Mid-Season Review Part 3: Rookie of the Year- What will become of this year's class?

For those who thought Derrick Williams may have been a better pick than Kyrie Irving...you were wrong.

Note: With teams now approaching the 33-game, we will be taking this week to do a mid-season review. Stay tuned for analysis of the standings, MVP, ROY, DPOY, MIP, 6^th Man and more.

            What is the true value of a rookie? As we approach the mid-point of the season this question becomes more and more relevant.  There are some players who will be stars, future number one options and leaders of their respective teams. There are others who will become second or third scoring options. Some players will wind up as career role players and a majority of each rookie class has a short stint of three or four years in the league.

Mid-Season Review Part 2: MVP Race

No headaches for LeBron and the Heat this season. 

Note: With teams now approaching the 33-game, we will be taking this week to do a mid-season review. Stay tuned for analysis of the standings, MVP, ROY, DPOY, MIP, 6^th Man and more.

Mid-Season Review Part 1: Where We Sand- A look at the NBA Standings
Mid-Season Review Part 3: Rookie of the Year-What will become of this year's class?

            The lockout has caused the MVP race to be somewhat of a rollercoaster ride. We’ve seen a handful of consistent candidates including LeBron, Durant, Kobe and Rose, but also a few wild cards, such as Kevin Love and Chris Paul. Where they rank as MVPs has largely depended on what week you look at them. More recently there have been a few players playing themselves into shape and thus, playing themselves back into the MVP discussion.

Mid-Season Review Part 1: Where We Stand- A look at the current NBA Standings

Somehow Paul Millsap has the Jazz in the playoff picture.




Note: With teams now approaching the 33-game mark, we will be taking this week to do a mid-season review. Stay tuned for analysis of the standings, MVP, ROY, DPOY, MIP, 6^th Man and more.


Mid-Season Review Part 2: MVP Race
Mid-Season Review Part 3: Rookie of the Year-What will become of this year's class?

            At the start of the season I debated whether youth or experience would prevail at the end of the season. As we approach the mid-way point, it seems that a little bit of both is resulting in success.

In the East we’ve seen the younger teams in the league, such as the Bobcats, Wizards and Pistons, struggle to a degree that at times has been unwatchable. But a few other young teams, including the 76ers and the Pacers, have gelled and are off to their best starts in a decade. Boston, one of the oldest teams in the East, struggled to find their legs early and were on pace to finish at the bottom of their division until Paul Pierce played his way back into shape and Rondo returned from an injury. The Heat and the Bulls were once again expected to rise to the top of the conference and thus far they have not disappointed. But the Knicks, who many predicted to grab a top seed, looked as though they’d wind up being the leagues biggest disappointment until Jeremy Lin came to their rescue.

Out West 13 of the 15 teams in the conference are separated by 9-1/2 games. And yes, there are still only eight playoff spots in each conference. The Thunder have been using their talent and youth to run away with the Conference. Meanwhile, the Clippers have been battling with the Lakers for the rights to the Staples Center. The crafty Spurs are still hanging on to a top seed and the defending Champion Mavs have played their way into shape and currently sit in the middle of the playoff picture. Then we have Rockets, Nuggets, Jazz, Blazers, Grizzlies, Wolves, Suns and Warriors fighting for the last three spots. Most people expected the Nuggets, Blazers and Grizzlies to be in position to make the playoffs, but the rest of the bunch, especially the Jazz, were assumed to be lottery bound.

If the season were to end today, here is how the playoff picture would look along with my predicitons:

Doc Finds The Truth: The Turnaround of the Aging Boston Celtics

The aging Celtics are no longer fading, how does Doc Rivers do it?

            Early this season I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who follows the NBA on a regular basis. We began by discussing our season predictions and MVP picks, but eventually stumbled upon the perennial topic of the aging Boston Celtics. And after four years of waiting, we both concluded, the Celtics were (finally) done. At the time they were sitting near the bottom of the Atlantic Division with a five-win, eight-loss record.

Rookie Rankings Update (2/6)- The Role of Role Players

The Spurs knew what they were doing when they traded with the Pacers to get Kawhi Leonard.

            We’re not even halfway through the season and we know the Rookie of the Year award is going to Kyrie Irving or Ricky Rubio. I don’t say that to make the ROY race sound bland. Up to this point it hasn’t been and I expect Irving and Rubio to continue to entertain fans with their elite talents and the prospect of leading their teams to a playoff spot in their respective conferences. But this week I am more intrigued by a different grouping of players. These aren’t players who have a shot at winning the ROY. They most likely will not win an MVP down the road. At best they might wind up with a couple of All-Star selections, a Most-Improved Player or 6^th-man award. Injuries aside, they will be guaranteed a lengthy NBA career. These are the players that help teams win championships; these are role players.

