The 2016-17 NBA regular season is over and the playoffs start Saturday. That gives us exactly 48ish hours to reflect rationally on roughly six months of basketball. We did our best.
Who should win the Rookie of the Year?
Rory Masterson (@rorymasterson): With all due respect to Malcolm Brogdon and Dario Saric, throw historical precedent out the window on this one and just focus on who the actual, best rookie was this season: Joel Embiid. Yes, he was drafted in 2014. Yes, he only played 31 games this season for a still-wildly overmatched Philadelphia 76ers team. But in his time on the floor, he averaged 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 2.1 assists, and he made that Sixers team imminently watchable on a nightly basis. For that alone, he deserved an All-Star nomination, and he nearly got one anyway! His social media presence is just a cherry on top. He deserves this one, especially in a weak year for rookies.
Brandon Jefferson (@pengriffey_jr): I fell into the “he hasn’t played enough games” trap when I last said that I would give this award to Dario Saric. However, with time to think this over, I believe that this award should go to no one else but Joel Embiid. He was head and shoulders better than any other rookie that suited up in the NBA this year. This is a man who turned “Trust The Process” from punchline to tagline. He’s great for this game and if he ever does get a full year of clean health it’s going to be mesmerising to watch.
Trevor Magnotti (@illegalscreens): Cast my vote for Dario Saric, who averaged 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game after the All-Star break. Saric started the year incredibly slowly, and has been inefficient for most of the year, but from a raw production and value added perspective, I don’t know how you can pick Malcolm Brogdon over him. If we’re eliminating Joel Embiid (I’m in the camp that says 31 games isn’t enough), Saric was the rookie who played the largest role for his team this year, and while he had some statistical warts, Saric was Philly’s best playmaker and shot-creator after Embiid went down. Brogdon was valuable for the Bucks, but he wasn’t asked to do the things Saric was tasked with for much of the season. So even though Saric was worse than Brogdon in RPM and On/Off and Box plus/minus or whatever other advanced stat you want to use, Saric clearly showed more development potential and was asked to do way more than Brogdon ever was, and succeeded in that role for much of the year.
Max Schimanski (@schimax): A voter’s interpretation of this award, much like the MVP award, is heavily dependent on his or her answer. If you want to give it to the player that played the best, regardless of how much time he played, it would go to Joel Embiid. If you want to give it to the player that played the best throughout the entire year, it’s probably Malcolm Brogdon. If you’re the traditional Rookie of the Year voter who values impressive box-score numbers and counting stats, it’s Dario Saric. I’d personally give it to Brogdon, as his advanced metrics and status on a playoff qualifier put him over Saric for me. I’m one of those people that dislike that ROY is often won by players who simply put up big numbers on a bad team, so take my opinion as you will. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Saric OR Embiid won. Both are quality choices. Embiid looked like a generational player and Saric was probably the winner by historical standards.
Philip Rossman-Reich (@omagicdaily): I am going to be that guy. Joel Embiid is my Rookie of the Year. Despite the injuries and minute restrictions, Embiid was by far the best rookie to hit the floor. As much as his statistics suggest it, it was also about the way he electrified arenas. Fans could not wait to see him play and they hung on every moment, tweet, word, dunk, 3-pointer, anything Embiid. He lived up to all the hype and years of waiting. And if he can stay healthy, Embiid is going to be a force in the NBA. Isn’t that what Rookie of the Year is for? To honor the guys who will be the future stars? There are some nice rookies, including teammate Dario Saric, but Embiid is the only one with true star potential.
Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg): I believe in rules, which is to say I believe they exist. I think rules are important and really good for most, if not all, things. But I also believe in exceptions to rules, and I believe in The Process. I have two reasons why Joel Embiid should be Rookie of the Year. (1) He’s the only rookie this season to average at least 20 points per game and (2) all the other rookies suck. Like, if one other rookie would have averaged 20 points or even close to 20 points per game, I would vote for that rookie. But no one else did. But Embiid only played in 31 games and less than 800 minutes all season. Yeah I know, dog. But give me those 786 minutes over 2,100 minutes Dario Saric played or the 2,000 minutes Malcolm Brogdon played. Embiid was the best rookie this season and, oh, FYI, there are no rules for who you can vote for for Rookie of the Year.
