Reward Rankings: Part 2

In our first reward rankings a few weeks ago, we found ourselves basically guessing from nothing. With a little more of a sample size, here is an updated list of rewards for the end of the year; as well as our first thoughts on All-Star teams. 

MVP:

1. Lebron James, Miami Heat

2. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

3. Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers

4. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

5. Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee Bucks

-There is no reason to drop any of the top 3 from their spots. Lebron is still Lebron, Durant is still scoring while improving his rebound numbers, and Chris Paul is leading a team in LA that looks even more dangerous than last year. But with Kobe above career averages in points, rebounds and assists and Brandon Jennings making the Bucks look like an East contender, you have to add them to the discussion. 

Defensive Player of the Year: 

1. Tyson Chandler

2. Omer Asik

3. Dwight Howard

4. Lebron James

5. Joakim Noah

-Tyson has completely revolutionized the way the New York Knicks play D. In a year plus(really a year with the shortened season) he has a guy like Carmelo committed on the defensive end. That has to count for alot. Omer Asik is doing the same thing in Houston, just to a much smaller extent. Dwight and Lebron are on here because of their freak ability to cover ground, and Noah has been putting up defensive stats better than anyone else in the league(10REBs/2BLKs/1.3STLs).

6th Man of the Year:

1. Jamal Crawford

2.Eric Bledsoe

3. Alexey Shved

4. Mike Dunleavy

5. Ray Allen

-Jamal Crawford has not only been putting starter's numbers, he has been doing it on a winning team. With not only 20 points a game, but a PER of 22.63 proves that last year was an outlier in terms of his ability. His only competition could be his backcourt mate, Eric Bledsoe. His PER of 24.08 is extremely impressive, but it was his five rebounds in the 4th quarter last night that stole a win from the Spurs. While Allen, Shved and Dunleavy have helped teams become winners, this is a two man race right now.

Rookie of the Year:

1. Anthony Davis

2. Damian Lillard

3. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

4. Dion Waiters

5. Alexey Shved

-Davis and Lillard are quickly running away with this award much like the 6th man. The only questions that remain is who is going to win rookie of the month each month. Davis is averaging 16pts, 8asts and 2blks a game; all while dealing with coming back from a concussion. Lillard, meanwhile has been getting comments like "they stole one" and "they have a real future with him" from guys named Kobe and Lebron. While MKD, Waiters and Shved are showing flashes of brilliance, there hasn't been the same consistency that Davis and Lillard have shown.

Most Improve Player of the Year:

1. Brandon Jennings

2. Kyrie Irving

3. Jrue Holliday

4. Anderson Varajeo

5. Omer Asik

-Jennings has been going off in Milwaukee, and more importantly, has been getting others involved as well. the 6-3 Bucks have been benefiting from almost eight assists a game, and are really hoping Jennings isn't playing this hard just because he hasn't got paid yet. Irving is an obvious choice as well, but it is tough to give this award to a 2nd year player; they are supposed to make a jump. Holliday is making all the 76ers fans forget about both Bynum and Iggy, while Varajeo is taking advantage of the Irving effect. Asik is more in hear simply because he has now has an offensive game.

All-Star Teams:

East:
Forwards: Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Joakim Noah
Guards: Rajon Rondo, Kyrie Irving
6th Man: Brandon Jennings

West:
Forwards: Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, Marc Gasol
Guards: Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul
6th Man: James Harden


Until next time, here is your NBA YouTube Clip!

-Bford

 

Power Rankings: Week 4

(Say hello to your new number one. Zach Randolph will dance with you now.)

1.Memphis Grizzlies 8-1 
-Wins over the Thunder, Heat, Knicks, and Bucks have highlighted the eight game winning streak. Even more impressive; four of the wins have been on the road.

2. Miami Heat 8-3
-The Heat keep on winning despite Dwyane Wade being absent with injury. The question remains though, can they handle a big team like the Grizzlies without any quality big men?

3. New York Knicks 7-1
-The loss against the Grizzlies ends the 82-0 dream New Yorkers once had, but coming right back and getting a win over Indiana proves that this team can come back strong.

4. Los Angeles Clippers 7-2
-The Clippers have quietly proven they are elite while the other team in LA continues to steal all the headlines. Having six guys averaging double figures doesn't hurt either.

5. Oklahoma City Thunder 8-3
-Can you believe win against the Warriors was the first time Kevin Durant had a triple double in his career? Hes averaging 24 and 10 through 11 games.

