My 2014 NBA Awards & Miscellaneous

Here are my 2014 NBA season awards and miscellaneous.

MVP: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder: It's unbelievable how KD put his team on his back all season long from Russell Westbrook being in and out of the lineup with injuries to breaking point records. He will win the scoring title again and it's finally time to give MVP honors to somebody not named LeBron James. Runner up: LeBron James, Miami Heat.

Defensive Player of the Year: Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls: The defensive leader on the eastern conferences best coached team deserves the honors this season. After Luol Deng got traded, Noah has  been a monster, defensively especially. He is the NBA's best defensive center and he has certainly showed it throughout the season. Runner up: Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers.

Sixth Man of the Year: Taj Gibson, Chicago Bulls: A big part of this season for the Bulls was the play of Taj Gibson. He has earned crunch time minutes over starting PF Carlos Boozer for the most part of this season. There's a chance Gibson will be starting next year with Boozer being a amnesty candidate. Runner up: Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers.

Most Improved Player: Lance Stephenson, Indiana Pacers: The NBA's triple-double leader this season deserves these honors. Stephenson is a critical part to what should be an interesting playoff run for the Pacers, who started the season hot and collapsed toward the end. Don't forget, he's playing for a contract this season. Runner up: Goran Dragic, Phoenix Suns.

Rookie of the Year: Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia 76ers: The bright spot on the horrific Sixers team was MCW. The future is very bright for him and the stats he put up this season were great considering he was on a bad team. Runner up: Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic.

Coach of the Year: Steve Clifford, Charlotte Bobcats: It's amazing where the Bobcats are today.
Clifford had turned this team around from where they were the past few seasons. Their defense is very underrated and Clifford deserves credit for that big time. Runner(s) up: Dwayne Casey, Toronto Raptors & Jeff Hornacek, Phoenix Suns.

Executive of the year: Ryan McDonaugh, Phoenix Suns: Considering the fact that everyone thought the Suns were tanking due to the moves McDonaugh made and they had many expiring deals this season, McDonaugh deserves credit for their success this season. He did not make moves in season and the team succeeded despite missing the playoffs. Runner up: Masai Ujiri, Toronto Raptors.

Miscellaneous

Biggest surprise: Phoenix Suns: Who expected the Suns to be in playoff contention the final week of the season? No one. Everyone expected them to be in the western conference basement before the season started. This team is on the rise for sure. Runner up: Charlotte Bobcats

Biggest disappointment: New York Knicks: This season the Knicks were expected to be in the middle of the pack in the eastern conference playoff picture. Instead, they fall short. Tyson Chander getting injured in game 4 of the season, JR Smith being suspended the first 5 games, etc. This was just a season where it all went wrong (like 2012 Red Sox). The Phil Jackson hire was great and I'm curious
to see who he brings in and I wonder what the future holds for Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks. Runner(s) up: Detroit Pistons & Cleveland Cavaliers.

Best in-season turnaround: Brooklyn Nets: If it weren't for this turnaround, the Nets would be labeled "the biggest disappointment". Preseason expectations were very high labeled with "championship or bust". Considering that they lost Brook Lopez for the season, Jason Kidd deserves a lot of credit along with the rest of the players and organization. The Marcus Thornton pickup was a steal for them and he's been a huge to their post All-Star break success. It will be interesting to see how far this team can go in the playoffs. Runner up: Memphis Grizzlies.

Worst in-season collapse: Portland Trail Blazers: A team that started the season 31-9 and yes they lost LaMarcus Aldrige to injury but they just have been an average team after the hot start. That ultimately cost them home court advantage in the playoffs. Runner up: Indiana Pacers.

Best off-season coaching hire: Doc Rivers, Los Angeles Clippers: Everyone knew this would eventually would turn out to be the best hire. It is amazing how much Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan matured this season and Rivers deserves credit for it. I'm curious to see how far a Doc can take the Clippers not only this season, but in the near future. Runner(s) up: Steve Clifford, Charlotte Bobcats & Jeff Hornacek, Phoenix Suns.

Worst off-season coaching hire: Maurice Cheeks, Detroit Pistons: A team that was expected to be an eastern conference playoff team this season has failed to meet expectations. As a result, Cheeks was fired mid-season and that proved to be the worst coaching hire of the off-season, even though things didn't get better from there. Runner up: Larry Drew, Milwaukee Bucks.

All-NBA teams

All-NBA first team
Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
James Harden, Houston Rockets
LeBron James, Miami Heat
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls

All-NBA second team
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
Paul George, Indiana Pacers
Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Clippers

All-NBA third team
Goran Dragic, Phoenix Suns
DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors
LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
Al Jefferson, Charlotte Bobcats

All-defensive first team
Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
Patrick Beverly, Houston Rockets
LeBron James, Miami Heat
Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder
Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls

All-defensive second team
Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
Tony Allen, Memphis Grizzlies
Andre Igoudala, Golden State Warriors
Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs

All-rookie first team
Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia 76ers
Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic
Trey Burke, Utah Jazz
Tim Hardaway Jr., New York Knicks
Mason Plumlee, Brooklyn Nets

All-rookie second team
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Pero Antic, Atlanta Hawks
Kelly Olynyk, Boston Celtics
Gorgui Dieng, Minnesota Timberwolves
Steven Adams, Oklahoma City Thunder