Our
inaugural Baller Awards will now turn to the best basketball in the world – the
NBA. 2013 was a really interesting year for NBA basketball, mainly because of
several things: Miami won its second straight title, Dwightmare moved from LA
to Houston, the Cavs made yet another bone-headed move by picking that Bennett
kid at #1, and, well, Derrick Rose returned and then got injured again. Sigh.
The guys
whom we’ll feature here are those who did really well in the Association this
past year, though we will also take a look at how they may have fared in other
fields like the FIBA Subzone tournaments. Were these players able to lead their
teams to new heights? What milestones did they or their teams achieve? What kind
of mark did they leave on the NBA as a whole in 2013?
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| What award will Tony Parker get in our inaugural Baller Awards? (image by Jeff Chiu/AP) |
And the BALLERS go to…
The Best NBA Point Guard of 2013:
TONY
PARKER – San Antonio Spurs and Team France
Sure, Chris Paul is the better shooter
and the better playmaker. Sure, Chris Paul has more highlight reels and has
better numbers. Chris Paul, however, also didn’t win the West in 2013. He
wasn’t one defensive stop away from the NBA title, and he didn’t win the
Eurobasket. Tony Parker, despite being a little less, um, “marketable,” did all
those things this past year. The fiery Frenchman is our PG of ’13.
Other
nominees:
Russell Westbrook (OKC), Chris Paul
(LAC), Kyrie Irving (CLE), Steph Curry (GSW)
The Best NBA Shooting Guard of 2013:
JAMES
HARDEN – Houston Rockets
Remember when D-Wade got pissed because
of KD’s tweet about Harden being more deserving of being one of the ten best
NBA players right now? I’ve got a theory – Wade got pissed because deep inside
he knows it’s true. He knows that, from this point moving forward, the best SG
in Earth is not named Kobe or Wade. James Harden, beybeh. Fear his beard.
Other
nominees:
Dwyane Wade (MIA), Kobe Bryant (LAL),
Klay Thompson (GSW), JR Smith (NYK)
The Best NBA Small Forward of 2013:
LEBRON
JAMES – Miami Heat
Armed with his second O’Brien, LBJ
really is the undisputed King of the basketball world right now. He’s living
the dream he should have lived in Cleveland, and he doesn’t care if you hate
‘em for it. One day, like all villains, he’ll get his due, but, at least for
now, he has his day. Oh, and, should projections hold true, James is set to
surpass Michael Jordan’s PER at the end of the current season.
Other
nominees:
Kevin Durant (OKC), Carmelo Anthony
(NYK), Josh Smith (ATL), Paul George (IND)
The Best NBA Power Forward of 2013:
LAMARCUS
ALDRIDGE – Portland Trailblazers
Yes, it sucked that Aldridge and his
Blazers missed the Playoff bus for the second season in a row, but nobody can
really lay the blame on the Dallas native, right? Aldridge was a legit 20-10
threat in 2012-2013, and, well, he’s basically making a mockery of opposing
defenses on a nightly basis in the current season. He strikes me as a feistier,
more athletic version of Dirk Nowitzki (not as good from beyond the arc, but
just as good from 15-20 feet out), and since he’s in his late 20s, we should
expect him to reach his prime right about… now.
Other
nominees:
David Lee (GSW), Blake Griffin (LAC),
Zach Randolph (MEM), David West (IND)
The Best NBA Center of 2013:
TIM
DUNCAN – San Antonio Spurs
Some will argue that TD is more of a
PF. Well, yes, perhaps, but in 2013 he actually played as a center more often
than he did at the 4 spot. The result? Well, ALMOST another NBA title. Who
knows what would’ve happened if he wasn’t taken out in the last 30 seconds of
regulation in Game 6, right? TD was just awesome in 2013, averaging 18 and 10
plus 3 blocks per game in the regular season and doing about the same in the
postseason. Oh, and he’s also about to turn 38 in April. Effin’ crazy.
Other
nominees:
Dwight Howard (LAL-HOU), Al Horford
(ATL), Roy Hibbert (IND), Brook Lopez (BKN)
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| TD was one stop away from his fifth NBA ring. (image by Eric Gay/AP) |
The Best NBA Coach of 2013:
ERIC
SPOELSTRA – Miami Heat
Look at all the other “super” teams in
the league – New York, Brooklyn, and the Clippers should come to mind – and try
to see where they are right now. Both NYC teams are outside of the East’s top
eight, while the Clips are not exactly the most feared squad on the planet.
Miami, however, remains a constant beast of a team. Despite all the talent and
all the egos (and crazy personalities – Beasley, Birdman, Lewis) that are on
this team, the Heat have found a way to win. Credit that to coach Spo, who
seems to be the perfect kind of coach for a team so loaded in every possible
way.
Other
nominees:
Frank Vogel (IND), Gregg Popovich
(SAS), Mark Jackson (GSW), George Karl (DEN)
The Best NBA Foreign Player of 2013:
TONY
PARKER – San Antonio Spurs and Team France
TP9 could have pocketed two major
titles in 2013, but being second in the NBA and champs of Europe is enough to
make him our Best Foreign Player anyway. He normed around 20 points, 7 assists,
and 1 steal in ’12-’13 for the Spurs, and then followed that up by averaging 19
points, 3 assists, and shooting 57% from the field for France in Eurobasket
2013. The French went on to win 8 of their 11 games, including wins over
powerhouse teams like defending champion Spain and second round tormentor
Lithuania, on their way to their first ever Eurobasket crown.
Other
nominees:
Dirk Nowitzki (DAL), Al Horford (ATL),
Luol Deng (CHI), Nikola Pekovic (MIN)
The NBA Breakthrough Player for 2013:
JAMES
HARDEN – Houston Rockets
Following his best season in OKC
(2011-2012), Harden surprised a lot of people by jumping ship and moving to
Houston. As the Rockets’ leader in 2012-2013, Harden blossomed not just into an
All-Star or Superstar, but into the best shooting guard in the world. He upped
his scoring by nearly 10 points, and averaged career-highs pretty much in every
other stat-cat. He really broke through, and broke free – from being #3 in OKC
to top dawg in Houston. Wow.
Other
nominees:
Al Horford (ATL), Steph Curry (GSW),
Brook Lopez (BKN), Jrue Holiday (PHI-NOP)
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| James Harden blossomed in his new team last year. (image by Bob Levey/AP) |
The Best NBA Newcomer of 2013:
DAMIAN
LILLARD – Portland Trail Blazers
Kinda wanted to give this one to
Anthony Davis, but Lillard won ROY in ’12-’13 and, well, he is having a
superbly sensational ’13-’14 season, too. His Blazers have morphed into one of
this season’s elite teams, and Lillard has hit a slew of game-winners to boot!
Davis continues to be a phenomenal big man, but Lillard has the potential to be
this year’s best PG.
Other
nominees:
Anthony Davis (NOP), Bradley Beal
(WAS), Dion Waiters (CLE), Andre Drummond (DET)
The NBA Player of the Year for 2013:
LEBRON
JAMES – Miami Heat
Yes, it’s still him. James takes the
cake by leading Miami to a repeat and becoming the MVP yet again. Whether we
like it or not, he’s just the best all-around baller in the universe right now,
and, at 29 years old, he might still get better. Three-peat for the most hated
player and team in the league? Just might be.
Other
nominees:
Tim Duncan (SAS), LaMarcus Aldridge
(POR), James Harden (HOU), Tony Parker (SAS)
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| Yes, LBJ is still the best out there. (image by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) |
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