It's an honor to receive a vote for the NBA's annual awards. Ballots are due Friday. Awards will be announced during the playoffs. My submission's below.
Feel free to weigh in via the comments section. I'll respond if possible. Thanks for reading.
2011-12 NBA rookie of the year:
1.) Kyrie Irving, Cleveland
2.) Ricky Rubio, Minnesota
3.) Isaiah Thomas, Sacramento
Coach of the year
1.) Gregg Popovich, San Antonio
2.) Frank Vogel, Indiana
3.) Lionel Hollins, Memphis
Defensive player of the year
1.) Tyson Chandler, New York
2.) Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City
3.) Tony Allen, Memphis
First team
PG Chris Paul
SG Kobe Bryant
SF LeBron James
PF Kevin Love
C Dwight Howard
Second team
PG Russell Westbrook
SG Joe Johnson
SF Kevin Durant
PF Dirk Nowitzki
C Andrew Bynum
Third team
PG Tony Parker
SG Manu Ginobili
SF Rudy Gay
PF Blake Griffin
C Al Jefferson
Sixth man
1.) James Harden, Oklahoma City
2.) Jason Terry, Dallas
3.) O.J. Mayo, Memphis
Most valuable player
1.) LeBron James, Miami
2.) Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City
3.) Tony Parker, San Antonio
4.) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
5.) Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns
Most improved player
1.) Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City
2.) Nikola Pekovic, Minnesota
3.) Ersan Ilyasova, Milwaukee
Note: My MVP vote's based off a variety of factors, including everything from a player's statistics to their importance to their team's success. I also separate the All-NBA team by position. The awards ballot provides generic listings for guard and forward, with no divide between power/small and point/shooting. In my opinion, this is too vague and allows some players to be submitted out of position, while ignoring the importance that a point guard or small forward has in the league. It's also the only reason Durant didn't make my first team.
Brian T. Smith
Twitter: @tribjazz
