NBA regular season awardsby Eric WilliamsKobe up for MVP With one week left in the regular season, it is now officially time for my annual end-of-year NBA award column. There are closely contested races in nearly every category - more so than at any time in recent memory. However, I have once again managed to go above and beyond the call of duty and have separated the pretenders from the contenders. I will list each award recipient with two runner-ups in each category. So, without further delay, here are my 2005-06 NBA award winners. MVP Steve Nash With five legitimate candidates who all have had legitimate MVP-type seasons, this year's Most Valuable Player race should be closer than any in the last decade. Several players have had seasons worthy of winning the award, but I firmly believe that there isn't a player in the game more valuable to his team than Steve Nash. Nash, who won the award last season, has had an almost entirely different cast of supporting teammates this season but has once again managed to elevate all of his teammates' respective games to their highest levels as professional players. For the quickest and easiest depositing methods available, sign-up today at BetUS.com, "for over 14 years they have been the Pioneers and World-wide Leaders in Online Sports, Poker, Casino and Racebook Gaming!" Always receive great odds, huge bonuses and fast payouts only at BetUS.com! BET ON FOOTBALL! Deposit $300 and get $100 in Bonuses! With the loss of Amare Stoudemire for all but three games of the regular season, Nash has elevated his scoring to a career while 19.1 while still managing to lead the league in assists. If the true definition of an MVP is a player who makes his teammates better while leading his team to an impressive won-loss record, then this award should unequivocally go to Nash. Kobe Bryant As much as I love the way Steve Nash plays the game, I really did have a hard time giving this award to anyone other than Bryant. He has been nothing short of phenomenal all season long and silenced many of his lifelong critics with nearly flawless play at both ends of the floor. He single-handedly willed the talent-challenged Lakers - a team that, by all rights, should be headed to the lottery - into the playoffs after a one-year absence and should be even better in the coming seasons with an improved supporting cast. Scary thought isn't it? LeBron James I won't even get into how bad I feel about ranking James third in my MVP rankings. I won't getting all traumatic though because it looks as though he will wind up winning this award numerous times before his career is over. James has been the driving force behind the improved Cavaliers resurgence and has raised his game to a legendary level. I mean, it's not like it's every day that someone repeats a feat accomplished only by Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan. We are down to the 2007 NCAA final four! Click here for the final four odds! Defensive Player of the Year This is another category where there are several deserving candidates. To be honest about it, all three of my recipients could have won this award - it basically came down to a matter of preference. Ron Artest I know Artest only played about half of the season, but I'm giving him this award because his defensive presence was so overwhelming in transforming a floundering Sacramento team into a collective unit that takes pride each time down the floor, that it was obvious he deserved the hardware. Everyone knows Artest is one of the league's best defenders - and this season - even shortened - proved that. Andrei Kirilenko I really, really wanted to give this award to the lanky European, but my head told me to go with Artest. Whatever the case, Kirilenko was an absolute terror on the defensive end of the floor this season. I know he missed some time with some nagging injuries this season, but Kirilenko has firmly established himself as one of the game's best defensive players - and one who should win this award sometime in the near future. Marcus Camby I know Camby missed a lot of games this season as well, but his defensive presence was absolutely monstrous for the Nuggets this season. As a matter of fact, if the Nuggets didn't have Camby intimidating opposing offensive players who venture into the lane area, it would probably resemble a 24-hour drive through since no one else on the teams plays any defense whatsoever. Rookie of the Year Chris Paul Well, this is one category where there is no race at all. New Orleans Hornets point guard, Chris Paul is the runaway winner here. Not only did Paul lead all rookies in scoring, but he was also seventh in the league in assists and second in steals. Paul also led the Hornets to a resurgent season in which New Orleans more than doubled their win total from a season ago. This selection is a no-brainer. Andrew Bogut While it is clear that Bogut is not the second coming of Hakeem Olajuwon - or Bill Walton for that matter - he certainly didn't embarrass himself this season and has nothing to be ashamed of. Bogut is also going to get better with each passing game and could one day possibly become an all-star. Channing Frye I know that Charlie Villanueva has had a