Mid-Season NBA Thoughts

Rookies of the Year:
My draft picks are still holding strong, but take a look at stephen curry. my goodness, lil dude is a shooter & i never realized how much of a hustler he was. he's already had a couple triple doubles. i had a feeling this guy would be good, but not this good. keep it up, mr. curry, prove all those doubters wrong. the ROY should come down to tyreke, steph curry or jennings, period.

after a strong start, brandon jennings is getting more double teamed and hands in his face. as a result, his FG% has dropped quite a bit. he's around 39% on the season, which is pretty bad. tyreke or stephen curry may take over his rookie of the year award and i honestly have both those guys over jennings.

so final verdict... 1) tyreke evans
2) steph curry (elite steals)
3) brandon jennings

Most Improved:

let's see. lots of good candidates this season. i'm actually missing the short list i made this season for this, so prepare for an update.

1) zach randolph: some will stay he's way too high for this list, but the grizzlies have an improved record and in the close wins they've had, he's been a major factor why. he's a double double machine these days and is making less stupid mistakes. it seems as if he knows he's making a bad shot, he tries to get the rebound. he's having a career high in FG% and it actually looks like he's maturing. i call that improvement. not to mention, his 2nd highest RPG season next to the likes of marc gasol. he could still become a more defensive force, but has obviously improved on the offensive end.

2) carl landry: he will also be features in 6th man of the year. led the league in FG% for december and is improving in defense. he is just efficient and hits FT's to round out his game.

3) joakim noah: his hustle rebounding has amplified his value even more and he knows how to box out. he shoots at a high cilp and you know you will get effort from him every night. his form on his jumper is almost laughable, but he's making his shots, so how much can you complain?

4) marc gasol: has used his body even more to get physical and is starting to prove himself as a better rebounder and man-to-man defender than older brother, pau gasol. he still doesn't have pau's post moves or passing, but he sure is becoming solid.

5) aaron brooks: everyone knew he was fast, but now he is starting to create for teammates and shoot knockdown 3's while becoming a slightly better defender in the passing lanes.

6) kevin durant: already an established scorer, just rebounding and finishing plays even better this season. slowly becoming a better defender.

6th man of the year:

1) jamal crawford: bench scoring is what ATL needed and crawford sure did fill it. we're taking about a 6'6 SG shooting 36.4% from downtown, averaging nearly 18 pts and 3 assists. if bibby gets it going along with marvin williams, this team will be hard to beat.

2) carl landry: yes, he takes two spots because he's both improved and comes off the bench.

3) jason terry: he's won it once and having a down year, but he can still score in bunches and help finish fast breaks.

4) charlie V: instant points and rebounds when he has the hot hand. inconsistency keeps him at this ranking.