MVP Update (2/3): Chris Paul Enters the Discussion

Chris Paul doesn't take head taps lightly. 

In previous weeks it has been noted that this year’s MVP award is a four-man race between LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose. LeBron has been putting on an efficiency showdown and is having one of the best statistical seasons in NBA history. Kevin Durant is leading the Thunder to the best record in the league while grabbing more rebounds. Kobe has gotten back to being Kobe by leading the league in scoring and fighting for ownership of the Staples Center with the Clippers. And then there is Derrick Rose, who is doing whatever it takes to keep the Bulls atop the Eastern Conference[1]. But this week a fifth man enters the discussion. I bring to your attention, Mr. Chris Paul.

Rookie Rankings Update (1/31): The Tipping Point

Kyrie is proving he has a solid handle on the NBA game. 

           The Tipping Point is a book by Malcolm Gladwell that explores how little events or circumstances can have a dramatic effect on society. How certain products will seemingly become bestsellers overnight or how ideas and behaviors can “spread like viruses do.” Both Kyrie Irving and Ricky Rubio seem to be at their own personal tipping point. A point where players go from being “players” to “stars.”

MVP Update (1/27): All Manu Ginobili's Aside

Dwyane Wade's injury has cleared the way for LeBron to win his third MVP award.

There is just too much teamwork going on in the NBA right now to have a clear-cut MVP. LeBron has been playing at an elite level without Dwyane Wade, but Chris Bosh has stepped his game up to an elite level as well. Kevin Durant has the Thunder on a tear, winning ten of their last eleven games, but he is backed by the highly productive Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Kobe Bryant, clearly the alpha dog of the Lakers, was doing everything he could to win games (and was winning them,) dropping 40-plus in four straight, then he decided to play more team oriented ball and the Lakers have lost four of six. Derrick Rose missed four straight games and the Bulls won three of them handily. In the two games since he has returned the Bulls beat the Nets and then lost to the Pacers at home for the Bulls’ first home loss. And as we’ve stated in previous MVP rankings, outside of these four players, nobody really has a shot at the award.

Under the Radar: "He Who Must Not Be Named"

Voldemort also known as "He Who Must Not Be Named" and "The Dark Lord"

Chris Bosh, bearing a slight resemblance to "He Who Must Not Be Named"/"The Dark Lord"

            Just like LeBron James, Chris Bosh took his talents to South Beach last season to team up with Dwyane Wade. A season that was plagued with a 9-win, 8-loss start, a 5-game losing streak, a non-stop barrage from the media and what wound up being a collapse in the NBA Finals at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. For James and Wade, the debate between sports pundits and fans rallied around which player was the Batman or Robin of the Miami Heat. As for Bosh, he was continually referred to as “soft” for not putting up the same numbers as he did in Toronto[1]. The criticism was dealt out by even the most casual of fans, my girlfriend being one of them, who, during one game mid-season noticed that Bosh bares a slight resemblance to Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter series. And in a sense, as we enter the second season of the big experiment in South Beach, Bosh has become “He Who Must Not Be Named.”[2]

Rookie Rankings Update (1/23): Who is Chandler Parsons?

Chandler Parsons, where did you come from?

            If you scroll down to the eighth spot in this week’s rankings, you’ll see a new name. A name you didn’t see hyped up in the draft and possibly may have never heard of. But this player is making waves for the Houston Rockets. His name is Chandler Parsons.

MVP Update (1/20): Consistency is Key

It takes two to tango, but LeBron looks to be a step ahead of Kobe at the moment. 

            I know it’s early in the season, but so far the MVP race has been a wild game of musical chairs, more specifically, the top four spots in my rankings. At this point, barring some wild chain of events[1] the award is going to be won by four candidates, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose or Kevin Durant. Outside of those four players nobody really has a shot. But within this selected group of elite players, each one has made their case, both for and against, winning this year’s award.

Surprise! The Rebirth of the 76ers

A bit of a disappointment last year, Evan Turner is slowly making his strides in his sophomore campaign.

            Close your eyes for a moment. Except don’t because I want you to keep reading. Let’s start this over.