What was your favorite moment from this season?
Masterson: As always, there are plenty of great ones. A highlight reel of Russell Westbrook’s pregame outfits, specifically against the Warriors, comes to mind. Because this regular season will likely end up being remembered for its stellar MVP race, it stands to reason that a moment from one of the four leading candidates would jut out ahead of any other. Here’s the purposefully contrarian take: Kawhi Leonard hitting the clutch 3-pointer and then blocking erstwhile leading MVP candidate James Harden to sink the Rockets is the moment when Leonard got sick of hearing about everyone else’s candidacy and put up a highlight of his own. In a just and balanced world (albeit, one in which voters are still jaded by LeBron’s generational brilliance), Kawhi would probably be the MVP this year. Nevertheless, that sequence is deserving of some separate award.
Jefferson: Dion Waiters. Game-winner. Against Golden State.
Schimanski: On Dec. 15, 2016, Craig Graham Sager Sr. passed away at the age of 65. While this moment was certainly not a joyous one, what followed was truly extraordinary. From all across the sports world, praise and respect flowed for a man that can only be described as a hero to all of us. His talents transcended simple sideline reporting. He brought a smile to everyone’s face that watched him work. His fantastic outfits and joyous demeanor were two things I anxiously anticipated when I tuned in to NBA basketball as a little kid. To see the league pay such a tribute to a man who touched all basketball fans in some way or another, speaks wonders about both the NBA as a league and Craig Sager as a human being. #SagerStrong
Magnotti: It has to be the Pelicans trading for DeMarcus Cousins on the night of the All-Star Game. That just had everything that you could ever want from an NBA story. The drama of the Kings’ “To trade or not to trade” saga came to a head. They fielded random offers of various worth for years, crescendoing to this Pelicans offer, which completely undersold Cousins’s value by offering a 23-year old rookie, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, and a first-rounder that wasn’t even unprotected. It happened after the All-Star Game, which Cousins played in, and unfolded publicly on twitter thanks to Adrian Wojnarowski and the Kings’ leaky faucet of a front office. And the best part? It did nothing to change the trajectory of EITHER team’s season! Nothing about the biggest star trade since Carmelo Anthony made any sense, and I loved it.
Rossman-Reich: It is rare to see two games live up to the hype of an incredible Finals series the summer before. But after seeing the Cleveland Cavaliers play the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day, there was a firm: Let’s do this eight more times. Even when the Warriors torched the Cavaliers in Oakland on MLK Day, it was done with such artistry that it did not matter what the final score was. The Christmas Day Game might very well have been the best game of the entire season, coming down to Kyrie Irving hitting a game-winner once again and Kevin Durant tripping on the final play. This was playoff basketball in December, an early gift. There is always an inevitability about the NBA. We all still expect Warriors and Cavaliers in the Finals again. If it is anything like their regular season meetings — especially the Christmas game — sign me up for seven games, please.
Goldberg: I agree with Brandon. Mostly. My favorite moment of the season was after Dion Waiters hit that game-winner. That was the moment I wept tears of joy. I’ve never wept so much joy tears.
Who should win the Coach of the Year?
Masterson: Firstly, Gregg Popovich is the LeBron James of this award. Now that we have that out of the way, Mike D’Antoni has taken an already transcendent player and MVP candidate, James Harden, and turned him into an all-universe superhero by moving him to the point, which he nominally was anyway, and installing an offense he pioneered a decade ago with a two-time MVP. He updated that scheme and utilized valuable role players to complement Harden, the nucleus of an historically great offense. Throw in a much-improved defense, and D’Antoni deserving of this honor.
