A collection of excellent basketball bloggers kindly have contributed to create our first Blogger MVP/ROY Rankings.
Stay tuned all year. The rankings will be unveiled every two Mondays, but not just on Brew Hoop. We're rotating hosts, and you can be sure we'll link to the next installment.
I voted, along with the following esteemed panel:
- Tom of Sactown Royalty
- Ben of Third Quarter Collapse
- Josh of 3 Shades of Blue
- David of 20 Second Timeout
- Seth of Posting and Toasting
- Brett of Queen City Hoops
- Dave of TWolvesBlog
- Ricky of Sixers 4 Guidos
- Mike of Bullets Forever
- James of Green Bandwagon
- Jeramey of The Bratwurst
- Tom of Indy Cornrows
- Matt of Blog A Bull
- Steve of Clips Nation
*Votes were compiled on a simple 10-9-8 etc. and 5-4-3 etc. basis. The following lists are composite rankings which take into consideration the votes of all 15 panelists based on the above scoring system. Thanks, voters!
My comments are first, followed by selected comments written by other contributing bloggers.
Most Valuable Player:
30.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 8.1 apg, .571 TS%, 32.52 PER
It is truly staggering that LeBron has lived up to the hype. Maybe we should pat ourselves on the back for correctly spotting and hyping him. Probably though, we should marvel that he's made us all look good. We’re talking Sports Illustrated magazine covers and ESPN televised games in high school. And that’s only scratching the surface of the impossible expectations that were created. Yet somehow, he never really disappoints anyone that is halfway realistic about what someone can accomplish in the NBA before turning 23. Remember his first regular season NBA game? Or Game Five? Now, he’s responded to being humbled by the Spurs in last year's Finals by staking his claim as MVP frontrunner this year.
(David, 20 Second Timeout) "He is racking up big triple doubles (with 30-plus points) like Michael Jordan in 1989 and has improved on defense as well."
23.5 ppg, 14.7 rpg, 2.8 bpg, .637 TS%, 26.74 PER
Personally, I wasn’t buying the Magic before the year. I liked Howard and Lewis a lot, but didn’t see much else. Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson have stepped up, but Howard hasn’t needed that much help transforming the Magic into an Eastern Conference powerhouse. As Shaquille O’Neal fades, Howard becomes the NBA’s new immovable, just straight-up dominant force.
(Dave, TWolvesBlog) "Putting up sick numbers on one of the most improbable division leading teams of the early season. Oh, and he's leading the league in rebounds per game and Double-Doubles."
19.4 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 3.9 apg, .601 TS%, 25.35 PER
The Celtics didn’t need much from The Big Ticket against the LeBron-less Cavaliers on Sunday. He was held under 10 points for the second time in three games, but in both low-scoring games he was rested because the Celtics were on cruise control. Speaking of cruise control, when will the Celtics lose at home? Perhaps not anytime soon, considering how KG plays in Beantown: 20.4 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists before Sunday's game. They’ll have some December home tests though, with the Raptors and Pistons coming to town. And how about some holiday fun as Dwight Howard and the Magic come to town on Dec. 23. If you recall, the Magic halted the Celtics’ perfect run to start the season and Howard got to the line 20 times while Garnett didn’t attempt a free-throw. The rematch should be interesting.
(David, 20 Second Timeout) "Barring a complete collapse by the Celtics, the media will likely give him the MVP. He is putting up good numbers, which he always does, but I'd be lying if I said I'd take him over LeBron or Kobe. Honestly, I don't think that he is better than Duncan or Nowitzki but he has been more productive than either of those guys so far."
19.6 ppg, 10.1 apg, 4.2 rpg, .572 TS%, 27.48 PER
Top five in PER and a 14.2 Roland Rating is just the beginning of the story for Paul. He’s not only absurdly good and one of the ten most exciting players to watch in the world, he’s managed to lead the Hornets to a second-place standing in the ultra-competitive Southwest Divison. Remember when the 2005 draft didn’t really have any superstar prospects? Paul and Deron Williams probably have something to say about that right now. Will Team USA bring back Paul for the 2008 Olympics? There is a lot of point guard competition with Jason Kidd, Chauncey Billups, and Williams, but it would tough to not give Paul a chance the way he’s playing.
(Brett, Queen City Hoops) "Almost as many steals per game as turnovers - and 20.7 points and 11.6 assists per 40 minutes is not shabby either."
27.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.9 apg, .580 TS%, 25.52 PER
Bryant is shooting less, and converting at a better rate. The Lakers have little chance of breaking into the West's elite this year, but the growth of Andrew Bynum is surely one reason why Lakerland drama has been peculiarly low.
(Ben, Third Quarter Collapse) "The Lakers are winning and he's not having to score too much. Cool."
18.9 ppg, 11.1 apg, 3.5 rpg, .664 TS%, 23.94 PER
It continues to make absolutely no sense that Nash improves every season. Here’s a 33 year-old point guard who depends largely on his blurring quickness and deft ballhandling... still getting better. And we know he can shoot, but this is getting downright silly: .527 from the field, .480 from downtown, and .967 from the line.
(Dave, TWolvesBlog) "Averaging 12.4 assists per 40 minutes... and scoring more efficiently than LeBron, KG, Kobe, or Tim Duncan, at 1.51 points per shot, ridiculously good for a point guard."
25.4 ppg, 11.2 rpg, .613 TS%, 28.28 PER
After last year we all knew Boozer was the real deal. But I don’t think many expected him to improve so much on his gaudy numbers. Yet that is exactly what he’s done, averaging more than four extra points, shooting a higher percentage from the field, getting to the line more and shooting more effectively, blocking more shots, and committing fewer turnovers. Considering the improvements of Boozer, Williams, and Ronnie Brewer, along with Andre Kirilenko’s reemergence, the Jazz again will not be fun to play against in the playoffs.