6. San Antonio Spurs 8-2
-The Spurs quietly go about their business; destroying with a 126 lashing. Even more important, Ginobili looked healthy for the first time all year. 

(If Ginobili starts making more faces like this, the Spurs could be extra scary.)

7. Brooklyn Nets 6-2
-While a win in the division is always good, a Nets/Celtics matchup won't mean much until the Rondo is a part of it.

8. Milwaukee Bucks 6-2 
-Are the Bucks the Arizona Cardinals of the NBA? This team is overachieving, but it is starting to look as though they actually matter. Games against Miami, Chicago, New York and Minnesota will give us more of an idea. 

9. Chicago Bulls 5-5
-The Bulls are surviving without Derrick. Joakim Noah should be a starter in the all-star game, and Luol Deng is showing he can handle the scoring until Rose returns. But who else can help?

10. Philadephia 76ers 6-4 
-Usually the 76ers would be higher, but it's tough with the news they just heard. Andrew Bynum is quickly turning into a huge disappointment and quite frankly, needs to grow up.

11. Boston Celtics 6-5
-Just when the Celtics were going to have a great weekend with solid home winds over the Jazz and Raptors, they go and blow it with an awful loss to the lowly Pistons. Contenders simply don't have these lapses.

12. Los Angeles Lakers 5-5
-The improvement is shown right away. Mike's Lakers looked fluent, comfortable, and scary good on offense. Kobe playing like he's 26 against doesn't hurt either.

13. Minnesota Timberwolves 5-4
-So the T-Wolves have lost two straight. At the same time, they haven't been out of any game. This team could easily be 6-3 or 7-2. Much like the Bulls, it is just hold on.

14. Dallas Mavericks 6-5
-O.J. Mayo has put himself into the all-star conversation. But with yet another team who is waiting for it's star, the Mavericks need to start beating some teams they may see in the playoffs. They haven't yet beat a team with a winning record.

(Mayo is proving that he can flourish in a starting role.)

15. Houston Rockets 4-6
-The honeymoon is over, and now it's team to see how this team fits. Harden and Lin need to improve their team game, and stop turning the ball over so much(combined 8 turnovers a game.)

16. Denver Nuggets 4-6
-The Nuggets started slow, then got hot, and then looked helpless against San Antonio's offense. This team needs to be more consistent before can be considered elite.

17. Utah Jazz 5-6
-The Jazz have looked....average. While the veterans they brought in our helping, Randy Foye and Gordon Hayward need to step up and be the backcourt scorers that this team is lacking. 

18. Portland Trailblazers 5-5
-Damian Lillard looks unreal, and Nicholas Batum is finally filling in on that early promise of being a premier scorer in this league. This team just looks one or two years away.

19. Indiana Pacers 4-7
-The Pacers are falling, fast. Roy Hibbert(8 points/8 boards) needs to start earning that pay day soon or else this team is going to continue to struggle.

20. Atlanta Hawks 4-4
-Coming out of a road trip 2-2 isn't a bad thing, but a four point loss to Golden State where you allowed rookie Harrison Barnes to be the leading scorer is.

21. New Orleands Hornets 3-5
-The Hornets goal this year shouldn't be a championship. It should be finding the right pieces to build around what could be the biggest #1 pick in a long time.

22. Golden State Warriors 5-5
-While the Warriors are 5-5, we at Pick N Pop are treading lightly. They haven't been able to keep their A unit healthy, and it could hurt them with games against teams like Brooklyn, Denver, and Minnesota coming up. Those teams love to run.

23. Charlotte Bobcats 4-4
-Who are these Bobcats?! Even though they almost blew a win in Minnesota, and lost to Memphis this past Saturday; the young guys are showing some spunk. Most importantly, Kemba Walker is finally showing the confidence in his shot that he had in college.

24. Phoenix Suns 4-7
-The Suns are literally the most boring team in basketball. I would rather read Jared Dudley's twitter feed for three hours than watch them play basketball.

(Please cheer for us?)

25. Cleveland Cavaliers 2-8
-If Joakim Noah isn't the starter in the East, Varajeo better be the only other option. He could be the biggest trade piece for a contender if him and Kyrie continue to get absolutely no help.

26. Toronto Raptors 3-7
-The Raptors can't seem to put a complete game together. And while Bargnani showed some willingness to go down low in Boston, he found himself taking jumpers when it mattered.

