Blogger MVP/ROY rankings – Round 4

The first italian Sixers blog is proud to host the fourth round of the “Blogger MVP/ROY rankings”. 

The Brew Hoop crew had initially the idea to put together some of the best NBA blog(ger)s and ask them to vote who they think should be the MVP and the ROY of the season so far. A guido blogger was allowed too, just to show that americans are open minded and democratic: you know, US Government’s public relations tricks…

Anyway, results of the poll are published every two weeks, and this was the first round (Dec 3rd at Brew Hoop), while Clips Nation hosted the second (Dec 17th) and 3 Shades of blue did it with the third (Dec 31th).

Time for the fourth round, then. Voters were:

• Seth from Posting and toasting (Knicks blog)
• College Wolf from… College Wolf (Timberwolves blog)
• Ryan from Hornets 247 
• Ben from Third quarter collapse (Magic blog)
• David from 20 second timeout (NBA blog)
• Brett from Queen City hoops (Bobcats blog)
• Matt/Corndogg from Hardwood Paroxysm (NBA blog)
• Jeremy from PickaxeAndRoll.com (Nuggets blog)
• Guys from We rite goode (NBA blog)
• Frank & Alex from Brew Hoop (Bucks blog)
• ClipperSteve from ClipsNation (Clippers blog)
• Jim from Green Bandwagon (Celtics blog)
• Tom from Celtics blog
• Ricky from Sixers4guidos (yeah, the euro nerd that they let in…)

Votes were given from 10 (top) to 1 for the MVPs, and from 5 (top) to 1 for the rookies.

Here are the results of this round, with selected comments, the race was really tough and close, decided by few votes, like you can see looking at the differences bewteen the first four players. Enjoy !!

1 – LeBron James (108 votes)

“Continuing to make one of the worst supporting casts in basketball look passable – Without LBJ, the Cavs are losing by an average of 19 points per 48 minutes, while with him they win by 2.6.” (Queen City Hoops) – Now I can agree with Brett !!!

“The Cavs are back over .500 and if you remove the six games LeBron missed all or part of because of his owie finger from their record they are 19-12. He is always the most dominant player on the floor plus his team is one of the best in the conference with him and absolutely horrible without him. That is the definition of the NBA MVP.” (PickaxeAndRoll) – Difficult to argue !!!

“He continues to put up excellent numbers but if Nash and Dirk got MVPs over Kobe because of their team’s records then how can LeBron be honored over Kobe this season?” (20 second time out, explaining why he should be #2)

2- Kevin Garnett (106)

“Tangible reasons: Great stats on the league’s best team.  
Intangible reasons: Leadership.  All-NBA defense.  Sparks the crowd leading to a tremendous home-court advantage.  Would Posey/House/Pollard have signed with the Celtics without KG?  Probably not.  Brings ticket/jersey sales.  Anyone doing this on a purely stats based approach is missing the boat here” (music & words by Celtics Blog)  

“As long as the Celtics keep rolling, the award is his. Heck, he might already have it wrapped-up” (Third quarter collapse – who has him #1, of course).

“Garnett’s impact on the court has been great, but his importance to this team mentally and emotionally has been even more important. His numbers are not especially amazing, but he anchors the tremendous Celtic defense and ensures his talented teammates play all out every night” (PickaxeAndRoll.com)

“Call me biased. I don’t care. He means everything to the the Celtics” (Green Bandwagon, shockingly putting him at #1) – Jim, you are definitely biased.

