NBA Preseason awards!

Sorry for the delay on the posts! (though it's likely that only my mother and Chris Wagner care anyway.) I was dealing with too much nonsense in school. In other words I locked myself in my room in a depressed hibernation associated with the NBA lockout. BUT WE'RE BACK! And in a big way. So without further ado, my preseason predictions for the NBA hardware handed out at the end of the season not named after Good Ole Larry O'Brien!

Sixth Man

Tyler Hansbrough (IND) - the only reason I'm not going with my man James Harden here is I think Thabo Sefolosha will stink it up so bad that the Thunder feel they have to start the game with The Beard instead. New Pacers acquisition David West and backup Hansbrough will bring different strengths to the power forward position for their team this year. West will slowly develop his moves in the post and work with Darren Collison on the pick-and-pop (West's bread and butter). Hansbrough will sub in to provide energy, hustle, rebounding, and even nagging defense that will yield productive minutes on most nights, especially in a compact season where we will see old legs (such as West's) wear out in the course of a game.
(runners-up: Jamal Crawford (POR) and James Harden (OKC))

Rookie

Derrick Williams (MIN) - for most people choosing this award it's between Williams and Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving to take home the trophy from this mediocre draft class. And I like Williams to win, but more for worry about Irving than my fondness of Williams' skill set. I believe Irving will struggle out the gate. He is not not super-athletic like Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose, he is not strong like Deron Williams, and he does not appear to have the vision of Chris Paul or even Rajon Rondo. This year I expect to see Irving have a pre-Cav Mo Williams type of season, with more scoring than setting the table for his teammates. As for Williams, he has fallen into an interesting situation. Minnesota has more young talent than in the last few years and will be a tough game every night, though will not make the playoffs. He gets to play along side guys like Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, Wes Johnson, and Ricky Rubio, who if nothing else will play an entertaining game and provide Williams with immediate success, at least from a statistical standpoint.
(runners-up Kemba Walker (CHA) and Kyrie Irving (CLE)

Defensive Player

LeBron James (MIA) - get the boos out now. I think Dwight Howard, the unquestioned biggest defensive difference maker and most dominant player on that side of the floor, will take himself out of the running with his future uncertain and the likelihood of checking out of games due to indifference on any given night. On the other hand, Miami, last years best defensive team, will likely come back better this season, adding defensive specialist veteran Shane Battier to scrappy players like Dwyane Wade, Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem and Joel Anthony. LeVron will be the anchor of this defense. Charged with locking down Chicago's most dominant scorer Derrick Rose in last season's Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron bothered and disrupted the explosive point guard. LeBron can guard positions 1-4, and will return to shut down opposing defenses for the NBA's villain Heat.
(runners-up DeAndre Jordan (LAC) And Joakim Noah (CHI))

MVP

Kevin Durant (OKC) - Yes, I acknowledge that I am a fan of the team that KD plays for. But some often forget that Durant was many NBA writers' favorite to take home the award before last season. What hurt him last year was the emergence of Russell Westbrook as a bonafide star. The Mavericks and the Lakers have lost key contributors from their recent title teams and the Clippers and Grizzlies have some questions to answer. The West is Oklahoma City's conference to lose this year. Durant and Westbrook, in their 5th and 4th years in the league, respectively, will play to compliment each other's strength instead of ignore them, and quiet the questions about their youth and inexperience hindering a deep playoff run or spurts of league domination. Durant, one of the games best scorers, and maybe more importantly, teammates, will help but the Thunder in the driver's seat to go past the Western Conference Finals, where their season ended a year ago. With many of the "super-teams" lacking a clear number one guy, Durant will emerge to win this years Most Valuble Player.
(runners-up Chris Paul (LAC) and Rose (CHI))

First Team All-NBA
G Derrick Rose - CHI
G Dwyane Wade - MIA
F Kevin Durant - OKC
F LeBron James - MIA
C Dwight Howard - ORL/LAL?/NJ?/DAL?

