Never too early to speculate, even though at the time of this OP, most teams have only played 5 games max. Throughout the season, I figure we could use this thread to talk about which player might win which award. I'll start off with a hot take: JaVale McGee looks like he's on track for MIP. Playing with LeBron James revitalizes your career. Who woulda thunk it?
Executive of the year: Daryl Morey. For getting Jimmy Butler and turning what seemed like a doomed season into a championship.
I don't know if Curry wins the 3rd. I think Durant will be "good" enough so that they cannibalize each other. Giannis or Kawhi, I think. What happened to the Anthony Davis hype?
update MIP: Siakam MVP: Giannis (Raptors are 7-1 without Kawhi including blowout wins over the Clippers and Warriors on the road...Raptors and Bucks are currently tied in the loss column, and Giannis’s numbers are more eye popping) ROY: still Doncic DPOY: this is a tough one for me...I guess I’ll go with Embiid for the big name pick and Robert Covington for the sleeper pick
https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...is-antetokounmpo-james-harden-mvp/2574253002/ Let’s look at the midseason awards, with picks from USA TODAY NBA writers Jeff Zillgitt and Martin Rogers. MVP Contenders: Nikola Jokic (Denver), Stephen Curry (Golden State), Harden (Houston), LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia), Paul George (Oklahoma City), Kawhi Leonard (Toronto) Harden’s recent stretch of games – 38.1 points, 8.5 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 5.5 3-pointers per game since Dec. 1 – has elevated his candidacy and revived Houston’s season. Minus Harden, the Rockets would be mediocre and rooted near the bottom of the West. Antetokounmpo has been excellent all season, averaging 26.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals and shooting 57.9 percent from the field. He has the Bucks in second place in the East, and they're the only team in the NBA ranked in the top five in both offensive and defensive rating. Zillgitt: Antetokounmpo Rogers: Harden Defensive Player of the Year Contenders: Draymond Green (Golden State), George (Oklahoma City), Embiid (Philadelphia), Rudy Gobert (Utah) Zillgitt: George Rogers: George Coach of the Year Contenders: Malone (Denver), Doc Rivers (Los Angeles Clippers), Budenholzer (Milwaukee), Joerger (Sacramento), Gregg Popovich (San Antonio), Nick Nurse (Toronto) Zillgitt: Budenholzer Rogers: Joerger Sixth Man Contenders: Spencer Dinwiddie (Brooklyn), Domantas Sabonis (Indiana), Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell (Los Angeles Clippers), Derrick Rose (Minnesota) Zillgitt: Sabonis Rogers: Harrell Rookie of the Year Contenders: Trae Young (Atlanta), Doncic (Dallas), Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis), Deandre Ayton (Phoenix) Zillgitt: Doncic Rogers: Doncic Most Improved Player Contenders: John Collins (Atlanta), Justise Winslow (Miami), De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield (Sacramento), Bryn Forbes (San Antonio), Pascal Siakam (Toronto) Zillgitt: Siakam Rogers: Siakam
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25760257/nba-predictions-awards-finals-matchups-warriors-vs-field Who is most likely to win MVP? MVP is quickly becoming a two-player race between Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden. Our panel gives Antetokounmpo the slight edge for now, but Harden has a chance to build his case if he keeps the Houston Rockets afloat with starting center Clint Capela out four to six weeks. Forecast Results PLAYER TEAM POINTS* 1ST-PLACE (%) 1. Giannis AntetokounmpoMIL 172 54.5 2. James Harden HOU 166 45.5 3. LeBron James LAL 19 0 4. Kawhi Leonard TOR 15 0 5. Stephen Curry GSW 6 0 *Weighted for first, second and third choice Others receiving votes: Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, Paul George, Nikola Jokic Who is most likely to win Rookie of the Year? Yeah, this one looks like it's over. The only question now is whether Luka Doncic's incredible rookie season will earn him a spot in the All-Star Game. Forecast Results PLAYER TEAM VOTES (%) 1. Luka Doncic DAL 97.7 2. Deandre AytonPHX 2.3 Who is most likely to win Sixth Man Of the Year? Lou Williams is a slight favorite to claim his third career Sixth Man Award, though this should remain a close race throughout the second half of the season. Derrick Rose, Domantas Sabonis and Spencer Dinwiddie all have time to make cases while thriving