Jefferson: Erik Spoelstra has undeniably had the best year as a coach. Taking a team from 11-30 to the brink of playoff contention should not just be swept under the rug. Yet, that is exactly what I’m going to do. Mike D’Antoni was basically laughed out of the league after watching Kobe Bryant shoot his system into the ground like it was a contested fadeaway. Many questioned the sanity of the Rockets front office when they named D’Antoni as the replacement to Kevin McHale and J.B. Bickerstaff this summer, but D’Antoni has gotten his superstar point guard, James Harden, to fully buy-in and Houston has vaunted itself back to the top of the Western Conference and has a puncher’s chance at capturing a NBA title. Spoelstra has been magnificent, but let’s consider this more of a lifetime achievement thing for D’Antoni — they do that kind of thing with these awards.
Magnotti: I get that COY normally goes to coaches that amass a high number of unexpected wins, or just goes to the coach of a top-3 team that feels particularly deserving. Quin Snyder, Steve Kerr, and Mike D’Antoni are all probably deserving. But seriously, have you seen this Heat roster? Yeah, you have Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside. But the depth behind them is the depth of a team that should win 25 games, not 40. Justise Winslow played 18 games. Josh Richardson missed a month with an MCL sprain. Dion Waiters missed 35 games. And obviously, the team planned on having Chris Bosh around, and did not. Instead, Erik Spoelstra secured/almost secured a playoff spot with a wing rotation of a recovering Richardson, Rodney McGruder, a former D-Leaguer; James Johnson, veteran cast-off turned vital defensive anchor; Wayne Ellington, journeyman chucker; and Luke Babbitt, who started 55 games. Spoelstra brought this team within a game of the playoffs while starting Luke Babbitt for two-thirds of the season. D’Antoni and Snyder were great, but let’s be real here. No one overcame more obstacles to field a competitive team than Erik Spoelstra.
Schimanski: Erik Spoelstra is my pick for this one. I’ll give a shout-out to Mike D’Antoni in Houston for the job he did with the Rockets, but having James Harden surrounded by shooters helps implement that style quite a bit. The Miami Heat’s roster was the other end of the spectrum. Left for dead earlier this season, Miami was sitting at 11-30 at the halfway mark of the NBA season. With a roster devoid of star talent (minus Hassan Whiteside), the best-case scenario for the Heat looked like a full-on tank. Then Spoelstra decided to remind all of us why he’s one of the finest basketball coaches in the world, taking his team from depths of the Eastern Conference Standings to one game away from making the playoffs. Whether the Heat make the playoffs or not, the turnaround that he has engineered is one of the finer coaching jobs this league has seen in recent history.
Rossman-Reich: I think I have to take Mike D’Antoni for the award, mostly so I can eat crow. Go back through the Step Back archives, I am pretty sure I wrote something in the summer questioning James Harden’s ability to run D’Antoni’s offense. Boy was I wrong. Harden proved to be a perfect fit for that offense. More than perfect. And now it seems D’Antoni has returned to the NBA at a time when the style he revolutionized is getting taken to another level. No one knew what to expect with the Rockets this season. Plenty of people had them missing the playoffs entirely. So to see the Rockets in as the third seed is impressive. Give D’Antoni credit for going all out on his 3-point shooting style and giving all the trust to Harden to execute it.
Goldberg: How many coaches tried to unlock Dion Waiters but ultimately failed? Who among us would have decided James Johnson was LeBron James Jr.? How many teams have ever won 40 games with Luke Babbitt and Rodney McGruder as starters. Erik Spoelstra was coaching with both hands tied behind his back all season — he lost Dwyane Wade, and with Chris Bosh sidelined all season was only able to roll out 75 percent of the Heat’s cap. No head coach this season has a higher achievement-to-challenge ratio than Spoelstra. He’s my #SpoachOfTheYear.
What surprised you the most about this season?
Masterson: Giannis’ individual excellence aside, the Bucks basically arrived a year ahead of schedule, outperforming all of our preseason projections for their win total. A lot of that is due to Giannis’ jump — more on that in a moment — but the emergence of Malcolm Brogdon as one of the best second-round draft picks ever and a leading ROY candidate helped to temper the sorrow of another Jabari Parker season-ending injury. Long, impossibly athletic and full of creativity under the expert counsel of one of the NBA’s smartest minds ever, Jason Kidd, the Bucks are already a force to be reckoned with on any given night. You’re on notice, Toronto.