Second Team All-NBA
G Kobe Bryant - LAL
G Chris Paul - LAC
F Carmelo Anthony - NYK
F Blake Griffin - LAC
C LaMarcus Aldridge - POR

Third Team All-NBA
G Russell Westbrook - OKC
G Deron Williams - NJN
F Kevin Love - MIN
F Zach Randolph - MEM
C Tyson Chandler - NYK

The Picks Are In!! (NFC West)

NFC West:

1. St. Louis Rams

The question becomes whether this year’s NFC West leader can enter the playoffs at 6-10 this year. It’s honestly a pathetic division and it didn’t seem to get better from last season, even with all the money the Seahawks spent. But whatever. Here we go. Sam Bradford has a great offensive coordinator this year in Josh McDaniels (as well as a great mentor to quarterbacks.) The team lost OJ Atogwe but they replaced him with Quintin Mikell, a more than able safety who can fit in with the team philosophy.  Add Mike Sims-Walker to Sam Bradford’s weapons and they become closer to complete as an offense with star running back Steven Jackson. But this team is the least inept in a division of ineptitude, if you catch my drift.

2. Arizona Cardinals

Well Kevin Kolb is about 80 steps up from the likes of Derek Anderson, John Skelton, and Max Hall. But I don’t know if he transforms this team to contender as his contract may suggest. If Andre Johnson is the number 1 receiver in the league, Larry Fitzgerald is 1a. It’s hard to find great talent beyond that, especially with the trading of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. But in the end, second place in this division is surely just first place for losers.

3. San Francisco 49ers

For these next two teams, I’ll explain the positive things about each team and then the negatives. I’m getting lazy.

Pros: Patrick Willis (absolute star), Michael Crabtree, Braylon Edwards’ hands (just kidding again), Mike Iupati, chance for Andrew Luck

Cons: Alex Smith, Braylon Edwards’ hands, Alex Smith, first year coach from college, Alex Smith, defensive line, Alex Smith, Frank Gore’s health, Alex Smith

4. Seattle Seahawks

Pros: Brandon Mebane, Aaron Curry’s potential, Russell Okung (if healthy), Marshawn Lynch (if sane)

Cons: Pete Carroll’s honey-moon period history, Russell Okung’s health, Sidney Rice’s contract, Tarvaris Jackson (worse than Alex Smith), departure of Hasselbeck, Marshawn Lynch (if insane)

Wild Card:

(3) Green Bay def. (6) Tampa Bay

(5) Atlanta def. (4) St. Louis

Divisional:

(1) Philadelphia def. (5) Atlanta

(2) New Orleans def. (3) Green Bay

NFC Championship:

(2) New Orleans def. (1) Philadelphia

Super Bowl:

New England def. New Orleans

The Picks Are In!! (NFC South)

NFC South:

1. New Orleans Saints

The Saints had one of the best offseasons in the league this time around. They landed one of most valuable guys on the market in DT Aubrayo Franklin, formerly of the 49ers. Franklin clogs holes and makes it easier for quick linebackers to make plays, as Patrick Willis so often did and Jonathan Vilma and company will have a chance to do this season. The Saints also got a bargain with running back Darren Sproles, paying less than Reggie Bush for a rich man’s Reggie Bush (only in professional sports does stuff like this happen). Add rookie Mark Ingram into the mix, and the Saints have a ton of depth and talent on the offense, including receivers Marques Colston and Robert Meachem (an underrated but excellent touchdown threat), and Brees is going to go to sleep easy every night even if the team suffers an injury here or there. The Saints seem like they are in contention for another Super Bowl run. (And don’t forget about coach Sean Payton, possibly the second best coach in the league after the Hoodie. You can never count a dominant coach out.)