3- Dwight Howard (104)

“Yup, they’re .500 in their last 10. Yup, they lost to the Kings. Yup, they’re more up and down than Britney off her meds. We don’t care. Big Baby Jesus is still king in our book, even if he is a baby daddy now” (Hardwood Paroxysm, that has him at #1)

“The scariest thing? He’s only 22 years old and could easily be doing this for another 10+ years” (College Wolf)

“I saw some old (skinny) Shaq highlights last week and the similarities between the two are incredible, right down to the jerseys.  The scary part is that he really could still improve a lot, which you can’t say about any other 23/15 guys…since there are no other 23/15 guys out there” (that’s why Dwight is Brew Hoop’s #1)

4 – Chris Paul (102)

“Having an all-time great point guard season: 15th in scoring, 3rd in assists, 2nd in PER, and 1st in steals, plus his team is 1.5 out of the West’s best record. But it still pales next to his offseason, when he won NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” quiz show” (We rite goode)

He was my #1 on the list, same for two other voters. According to Hornets 247 he’s also “Dominating Reggie Evans as the best nut-puncher in the league”. LOL

“You want value? I think the Hornets would go from legit contender to lottery team without him” (Posting & Toasting)

“Compare Chris Paul’s number to Steve Nash’s MVP seasons and you will see that they are virtually identical except for two things. Paul is scoring more points and turning the ball over less. And he is doing it all with less talent surrounding him than Nash had”  (PickaxeAndRoll.com) – Love it !!

5 – Kobe Bryant (90)

“One of the hottest teams in the league, the Lakers won 9 out of their last ten. I have no explanation for the Lakers winning so much this season other than Kobe Bryant is really, really good” (College Wolf)

“He has completely confounded the critics who asserted that his attitude would bring down the Lakers this season. The Lakers are on pace to win more than 50 games and it is time for the player who is acknowledged to be the league’s best player to finally win an MVP” (20 second time out, while ranking him #1)

“We still hate ourselves. If Derek Fisher didn’t love his freakin’ daughter so much, this guy would never be on our list. Stupid awe-inspiring fatherhood and respect for life…” (Hardwood Paroxysm)

6 – Steve Nash (56)

“Everyone seems to think the Suns are in bad shape, but nobody can count them out as long as Steve Nash continues to run the offense” (Third quarter collapse)

“Still highly productive but the bloom seems to be off of the rose in Phoenix–the Suns have a poor record against the best teams in the West and just recently lost to Paul’s Hornets.” (20 second time out)

“I know Marion was out too, but how bad were the Suns against the Jazz Thursday?  Nash returns to the lineup and gets a season-high 35 against the Bucks.  He makes the Suns go, the Suns have 26 wins – and they simply cannot win without him.  Pretty much the definition of Valuable” (ClipsNation)

7 – Chauncey Billups (34)

“The Mr. Big Shot nickname is actully misapplied to him, but he’s a brutal, hard-nosed bastard, and that’s worth a lot “ (Hornets 247)

“The kind of guy you can only fully appreciate by watching the Pistons play. As important as Rip, Rasheed and Prince are, you’re kidding yourself if you think any of them are as irreplaceable as Billups” (Brew Hoop) 

8 – Brandon Roy (24)

“The Trail Blazers are on a roll that nobody could have foreseen, and Roy, who should begin his string of perennial All-Star selections this season, is the biggest reason” (Third quarter collapse)

“Someday we’ll find the scroll sent down from Heaven that explains how in the hell these guys are winning 63% of their games.  Until then, we’ll just assume Brandon Roy is Spider-Man” (Hardwood Paroxysm) 

“I refuse to consider this too high for him as long as his team is tied for first in the Northwest Division.” (Green Bandwagon’s reason for putting him at #3)

9 – Dirk Nowitzki & Tim Duncan (tied – 23)

“Dallas has quietly ascended to the top of the West, thanks in large part to Nowitzki snapping out of his early-season funk and playing once again like an MVP.” (Third quarter collapse)

“Since this vote is supposed to be based on this season, Dirk belongs high up the list.  Despite some media talking heads saying this is becoming Josh Howard’s team, the numbers don’t back it up:  Dirk is scoring 42.6 points per 48 minutes during “clutch situations” (Queen City Hoops)

“I’m putting him on the list for the first time because everyone has forgotten about him and he is quietly putting up numbers. There’s nothing wrong with averaging 25 points and 7 boards while hitting in a total of 8 three pointers and owning the foul line in his last 6 games.” (Dirk’s season explained by Green Bandwagon) 

