NBA midseason awards, the unconventional version: Best dunk, best and worst ... - SportingNews.com
With the NBA All-Star Game marking the league's de facto halfway point, Sporting News presents our midseason awards. Part I features our picks for MVP, rookie of the year, defensive player of the year and more.
Best Dunk: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
It has been hailed as the Dunk of the Year, and one of the great dunks of all time. With 8:52 to play in the third quarter at Staples Center on Monday, Jan. 30, Griffin cut to the rim and took a pass from Chris Paul on a pick-and-roll. Oklahoma City's Kendrick Perkins slid over to help, going so far as to lay a foul on Griffin. Didn't matter. Griffin still rose over Perkins and rifled in a power dunk from what looked like four feet away. Poor Perkins will always be remembered for his posterization, but Timofey Mozgov—Griffin's previous most notable dunk victim—is now off the hook.
— AWARDS, PART II: Best dunk, worst personnel moves
— DAVID STEELE: For Earvin Johnson, the Magic continues
— FLY THROUGH, FLY AROUND, FLY OVER: Melo, CP3 and D-Wade
Most significant injury: Chauncey Billups, Clippers
There are many candidates, but the loss of Billups will probably have the biggest impact on the postseason. The Clippers were playing well when Billups—a team leader on and off the court—was lost to an Achilles tendon injury. L.A. missed out on signing J.R. Smith, and now has few options when it comes to adding depth to a thin bench.
The Wally Pipp award: Toney Douglas, Knicks
Lost in the Jeremy Lin shuffle has been point guard Toney Douglas, who only a few will remember was once the Knicks starting point guard. Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni has played his other point guard, rookie Iman Shumpert, at a variety of positions this year, but with Lin's emergence, the signing of J.R. Smith and the return of Baron Davis, there is no room for Douglas.
Biggest Spat: Kobe Bryant vs. Lakers front office
With all due respect to Paul Westphal and DeMarcus Cousins, the back-and-forth between Bryant and Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak (acting, essentially, as a surrogate for team president Jim Buss) has developed into a pretty delicious storyline, with everyone from Shaquille O'Neal to Magic Johnson weighing in. The future of the franchise is at stake, and Bryant is publicly pressuring the front office to include him in its decision-making.
Consolation prize: Anthony Davis, Kentucky
The Bobcats stink. The Hornets stink. The Wizards stink. The Raptors stink. The Kings stink. That probably won't change much between now and the end of the year, but at least those teams know that we are heading into one of the deepest drafts—headlined by Davis—in recent memory.
Move that worked: Knicks sign Jeremy Lin.
Duh.
Move that worked, II: Clippers trade for Chris Paul
Losing Billups hurt, but having Paul on board with young big men Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan has been a blessing for the development of both guys—and the Clippers can still finish the year as the best team in Los Angeles.
Move that worked, III: Mavericks sign Brandan Wright
One of the underrated aspects of Dallas' resurgence has been the play of its three-headed center—starter Brendan Haywood and backups Ian Mahinmi and Brandan Wright. It looked like Wright might be out of the league after an injury-pocked three seasons, but he is emerging this year in Dallas.
Move that did not work, I: Bucks trade for Stephen Jackson
The question when the Bucks acquired Jackson was simple—would they get the guy who would be a leader and a solid offensive threat to take pressure off point guard Brandon Jennings, or would they get the gripey malcontent who alienated folks in Atlanta, Indiana and Golden State? They got the latter, as Jackson has pouted about not getting an extension and clashed with coach Scott Skiles.
Move that did not work, II: Blazers trade for Raymond Felton
It started out as a nice storyline, with coach Nate McMillan reaching Felton and getting the best out of him, restructuring the offense to run more and take advantage of the speed of Felton,Wesley Matthews and Jamal Crawford. But it has fallen apart, as Felton and his 37.6 percent shooting (24.8 percent on 3s) has been moved to the bench.
Move that did not work, III: Warriors sign Kwame Brown
The poor Warriors. New owners Peter Guber and Joe Lacob want to bring a new attitude to the team, and they thought coach Mark Jackson's emphasis on defense could be a key. The team aggressively pursued defensive-minded free-agent big men, but Tyson Chandler was grabbed by the Knicks at the 11th hour, and the Clippers matched the Warriors' offer for DeAndre Jordan. So they turned to Brown. The result: Brown has played nine games, and the Warriors are one of only five teams giving up an average of 100 points or more.
24 Feb, 2012
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