January update:
January proved to be an inconsistent month for Denver, as they went 7-8 and are now currently sitting 6th in the Western Conference. A combination of factors has led to this, including
Melo's erratic shooting behind the arc and
Billups regularly getting into foul trouble. While
Ty Lawson has proved adequate off the bench, Chauncy is really the team leader, and not having him on the floor can have an adverse effect on the team. But when he has been on the floor, he has been a defensive nightmare and living up to his nickname of "Mr Big Shot".
JR Smith and
Nene have continued their emergence in the NBA this season. JR has jumped up to third in the league in points per game averaging 19.4, while Nene is still leading the league in boards with 8.8. Both players look in terrific shape for the upcoming all-star game. JR Smith in my opinion is also the main contender for the Most Improved Player award, but time will tell how the computer will judge that one.
As for the other players,
Chris Anderson has proven to be a great partner on the defensive end for Nene. He leads the team in block shots and is only just outside the top 5 for Rebounds Per Game.
Malik Allen has proven once again to be a useful player on the bench and might be an outsider for the 6th man award. On the defensive end,
Johan Petro has stepped up in the minutes he has had and I believe he will be the first player I resign to the Nuggets next year.
Louis Williams has been an inconsistent shooter all year long and I'm still not convinced he's a 2. He has every now and then rotated to the point, and seems to play soundly there without being spectular.
Terrence Williams has shown some athleticism in his limited minutes, but tends to turn the over a bit too often.
Robert Horry and
Arron Affalo have basically fallen out of rotation.
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EAST STANDINGS
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Boston: 37-8
Washington: 29-17
Orlando: 30-18
Cleveland: 29-20
Charlotte: 26-20
Toronto: 26-22
Indiana: 25-23
Milwaukee: 23-23
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Chicago: 22-23
Atlanta: 22-24
Detroit: 19-27
Miami: 19-28
Philadelphia: 17-31
New Jersey: 16-30
New York: 13-34
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WEST STANDINGS
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San Antonio: 31-15
Phoenix: 32-17
Houston: 31-16
Dallas: 30-17
Utah: 27-19
Denver: 26-21
Sacramento: 22-24
New Orleans: 22-25
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Golden State: 21-25
Minnesota: 21-28
Portland: 21-28
LA Lakers: 20-28
LA Clippers: 18-29
Memphis: 17-29
Oklahoma City Thunder: 12-35
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JANUARY MONTHLY AWARDS
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East Player of the Month: [MIA] Dwyane Wade- 20ppg, 2.3apg, 2.6 combined steals and blocks per game
West Player of the Month: [PHO] Steve Nash- 21.1ppg, 5.4apg
East Rookie of the Month: [MIL] Brandon Jennings- 12.1ppg, 3.7apg
West Rookie of the Month: [MIN] Jonny Flynn- 7.9ppg, 3.8apg
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MVP CANDIDATES
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[PHO] Steve Nash: 18.5ppg, 5.9apg
[CLE] Lebron James: 20ppg, 3.7apg
[DEN] JR Smith: 19.4ppg, 3.2apg
[UTA] Deron Williams: 18.2ppg, 5.1apg
[MIA] Dwyane Wade: 20.2ppg, 1.4spg
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LEAGUE LEADERS
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PPG
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[MIA] Dwyane Wade 20.2
[CLE] Lebron James 20
[DEN] JR Smith 19.4
[PHO] Steve Nash 18.5
[UTA] Deron Williams 18.2
APG
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[ORL] Jameer Nelson 7.4
[BOS] Rajon Rondo 7.1
[LAL] Derek Fisher 6.1
[PHO] Steve Nash 5.9
[TOR] Jose Calderon 5.8
RPG
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[DEN] Nene 8.8
[HOU] Yao Ming 8.3
[LAL] Pau Gasol 7.9
[UTA] Carlos Boozer 7.7
[SAN] Tim Duncan 7.7
BPG
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[LAC] Marcus Camby 1.8
[NOH] Emeka Okafor 1.7
[MIN] Al Jefferson 1.7
[SAN] Tim Duncan 1.7
[NJN] Brook Lopez 1.6
[UTA] Carlos Boozer 1.6
SPG
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[DEN] Chauncy Billups 3
[ATL] Josh Smith 1.5
[DAL] Shawn Marion 1.4
[BOS] Paul Pierce 1.4
[MIA] Dwyane Wade 1.4
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My next update will be after the All-star weekend. Hopefully I could see as many as 3 players in the All-star game (JR Smith, Nene, Chauncy Billups) and perhaps Ty Lawson can sneak onto the Rookie team. Thanks for reading
