Awards From Around The NBA

The "I-Can't-Believe-They-Actually-Have-A-Good-Record" Award:

This was a tie between two teams. The Orlando Magic (8-2) and the New Orleans Hornets (8-2) have been surprising people immensely this season. The Magic have faced formidable foes such as the Pistons, Suns, Cavs, and Nets. They've gone 2-2 in those games and have been led my MVP candidate Dwight Howard. He's averaging 22 points, 15 boards, and 2 blocks per contest. Rashard Lewis (21 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast) and Jameer Nelson (13 pts, 7 ast, 4 reb) have also been key contributors in their, so far, great start. Moving on, the Hornets may be even more surprising based solely on the division they play in. The Southwest is the deepest and toughest division in the NBA hands down. No other division even compares. They've posted impressive wins over Denver and New Jersey while suffering loses to the Spurs and Trailblazers. N.O. is led by third-year point guard Chris Paul (20 pts, 11 ast, 3 stl). He's been the playmaker out there and his game is looking a lot like Steve Nash's right now, maybe even better. A healthy Peja Stojakovic has helped them a good amount but who would have thought David West would be their number one scoring option? I sure as hell didn't. He's averaging 21 points and 8 rebounds per game.


The "I-Can't-Believe-They-Actually-Have-A-Bad-Record" Award:

This one definitely goes to the Chicago Bulls. They're are 1-6 right now and look terrible. At least the Heat have an excuse for their horrendous record. The Bulls have nothing. Their opponents are outscoring them by an average of 10 points per game. Ben Gordon is the leading scoring with 19 ppg. They only have 4 guys putting up double-figures in the points column. Not one person is averaging 8 or more boards a night. They have 5 guys averaging two or more turnovers a game and are shooting 79% from the line. The Bulls look like they are in utter discombobulation out there. Skiles needs to bring some order to his team.


The "My-Team-Sucks-But-I-Dominate" Award:

And the winner is...Baron Davis! He's averaging 25 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block per game but his team is 1-6 and in last place in the Pacific Division. They lost to Utah in the opener by 19 points. In that game, Baron scored 25 points, dished out 10 assists, had 5 steals, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks! He was unstoppable yet the rest of his team was a disgrace and struggled in the 12 minutes he spent on the bench during the game.


The "We're-Always-Good-So-Don't-Expect-Otherwise" Award:

This one goes to the Phoenix Suns. They have a record of 7-2 and are currently riding a four-game winning streak. Steve Nash is averaging 19 points, 10 assists, and 4 rebounds. Shawn Marion is averaging 18 points and 12 rebounds. Amare Stoudemire is averaging 15 points and 7 rebounds. And, finally, Grant Hill is putting up 14 points and 5 rebounds per contest. Same-old, same-old, right?


The "I-Better-Get-My-MVP-Award-This-Year-Or-Else" Award:

Kobe Bryant. This guy has to be angry. He puts up great numbers every year but the media hates him so he never wins. This year he's averaging 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists while leading his team to a respectable record of 5-3. He's more well-rounded this year than in years past and is showing that he can help the Lakers contend with the Suns. They dominated Phoenix in their first meeting in which Kobe only scored 16 points BUT he did grab 11 rebounds, dish out 4 assists, and steal the ball 3 times. And you can't look past his 45 points against the Rockets in the opener.


The "I'm-The-Best-Rookie-No-Contest" Award:

This award was an easy pick. It goes to Kevin Durant of the Seattle soon-to-be OK City SuperSonics. Someone needs to tell him that he's not in Austin anymore. KD is averaging 20 points and 5 rebounds. During a period of three games he averaged 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. No other rookie is really coming close to putting up those kind of numbers. Many of you may have heard of Stephen A. Smith, right? Well, Stephen A. compared Durant to a better version of George Gervin. This one really is no contest...for now.


----- -----