            I would like to describe to you a team. Not just any team, but a team that was more or less unimpressive throughout most of last season and in all reality has been just a blip on the radar screen since the 2003-‘04 season. A team that managed to squeak into the Eastern Conference Playoffs last year with the seventh seed only to become the first victim of the Miami Heat’s “Big 3.”  Though in all fairness they played the Heat close and even managed to win one game. This is a team that has made no big offseason acquisitions. The last two important moves happened two years ago when they drafted the so far unimpressive Evan Turner with the 2^nd pick and hired Doug Collins as their coach. This is a team that has no MVP candidates, players scoring over 20 points per game and most likely won’t feature any all-stars.   This is a team that is currently leading the Atlantic Division with a 10-win and 4-loss record. This is your 2011-‘12 Philadelphia 76ers.

Rookie Rankings Update (1/16): Year of the Point Guard

Rubio (right) is edging out Irving (center) for this year's ROY.

            Six. That’s how many point guards cracked this weeks Top Ten Rookie Rankings. Last week’s rankings praised the first impressions of Ricky Rubio, but neglected to highlight the overall play of all of the point guards in this year’s rookie class. That’s why I am declaring this year’s class as The Year of the Point Guard. But as of right now, despite the overall dominance of these rookie point guards, the Rookie of the Year award has clearly become a two-man race between Ricky Rubio and Kyrie Irving.

Friday MVP Update: Most Valuable Mamba

Kobe found his ups again...look out NBA.
      

           The Black Mamba strikes again. As stated in yesterday’s column, Kobe has managed to find the fountain of youth. Somehow he has harnessed physical abilities that he hasn’t had in years and as always, with another year under his belt comes another year of basketball knowledge to use at his disposal amongst his youthful, inexperienced peers. All this praise and I’m not even a fan of Kobe. That’s how impressive Kobe has been after the first twelve games of the season.

Finding the Fountain of Youth: Kobe is back...for now.

The Black Mamba has his swagger back.

I hate you Dr. Peter Wehling. But at the same time I love you. Somehow you have managed to direct Kobe Bryant’s knee to the fountain of youth; an incident that has also propelled the Lakers back towards the top of the Western Conference. This revival has Kobe looking like a frontrunner for the MVP and places that elusive sixth ring, the one to tie Mr. Michael Jordan, back into the window. Even in this shortened, gauntlet of a season, it is looking possible that Kobe and the Lakers are still here.

In Retrospect: Does Deron Williams miss Jerry Sloan?

For Deron Williams, almost everyday is like groundhog day in New Jersey. 

To put it lightly, Deron Williams must have really wanted out of Utah last season. As with most superstar players we assume their reason for leaving a team has to do with going from a smaller market to a bigger market. This gains them more exposure, allowing them to expand their brand. For example, like being sent from Utah to New Jersey[1]. Heading to a larger market also often includes playing for a team that can spend more money on players[2] and hire better coaches[3], which usually translates into more wins and ideally a championship[4]. As of right now the Utah Jazz, in the midst of a rebuilding phase, have five wins and three losses. The Deron Williams led New Jersey Nets, in the midst of a championship run[5], have two wins and seven losses. Again, Deron Williams must have really wanted out of Utah.

Rookie Rankings: Rubio Stealing the Show

Look Ma, no hands!

          

             It’s early Christmas morning and you’ve woken up at 6 am, a whole hour before your parents will even wake and two hours before they will be finished wrapping your last minute gifts. Finally, your father yells up the stairs letting you and your brothers know that it’s okay to come down and open your presents. You shake with excitement, your mouth wide with a grin as you giggle uncontrollably because you are certain that the gift you’ve been waiting for is under the tree; a brand new Xbox 360, with a copy of Madden ‘12 to boot. Only when you open your gifts you find out that your parents went out and bought a refurbished original Xbox and a copy of Madden ‘06.

Friday MVP Update (1/6)

LeBron has risen once again and the Heat are following his lead. 

            

           If it was last Thursday when Kevin Durant nailed a game winning three to beat the defending champion Mavs, I would of told you he was the MVP. If it was last Friday, I would have said Derrick Rose’s 29 point, 8 rebound, 16 assist dismantling of the Clippers had put him as the frontrunner. And then there is LeBron James, who is making a case to be the top dog of not only the league but also the Heat.

Week In Review: Goliath Stumbles, Wolves on the Rise

Through the draft, the Wolves have slowly assembled a Big Three to be reckoned with.

            

          Oh, how the mighty have fallen stumbled. After a little over a week of regular season action the defending champion Dallas Mavericks(1-4) find themselves at the bottom of the Southwest Division. The Lakers (3-3) lost their Christmas Day opener on a last second shot by Derrick Rose and after starting the season with consecutive loses have leveled out. And though every year looks to be the year age catches up to the Boston Celtics (2-3,) their three losses to start the season, followed by two unimpressive wins over the lowly Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards look to be a bad omen.