2. Atlanta Falcons (wild card)

I feel like Julio Jones is a deciding factor for where the Falcons end up. The offense is already very good, but Julio Jones being as breath-taking as Tony Gonzalez is leading us to believe than this offense could be unstoppable. Obviously the defense is a concern, leaning on the age of DE John Abraham and no other dominant starter (Ray Edwards is a good pickup but a product of the system in Minnesota, Brent Grimes is a good ballhawk but not very physical), but if the Falcons score as much as they have the potential to, the play of the defense will matter less. We’ll see if the conservative head coach Mike Smith allows Matt Ryan to let the ball fly more this season.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (wild card)

My man Josh Freeman looks to put up another impressive season in his second year as the unquestioned started and leader of this team. It is difficult to point to one specific player on this team as a dominant guy, they just play well as a team and the players on the field complement each other very smoothly. LaGarrette Blount was a phenomenal downhill runner in college, so I wasn’t surprised to see him post big numbers in his rookie season after being undrafted. I was surprised to see the number of teams that passed on him or didn’t keep him around. If Aqib Talib can get his act together off the field, he can get back to giving the opposing quarterbacks fits. Raheem Morris keeps this group focused and motivated.

4. Carolina Panthers

The bad news is they will likely finish last in their division for the second straight season. The good news is they will likely finish better than 2-14! The record is not the important thing for this franchise going forward. Obviously it is the development of rookie quarterback Cam Newton. I don’t really understand why the Panthers shelled out so much guaranteed money to the oft-injured DeAngelo Williams or the unproven Charles Johnson, players who were part of that 2-14 season, but I still have high hopes that the season won’t be as disastrous as last year. Lock them up for 4-12.

The Picks Are In!! (NFC North)

NFC North:

1. Green Bay Packers

I can't leave the defending champs out of a division title this year. They return every major player in that super bowl run besides Cullen Jenkins; they even brought James Jones back. Ryan Grant and Jermichael Finley are back from their season-ending injuries last year. Aaron Rodgers is the future of the NFL at this position. He just flat out puts the ball in the right spots, but it doesn't hurt to have Greg Jennings, Donald Driver and Jordy Nelson. Even James Jones and his slick gloves are back. Rodgers is also the best quarterback at extending a play after Vick and Roethlisberger. Clay Matthews just bull-rushes the opposing tackles and punishes the quarterback. Tramon Williams was a breakout star last year at corner and is also a speedy return-man. Nick Collins, Sam Shields and Charles Woodson round out a solid secondary. The biggest worry for this team is the age of players such as Driver and Woodson (especially with Woodson’s injury-ridden past), but we've seen Ted Thompson’s knack for drafting guys to fill those positions.

2. Detroit Lions

This team is most analysts' darling and playoff sleeper this year. I'm not ready to give them a playoff spot, but this is for sure an up and coming team with loads of talent. The season really depends on Matthew Stafford's health. But if he does keep it going, he's got Calvin Johnson and Jahvid Best, two electrifying players that make big plays and keep defenses on their toes. People are really talking about their defense, however. Nick Fairley joins a defensive line that includes breakout star Ndamakong Suh and veteran workhorse Kyle Vanden-Bosch. This could, if not the best, one of the better D-lines in the league and put less pressure on defensive-minded coach Jim Schwartz to send extra guys at the quarterback. It already looks like when its all said and done, Suh could be one of the best to ever play his position.

3. Minnesota Vikings

It was hard for me to decide whether the Vikings would fall at the bottom at the North this year. But there are still some bright spots to this team. Donovan McNabb has a huge step up from Washington in terms of running back, clearly, in Adrian Peterson, who still has at least two or three years in him as the best back in the league. The defense still has some of the pieces that made it such a terrifying unit two years ago: the bullish defensive end Jared Allen, the always-underrated and never under-performing cornerback Antoine Winfield, and the brick wall linebacker Chad Greenway. I’m obviously not saying this is a playoff team, but I would not be surprised to see 8-8 or 9-7 for a team led by a smart guy in coach Leslie Frasier and a once-elite and now with something to prove quarterback in McNabb.

4. Chicago Bears

The defense is getting older and the offense didn't get any better, unless you put a lot of stock in the additions of Roy Williams and Marion Barber. I don't even know if I can get deeper than that. I just don't like the feel of this team. But here’s the list of issues: Cutler has his leadership problems (maybe it’s because he’s always on his back), Mike Martz’s honeymoons with teams as offensive coordinator never seem to last long, the middle of the offensive line is hurt with the departure of Olin Kreutz (from an already sack-friendly O-line), the team doesn’t have an elite threat at wide receiver (Johnny Knox and Devin Hester are just deep threats, not every down guys, although Earl Bennett is improving as a position receiver), and Matt Forte is unhappy with his salary, which more often than not can hurt a season (see Jackson, Vincent).

