Erick Blasco

Artest has coasted for too big a stretch this season for me to give him an All-Defensive team position. LeBron's still a pretty strong individual defender and a terrific help defender, especially in transition.

He's using on-court/off-court as his prime statistical tool. It measures how many points a team allows (per 100 possessions) with a player on the court vs. how many points a team allows with that player off the court. There's enough of a sample size for a certain degree of reliability, but I think the issue with the stat is validity because it's not adjusted. The rest of his decisions are using an eye test and (stat)-per-minute it looks like. Also, it depends on what stats you're looking at. Every stat has some level of interference, some more than others. Percentage stats are more reliable than base stats and can be used reliably. Basketball Prospectus uses dMult which is a really cool stat with the right idea, but it only measures counterpart box score stats. dMult measures how well or how poorly an opposing counterpart's production is vs. said player. For example, if it's found that some player (let's say Josh Smith) allows opposing players to put up 110 points of production in games against the Hawks with him on the floor, while all of those players combine to average 100 points of production against everyone else, Smith will be found to have a dMult of 1.100 and will be 10% worse defensively than the league's average power forward defender. If it gets to a point where that stat can be measured by a play-by-play basis, it'ss probably become the most reliable defensive tool out there. Right now it doesn't allow for cross-matching which contaminates the stat a bit. Also, Derek Fisher makes good defensive plays in transition and help situations, plus against bigger guards.

I'm surprised Hollinger only used on-court off court for this as well. It's not adjusted for teammates/opponents. For example, the Bulls wouldn't lose a lot of defense with Deng on the bench because his backups are Ronnie Brewer and Keith Bogans, both plus defenders. Why not use Synergy's Points Per Possession? It's not like Hollinger doesn't have access to use the stat. Maybe he's not allowed to release a substantial amount of the numbers to the public? Minor note, some mathematician needs to create an adjusted defensive on-court/off-court just like there's an adjusted +/-.

ALL-NBA First Team C: Dwight Howard PF: Kevin Garnett SF: LeBron James SG: Dwyane Wade PG: Derrick Rose All-NBA Second Team C: Amare Stoudemire PF: Pau Gasol SF: Kevin Durant SG: Kobe Bryant PG: Rajon Rondo All NBA Third Team C: Tim Duncan PF: LaMarcus Aldridge SF: Luol Deng SG: Manu Ginobili PG: Chris Paul

1st Team: C: Dwight Howard PF: Kevin Garnett SF: Luol Deng SG: Tony Allen PG: Kyle Lowry 2nd Team: C: Tyson Chandler PF: Luc Richard Mbah A Moute SF: LeBron James SG: Dwayne Wade PG: Rajon Rondo

I also voted for Thibodeau. He's installed a patient, disciplined offense, and brought over the Riley school of defense to Chicago. He's gotten everybody to work hard and cut down on mistakes, and his passion, energy, and love of basketball has proven infectious. He's had a terrific inaugural season.

There have been publications over the net that have remarked about how Brewer is one of the worst defenders at his position in the league, and Hollinger gives him an honorable mention. SMH at steals per minute. He spends entire games off balance with his arms stretching out and wildly jumps into passing lanes. Of course his SpM will be high. It's also why he's incompetent at keeping opponents from scoring.

I voted for other and need to change it to Rose. I didn't want to vote for Rose---or any of the candidates---tried to make a cute argument for Amar'e Stoudemire, that didn't hold up, tried to make an argument for Luol Deng (whose impact has been criminally underrated. The last wing who was this strong on both sides of the ball on such a dominant defensive team was 2008 Paul Pierce). But whereas 2008 Pierce was Boston's go to scorer late in games, Deng isn't. I had to go back to a post I created in 2008 to help me reel in the parameters of what constitutes an MVP: The first point invalidates Durant who still has trouble against the best physical defenders. The second invalidates Dirk whose Mavs have flattened out after an inspired start and have regressed to what they've been the past half decade. The Heat and Magic have been disappointments this season relative to expected performance. You can also say the Lakers have been. Finally, Kobe's been too inefficient in "Mamba Mode" to carry the Lakers this year. More than ever, the Lakers success is a result of the collection of players around Kobe and not just Kobe himself. This leaves Rose. He's fantastically talented. He's been strong in the clutch. He's improved his defense, his point guard skills, and his shooting range. He's bought in to coaching. He's elevated his teammates. While he's still relatively inefficient, he's also more versatile than Dwight Howard (who would be my second choice). In other seasons, he'd maybe be a top-three pick. But in a bad year for MVP candidates, my pick goes to Rose.

Carter's lack of heart and awful basketball instincts should keep him far away from anything close to a Hall-of-Fame. Has anybody's stats rang as hollow as Carter's? The guy put up some numbers playing during the worst stretch a conference has had perhaps ever. People tend to forget how seriously awful the Eastern Conference was during Carter's hayday. And he couldn't accomplish jack squat in the postseason against average competition. The only Halls of Fame Carter belongs in are the Hall of Dunking and the Hall of Being really goddamn nice (which in the grand scheme of things may be more important then any basketball accomplishments. For all of Carter's foibles, he's always had a smile on his face and tries to genuinely help others, especially his opponents---helping them up off the floor, even sometimes during plays, etc).

Russel Westbrook doesn't even play defense, how is he on every ballot?

No question Blake.

LaMarcus Aldridge had seldom played in the post before this year and turned himself into a go-to auto double down there. He's my MIP.

Prime KG deserves more credit than what he's doing, and I'm extremely satisfied to see Luol Deng get recognition for the DPOY award, but this is Dwight's to lose.

Good info.

When have the Lakers ever closed out a game with Fisher not on the floor as the point guard?

When J.R. Smith plays with a brain...this guy is really really talented. He's having a spectacular 4th quarter.

MAX POWER! The name you'd loooooovee to touuuuchhhhh! But you musn't touuuuuuuuuchhhh! His name sounds good in your ear! But when you say it, you musn't fear! For itttttttt can be saiiiiiiiid by anyooooneeeee!

Something unbelievable happened in this game---ultra clutch Hedo Turkoglu missed a buzzer beater :wacko:

Well he did get hit in the head while airborne.

My comment was clearly sending a message. You don't want to mess with me in the playoffs!

What is Reggie Miller talking about Brian Cardinal sending a message? Here's the message Cardinal is sending. Gasol is going for a layup. He'll contest it. What kind of world does Reggie live in where everything everybody does is a message.

Right now, I'd take Rondo and Nash over Westbrook especially Nash in the endgame. I don't trust Westbrook making correct plays repeatedly with games in the balance, though he's certainly very good in simpler setups.

I vote for having Coach Nick on ESPN. What do you all think?

lol, no I just posted really quickly. Sorry for the confusion.

http://sports.espn.g...tory?id=6274261 Please fire him, please fire him, please fire him...