very solid rookie season and surprised a lot of basketball "experts" who said he would only be average at best. However, my third place selection goes to New York Knicks power forward, Channing Frye. Frye was, many times, the best player on the floor for an atrocious - and malcontent-laden - New York team that quit on head coach Larry Brown right around the time the regular season began. Frye is going to be a force to be reckoned with when he learns the intricacies of the pro game. As it stands right now, he, not the underachieving Eddie Curry, is still New York's best frontcourt player. Sixth Man Alonzo Mourning I know that Mourning has missed significant time recently - which, coincidentally, is the reason why I believe he should win this award. Mourning's absence from the Miami Heat lineup has been as noticeable as a Dennis Rodman hairdo. Without Mourning, the Heat have absolutely no defensive presence inside at all. That's not a knock against Shaquille O'Neal - it's just the truth. With Mourning roaming the paint, Miami is a totally different team - at both ends of the floor. His play this season, especially early on when Shaq was out himself, kept the Heat afloat until they hit their stride later in the season. - and that - is enough for me to give 'Zo this award. Mike Miller I thought long and hard about giving my sixth man award to Miller who had a terrific season coming off the bench and supplying the Vancouver Grizzlies with whatever they needed - usually - instant offense. Miller, one of the league's best shooters, could start for over half of the teams in the league. However, Miller has flourished coming off the bench and could possibly win this award several times if he stays in this role for the long term. Antonio McDyess I'm giving this award to McDyess who looks like he could still start for many teams in the league even after a horrendous knee injury a few seasons ago. His selfless yeoman's work night in and night out, allow the Pistons to make frontcourt substitutions without missing a beat - a real commodity in the NBA. Some other guys may have grabbed more headlines, but none were as steady as this former all-star. Most Improved Player Boris Diaw Although several players improved their respective games this season and could have theoretically won this award, I think the improvement of Diaw was, by far, greater than any other player in contention for the award. The Suns' multi-talented frontcourt player averaged an eye-opening 13.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.0 assists - an amazing number for a player his size - while making the transition to the Suns very smoothly this season. Of course, it does help to be playing alongside of Steve Nash. The time has come for betting on Belmont Stakes! The World's top 3 year olds return for the third leg of the Triple Crown! Check out the 2007 Belmont Stakes odds Today and come home a Winner!! Andres Nocioni Another couple of weeks and I would be giving this award to Nocioni who has been playing like a man possessed the past month. The Bulls should be thanking their lucky stars for this gem of a player. I suspect he won't be in contention for this award after this season - because he'll be a starter soon enough. Hornets forward David West West, was a scoring machine in college and suddenly he is reminding everyone of that fact. Like Nocioni, he may not be in contention for this award come next season. He too, will most likely be starting as well. Coach of the Year Byron Scott Scott dispelled rumors that he couldn't coach after his ugly departure from the New Jersey Nets a couple of seasons ago. He has turned around a moribund franchise and given tem hope for the future. He may not win the award because of his team's record, but I firmly believe that Scott did a better job of doing more with less than any coach in the league. Of course it helps to have a rookie like Chris Paul. Mike Dunleavy I think Dunleavy did the best job in the league this season of getting his team to buy into his system. I know the Clippers made some wise acquisitions by picking up Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley - and got a monster year out of Elton Brand - but Dunleavy had to make it all work - and he did in the tough western conference. Leading the league's most inept franchise back to respectability has been no small feat and Dunleavy deserves to be recognized. Mike Fratello When you look at the Memphis Grizzlies' roster, you should automatically realize what kind of job Fratello has done in the western conference this season. Not only has he had to incorporate new faces and deal with debilitating injuries, but he has had to do it all with only one player who would qualify as a near all-star caliber type of player. The Grizz play hard every night, which is another sign of a coach who is getting through to his players. Give Fratello a few more players and he'd really make some noise. Eric Williams is a sports columnist for the Philadelphia Sunday Sun who can be heard every Wednesday at 3:15pm EST on www.BetUSsradio.com. Contact Eric at eklass66@yahoo.com. --- by Eric Williams at 1800-sports.com on April 20, 2006
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