Jefferson: Kawhi Leonard. I will admit to hating on Kawhi early in his ascension to world destroyer, but I always thought there was too much praise heaped on him too early — his defense on LeBron was incredible, but I’ll still argue that he didn’t really deserve that Finals MVP trophy in 2014. There’s nothing left for me to hate on now. In the 2016-17 season Leonard became one of the most unstoppable isolation players while also remaining the best perimeter defender in the league. In an era of 3-pointers, triple-doubles, pace, and scoring Kawhi has become a throwback of sorts. Plop him into any 1990’s NBA game and he’ll fit right in. He’s a modern day Scottie Pippen and his ability to make a difference on both sides of the court help him stand out in a league full of stars.
Schimanski: I think the general public’s realization of Westbrook’s triple-doubles surprised me a little bit. Obviously it’s a rare feat to average a triple-double for an entire season, but if there was ever a perfect blueprint for it to happen again, it would’ve been Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder this season. As soon as Kevin Durant announced he was headed to the Bay Area, we knew we would see an unprecedented level of usage for Westbrook. From that moment on, I knew a triple-double season could legitimately be in cards. At the very least, he was probably going to get close. I always thought Westbrook could do it. It wasn’t terribly surprising to me that he eventually did do it. What surprised me was the number of people who expected, or even were convinced, that he could never do it.
Magnotti: We knew going in that the league was going to be top heavy this year, but I thought that the middle class was going to be a little stronger, particularly in the West. It seemed heading into the year that the Blazers, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Pelicans, and maybe the Mavericks would be contending for the No. 8 seed. I was surprised by just how bad the bottom of the West race was. The Timberwolves, Mavs, and Pelicans all fell fairly flat for their expectations, with depth issues hurting the Pelicans and youth and lack of continuity causing issues for Minnesota and Dallas. Denver competed, particularly in January and February, but fell off late. And even Portland, who rallied to take the No. 8 seed, was a bunch of matadors for most of the season, barely clinging to the seed due to their horrendous defense. None of these teams inspired confidence about their ability to take control of the No. 8 seed, up until Portland grabbed it about a week ago. That was a bit of a shock for the usually deep and dominant West.
Rossman-Reich: I am still surprised things changed so much with the offenses in the league. Everyone has talked about the changes for a while with the increase in spacing. But there were still teams who could not score at all and still found a niche through their defense. Maybe the hint when the Memphis Grizzlies went to Kevin Fizdale and tried to speed things up was the sign defense in the league was dead. Or on life support. The NBA will finish this year with the the highest top defensive rating since 1995, that was when the league moved the 3-point line in a foot to increase scoring. Defenses are trying to play catch up to this offensive revolution and are finding it very hard to do so. It could completely change the kind of players that are valued in the Draft and how teams build from here.
Goldberg: Jusuf Nurkic being one of the top-five coolest dudes in the league. I had no idea he was so cool.
Who should win the Most Improved Player Award?
Masterson: Every so often, the discussion over whether an MVP candidate can also be the most improved arises. It was the case with Steph Curry last year, whose MVP season the year prior simply set the table for the feast he and the Warriors enjoyed all season en route to 73 victories. Though he has fallen out of favor in light of the blinding insanity of the four leading men, Giannis Antetokounmpo has grown by literal leaps and bounds this season, piloting the Milwaukee Bucks to the playoffs and solidifying his spot as one of the superstars-in-waiting for the next generation of NBA players. He earned his first All-Star nomination this season and is averaging career highs in nearly everything you could possibly care about, and he is the first player in NBA history to finish the season top-20 in all five major raw statistical categories: points, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks. Get this man a smoothie, stat!
Jefferson: This award can go to so many different people that I forgot who I even said should win this about a week ago. With a blank slate to choose from, write me down as a member of the James Johnson campaign. The Miami Heat will not go quietly into the night and Johnson’s (in-season) transformation has been one of the big reasons why. He’s averaging career highs in the three biggest categories (points, rebounds and assists) and just imagine the awesome karate moves he’ll perform on-stage during his acceptance speech.