The Picks Are In!! (NFC East)

NFC EAST:

1. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles are poised to win their division again with new pieces that should fit in well. They landed the biggest free agent and the only true guaranteed difference maker on the market in Nnamdi Asomugha. Nnamdi's stats may not wow you given his lack of interceptions, but they are not high because quarterbacks don't throw the ball is way. In the NFL Revis and Asomugha are in a class by themselves in shutting down receivers and forcing the QB to look elsewhere on the field, as well as increasing the effectiveness of the pass rush. Also, they potentially traded a clipboard (Kevin Kolb) for an electric, ball-hawking cornerback in Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-round pick. Asomugha and Rodgers-Cromartie's styles on the field complement each other perfectly. Michael Vick, should he stay healthy (REVERSE JINX!), will likely once again be an MVP candidate. He's got all his weapons from last year back (DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy Brent Celek) and the Eagles brought in Ronnie Brown on a one-year deal, who, like McCoy, is incredible catching passes out of the backfield. I hate this team, but there might not be a better team on paper this year.

2. Dallas Cowboys

Romo should be healthy this season. Dez Bryant is one of the NFL stars of tomorrow and with Miles Austin and Jason Witten will give Romo plenty of options. I don't love Felix Jones but he should have a decent season. But on to the defense. This unit has immeasurable talent that was not on display last season mainly due to bad coaching and bad field position. But Rob Ryan is here. Ryan improved a Cleveland unit last year that pounded New England to become one of only two teams that defeated the Patriots this past season. DeMarcus Ware has the best pass rushing moves in the league, and many tackles are too slow to keep him out of the backfield. Dallas has some young talent in the defense backfield that at times got torched last season but should improve. I don't think Dallas will dominate this season, but they have a good chance to get back to 10 wins and not a laughingstock of the league.

3. New York Giants

I know there were some good reasons for letting Shaun O'Hara and Rich Seubert go, but I hated that for the team. For the past 5 years the offensive line of the Giants was the most consistent thing going for them. I hated almost everything about the Giants offseason. I understand retaining Ahmad Bradshaw what somewhat of a necessity, but they overpaid for someone with a serious problem holding onto the ball and injury concerns. Steve Smith, should he resign, has a serious injury that may be career threatening. Nicks and Manningham are both big play threats, but losing Kevin Boss to Oakland creates a big hole in the middle of the field. On the other side of the ball there are a lot of concerns. I still don't trust a single linebacker and I don't see how they haven't made serious attempts to improve this unit. Antrel Rolle is one of the most overrated players in the league and I'm confused as to how he made the Top 100 NFL Players list. He's simply a "right place at the right time" guy. Prince Amukamura was positioned to improve a weak defensive backfield, but a foot injury will keep him sidelined until at least October. I do, however, have a million good things to say about Justin Tuck. Tuck is the ultimate team player and will line up wherever he is told if it is for the better of the team. He is too strong and physical for most lineman and can dominate the run and pass game in a single game. Unfortunately, the guy lining up opposite him, Osi Umenyiora, is unhappy and will likely bring the energy and attitude of his teammates down with him. I think the Giants are going to disappoint this season.

4. Washington Redskins

Even better than the Chad Henne/Matt Moore show is the John Beck/Rex Grossman show! The difference is they don't even have someone nearly as talented as Brandon Marshall (Santana Moss is over the hill; his numbers are inflated because there is no one else) to sadly watch a ball sail over his head. Fortunately for the Redskins, they're the favorites for the Andrew Luck sweepstakes! There is something to look forward to during an otherwise bleak season. The offense, even beyond the quarterback, is punchless, from an oft-injured Clinton Portis to the 500 receivers they have over the age of 46. Ryan Torain is a nice running back though. The defense, which got absolutely torched last season, has a nice safety combination with Laron Landry and OJ Atogwe and a great blitzing linebacker in Brian Orakpo but plenty of holes in the defensive line. The defense will be able to make some stops but Beck/Grossman might not be able to cross the 50 even if they started at the 49.