27. Detroit Pistons 2-9
-Just as we talk about how bad the Pistons are; they go and troll off a couple wins; including ruining a perfectly good weekend game against my Celtics. I still want my money back from League Pass.

28. Orlando Magic 3-6
-Defenses have figured out E'Twaun Moore, they can't decide which big man to play, and Glen Davis continues to think hes a 20 point scorer. It is not looking good in Orlando.

29. Sacramento Kings 2-8
-While the Kings have some promise, it is very faint. They need to decide who the future is, and start to cut the fat to rebuild this program.

30. Washington Wizards 0-8
-Do you think if we wrote a "When will the Wizards win?" they will run off a 20 point victory against the Pacers? Probably not.


Until Next time, here is your amazing NBA YouTube Clip!

-Bford

Beautiful Happy New 2013 Quotes

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Thoughts Through Two Weeks

1. The Jazz will be very good someday soon. Not only do they have very good young players, they crash the boards hard, push the ball as often as they can and play hard nosed defense full of effort. They will only get better as their young players become a more cohesive offensive and defensive team.

2. The Celtics are going with amorphous lineups  that often feature two power forwards two small forwards and a point guard. This allows them to have the ability to create mismatches at most positions. However on the defensive end this has lead to Boston changing how they play defense. This year they are switching on every screen. With this defense every player has to be in sync defending from every position (where as when you do not switch you only have to play defense from your specific position). Understandably that causes more room for confusion. This confusion has lead to breakdowns, which should decrease as the season goes on (he says hopefully)

3. James Harden was worth every player and every penny that it cost to get him in Houston. While leading the NBA in scoring I'm sure his bill payers aren't complaining. With this trade and signing Houston has a buildblock to set the team around and Daryl Morey has kept his job.

4. The Knicks look as good as they have during anytime in their recent Melo era. The key to this is, Carmelo playing as a huge scoring option at the power forward position. It will be interesting to see what happens when A'mare comes back, does he push Melo to the three or come off the bench? No matter what they decide to do the New York media will make sure you hear way too much about it.

5. Kemba Walker has taken a big jump in his second year. Averaging 18.6 points 5.6 assists and 3.2 steals. We shouldn't be surprised that he is exceeding expectations. Heading to college he wasn't the top recruit his high school pedigree would indicate. He continued to improve and ended up leading UCONN to a title. After his rookie year people doubted if he will ever be the elite player his draft status would indicate. This year he is again proving people wrong.

6. The Clippers look great. In order to see why you don't need to look further than DeAndre Jordan. When he talked about an improving post game this off-season I was skeptical. He has developed a solid jump hook to complement his athleticism and strong motor. His ability to small allows others to get more open shots, but more importantly it allows him to stay on the court. With Jordan on the court the Clippers are better defensively.

7. The Grizzlies are finally living up to the promise that everyone heaped upon them after the knocked off the San Antonio Spurs two years ago without Rudy Gay. Last year Zach Randolph was hurt most of the year. For the first time the Grizz have everyone healthy at the same time and are looking great.

8. Brooklyn could end up a team to go far in the playoffs given the right math ups. They are one of the best rebounding teams in a conference where a lot of teams go small. If they run into Boston or Miami in the playoffs this team could give these favorites problems.

9.  The Milwaukee Bucks are looking like a classic Scott Skiles team. They are playing hard, defending and sharing the basketball. If they are truly a typical Scott Skiles team his players will get tired of getting yelled at, stop passing the ball and give no defensive effort by season end.

10. Detroit and Washington look bad. I expected these two teams to compete for the last playoff spot, only two weeks in and I want a redo on that one. John Wall will help when he gets back and Rodney Stuckey won't shoot 28% forever but I still want to say my bad on that prediction.

Twenty Two Thirsty Thursday Thoughts

With my 26th birthday quickly approaching, the state of Massachusetts decided to give me a present this afternoon: sitting in the RMV for three hours waiting to renew my license. Thank you so much Bay State. It did give me time, however to go into full thought and think up some goodies for this week. So while others swore silently to themselves(or out loud, that happened too), here is what popped into my head. 

1. Lebron James, Rajon Rondo, and Zach Randolph are currently tied for the league lead in double-doubles with seven. Not so surprising. What is surprising, is that guys like Kenneth Faried, Marcin Gortat and J.J. Hickson are tied with Chris Paul and Kevin Durant for third with five.

