Put in your choices for which Celtic deserves the team award for common and some uncommon NBA Awards. Some choices are obvious some are not.MVP: Paul Pierce (not only for his obvious contributions to the team, but also because of how poorly they played without him. Shows how much easier he makes it for others to succeed when he does play)Defensive Player of the year: Al Jefferson (because of his rebounding, ability to block shots and he also get .7 stl/game too. Tony Allen was on his way to getting this one)Most Improveed: Al Jefferson Rookie of the year: Rajon Rondo (If only Doc hadn't burried him on the bench early)6th Man: Ryan Gomes (Allen's injury allowed for West to start more, Rondo was sat for too long, Green is too inconsistent)Ideal Starting Five: (when everyone is healthy)C- Perkins by defaultPF- Al JeffersonSF - Paul PierceSG - Tony AllenPG - Rajon Rondo6th man - Delonte West Biggest disappointmentKendrick Perkins (Lots will say Telfair, but I wasn't personally surprised. I though Perkins would have a stronger year after having a year with decent minutes under his belt, but he's not really progressing)Surprise Player of the yearTony Allen (after starting off slow, Allen really started to put it together before the season ending injury. If he can get healthy this summer and start strong, he'll be a big reason for any improvement)
MVP: Paul PierceDefensive: Rajon RondoMost Improved: Al JeffersonRookie: Rajon Rondo6th man: idk we dont really have a 6th man because of Doc's dumb rotations where he brings in 4 players at a timeIdeal Starting 5: SameBiggest disappointment: Theo Ratliff..he didn't play..period but for players that played I say Telfair..he just completely sucked this year and went from starting PG to 3rd string..I didn't expect Perkins to have an incredible year because of the injurySurprise player of the year: Leon Powe..I never would of expected he would be able to do what he does with his limited minutes..he provides everything you ask in a basketball player...energy, hustle, athleticism, scoring, rebounding, blocking shots..I like Powe and thought he had a surprisingly good year
Before I give my opinions, I think giving Perkins biggest disappointment is certainly crap. He went through a long stretch where he was not playing well at all, but he was playing with some pretty bad plantar fasciitis. Have you watched Perk play these past 2 months? He has been phenomenal for us. He has played his role 100% beautifully. No way he deserves this. And Al Jefferson defensive player of the year? Give me a break, I'm sorry. Yes he can block shots and yes he is an excellent rebounder, but he is far from a good defensive player. He still has a lot to work on down there. A lot. Perk is a much better defensive player than him, to begin with. And playa, how can you give Theo the biggest disappointment? I know he hasn't played and we expected decent play from him, but it's not his fault he has chronic back problems. MVP: Paul Pierce Really no explanation needed. He's the best player on this team and has been since 2000, this team is completely lost without him, and he is our leader. No question he is the team MVP. Defensive Player of the Year: Rajon Rondo This was tough, considering our best defender went down in January (TA). He would have easily gotten this, but I give it to Rondo. Here's why: First off, he obviously has great quickness and anticipation skills, so he's able to get a lot of steals without "cheating" too much. Secondly, he's one of the best rebounding guards I've seen in a very long time. Thirdly, he doesn't get "burned" all that often. Finally, notice how we have been running a hell of a lot more this past month or two? That's all because of Rondo's ability to get every single loose ball around him and get stops for us to ignite the break. Most Improved: Al Jefferson Easily. He went from an injury plagued young guy who half the fans wanted traded (not me!) to half the city's favorite player, a consistent double-double guy, and a legit low-post scoring option with a jaw-dropping array of post moves. Al has even been much more of a vocal leader as of late. Big Al gets this award easily, nobody else is in contention. Rookie of the Year: Rajon Rondo Another clear-cut award. I already talked about what he brings to the table defensively above, but he also makes a ton of things happen on the offensive end. He's got a very high basketball IQ and he is a good decision maker (he makes the right decisions quickly as well, which is the more promising aspect of it all). He is very quick and athletic, he can get to the rim and either finish with a runner or a loud/unexpected slam. He's a terrific playmaker that turns nothing into something quite often. If this kid ever develops a semi-respectable jumper, he's going to be unbelievable. Sixth Man of the Year: N/A I just can't give this award away. We have had far too many injuries to ever establish a set rotation, especially in the second half of the season, and everybody has gotten their chance to start. Everybody has switched off, the rotation changes on a nightly basis, for the most part. I can't give this award to anyone, that's how bad the injuries were. Ideal Starting 5 When Everybody Is Healthy C: Theo Ratliff PF: Al Jefferson SF: Paul Pierce SG: Tony Allen PG: Rajon Rondo 6th Man: Wally Szczerbiak Biggest Disappointment: Sebastian Telfair Though I have defended him in the past and I am still sticking by him as a solid backup point guard in the future, he has been a big