Schimanski: Although this season will be remembered for its MVP candidates, I feel like this year’s Most Improved Player candidates are being a bit overlooked. We witnessed the growth of a Greek Freak that looks like a possible heir to the throne in the East (whenever LeBron decides he’s done with it). We also uncovered one of the greatest big man passers of all-time in Nikola Jokic. Jokic is one of my favorite players in the league, but I thought Jokic’s case for this award was less about improvement and more about attention. That’s not to say he didn’t improve. He was definitely better this year, but people forget that he was probably the second-best rookie in the league last year (with apologies to Mr. Porzingis in New York). Jokic was finally noticed this season. Many took that as an improvement, rather than a realization that maybe he flew under the national radar a year ago. As a result, my pick is Giannis Antetokounmpo, after he made the jump to a top 10 player this year. A lot of Giannis’ growth from the past season has been mental. He has finally started to convince himself he can take over games with his sheer size and length. Outside of a passable jumper, I believe that Giannis’ mind will be even more vital than his body in determining his future success.
Magnotti: The leap from regular joe to star is hard. The leap from star to superstar is harder. Giannis Antetokounmpo firmly made that latter ascension this season, fulfilling his promise in the most exclamatory way possible. He went from borderline franchise piece to definitive All-Star starter, and drove a late run after a hard start for Milwaukee that has them in the No. 6 seed and as one of the biggest threats to pull off a playoff upset. Most Improved Player is usually a crapshoot, but this year, it has a definitive winner in my opinion.
Rossman-Reich: I do not like giving this award to good players who became great. So I will give this to Otto Porter who went from inconsequential bust draft pick to serviceable rotation player. Porter averaged a career-high 13.5 points per game and shot an incredible 51.6 percent from the floor and 43.5 percent from beyond the arc. Porter was a weak link last year for the Washington Wizards as they missed the Playoffs. This year, his emergence is a big reason why the Wizards are in and Southeast Division champions.
Goldberg: I’ve heard some noise about giving this to Bradley Beal, but I’m not awarding a dude for just finally being healthy. Also, Giannis is the front-runner and he’s definitely improved, but isn’t that sort of the point? He’s young and has gotten better every season. Same goes for Rudy Gobert. I’m not surprised when dudes with star potential start becoming stars. That’s not improvement more than just progression, if that makes any sense. In other words: They didn’t improve their position or situation in the league. James Johnson, though, absolutely did. Johnson not only transformed his game, but his body. He got harder, better, faster, stronger. He went from a dude almost out of the league to someone who will command eight figures as a free agent this summer. Johnson, 30, was not supposed to get this good, and yet here we are.
Ten years from now, what will we remember most about this season?
Masterson: “Ah, yes, the first time Westbrook averaged a triple-double for the season…”
Jefferson: The quality of MVP candidates. For a year that was chalked up as a foregone conclusion on Independence Day, there was one hell of a race for the highest personal honor in the game AND NO WARRIORS WERE INVOLVED! LeBron James might have just had his greatest single season despite nearing the end of his “prime”. James Harden once again mastered the offensive end of the floor. Kawhi Leonard led a bunch of old men and recycled parts to 60-plus wins and took the ball from opponents like Deebo does chains in Friday. Last, but not least, Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double and broke the record for most triple-doubles in a single season. We’d be lucky to get just one of these performances in a lone season. This year we got all four…
Schimanski: The year is 2028 (Disclaimer: Some of this information may or may not be true in the future)…
*Dad Max slowly sits up in his recliner, as his young son sits on his lap*
Son- “Dad, when were triple-doubles not common in the NBA?”
Dad Max- “Well, it was about ten years ago in 2017 when Russell Westbrook began to average triple doubles. In fact, he had triple doubles in over half of his games that season.”
Son- “Was he the first one? A few players have done that!”
Dad Max- “Yes. Not only did he have a bunch of triple-doubles, but he even beat out LeBron James for the MVP award in one of LeBron’s best seasons. ”
Son- “Wow, LeBron James! He’s the best player of all-time. Westbrook beat him, because he had lots of triple-doubles?”
