his team 15. Charlotte Bobcats 15 2010 One Shining is tops in wins. James is an MVP shoo-in. 133 Moment: The Luther Complete NBA Power Poll Vandross Remix [Video] So they say: “In my mind, I don’t see who else it could be,” Cavaliers 262 Scottie Pippen, Karl general manager Danny Ferry told SN. “He’s done everything the team has Malone Lead 2010 Hall of needed, and done it at an incredibly high level.” Fame Class 294 President Obama's First The argument: The only drama around this award is whether James can Pitch was JUST A Bit Bulls', Raptors' Fight For 8 Seed More become the first-ever unanimous MVP selection. Shaquille O’Neal came Outside [Video] About Bosh, Less About Playoffs close in 2000, finishing with 120 of 121 first-place votes. Durant could In Praise of Marcus Thornton Kobe Bryant Signs Three- challenge Bryant for No. 2 in the voting, but Bryant still holds the edge on 265 Pay No Attention to That Carmelo Year Max Extension with Anthony in the Middle of the Floor him in terms of overall play and team performance. the Lakers Thursday Morning Shootaround 120 Charles Barkley Flips The It Happened Last Night: April 7 Rookie of the Year: Tyreke Evans, Kings Bird on Live TV [Video] Nate McMillan: 'We've Got To Be The Powered by Digg's Users Hardest-Working Team' Runners-up: Brandon Jennings, Bucks; Stephen Curry, Warriors Aaron Brooks: 'The Game Is Slowing Down For Me' The winner: Hope for the Kings starts with Evans. The team has sagged in NBA Awards: LeBron, Evans, McMillan the second half of the season, but Evans helped boost it to respectability, and More and his numbers — 20.0 points, 5.8 assists, 5.3 rebounds — put him firmly Top NBA Tweets: April 7 sportingnews.com/…/nba_awards_lebr… 1/4 4/8/2010 NBA Awards: LeBron, Evans, McMillan … Top NBA Tweets: April 7 at the top of a solid rookie class. Links of the Day: April 7 So they say: “From the very beginning of the year, he was not really a rookie in my eyes,” Kings coach Paul Westphal said. “He has been consistent all year.” The argument: Both Jennings and Curry have good cases. Jennings is the DContheRise said: starting point guard on a playoff-bound team, but it is too hard to overlook His team is young so they have a his 37.0 percent shooting from the field. Curry has great numbers — 16.8 better chance of working with him points, 5.8 assists, 43.0 percent 3-point shooting — but the numbers don’t DContheRise said: quite stack up to those put up by Evans. Man everyone on that team underachieves. I think that's what the coach is talking abou... Coach of the Year: Nate McMillan, Trail Blazers PabloDeTejas said: Kazaam 2....LMAO! Maybe they will Runners-up: Scott Skiles, Bucks; Larry Brown, Bobcats do it in 3D. PabloDeTejas said: The winner: The Blazers lost two centers, had seven players undergo He has three years left in him....I surgery and had 13 players miss a total of 300 games. They had to get by hope and pray. But either way, I am with Juwan Howard getting major minutes, and had to adjust to the arrival gald Manu is getting... of free-agent signing Andre Miller early in the year. Yet, Portland is on track MRCUTLASS said: to win 50 games and earn a playoff spot. Definitely C.O.Y. So they say: McMillan deflected credit, telling SN, “My coaching staff, they LakerKev said: always do a good job, but they've done a good job of preparing our young He should make Kazaam 2 with Shaq. guys to be ready to play, and then it goes to the players.” oldfish said: Ludicrous.... Yep, you nailed it, The argument: It’s likely that Scott Brooks of the Thunder will win this without Karl the Lakers might break award, because voters are almost programmed to pick the guy whose team that stranglehold tha... went from bad last year to good this year. That’s how we’ve had Sam ChickLives said: Mitchell and Byron Scott as past winners. But no one has put up with more LeDiddy is always dancing around, adversity than McMillan. making videos, taking pictures on the sidelines, and now h... Defensive Player of the Year: Josh Smith, Hawks AW78 said: Yuk. Runners-up: Dwight Howard, Magic; Gerald Wallace, Bobcats Kioko said: I'm usually a betting man who The winner: Not only is Smith among the leaders in steals (11th) and disagrees with the popular choice but blocks (fourth), but he is one of the league’s top rebounders and an I'm with the Sportingnew... outstanding help defender. Pistons-Heat Preview So they say: “He’s so athletic, he can make up for a lot of other peoples’ Raptors-Hawks Preview mistakes,” Hawks center Al Horford told SN. “It’s good to know he is back Knicks-Magic Preview there.” 2010 NBA draft early entry list Grizzlies-Spurs Preview NBA's Top 50 Players: All-Star Panel Picks Kobe Bryant No. 1 Over LeBron The argument: Howard is a dominant defender and fearsome in the lane, Wizards-Celtics Preview James and it’s likely he will win this award. But the reason Smith edges him on my Mavericks-Trail Blazers Preview Win Your Very Own NBA League Pass ballot is that his athleticism allows him to get out and defend the perimeter, Fly's rumorama: Jeff Gordon, Gilbert Broadband Account and is one of the chief reasons the Hawks are able to use their switch- Arenas, Erin Andrews, Mike Posma Dennis Rodman Belongs in the Hall of everything approach to pick-and-rolls. Jazz's Williams uses career night to Fame counter Durant's huge effort for Thunder Cleveland Trades For Shaquille O'Neal Sixth Man of the Year: Jamal Crawford, Hawks Wade: Me and Bron All Along Clippers-Kings Preview Shaq-To-Cleveland Trade Talk Heats Runners-up: Jason Terry, Mavericks; Anderson Varejao, Cavaliers More NBA Headlines Up Reports: Gilbert Arenas Gun The winner: The Hawks acquired Crawford last summer to boost their Investigation Centers on Conflict with Teammate bench, which was short on firepower. But they weren’t expecting this: 17.8 Lakers Top Magic, Win 15th NBA Title points per game and the best full-season shooting percentages of Shaq Distracts from Cavs’ Long-Term Crawford’s career (44.7 percent from the field, 38.0 percent from the 3- NBA (239) Goals point line). Los Angeles Lakers (205) Wayman Tisdale Passes Away at Age 44 So they say: “When you make a trade, you hope it all works out,” Hawks NBA Twitter (200) coach Mike Woodson said. “But we certainly had no right to expect that he Cleveland Cavaliers (192) would be this good all year. What he has done for us, you can’t even really Orlando Magic (147) measure it.” Boston Celtics (129) New York Knicks (123) The argument: Terry is the defending SMOY and remains one of the most 2009 NBA draft (112) April 2010 effective bench scorers in the league. But his shooting has dropped off this Phoenix Suns (106) March 2010 year, and Crawford has been the better clutch player. Varejao gets Denver Nuggets (106) February 2010 consideration for his defensive prowess and ceaseless hustle. Other tags January 2010 December 2009 Most Improved: Aaron Brooks, Rockets November 2009 October 2009 Runners-up: George Hill, Spurs; Channing Frye, Suns September 2009 August 2009 The winner: Brooks was hidden on the Rockets bench for most of last year, Sporting News Blogs : July 2009 The Sporting Blog but he became a featured player this year, boosting his shooting percentage, The Trenches June 2009 adding a midrange game and developing his ability to run a team.