2. Danny Green is finally getting the attention he deserves after that winner in LAL last night. As the 5th option(6th if you include Ginobili) in the Spurs offense he is averaging 11, 3, 1 and 1 in just under 30 minutes a game. It wasn't too long ago he was a 12th man in Cleveland and now is a valuable starter on a contender.

(Calling all Danny Green haters: move aside.)

3. The T-Wolves injuries might finally be catching up to them. A loss to a Bobcats team which was blaitantly trying to give them a win showed how thin they currently are. As a fan of watching them on league pass, I am hoping this doesn't turn into a "what could have been" season. 

4. Bill Simmon's commented about this on his podcast, but Omer Asik is turning into a complete steal for the Rockets because of his salary. Paying eight million a year for the next three and getting what they are out of him(he could easily be the league leader in rebounds at season's end) is looking like quite the investment. 

5. Glen Davis had five shots blocked by Joakim Noah in the Magic's recent loss to Chicago. That is literally the equivalent of me trying to put up shots against my older brother. When I was six. And he was thirteen.

6. Don't call me a genius, but J.J. Redick has been in the starting lineup lately for the Magic, and it looks as though it's going to stay that way as long as he keeps playing well. Redick has had double figures in all but one game, and has had at least six assists in all but two.

7. Looking at the top 10 draft picks right now, there is real no one player that you could say is a complete bust. Terrence Ross(lack of minutes) and Thomas Robinson(suspension) are really the only two who you could consider calling a dissapointment thus far.

8. While everyone is praising Carmelo for his hot start(deservedly so), it is the Knick's defense that deserves credit for the 5-0 start. They are currently ranked first in opponent's PPG(87.8) and seventh in opponent's FG%(.423).

9. Brooklyn has quietly gotten off to a 4-2 start, and is playing a Boston team in a back to back tonight. It could be the most boring 4-2 start ever, and they technically should be 5-1 after blowing a 22 point lead to the T-Wolves.

10. With the King's off to another slow start(2-6), they need to look at seeing what they can get for Tyreke Evans. A first pass point guard and a veteran with some actual value should be at the top of their list.

11. Remember when Tyrus Thomas was going to be the next big thing? He's not even starting in Charlotte anymore, and will probably be out of the league in the next three years.

12. If the NBA did things the BCS way, The Spurs would play the Knicks in a one game playoff. Yeah, I know, it makes no sense right?

13. Jeremy Lamb has been the forgotten man in the Harden trade. Once thought of as a major piece who was going to be coming off of Houston's bench, Lamb has averaged just three minutes a game in OKC.

(Jeremy Lamb hasn't smiled since this picture was taken.)

14. Today in 1960 Elgin Baylor scored 71 points for the Lakers in a win over the Knicks. I learned something today. 

15. Luol Deng currently leads the league with minutes played at 41 a game, with his teammate Joakim Noah not far behind at 39. Lebron James isn't even in the top 20.

16. Andris Biedrins has shot just 71 free throws in the past four years. He's only made 17 of them(24%).

17. If Jason Kidd stays healthy and plays in all 77 of the Knick's remaining games, he will be seventh on the all time list in games played. He only need to play in nine more to crack the top 10. 

18. Kemba Walker is being heralded for his game winning shot last night, but has had a turnover and two crazy hero drives in the last minute to will usually cost his team the game.

19. Predictions I'd like to take back: The Pistons losing to the 76ers. Reverse jinx much?

(This was the scene in Detroit last night.)

20. The Celtics can't rebound at all. Infact, they are averaging a league worst six offensive rebounds a game. 

21. The Royce White story is getting depressing now. For a player who could be a great voice for young athletes with anxiety, he is struggling to find a place and a happy medium as a traveling NBA player. We are all hoping it works out for him.

22. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist does the weird thing when he runs. It's like he is losing control of his arms. It's not lazy, but it's just weird. I searched the internet to no avail, but make sure to watch out for it next time you check out a Bobcats game. It's quite the scene.


Until next time, your amazing NBA YouTube Clip!

-Bford

Best Beautiful Miss You Collection 2012 - Miss You-I Miss You- Missing You

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Jeff Green Posterizes Big AL

Al Jefferson wishes he wasn't on the court for this furious dunk by Jeff Green:

It's great to see Green back healthy after last years heart issues.  When he plays with confidence he is an absolute force out there.

Yours truly will be in Brooklyn tonight to see my hometown team take on the Nets....and I'm hoping for more plays like this. Follow me on Twitter @theNBAninja for in-game assessments.