(Ben, Third Quarter Collapse) "Absolutely beastly. Can you imagine if he stayed in Cleveland?"
17.6 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.8 bpg, .570 TS%, 24.73 PER
Duncan has yet to score 30 points in a game this year. In fact, he's only eclipsed 26 once, a nifty 14-17 shooting night against the Grizzlies. He's averaging career lows in points, rebounds, and blocks. But after being the best player on the best team throughout the last decade, he's understandably given the benefit of the doubt regarding his value. He remains the steadying force on yet another Spurs team destined to drive deep into the playoffs. Even considering the hot start of the Celtics, the Spurs must be considered the favorites right now.
(Brett, Queen City Hoops) "Could they win during the regular season without him? Maybe - they are +9.0 points per 100 without him...but 22.5 points and 11.2 boards per 40 minutes is still nothing to sneeze at."
19.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.3 apg, .640 TS%, 29.43 PER
This guy seriously comes off the bench. Just imagine what the opposition is thinking when he rises from the bench. They might not specifically be thinking "why is the player with the second best PER in the NBA coming into the game just now, and why are we already down by 15?" But it's probably along those lines.
(Tom, Indy Cornrows) "The official taking Timmy for granted pick, but you have to admit, Manu is bringing it on a different level this year."
25.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.4 apg, .533 TS%, 23.67 PER
The Rockets have some serious talent, particularly the large fellow who plays down low. But when McGrady got hurt, they literally couldn't win for a few days. He's simply far too valuable. If he misses many more games, it's unlikely the Rockets will have positioned themselves for McGrady to reach the elusive second round of the playoffs.
(Dave, TWolvesBlog) "I've always felt that he doesn't get the recognition that he deserves. He fills up the stat sheet every night. Not too many players can average 25 ppg, along with 5 rpg, and 5 apg night in and night out."
Next: Michael Redd, Amare Stoudemire, Deron Williams, Tony Parker, Paul Pierce, Baron Davis, Dirk Nowitzki, Stephen Jackson, Yao Ming, Jason Kidd, Andrew Bynum, Caron Butler, Vince Carter, Andrei Kirilenko, Chris Kaman
CLICK "FULL STORY" FOR ROOKIE OF THE YEAR RANKINGS
Rookie of the Year:
19.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.1 bpg, .506, 14.96 PER
He’s the only rookie leading his team in scoring, and he's doing it by a pretty fair margin. It would be interesting to see how playing on a good team would affect his numbers. His scoring would go down, but his much-maligned shooting percentages would definitely go up. With Seattle, he’s expected to carry the load on his slender, 19 year-old shoulders. Chris Wilcox can play a little, and Damien Wilkens had a burst of Dominique the other night, but this is clearly already Durant’s team. And while the Sonics are going to continue to lose a ton of games, they certainly won’t be the least interesting team to watch, thanks his sublime talent. Whenever I see his great commercial I can’t help but think about him sliding off the Sonics jersey for an Oklahoma City one, and how sad that thought is.
(Dave, TWolvesBlog) "Despite an occasional clunker of a game, he has the ability to go out and put up 35 points in each and every game he plays... much like he did Friday night."
8.7 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 1.3 bpg, .538 TS%, 14.39 PER
He’s already a high percentage shooter and very good rebounder. Everyone pegged him on draft day as a cant-miss, solid player, and we were all right. There is room to grow too, once he adjusts to playing as well on the road as at home. At home, he’s averaging 9.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 1.63 blocks on .577 shooting. On the road, he’s averaging 7.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 0.86 blocks on .460 shooting. Perhaps he loses concentration after hearing, umm, actual crowd noise on the road?
(Steve, Clips Nation) "After drafting a series of forwards who weren't really ready, the Hawks finally got it right. Second to Durant in minutes per game for rookies, easily the top rookie rebounder."
9.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.6 bpg, .496 TS%, 14.20 PER
The Celtics are really good. And the Knicks are probably equally bad. But there are other storylines in the Atlantic Division. Moon’s ascent from undrafted, 27 year-old rookie out of Meridian Community College to starter and fan-favorite on a playoff-level team is the best. How many other NBA players work their way up playing for Fuerza Regia, Rome Gladiators, and Gary Steelheads? None, but it has happened once now, and this Moon surely isn’t feeling blue about it. With Chris Bosh out of the lineup on Saturday against the Wizards, Moon led the Raptors with 43 minutes, scoring 16 points along with 13 rebounds.
(Tom, Indy Cornrows) "Does a lot of dirty work with plenty of flair."
9.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.1 bpg, .505 TS%, 13.48 PER
Yi legitimately won the starting job over Charlie Villanueva and proceeded to reward the Bucks by playing a big role in each of the Bucks' two opening week wins over the Bulls and Raptors. But he saved his best game for the showdown against Yao and the Rockets. He has slowed somewhat in recent games, but who on the Bucks hasn't? The important thing is that he has loads of offensive potential, which he shows in spurts, and already plays solid defensively.
(Ben, Third Quarter Collapse) "He's played aggressively, which is nice to see from any rookie, but especially from one so heavily scrutinized."
10.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, .601 TS%, 15.08 PER
In the crowded Grizzlies' backcourt, Navarro has recently broken through as a game-changing player. After fighting for minutes like any other rookie early in the season, he has started four of the last five games, looking more like the veteran of high-level professional basketball he is.
(Ben, Third Quarter Collapse) "I really fear this guy. He strikes me as a Leandro Barbosa Lite."
Next: Sean Williams, Luis Scola, Daequan Cook, Jeff Green, Nick Young