(63-19) First Round Wraps Up [4-0]

[karlsanada10]

It should have been T-Mac. But I like Wesley too.

[Larvae]

I think T-Mac deserved that, oh well..
But luckily my man Johnson got that one!

[George7]

Boooo!!! T-Mac should have won it!!!
Had he ever played 82 games without a single injury??? Only for this he deserves the award!

[Murat]

MEHMET OKUR!!!!!

[Cruzerr]

Wait, how many games can you start if you want to be the sixth man?

[Mavs4Life]

Wait, how many games can you start if you want to be the sixth man?

I think he just started when someone was injured. T-Mac had better overall numbers.

[Houndy]

JOHNSONNNNNNNNN

[Bucket]

Wait, how many games can you start if you want to be the sixth man?

More games from bench than started.

[KidJustin]

Boooo!!! T-Mac should have won it!!!
Had he ever played 82 games without a single injury??? Only for this he deserves the award!

forget 6th man...if he played ALL the games he deserves the MIP!

[Axel The Great]

I agree. T-Mac should have won the award.

That troll Kobe fan is getting into my nerve. If he comes here along with Kobe, I'll kill him.

Yep, T-Mac all the way. Haha, that Kobe fan sure does make himself unlikeable doesn't he?

T-Mac's award... Johnson started 4 games, that games gave him advantage I like that Kobe fan.

Don't let Fracture hear you say that. But yep, T-Mac was snubbed.

It should have been T-Mac. But I like Wesley too.

I think T-Mac deserved that, oh well..
But luckily my man Johnson got that one!

JOHNSONNNNNNNNN

It's really not that Johnson doesn't deserve it, he did put up good numbers. Could've gone either way really, but I'd have chose McGrady.

Boooo!!! T-Mac should have won it!!!
Had he ever played 82 games without a single injury??? Only for this he deserves the award!

Boooo!!! T-Mac should have won it!!!
Had he ever played 82 games without a single injury??? Only for this he deserves the award!

forget 6th man...if he played ALL the games he deserves the MIP!

First time he's ever played all 82 games. That alone definitely makes him a solid contender. He showed improvement in durability!

MEHMET OKUR!!!!!

Yep, Okur sighting. I knew Badger would like his fellow country man showing up as a contender.

Wait, how many games can you start if you want to be the sixth man?

I think he just started when someone was injured. T-Mac had better overall numbers.

That he did. Maybe it's Johnson's better rebounding and defensive numbers that was the deciding factor.

Wait, how many games can you start if you want to be the sixth man?

More games from bench than started.

Thanks for answering that, Valdis.

Well since I still haven't played Game 4, I'll get another update up, this time, Most Improved Player. I think everyone here will be shocked at who won it.

[rise]

T-Mac?

[Axel The Great]

2011 NBA Most Improved Player

Posted by Axel Gomez May 7, 2011 at 7:45 AM
Alright let's get a few things straight here. First off, when showcasing player's stats, you'll see some +'s, and a decimal next to it. That means an increase of that player's average from the year before. Second, you may shit bricks at what kind of numbers the winner of the Most Improved Player award put up, considering who it is.

JJ Hickson has been named the 2010-11 NBA's Most Improved Player. Most people saw him as a serviceable role player at best when LeBron James left town, seeing as how he made Hickson look good in his time there. With a huge breakout season, Hickson has answered the skeptics; he can put up excellent numbers without LeBron. Hickson averaged 18.8 points (+10.3), 8.3 rebounds (+3.4), 1.4 blocks (+0.9), and shot 47% from the field. He took part in 80 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers, starting 21 to fill in for injuries suffered by Antawn Jamison and Anderson Varejao mid-season. He was second in his team in scoring and rebounding behind Jamison, and first in blocked shots. To top it off, he was top 10 in free throw attempts, but needs improvement from the charity stripe as he shot a sub-par 67% from the line. Hickson's overall improvement indeed makes him worthy of the award, but he could've been a front-runner for sixth man, too.

"It's an honor to become the first Cavalier to win this award. To join the ranks of McGrady, Zach Randolph, Monta Ellis, just feels great. Hopefully this is the start to get this Cleveland franchise back up on its feet," Hickson said upon being presented the award yesterday. "He's worked hard on his game. He was given the opportunity for good minutes this season and did not disappoint. Fans in Cleveland definitely have something to look forward to next season," Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott said. Cleveland wasn't close to being a good team, finishing 27-55 for the season, but Hickson's breakout season can be labelled as a positive thing in an otherwise dismal (as expected) season.

A great runner-up for the award was Dorrell Wright. Wright averaged 14.9 points (+7.8), 7.2 rebounds (+3.9), 1.5 assists (+0.2), 1.2 steals (+0.5), and 1.2 blocks (+0.8). Like Hickson, Wright put up excellent numbers on a bad team in which he was given more playing time. Still, considering he plays alongside deadly scoring duo Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, those numbers aren't close to shabby. Golden State finished 30-52 for the season.

Next in line, Marcin Gortat. Traded in the offseason to Phoenix, Gortat was given the chance to start due to injuries to Robin Lopez. His numbers aren't special in terms of offense, but he averaged 4.0 points (+0.4), 9.5 rebounds (+5.3), 1 assist (+0.3) and 1.5 blocks (+0.6). Considering the fact that he was given tons more minutes than when he was in Orlando, the improvement came because of the minutes he played, unlike Wright and Hickson who's minutes went up, but not a huge bunch like Gortat. Phoenix went 38-44, a down season without their former star Amar'e Stoudemire.