disappointment for this team. He's a horrible defender, he doesn't have a great jumper, and he is not aggressive offensively 90% of the time he's put out on the floor. I don't get it. If Bassy's confidence isn't at all all-time high, he just doesn't even bother trying to attack offensively. That is a big problem. He has the tools to be a good player in this league, I don't understand why he isn't attacking. He's very quick, he is a good playmaker, he's a good ballhandler who doesn't turn it over a whole lot, and he can get to the rack with his quickness. Even in the first 2 months of the season, he was knocking down that pull-up 15-17 foot jumper at a very high rate, now he's ice cold from there. He's only 21, and I still have faith he won't be overseas in 2 years, but if he doesn't correct this aggression issue, he will be overseas. Surprise Player of the Year: Brian Scalabrine Last year, absolutely EVERYBODY booed and yelled cusses every time he entered the game (including me, I admit it). This year, after he lost some weight and improved his jumper a ton, he has played his role very nicely. He has come up huge for us on the defensive end on a number of occasions, he has brought the hustle everybody was talking about when he first got here, he has knocked down the open 3 very nicely (improved a TON), and he never hurts us when he's on the floor anymore. I have truthfully grown to really like Scal, his personality, and what he brings to the team whether he plays 25 minutes or 10 minutes. I'll also add one: Coach of the Year: Clifford Ray Cliffy has clearly made a giant impact on Al Jefferson this year, and you can see the quick progression with Leon Powe as well. Ray came over from Orlando, where he worked with Dwight Howard. He has come to Boston and he has done everything the media was talking about when he signed his contract. He has helped Al's mental game, offensive game, and his defensive game a lot. Perk, Al, and Powe have praised Cliffy numerous times in interviews. He clearly has made a big impact on our bigs and he has helped them improve their games at a quick pace. They respect him, he can relate to them (since he was a big man in the NBA), and he makes them work. Way to go, Cliff!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ Apr 16 2007, 05:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Before I give my opinions, I think giving Perkins biggest disappointment is certainly crap. He went through a long stretch where he was not playing well at all, but he was playing with some pretty bad plantar fasciitis. Have you watched Perk play these past 2 months? He has been phenomenal for us. He has played his role 100% beautifully. No way he deserves this.And Al Jefferson defensive player of the year? Give me a break, I'm sorry. Yes he can block shots and yes he is an excellent rebounder, but he is far from a good defensive player. He still has a lot to work on down there. A lot. Perk is a much better defensive player than him, to begin with.</div>Perkins is still only avg 21 mins a game. He's too foul prone to be a reliable defensive player consistently and still has had some really bad games over the last two months (2 points 6 rebounds, 2 points 1 rebound, 2 points 2 rebounds)Rondo is a good choice for defensive player of the year, but I'm going with Jefferson due to him playing a lot more this year. Rondo has come on throughout the year as Doc woke out of his slumber and started giving him consistant mins, but Jefferson has had to do it all year.Getting defensive player of the year on this team is no real compliment anyways. :winkglasses:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticFan @ Apr 16 2007, 07:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Perkins is still only avg 21 mins a game. He's too foul prone to be a reliable defensive player consistently and still has had some really bad games over the last two months (2 points 6 rebounds, 2 points 1 rebound, 2 points 2 rebounds) Rondo is a good choice for defensive player of the year, but I'm going with Jefferson due to him playing a lot more this year. Rondo has come on throughout the year as Doc woke out of his slumber and started giving him consistant mins, but Jefferson has had to do it all year. Getting defensive player of the year on this team is no real compliment anyways. :winkglasses:</div> Oh great, you point out 3 games where Perk didn't get big numbers. Cool, what about the rest of them? Perk has played very well and very consistently since he has been healthy. So, because Al plays more he is a better defensive player? That's ridiculous.
I pointed out 3 games in the last 2 months. I could point out more, but that's too much like work.Al's my choice, you ain't changing my mind.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticFan @ Apr 16 2007, 10:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I pointed out 3 games in the last 2 months. I could point out more, but that's too much like work. Al's my choice, you ain't changing my mind.</div> I'm not trying to change your mind, I'm just telling you that Al Jefferson is not a good defender right now and it is absurd that you gave him that award.
Give me Al Jefferson as MVP of the season. Paul was out for so much, that I just cant give it to him. I agree with pretty much everything else that CB32 had to say....I love Rondo as ROY obviously and DPOY, Al is definitely most improved, and Scabs was a big surprise. Not only did he hit a shitload of threes this year, but he dunked in a game!