“He’s way down in the MVP rankings this year, but if you were picking teams for a seven game series, you’d be OK taking Timmy with your top pick, wouldn’t you?” (Brew Hoop makes us think about it…)

“Duncan, Parker and Ginobili are all so good, and play almost equal parts in the Spurs success.  But Timmy is beginning to assert himself as first among equals again; he’s averaging over 14 rebounds per game in his last 11 since returning from injury” (ClipsNation)

Out of the Top 10 remained Iverson (17 votes), Ming (16), Baron Davis (12), Boozer and Pierce (10), Ginobili (9), Butler (7), Joe Johnson, Rasheed Wallace and Tony Parker (3), Redd, Kaman, Stoudamire and Stephen Jackson (3), Bosh, Al Jefferson and Deron Williams (1).

Here are the best Rookies:

1 – Kevin Durant (62 votes)

“Putting anyone else other than Durant in this position is a big, fat lie. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I did.” (College Wolf) – You can go to bed now my friend !!!

“The field goal percentage could be better, but his collective numbers are still pretty fantastic for someone born in 1988” (Brew Hoop) – What, 1988 ????????? OMG, I forgot that !

“His field goal percentage has inched upwards but is still in the .400 range. His talent is obvious but his floor game is not yet as good as advertised. I still don’t understand why he has been crowned already as a star in the making. He may very well become a star but it is premature to say so until his body fills out and his game expands beyond just shooting a lot.” (20 seconds time out)

But according to Hornets 247 “Doesn’t pass, doesn’t shoot well, and has a worse rebound rate than Jameer Nelson, Charlie Bell, and Casey Jacobsen. Right now, he’s aspiring to be Tim Thomas”. A pretty sad future, isn’t it ???

2 – Al Horford (55)

“The guy above him is flashy, but exists as a bright spot on one of the worst teams in the league. Horford, meanwhile, is a key piece of a young up and coming team built on team chemistry and dynamic play.  Congratulations, Horford, you’re the Spurs in the Rookie of the Year Microcosm. Welcome to Hell” (Hardwood Paroxysm) – AHAHAHAHAH !!! 

“No wonder Durant scores more when he takes 10 more shots per game.  Horford is the leading rebounder and main low post presence on what looks like a playoff team (albeit in the East).  He gets my vote” (ClipsNation)

“I’m sold. And I loved his 19 rebound performance against the Washington Wizards. However, I do want to make a point here. I can’t stand it when people say something along the lines of the following, “He grabbed 19 rebounds in a college game once. I don’t care who you’re playing against, 19 rebounds is impressive.” Actually the competition matters. If Horford played against a high school team and had 19 boards I’d be disappointed that he did not have 30. Thank you for letting me clear the air on that one.” (Green Bandwagon) – You are welcome ! 

3 – Yi (34)

“He’s overachieving and is one of the few bright spots in what has been a brutal season for the Bucks so far” (Third quarter collapse)

“Amid concerns that Yi was not ready to play in the NBA he has proven that he belongs and has a very bright future. His outside shot is deadly and he is a solid rebounder and shot blocker. When he gets more comfortable in the post he will be a tremendous inside outside offensive force” (PickaxeAndRoll.com)

4 – Sean Williams (20)

“Williams is the athletic defensive presence the Nets have needed for years. Williams was billed as a great shot blocker coming out of college and he has not disappointed. Like Horford, he knows his role and does not force anything on offense.” (PickaxeAndRoll.com)

“Williams keeps this up, and he’ll give troubled college basketball players a bad name” (We rite goode) – Now that’s a good one.

5 – Luis Scola (15)

“Instant offense. Instant defense. Instant intensity. Much like Yao is instant foul trouble and McGrady is instant injury” (Hardwood Paroxysm)

Moon (9), Dudley (5), Navarro and Glen Davis (3), Thornton (2), Cook (1) received votes too.

I am pretty disappointed to see that neither Kevin Ollie nor Derrick Byars could make it to the rankings and I smell an anti-Sixers conspiracy here, anyway thanks to all voters, next round (5th) will be up on Monday 28th but we still don’t know on what site, I’ll keep you updated !!