What many people want to consider a big time snub, is Derrick Rose. In terms of overall improvement, he's improved in his numbers and his overall game. Given the same amount of minutes as the prior season, Rose put up excellent numbers with the Chicago Bulls, being the only player on this list with a relevant team. He led the Bulls to a 51-31 season, averaging 28.9 points (+8.1), 2.6 rebounds (-1.2), 7.8 assists (+1.8), 1.3 steals (+0.6), and shot 48% from the field. He's improved his jumpshot, inside and out. He's become a force to be reckoned with and a reliable first option for Chicago. Rose was the biggest sleeper for the award, but unfortunately was overlooked.

Sasha Vujacic, although nothing special looking at his numbers, improved because he was given the opportunity to start in New Jersey. Vujacic averaged 6.7 points (+4.9), 2 rebounds (+1.6), 1.8 assists (+1.3), and 1.7 steals (+1.6). The lowly Nets went 26-56 with him as their starting two-guard.

Just like with the sixth man award and Tracy McGrady, you can argue that Derrick Rose was snubbed for the Most Improved Player award. Hickson did show a huge improvement making himself a fringe starter, but Rose improved from borderline All-Star to arguably best point guard in the league. We can leave that to be discussed in the comment section, but in the meantime, let's look at the contenders below:

2011 Most Improved Player Candidates:



Comments: (5)

Posted by PoohdiniRose May 7, 2011 at 8:34 AM
Agreed. Rose was snubbed. I think the media just felt sorry for the lowly Cavs and Hickson, so voted for him instead. Rose >>>>>>> Hickson. I hope Rose wins MVP, the better award.

Posted by The REAL K-Mart (Kenyon sucks!) May 7, 2011 at 8:38 AM
I think Kevin Martin should've been a candidate, too. Improving by 8 points in scoring and shooting 50-40-90 apparently isn't considered an improvement by the media. Those blasted little fuckers.

Posted by His Talents May 7, 2011 at 8:48 AM
I shit bricks alright. Especially since Hickson always did so even if I gave him open looks in Cleveland all the time.

Posted by MillerLite May 7, 2011 at 9:34 AM
Holy shit! Vujabitch a contender for an award? What's this world coming to?

Posted by Ariza's Bricks May 7, 2011 at 12:34 PM
@ MillerLite, stop being jealous of him screwing Maria Sharapova. Some improvement has to come out of that, don't you think?

[Houndy]

Rose was snubbed

[Bucket]

Hickson from 8.5 to 19
Rose from 20 to 29

[Mavs4Life]

Rose was snubbed

He had a lot more MVP numbers, I feel like this one was fair.

[LegoLand]

Hickson shoots only 47% fg... I think he, can shoot better.

[Stress Fracture]

Valdis, if you're a real Kobe hater, you should hate that troll fan.

Ariza's Bricks FTW!

[kibaxx7]

Like Ariza said, Vujacic deserves the award just for screwing Maria

[Cruzerr]

If I banged Maria, would I be the MIP?

[Axel The Great]

Rose was snubbed

It could've gone either way, but I'd have definitely chosen Rose.

Hickson from 8.5 to 19
Rose from 20 to 29

Hickson improved more in scoring, due to the Cavs' desperation of a secondary scoring option.

He had a lot more MVP numbers, I feel like this one was fair.

It was kinda like the sixth man award, could've gone either way, but Hickson wasn't a far-fetched selection.

Hickson shoots only 47% fg... I think he, can shoot better.

Yep, as a center, he'll have to shoot a lot better than that.

Valdis, if you're a real Kobe hater, you should hate that troll fan.

Ariza's Bricks FTW!

Ariza's Bricks at it again! And yes, I chose not to include the Kobe fan for this time so you wouldn't be annoyed.

Like Ariza said, Vujacic deserves the award just for screwing Maria

Yep. With Maria to screw every night, Vujacic plays like a happy man!

If I banged Maria, would I be the MIP?

No, but I'd consider you an MVP (P meaning "Playah" ) for banging her.

Games 3 & 4 have been played, should be up later on.

[rise]

Like Ariza said, Vujacic deserves the award just for screwing Maria :

Yep. With Maria to screw every night, Vujacic plays like a happy man!

If I banged Maria, would I be the MIP?

No, but I'd consider you an MVP (P meaning "Playah" ) for banging her.

with Odom winning 6th man, if Sasha had won MIP, then I would have had to round off the group with Tony Parker winning MVP could they have celebrated with a really really hot party??
The ladies would be a bigger deal than guys the party would be thrown for...

[Cruzerr]

Odom has Kim....No Comment.
Sasha.. Maria
Parker aint got a girl... Does he?

It would not be a party, rather than everybody around Sharapova.

[George7]

Well Parker is divorced from Longoria. Odom had Khloe,not Kim
But if the 3 where together, the focus would be on Longoria ,then Sharapova and Kardashian...

[KidJustin]

what about Ak47's wife...he has her AND she gives him a 1 free pass (for other women) once a year

also Okur's with the Miss Turkey and JJ Barea is with Miss Puerto Rico (no matter how much taller she is to him hhaha)

[Bucket]

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