The disrespect of the rockets goes beyond the players

I just cannot see CD's name anywhere; look at the team he has assempled. The following is from ESPN.

MVP: Kobe Bryant, Lakers
Sooner or later, we're going to have to give some hardware to the kid. He's universally acknowledged as the best player in the game not named Shaq. This year, with Shaq hobbling a bit, it will be up to Kobe to shoulder the load. If the Lakers don't miss a beat, Kobe's the man.
Runner-up: Jason Kidd, Nets
After last season's heroics, he's the sentimental favorite. His influence almost single handedly propelled a middling team into the NBA Finals. If the Nets improve again this year, he'll have the inside track.
Dark horse: Dirk Nowitzki, Mavs
He does everything well and is the heart and soul of the Mavs. If the Mavs take another step and win more games than the Kings or Lakers, Nowitzki will deserve a lion's share of the credit.

Rookie of the Year: Emmanuel Ginobili, Spurs
No, I'm not the president of the Ginobili fan club, but he's almost universally regarded as the top player in Europe, is 25 years old and will get plenty of meaningful minutes on a contender. If he plays up to his potential, he can help the Spurs make a surprise appearance in the Finals.
Runner-up: Yao Ming, Rockets
He probably already has the thing locked up. The media, who vote on these things, are enamored. If he's better than Shawn Bradley (not a huge feat mind you) and the Rockets make it back to the playoffs, Yao's walking away with the thing.
Dark horse: Amare Stoudemire, Suns
Kevin Garnett's rookie averages of 10.4 ppg and 6.3 rpg remain the standard for players coming directly from high school. Stoudemire doesn't have Garnett's skills, but his strength, maturity and aggressiveness on the court give him a good chance at breaking Garnett's record. The key will be minutes. The Suns are in the twilight zone between a lottery team and a marginal contender. If they decide to scrap the playoffs and get Stoudemire some experience, expect big things.

Sixth man: Rodney Rogers, Nets
The Nets' bench is Rogers. He's their only legitimate three-point threat, is their best free-throw shooter, can play multiple positions and started off on the right foot with a red hot preseason. If he stays healthy, he should be a lock.
Runner-up: Keon Clark, Kings
If the Kings had an Achilles' heel it was shot blocking and athleticism in the frontcourt. Enter Clark. He was essentially spurned in free agency and forced to sign what was essentially a one-year deal to prove himself. True to form, Clark led the Kings in blocked shots in the preseason and started the regular season off on the right foot Tuesday with five blocks, nine boards and eight points in 23 minutes.
Dark horse: Michael Jordan, Wizards
He's the sentimental favorite, but something tells me that Jordan won't be coming off the bench the whole season. If he does, no sixth man will have a bigger impact in the fourth quarter.

Most Improved: Darius Miles, Cavs
It's somewhat of a farce to call a third-year player finally seeing some playing time "most improved," but that's what happens. Miles goes from being a seventh man on the Clippers to being the man in Cleveland. The jury's still out on Miles, but early preseason indications point toward Miles being a double-double guy every night.
Runner-up: Desmond Mason, Sonics
Mason played well enough this preseason that coach Nate McMillian seriously considered putting him into the starting lineup and bringing Brent Barry off the bench. McMillian eventually decided to start Barry, but if the preseason is any indication (and in this case it should be) Mason looks to be the second offensive option behind Gary Payton.
Dark horse: Shawn Bradley, Mavs
Bradley's performance last season was so horrendous, a pulse would be a major improvement over last year. This preseason Bradley showed up in shape, focused and playing his best basketball ever. If he keeps it up he could be the missing piece that propels the Mavs into the finals. Bradley a missing piece? Bradley propelling anyone into the finals? If he does it, the award is his.

Coach of the Year: Doug Collins, Wizards
This award really isn't given to the best coach. It's given to the guy who takes a team the media underestimated and turns it into a contender. If the Wizards play as well as many think they will, Collins will get a lot of the credit. Jordan may be the catalyst and Jerry Stackhouse may be the star, but it will take Collins to pull this motley crew together.
Runner-up: Rick Carlisle, Pistons
Carlisle upped the stakes a bit this summer by trading away his only star and adding yet another role player to his roster. The team is deep, plays great defense and everyone buys into his role. You can thank Carlisle for all of that.
Dark horse: Paul Silas, Hornets
If his Hornets are as good as I think they are, it's time to give Silas some overdue love. He's one of the most underrated coaches in the NBA and he finally has enough healthy bodies to make some noise. Bonus points for putting up with George Shinn all of these years.

Executive of the Year: Rod Thorn, Nets
Last season he got Jason Kidd. This year the additions include the top center in the East, Dikembe Mutombo, and the leading contender for the sixth man of the year, Rogers. His draft was impressive. First-round pick Nenad Kristic is already receiving comparisons to Vlade Divac, and second-round pick Tamar Slay may turn out to be one of the real sleepers in the draft. More important, Thorn now has the framework in place to entice Kidd to sign a long-term deal in New Jersey next summer.
Runner-up: Wally Walker/Rick Sund, Sonics
Stuck to their guns on the Rashard Lewis contract, refused to cave in to Gary Payton's extension demands, dumped Vin Baker and are poised to completely rebuild this team without missing the playoffs. Their last two draft picks, Desmond Mason and Vladimir Radmanovic, both look like stars in the making and undrafted rookie Reggie Evans was a nice find. And, they'll have $10 million in cap room next summer.
Dark horse: Kiki Vandeweghe, Nuggets
It's tough to give the award to a guy who put together what may be one of the worst teams in NBA history. But if you look at what he did for the future of the Nuggets, it's impressive. He's dumped all of their bad contracts, added three top-flight prospects, positioned the team as the leading contender for LeBron James next summer and he has enough cap room to throw max deals at two top-tier free agents. Forget about this season, next season the Nuggets will be for real and Vandeweghe will look like a genius.

 

CD needs some love even if you do not include the handling of Yao. He should get some love for having probably the deepest team in the league.