Dad Max- “People really loved the triple-double at that time. It wasn’t nearly as common as it is now.”
Son- “Wow, do you remember watching Russ play that season, Dad? What was it like?”
*A single tear runs down Max’s face, as he looks out of the window, off into the distance*
Dad Max- “It was magical, truly magical…”
Magnotti: All of this stuff about Russell Westbrook and the MVP race is fun to think, but the playoffs will shape the narrative of the season forever. No one is going to care what Westbrook did if we can look back at the final result and see the Warriors losing another Finals even after picking up Durant, or we see the Cavs fall apart in the East playoffs. Any result that doesn’t end with the Warriors beating the Cavs in the Finals will be a shock to all of us.
Rossman-Reich: This will always be known as the Russell Westbrook year. To steal the conceit from responses above, I will always be able to tell my kids I was there when Westbrook hit a 30-footer to force overtime against the Orlando Magic, setting the record for most points in a triple double in league history. Anyone who saw Westbrook play this year will be able to say something similar. This is a historic season. Maybe Westbrook can do it again, but I imagine like the Warriors last year, even attempting this takes a lot out of him. It will be a tough feat to accomplish again.
Who should win the Sixth Man of the Year?
Masterson: Both Eric Gordon and Lou Williams have been incredible off the bench, the latter for two different teams this season, and although the consensus is not to split an award, and although this award literally has a singular numerical denotation attached to it… I’m inclined to turn Sixth Man of the Year into Sixth Men of the Year. Gordon and Williams have finally given Houston the bench they so desperately needed, one that means the Rockets’ offense doesn’t totally fall apart when Harden sits. If we are to keep it singular, however, Andre Iguodala has been the steady force the Warriors have needed him to be through the KD transition.
Jefferson: Andre Iguodala, it’s ripe time we stop handing this award off to whoever scored the most points per game and didn’t start. Instead, we should look at a player like Iguodala who has had a profound impact whenever he’s on the court regardless of what the box score stats display at the end of the game. The Warriors wouldn’t be the Warriors if it weren’t for Iguodala. He’s bought into his role and has excelled at it. Give that man his trophy.
Schimanski: We can’t deny him any longer. Give it to Andre Iguodala. He should’ve won it last year, and he should also win it this year. His role became even more important this season when the Warriors needed to sacrifice depth to acquire Durant. Iggy needed to be even better off of the bench than he already was if the Warriors were to become the most super of all superteams. He promptly responded and has been sensational. It would be a crime to steal this award from him for a second straight year.
Magnotti: It should be Greg Monroe, who completely reconfigured his role with the Bucks and has been perhaps their third-best player this year. He’s a stabilizing force off the bench who has opened up their offense and helped them survive without a true point guard on the roster. However, knowing 6th man voting, it’ll either go to Andre Iguodala or [INSERT VOLUME BENCH CHUCKER], because bigs that come off the bench are never good enough for this award, apparently.
Rossman-Reich: No drama here, it is Eric Gordon. He has had a career resurrection coming off the bench and playing within Mike D’Antoni’s 3-point-happy offense. It is the perfect offense for Gordon. Of course, staying healthy was a big part of that equation. But this is the Eric Gordon everyone has imagined since he was at Indiana. Good to finally see it.
Goldberg: Even though the Warriors sort of cheated by not starting him more, Andre Iguodala should win it. Sometimes cheating works, just look at the Patriots.
Who’s winning the championship?
Masterson: It’s the Warriors until it isn’t, right? That’s been the story for each of the past three seasons, and adding one of the two best basketball players on the planet certainly helps their case. There exist dimensions in which the Spurs, the Rockets and even the Clippers disallow the Warriors from getting out of the West, and it’s possible the Cavs flip the switch in crunch time, as they have a track record of doing. But the Warriors have four All-Stars and a coach who knows how best to implement, stack and rotate them. They have a splendid bench of role players, square pegs in square holes. Then again, the only thing they don’t have? LeBron James.
Jefferson: My money is on the Warriors. They’ve kicked it into high-gear as of late and while last season was the year of blown lead in sports (insert favorite 3-1 joke here), 2017 looks to be the year of redemption with Clemson and North Carolina making up for ill-timed performances from a year ago.