on competitive teams. Forecast Results PLAYER TEAM VOTES (%) 1. Lou Williams LAC 25.0 2. Derrick Rose MIN 22.7 3. Domantas Sabonis IND 20.5 4. Spencer Dinwiddie BKN 13.6 5. Montrezl Harrell LAC 6.8 6. Dennis Schroder OKC 4.5 Others receiving votes: Gordon Hayward, Terrence Ross, Marcus Smart Who is most likely to win Defensive Player of the Year? This is an abnormally deep DPOY race. Usually a clear contender or two emerges early on, but any of these five players could end up taking it. ESPN's real plus-minus (RPM) gives Rudy Gobert the edge among this group, but Paul George has the benefit of providing rare, elite defense on the wing. Forecast Results PLAYER TEAM VOTES (%) 1. Paul George OKC 31.8 2. Rudy Gobert UTA 25.0 T-3. Anthony Davis NOP 15.9 T-3. Kawhi Leonard TOR 15.9 5. Joel Embiid PHI 11.4 Who is most likely to win Most Improved Player? Pascal Siakam is having a breakout third season on the league-leading Toronto Raptors. The Raptors are 12.8 points per 100 possessions better when he's on the court as compared to when he sits, and he's up to No. 24 in RPM. There's a long list of strong MIP candidates. They're all chasing Siakam. Forecast Results PLAYER TEAM VOTES (%) 1. Pascal Siakam TOR 27.3 2. De'Aaron Fox SAC 11.4 3. Montrezl Harrell LAC 9.1 4. Derrick Rose MIN 6.8 T-5. Jamal Murray DEN 4.5 T-5. Zach LaVine CHI 4.5 T-5. Julius Randle NOP 4.5 T-5. Buddy Hield SAC 4.5 T-5. Nikola Vucevic ORL 4.5 Others receiving votes: Bradley Beal, Joel Embiid, Danny Green, Nikola Jokic, Kyle Kuzma, JaVale McGee, Monte Morris, Domantas Sabonis, Kemba Walker, Justise Winslow Who is most likely to win Coach of the Year? The Milwaukee Bucks have the best point differential in the NBA, a remarkable feat considering they were merely average last season and returned mostly the same roster. Head coach Mike Budenholzer has helped develop a top-5 offense and defense around Antetokounmpo. Budenholzer's new system is working wonders. In a deep season for impressive coaching jobs, Budenholzer stands out. Forecast Results COY TEAM VOTES (%) 1. Mike Budenholzer MIL 52.3 2. Mike Malone DEN 22.7 T-3. Gregg Popovich SAS 6.8 T-3. Nate McMillan IND 6.8 5. Nick Nurse TOR 4.5 Others receiving votes: Doc Rivers, Terry Stotts, Luke Walton Who are the most likely Eastern Conference champions? The East was declared wide-open when LeBron James headed to L.A., and our panel likes Toronto to take the crown. The Raptors likely have the fewest weaknesses among these contenders. Milwaukee is unproven in the playoffs, while Boston and Philly have dealt with some drama so far. Forecast Results EAST CHAMPS POINTS* 1ST-PLACE (%) 1. Toronto Raptors 78 79.5 2. Milwaukee Bucks 25 11.4 3. Boston Celtics 24 9.1 4. Philadelphia 76ers 5 0.0 *Weighted for first and second choice Who are the most likely Western Conference champions? Yep, it's the Warriors. But who are they going to face in the West finals? No clear No. 2 has emerged. The Feb. 7 trade deadline could have a significant impact on the cluster of teams trying to knock off the champs. Forecast Results WEST CHAMPS POINTS* 1ST-PLACE (%) 1. Golden State Warriors 87 97.7 2. Houston Rockets 15 2.3 3. Oklahoma City Thunder 14 0.0 4. Denver Nuggets 10 0.0 5. Los Angeles Lakers 5 0.0 *Weighted for first and second choice Who is most likely to win the NBA Finals? Projection systems are split on just how strong Golden State's title chances are. FiveThirtyEight gives the Warriors a 55 percent chance to win it all -- No. 2 Toronto is only at 15 percent -- while ESPN's Basketball Power Index pegs the defending champs at just 15.7 percent likely to repeat, trailing Milwaukee (29.8 percent). Forecast Results NBA CHAMPS POINTS* 1ST-PLACE (%) 1. Golden State Warriors 83 90.9 2. Toronto Raptors 31 4.5 T-3. Houston Rockets 6 2.3 T-3. Boston Celtics 6 0.0 5. Milwaukee Bucks 4 2.3 6. Los Angeles Lakers 2 0.0 *Weighted for first and second choice Warriors vs. the field: Who are you taking to win it all? This is the first time since Kevin Durant joined Golden State that this feels like a real debate. Our panel is still favoring the Warriors over the collective field of NBA teams, but their grasp is a little weaker than usual. Forecast Results PICK VOTES (%) Warriors 77.3 The field 22.7
I like Giannis. But you also have to ask yourself this, what has helped take the Bucks to the "next level" THIS SEASON from last season? The answer: Budenholzer He is coach of the year in my book. And thus I put Harden above Giannis for MVP.
