Trophies: Predicting the end-of-season NBA awards

Head coach Jeff Hornacek of the Phoenix Suns directs his team during the NBA game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at US Airways Center on April 6, 2014 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Coach of the Year: I’ve heard many opinions that say that Gregg Popovich should basically win the Coach of the Year award every single year for the continued miracle he pulls off annually with the San Antonio Spurs. Although I don’t completely disagree, I feel that this year I must reward a coach who made the most of an underrated roster instead of a coach who was gifted with a team full of Hall of Famers. I’m talking about Jeff Hornacek who nearly led the Phoenix Suns to the playoffs after they were predicted to finish at the bottom of the West in pre-season.

Somehow, after trading away Marcin Gortat, getting nothing out of Alex Len, and losing Bledsoe for half the season, they still finished with 48 wins and would’ve been in the top four if they were in the Eastern Conference. In his first year as head coach, Hornacek made the most out of underrated players like Dragic, Bledsoe, Green, Plumlee, Channing Frye, and the Morris twins and for that reason, he deserves the trophy. Popovich should be one of the nominees of course as ever, as should Tom Thibodeau for the miracles he continues to perform in Chicago. Dwane Casey, Jason Kidd, Doc Rivers, Terry Stotts, Rick Carlisle, and Frank Vogel all coached well at various points in the season.

All NBA First Team – Chris Paul, James Harden, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Joakim Noah: I feel happy about the front-court, as Durant, James, and Noah are also my top three MVP candidates. But the backcourt is disappointing, especially considering that Harden doesn’t play defense and Paul missed 19 games this season. Still, it was a low year for guards (Rose, Kobe, Rondo, Wade, Westbrook all limited) and so Chris Paul, as the de-facto ‘point god’ gets an edge into this team. I feel bad not including the PG of the league’s best squad – the Spurs’ Tony Parker – but he also played limited minutes this season and will surely once again propel to the top in the post-season.

All NBA Second Team – Stephen Curry, Tony Parker, Paul George, Blake Griffin, Dwight Howard: Had to include Parker here just on the basis of being the best player in the best team. Curry was magnificent even though the Warriors were inconsistent. Paul George started off as an MVP candidate, but dropped considerably later on in the season; still, his defensive prowess and early-season brilliance must be respected. Blake Griffin was brilliant this season, especially in Paul’s absence. And Howard returned to form (sort of) for the Rockets.

LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat during a game against the Atlanta Hawks on April 12, 2014 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

All NBA Third Team – Goran Dragic, Damian Lillard, Dirk Nowitzki, LaMarcus Aldridge, Roy Hibbert: I’m rewarding the two Blazers and Hibbert chiefly on their early season dominance – I feel it should be recognized even though its easy to get lost in ‘the moment’ and their dip in form. And I’ve excluded the likes of Kevin Love, Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, etc. because of their bad team records. Al Jefferson is a close snub, too.

I’m not going to pay much attention to positions for the rest…

All Defensive First Team – Ricky Rubio, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Joakim Noah, Roy Hibbert

Goran Dragic #1 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball during the NBA game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at US Airways Center on April 6, 2014 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Thunder 122-115.

All Defensive Second Team – Patrick Beverley, Jimmy Butler, Andre Iguodala, Tim Duncan, Serge Ibaka

All Rookie First Team (ugh!) - Michael Carter-Williams, Trey Burke, Victor Oladipo, Tim Hardaway Jr., Gorgui Dieng.

Guards on guards on guards.

All Rookie Second Team (I advise you look away) - Mason Plumlee, Steven Adams, Kelly Olynyk, Pero Antic, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

And that’s that. Feel free to share your comments, criticisms, and predictions. And let’s hope for a great post-season ahead!