Nick and Roll 2009 Season Awards

As the season draws to a close, it's hardware time, so without further ado...here are your winners

MVP: Dwyane Wade Runner-Up: LeBron James

Even though Kobe and LeBron both have much better team records, neither of these guys was on a team that only won 15 games the prior year. As of right now the Heat have 41 wins, guaranteeing them at least .500. Wade is leading the league with 29.9 points per game, and has carried the team to a probable 5 seed in the East. All of this has been accomplished with a supporting cast that really doesn't come close to L.A. or Cleveland. Along with all of his scoring, Wade is posting 5 boards, 7.5 dimes, 2.2 steals (second in the league) and 1.4 blocks (17th in the league) per night, showing he is now a pest on defense as well.

Coach of the Year:Rick Adelman Runner-Up: George Karl

While many coaches have led their teams to outstanding records, no team has had uncertainty in their roster like the Houston Rockets. Sure, they may not win as many games as last year, but if you would have asked anybody how the Rockets would do without Rafer Alston and Tracy McGrady, I doubt they would have answered 50 wins. Now Yao, Ron Artest, and Luis Scola have meshed together well with Adelman at the helm, and the Rockets look poised to finally get out of the first round.

Rookie of the Year: Derrick Rose Runner-Up: Brook LopezWhen the Bulls picked Derrick Rose, I was very skeptical. I mean how can you pass up a big time scorer like Michael Beasley? After one year, Rose has changed my mind. He is currently in top 10 for rookie in scoring, assists, rebounding, and steals, averaging 16.2 points and 6.2 assists per. However, his biggest impact has been on the team. While O.J. Mayo may score more than Rose, he was not able to bring his team anywhere near the playoffs. Rose has the Bulls sitting in the 7th seed. In a surprisingly good rookie class, Rose is the gold standard.

Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard Runner-Up: Chris Paul

To stay with the yearly theme of this award, I am giving to the league's leading shot blocker. Dwight, of course, fits that role, averaging almost 3 a game. Now, Dwight is also the best rebounder in the League, bar none, averaging almost 14 per. This means that when he is in, the other team is not getting many second chance points, which can be a deciding factor in many games. Plus, with his size and scary athleticism, other teams are very wary of going anywhere near the paint

Most Improved Player of the Year: Kevin Durant Runner-Up: Chris Duhon

Most of the time this award is given to players who move from "average" to "good." Instead, the award is going to Durant, who moved from "good" to "great." He has made strides in virtually every area of his game. He 5 points more, putting him at 25.7 per. He is grabbing 2 more rebounds each game. He is shooting 5 percent better from the field. He is shooting 14 percent better from downtown. Most importantly, he has given the Thunder hope for the future. The Thunder have actually been able to hang with opponents (especially the Spurs) and they will only get better with time





Comeback Player of the Year: Shaquille O'Neal Runner-Up: Nene
After looking like his career was over, Shaq was re-energized this year in Phoenix. Last year, the Suns could not figure out what to do with Shaq. Now they don't know what they will do without him. His numbers didn't make huge leaps (except for his scoring, up 5 to 18 per game), but he made it back to the All-Star Game, and made sure people remembered that he is still a dominant center.

NBA First-Team:
G: Dwyane Wade
G: Kobe Bryant
F: LeBron James
F: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Dwight Howard

NBA Second Team:
G: Chris Paul
G: Tony Parker
F: Tim Duncan
F: Carmelo Anthony
C: Yao Ming

NBA Third Team:
G:Deron Williams
G: Joe Johnson
F: Kevin Durant
F: David West
C: Al Jefferson

NBA Defensive-Team:
G:Chris Paul
G:Dwyane Wade
F:Ron Artest
F:Tim Duncan
C:Dwight Howard

NBA All Rookie Team:
G: Derrick Rose
G: Russell Westbrook
F: O.J. Mayo
F: Kevin Love
C: Brook Lopez

NBA All-Rookie Second Team:
G:D.J. Augustin
G: Mario Chalmers
F: Luc-Richard Mbah a Moute
F: Jason Thompson
C: Marc Gasol

NBA All Sophomore Team:
G: Ramon Sessions
G: Rodney Stuckey
F: Kevin Durant
F: Luis Scola
C: Al Horford

NBA All Sophomore Second Team:
G: Aaron Brooks
G: Wilson Chandler
F: Al Thornton
F: Jeff Green
C: Spencer Hawes

Playoff Wishes

The Playoffs are almost here, they start Saturday April 18th, and cream is starting to rise to the top (well, except for the Bulls, WTF?). Since I am not afraid to own up to my bias', here are some of my wishes before the end of the season

• The Bobcats to stroll in and get the eighth playoff spot, hopefully taking it away from the Bulls. I really just want to see what Larry Brown can do if the Bobcats get in. To me, the Cavs don't seem unbeatable. Sure, they have only lost one game at home, but I think if some of their role players go cold, the Bobcats could beat them.


• First round matchups in the East: Atlanta vs. Philadelphia and Orlando vs. Miami. Why? I would love to see Atlanta advance a round, plus this would set up the battle of Florida with the Magic and Heat squaring off


• The Houston Rockets to face any other team in the first round but the Utah Jazz. I mean come on, the Jazz just seem to have the Rockets number. I am ready for the Rockets to advance to the second round, even if T-Mac won't be apart of it. Besides, the Jazz and Rockets don't really play what you would call up-tempo basketball. Other than the intensity between the two teams, the actual half court basketball can turn into a snoozefest