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26415108/nba-awards-predictions-should-win Spoiler Rookie of the Year Who Should Win? PLAYER POINTS 1ST-PLACE (%) 1. Luka Doncic | DAL 194 92.5 2. Trae Young | ATL 116 7.5 3. Deandre Ayton | PHX 29 0.0 Others receiving votes: Marvin Bagley III, Mikal Bridges, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaren Jackson Jr., Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet and Collin Sexton Who will win? Luka Doncic: 98 percent Trae Young: 2 percent Coach of the Year Who Should Win? COACH POINTS 1ST-PLACE (%) 1. Mike Budenholzer | MIL 136 52.5 2. Doc Rivers | LAC 89 25.0 3. Nate McMillan | IND 54 10.0 4. Michael Malone | DEN 29 5.0 Others receiving votes: Kenny Atkinson, Brett Brown, Steve Clifford, Gregg Popovich and Nick Nurse Who will win? Mike Budenholzer: 75 percent Doc Rivers: 12 percent Michael Malone: 8 percent Nate McMillan: 5 percent Sixth Man of the Year Who Should Win? PLAYER POINTS 1ST-PLACE (%) 1. Lou Williams | LAC 142 60.0 2. Montrezl Harrell | LAC 72 17.5 3. Domantas Sabonis | IND 63 12.5 4. Spencer Dinwiddie | BKN 17 2.5 5. Julius Randle | NOP 11 0.0 6. Bogdan Bogdanovic | SAC 10 2.5 Others receiving votes: Malik Beasley, Davis Bertans, Jaylen Brown, Monte Morris, Larry Nance Jr., Derrick Rose, Dennis Schroder and Dwyane Wade Who will win? Lou Williams: 90 percent Domantas Sabonis: 8 percent Montrezl Harrell: 2 percent Most Improved Player Who Should Win? PLAYER POINTS 1ST-PLACE (%) 1. Pascal Siakam | TOR 148 62.5 2. D'Angelo Russell | BKN 67 10.0 3. De'Aaron Fox | SAC 54 10.0 4. Nikola Vucevic | ORL 15 7.5 T5. Paul George | OKC 13 2.5 T5. Domantas Sabonis | IND 13 0.0 Others receiving votes: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Malcolm Brogdon, Jaylen Brown, John Collins, Montrezl Harrell, Tobias Harris, Buddy Hield, Zach LaVine and Derrick Rose Who will win? Pascal Siakam: 55 percent D'Angelo Russell: 23 percent De'Aaron Fox: 7 percent Defensive Player of the Year Who Should Win? PLAYER POINTS 1ST-PLACE (%) 1. Rudy Gobert | UTA 108 42.5 2. Paul George | OKC 87 27.5 3. Giannis Antetokounmpo | MIL 63 17.5 4. Joel Embiid | PHI 23 0.0 5. Myles Turner | IND 22 7.5 Others receiving votes: Isaiah Briscoe, Robert Covington, Draymond Green, Al Horford, Kawhi Leonard and Jusuf Nurkic Who will win? Rudy Gobert: 50 percent Paul George: 25 percent Giannis Antetokounmpo: 18 percent Most Valuable Player In a close vote, our panel is taking Antetokounmpo over Harden. Interestingly, Antetokounmpo has a much more clear advantage in our panel's pick for who will win the awards, rather than who should. Who Should Win? PLAYER POINTS 1ST-PLACE (%) 1. Giannis Antetokounmpo | MIL 158 50 2. James Harden | HOU 151 45 3. Paul George | OKC 19 2.5 4. Stephen Curry | GSW 12 2.5 5. Nikola Jokic | DEN 5 0 Others receiving votes: Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard and Karl-Anthony Towns Who will win? Giannis Antetokounmpo: 68 percent James Harden: 32 percent
Its interesting that Lou and Montrezl are top two in projected winner of 6th man of the year. Which of them is their team's sixth man?
This. LouWill loves his SMOY award. Seemed upset when Eric Gordon won Spoiler Lou Williams back in L.A. with Clippers after ‘bad breakup’ with Rockets “Teams know what I bring to the table,” Williams said. “It’s no surprise that I got traded, no surprise that I was in trade rumors. It’s part of the business. All these teams are trying to get better, everybody’s trying to level up with the competition. I don’t take it personally.” And yet, he labels his departure from the Rockets a “bad breakup.” On the day of the Paul trade, Williams tweeted, “Thanx houston for the love. But let’s pretend like those 3 months didn’t happen.” It was a far cry from the syrupy farewells most players share when they leave a team. “Sometimes you get into these situations where people are going to put these long heartfelt messages on your Instagram or your Twitters and you probably don’t mean it,” Williams said. “I enjoyed my time in Houston but it was short-lived and it really didn’t make a huge impression on my life.” The midseason trade from the Lakers interrupted one of the best seasons of his career. Williams led the Lakers with 18.6 points in 58 games, all but one of them off the bench. Had he not been traded, he believes he would have won his second Sixth Man of the Year award in three years. “For sure,” he said. Even after the trade, which paired him with the eventual winner of the award bestowed upon the league’s top reserve, Eric Gordon, Williams thought he had a chance. “You kind of still felt like if there’s an opportunity to accomplish something you would like to,” he said. “But after I got traded that kind of closed the door on that.”