2012-2013 Projections: Awards

Moving on to the next section of my predictions, I will predict who will win each major award this year.


MVP: LeBron James
There is no reason for the reining MVP to lose his crown. As many saw during the playoffs, LeBron is a different player. Although he had his moments against Indiana and Boston, he finally took that next step and became "the guy." You know what's scary about LeBron? He will only be 28 on December 30. Translation: he is only going to get better, an extremely scary proposition for the rest of the league.

Rookie of the Year: Anthony Davis
What's not to like about this kid? He needs to improve offensively for sure, but he does have a decent jump shot and can handle the ball pretty well for a guy who is 6'10''. This kid has the potential to be a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate -- although that honor still belongs to one guy in particular for the time being.

Coach of the Year: Rick Carlisle
Carlisle has already been dealt with adversity more than a week before the start of the regular season, as his superstar Dirk Nowitzki will be out 6-8 weeks after knee surgery. How will he adjust? Well, he helped lead Dallas to an NBA title two seasons ago -- with a less-talented roster may I add -- but now he has reinforcements thanks to Mark Cuban. Now it's up to him to make it all work and help these guys hold down the fort until Nowitzki returns. And I believe he will.

Executive of the Year: Danny Ainge
Things looked really bleak on June 9 back in Miami when everyone thought that the Celtics were done. The way Doc Rivers hugged Kevin Garnett, the emotions on the sideline, and the hugs and words exchanged after the game resembled the atmosphere of a funeral. The whole offseason centered around Kevin Garnett, and as KG mentioned at the team's media day, he still has no idea how Ainge talked him into a three-year deal. Ainge got his man in KG and added a multitude of weapons. The KG deal couldn't have been managed any better, and it allowed him the flexibility to improve the roster. He added Jason Terry, Courtney Lee, Leandro Barbosa, and re-signed Chris Wilcox and Jeff Green. Ainge did a lot with little money to work with, and if it works out, he will look like a genius.

Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard
Its mind-boggling how Shaquille O'Neal believes Andrew Bynum and Brook Lopez are better centers than Howard, and that's no disrespect at all to those two. But Howard does it all. He scores, rebounds, blocks shots, and he's durable, with the exception of last season when he injured his back. He has played in 95% of the games in his first 7 seasons excluding last season. People have expressed concern over the transition defense of the Lakers and how those old legs will manage to get back against the young and fast teams of the league. Well, that's why the have Howard. Only 26 years-old, Howard is a three-time DPOY and has been on the All-Defensive 1st team four times. Now that he's healthy, why should anyone think he won't return to this form?

Most Improved Player of the Year: JaVale McGee
A lot of people have gotten on McGee over the past few seasons for his lack of attention and has attitude. Now he is in the perfect situation with a coach who will make sure he is always in line. George Karl will not take any nonsense from McGee and make sure he is engaged at all times. McGee's got tremendous talent, and Flip Saunders clearly did not tap into his potential the way Karl should be able to. Yet, he still almost averaged double-digits last season. With a full training camp and season with the Nuggets and their system, watch out for McGee.

Sixth Man of the Year: James Harden
Like James, Harden should clearly retain this award. He has been the third leg of Oklahoma City's big three, but that is quite all right with him. The 23 year-old has gotten better every year, and it's really hard to believe that he is only going into his fourth season. Maybe it's the beard that makes him look older.  One thing to look for this season is his aggressiveness. He struggled mightily during last year's Finals, but he never let that affect him, as he still averaged nearly 10 shots a game. Look for him to be motivated and ready to prove that he is a big-time player when it matters the most.