Layup Line: NBA First-Half Review

 

Music to listen to:  Beauty Beats by Beats Antique

Time for some NBA first-half awards

 

Most valuable player:

 

1)  LeBron James, Miami

2)  Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City

3)  Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers

4)  Tony Parker, San Antonio

5)  Carmelo Anthony, New York

 

Thoughts:   I know its an easy pick but James is having one of the best seasons ever historically, has become of the best two-way players in the league and the Heat have the top record in the East.  Durant is having another excellent season and Paul has elevated the entire Clippers’ franchise into a title-contender.  Parker leads the best team in the NBA and Anthony’s evolution as a complete player (he at least tries on the defensive side) has the Knicks in a solid position as well.

 

Least valuable player:

1)       DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento

2)      Deron Williams, Brooklyn

3)      Andrea Bargnani, Toronto

 

Thoughts:  I wanted to include Dwight Howard but I’ll save that for another section and he’s coming off of an injury so he’ll get a slight pass.  I thought that Cousins would be an All-Star by now and have the Kings contending for a playoff position in his third season with the team.  There literally aren’t any players in the league with the physical build of Cousins who has his ability to rebound, pass and even handle the ball. We’ll see occasional nights of 25-15-5 but they’re too far inbetween and the attitude on and off the court has been incredibly discouraging.  Williams has regressed to  a slightly-above average point guard  when two years ago a legitimate argument may have been made for him being the best at his position in the entire NBA.  The Raptors have actually been better without Bargnani in the lineup which shouldn’t be the case with the former overall top pick in the NBA Draft.

 

Positive Surprise Team:

1)       Denver

2)      Golden State

3)      San Antonio

4)      Chicago

5)      Houston

Thoughts:  The Nuggets have used a balance of players (SIX players average double-figures in scoring) to elevate themselves to a top-four record in the West.  In an age where each elite-level team has one superstar player, Denver has gone a different route to surprising results.  The Warriors are playing decent defense which I didn’t expect with that roster, especially missing Andrew Bogut to start the season.  Golden State could always score but the defense is why they’re going to return to the playoffs for the first time in years. I didn’t ignore the Spurs going into the season like I’ve done in the past but I didn’t think they would have the best record in the NBA especially with the process of sitting players throughout the year.  I picked the Bulls to barely make the playoffs with Derrick Rose recovering from knee surgery.  Rose still hasn’t played and Chicago may get home court in the first round of the playoffs.  The Rockets are one elite post player away from becoming a title contender, which I didn’t believe was possible with the James Harden/Jeremy Lin backcourt.

 

Most Disappointing Team:

 

1)  Los Angeles Lakers

2) Minnesota

3)  Boston

4)  Philadelphia

5)  Dallas

 

Thoughts:  If the Lakers don’t make the playoffs, it will be looked historically as one of the most disappointing seasons in history.  Drama and injuries aside, the Lakers have had AT LEAST three future Hall of Famer players in the starting lineup throughout this season.  There’s no reason why the Lakers shouldn’t be a top-six team in the West by just playing and that’s being generous.  The ineptitude of Mike D’antoni’s coaching, the regression in Howard’s play, Kobe Bryant’s inconsistent approach to the game, one of the worst benches in the league and various other issues have doomed the Lakers’ season from the start.  The rest of the list is honestly filler.

 

Second-half predictions:

 

-Derrick Rose won’t return for this season for Chicago.

 

-If Josh Smith gets traded to the Spurs, they will win the West

 

-Andrew Bynum WILL play for Philadephia this season…needs to improve stock for upcoming offseason.

 

-Washington will finish with a top-10 record in the East and barely miss the playoffs (currently sit 13^th and 11 games out of playoff spot)

 

-Kyrie Irving will become the third-best point guard in NBA behind Paul and Parker as well as make solid case to make an All-NBA team.

 

-The Lakers don’t make the playoffs.