The Picks Are In!! (AFC West)

AFC West:

1. Kansas City Chiefs

Maybe boring to have the same winner come out of this division as last year, but they did all of that with some players simply touching the surface of what they can do. Matt Cassel has another year leading the charge at quarterback under his belt. Fresh off a spectacular season, the speedy and elusive back Jamaal Charles has a chance to create more magic with likely more touches. Dwayne Bowe actually has some talent lining up for wideout, with the signing of Steve Breaston and the drafting of Jonathan Baldwin. Tamba Hali, probably the best standing DE after DeMarcus Ware and Clay Matthews, sheds blockers and speeds through to the quarterback better than most. Although Eric Berry struggled at the beginning of his rookie year, his play picked up, and he may start drawing comparisons to the top safeties in the league, especially alongside strong cover-corner Brandon Flowers. This Chiefs team certainly doesn’t blow you away. But I like them better than the other teams in the worst division in the AFC.

2. San Diego Chargers

It might be the end of the line for head coach Norv Turner if the Bolts don’t see the playoffs for the second season in a row. Philip Rivers is a top tier talent at quarterback, and his long ball connection to Vincent Jackson may be one of the most flawless plays in football. Antonio Gates remains the most athletically gifted tight end in the league. But Ryan Mathews may prove to be a disappointment at running back, struggling to find holes in his line, and Mike Tolbert can never be a number one option back because of his limitations in the open field at his size. Malcolm Floyd is fortunately back, but he’s not a top-notch threat. The defense is going to struggle stopping offenses, and they lack a marquee show-stopped on this side of the ball. Eric Weddle is a very good safety, but he’s not in the class of Polamalu, Reed, Berry, and Adrian Wilson. Could be another up-and-down season for the usual AFC West favorites.

3. Denver Broncos

I understand the quarterback situation is messy, but I think Orton will get the job and hold onto it this season. First of all, it’s obvious to the Broncos he’s a better quarterback than Tim Tebow. It’s also obvious to Kyle Orton, anyone who’s following football right now, Tim Tebow, and my grandmother. Kyle Orton gets the job done, and while he’s nowhere near the top tier of quarterbacks with Brady, Manning, Brees, Rivers, Vick and Big Ben, he’s certainly better than many others who have starting jobs in the league (I’m talking to you, Tarvaris Jackson). Add that to an improving Knowshon Moreno, the veteran Willis McGahee, and last year’s leading receiver Brandon Lloyd, they may not dominate, but they will compete. 2009 All-Pro standing DE Elvis Dumervil is back from his season-ending injury last season, and he’ll improve a defense that got absolutely torched last season. But let’s be honest, they have better prospects than this next team…

4. Oakland Raiders

They lost their best player and Jason Campbell is there quarterback. They lost their best player and Jason Campbell is there quarterback. They lost their best player and Jason Campbell is there quarterback. They lost their best player and Jason Campbell is there quarterback. They lost their best player and Jason Campbell is there quarterback. Need I say more?

AFC Playoffs:

Wild Card:

(3) Houston def. (6) NY Jets

(5) Pittsburgh def. (4) Kansas City

Divisional:

(1) New England def. (5) Pittsburgh

(3) Houston def. (2) Baltimore

AFC Championship:

(1) New England def. (3) Houston

The Picks Are In!! (AFC South)

AFC South:

1. Houston Texans

I know, they’ve become everyone’s sleeper playoff pick for the last few years and they’ve never come through. Personally, I have no idea how Gary Kubiak is still coach. But the team got better this offseason. To me, the best acquisition for them was actually Wade Philips. Wade Philips cannot control a team as head coach, but he’s had success as a defensive coordinator in the past, and at one point he made that Dallas team feared on defense and opened up packages to aid DeMarcus Ware in becoming the player he is now. The defense will play a lot better, with DeMeco Ryans back, Brian Cushing playing the entire season, and the additions of Jonathan Joseph and Danieal Manning to a historically bad defensive backfield from last season. I don’t love Mario Williams moving to a standing defensive end position, but I do trust Wade Philips’ judgment defensively. Also, Andre Johnson is the best receiver in the league, Arian Foster broke out last season as one of the best runningbacks, and Matt Schaub can deliver the ball where he wants to most of the time. I think this is the year this franchise makes it to the postseason for the first time, but they need to avoid getting down early in games.