Schimanski: I mean…the Warriors? Is there any other acceptable answer at this point? There’s too many things going the way of Golden State to not pick them. Does that mean I’m 100 percent sure of them? No way. I’m not that certain unless Kawhi Leonard is kidnapped, James Harden shaves his beard, and LeBron decides to retire to try his hand at playing tight-end for the Cleveland Browns. They were my pick at the beginning of the season, they’re my pick now, and they probably should be everyone’s pick. However, I’ll say this: After watching last year, I wouldn’t count out LeBron James (assuming the Cavs make the Finals) even if he played the Warriors one-on-five. Playoff LeBron never disappoints.
Magnotti: I would be absolutely shocked if the Warriors didn’t win.
Rossman-Reich: Golden State. Too much Curry. Too much Durant. Too much Klay. Pick your poison. They run their crazy offense and keep teams from getting too comfortable. They are just the best team. Cleveland maybe figures things out by the Finals, but the Warriors are a juggernaut.
Goldberg: Since no one else said it, LeBron James and the Cavaliers. You can all bet against LeBron if you want, but I’m not. I know better. The last time Cleveland won back-to-back championships was 1955. That’s 62 years without being happy for two years in a row. In some respects, bringing Cleveland its first back-to-back championships would be even more impressive than what LeBron did last season. OK, not really, but still.
Who should win the MVP Award?
Masterson: You know the feeling of rampant incredulity that ostensibly accompanies any mention of the fact that Oscar Robertson not only didn’t win the MVP the year he averaged a triple-double, but in fact finished third? We as a basketball-viewing society have a chance to exact some measure of justice for that, 55 years after the fact. Don’t overthink this: as great as the others have been for their, yes, better teams, Russell Westbrook is the MVP.
Jefferson: Westbrook, #hist0ry.
Schimanski: To be honest, I still don’t know. Being someone who values efficiency in scoring and craftiness in a style of play, I want it to be James Harden. Harden presents both of those things to the extreme in the Rockets’ Moreyball offense, even if he’s less entertaining than Russell Westbrook. However, I’m not sure how Westbrook can be denied. What he has been able to do this season has been nothing short of superhuman. Like I said above, I always thought he could average a triple-double, but actually watching him do it was otherworldly. At the end of the day, though, I still feel like it should be LeBron. He’s still the best player in the league. In most types of On-Off stats, he means the most to his team. If we’re talking about “Most Valuable”, isn’t that the definition? I don’t know. Maybe I’ll feel differently if the Cavs don’t make the Finals or blow a big series lead or something of the sort. Until that time, though, it’s hard for me to say that anyone is more valuable to their team, or to the league, than LeBron James.
Magnotti:
Hear me out: All-MVP First Team
— Serbian Clydesdale (@IllegalScreens) April 10, 2017
Kawhi, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and throw in Steph Curry or Isaiah Thomas for good measure. We’re in the millennial age now. If we have four guys who deserve trophies, give them all trophies.
Rossman-Reich: Russell Westbrook. I get the James Harden wins argument, and I am usually persuaded by it. But this is like when Alex Rodriguez won his MVP with the last-place Texas Rangers. Sometimes a player has such a historic season that it does not matter where his team finished. Westbrook had an incredible season. We may never see this kind of year again. Just look at the answers to that question above. We will talk about this year as the Westbrook season 10 years from now. Do you even remember who won the title the year Oscar Robertson averaged a triple double? My point exactly.
Next: Carmelo Anthony may have played his last game for the New York Knicks
Goldberg: Situation — It’s July, 2016, and I’m in charge of starting a new team and there’s no salary cap. I’m also really really rich. Adam Silver tells me that for $100 million I can have any of the following players and the seasons they would eventually have were guaranteed: Westbrook’s triple-double season, Harden’s efficiency extravaganza, Kawhi’s two-way stardom, LeBron’s putting-the-team-on-his-back-tho-type of year. $100 million gives me any of these seasons to build by team around, guaranteed. I’m going with Harden.