2. Indianapolis Colts

Last year saw a lot of scares if you were a Colts fan. If not for Peyton Manning, they don’t make the playoffs. Not only that, Jacksonville, Houston, and Tennessee all played poorly in the second half of last season after good starts, handing the division to the Colts when they did not necessarily deserve it. Don’t get me wrong, I am not nervous about Peyton Manning missing time following the neck surgery. He won’t have his best year, but we’ll still see him out there on the field. I don’t get a great feeling about the rest of the players outside Reggie Wayne, especially health-wise. The other receivers always seem to miss time, Dallas Clark went down last season, and Robert Mathis seems to always be listed as Questionable or Doubtful on the pre-game injury report. Even Dwight Freeney battles injuries (although he usually plays through them). I also still don’t know what to make of Jim Caldwell as a coach. Manning seems to have bailed him out at many different times the past few seasons when Caldwell may have let the game get out of hand. Overall, I just feel that despite one of the best quarterbacks in the league’s history, the Texans talent top to bottom trumps that of the Colts handily.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars

Well they definitely aren’t the worst team in the division. But how far can David Garrard or an inexperienced (and unproven) Blaine Gabbert take you? My thought is not too far. Yeah, Garrard’s one very good (not great) year was cute, but he doesn’t make enough plays to contend with Peyton Manning and Matt Schaub in this division. And I hate to say this with the giant load that the minute Maurice Jones-Drew carries for this team. The 5-foot-7 back never stops pushing for this team, and he always gives them a chance. But this offense needs more spark than that to get past Houston and Indianapolis. I do like what they did in the offseason on defense, however, adding linebackers Paul Posluszny and Clint Session to nice players like Rashean Mathis and last year’s first round DL Tyson Alualu. So as I said, nice players, but nothing to transcend. Listen Jacksonville, fire Jack Del Rio and give the franchise a fresh start. It’s probably the best thing to do at this point.

4. Tennessee Titans

This hurts. But the division got better and the Titans seemed to run in place. Actually, Matt Hasselbeck is the only reason I’m not fearful of an 0-16 season from my squad in Nashville. Jake Locker trading snaps with Rusty Smith is a recurring nightmare I’ve had since Kerry Collins retired. But I do like the hiring of Mike Munchak, a guy who has the support and backing of his players. The Chris Johnson holdout situation is messy, but he deserves the money and I think the short-armed, deep-pocketed Bud Adams will shell out the money to the only reason Tennessee folks have gone to the stadium and tuned into the games. The worst part going into this season is the departure of defensive line coach Jim Washburn to the Eagles. It might sound surprising to hear one say a position coach is the worst loss for a team, but Washburn has brought the best out of Jevon Kearse, Albert Haynesworth, Kevin Carter, Tony Brown, Jason Babin, Dave Ball, Jason Jones and Jacob Ford. After Kearse, Haynesworth, and Carter departed their careers declined. Before Babin and Ball came to town they were castoffs from other teams. Tony Brown was released following Washburn’s departure. Babin and Ford have since been overpaid after playing under Washburn. It would have been great to see last year’s first round pick Derrick Morgan develop under the eye of Washburn. The Titans do have bright spots, however. With Michael Roos and David Stewart, the Titans are one of the strongest teams at the tackle positions in the league. Michael Griffin and Cortland Finnegan are tough defensive backs who have a tendency of frustrating their opponents., especially Finnegan, as displayed last year in his fight with Andre Johnson. Barrett Ruud is a great addition at linebacker and one of the best at his position in pass coverage and defending receiving tight ends. As a Titans fan I feel I have little reason for hope this season, but I will continue to find the positives, most specifically the development and learning for Jake Locker, watching Hasselbeck’s poise and leadership from the sidelines.