Another great season so far, we have had undeniable great play all over the courts. I have been enjoying great ball, dunks, deep balls and sweet no look passes. Let’s take a look at the 1st season of the NBA thus far, with the VTD 2013 Midseason NBA awards.

Most Improved Player of the year

Kemba Walker, PG, Charlotte Bobcats; 17 ppg, 3 rpg, 6 apg, Kemba has improved numerous aspects of his game from last year. This guy has brought his game up radically. He was a 37% shooter and struggled with his assists to turnover ratio. He has brought his scoring up by 5 points, dishing the ball better, his FG%, and his 3 FG% have all improved.

Defensive Player of the year

Roy Hibbert, C, Indiana Pacers; 2.7 blocks/ game, the big former Hoya has always been an excellent shot blocker, but he is the foundation for the Pacers and their defensive style. 7-2 and 280 lbs, be takes up space in the paint, isn’t afraid of banging and disrupts shots throughout the game He also doesn’t catch many fouls to his blocks ratio, great length and body control, 22 games with 3+ blocks including an unbelievable 11 blocks in one game.

Sixth Man of the year

J.J. Redick, SG, Milwaukee Bucks; 15 ppg, 2 rpg, 4 apg, Redick is knocking down 46% of his shots from the field and also drilling 40% of his deep balls. He is 2nd on the team in scoring and is 2nd on the team in apg. Immediate offense when he gets on the court with his sharpshooting skills. He could be a starter on numerous NBA teams.

Rookie of the year

Damian Lillard, PG, Portland Trailblazers; 18 ppg, 3 rpg, 7 apg, the Weber State guard has played a considerable role on the team this season making big plays and taking the team under his wing, playing 39 minutes/game. A bright future on the horizon for the fresh 22 year old, he has the ability to light it up, and can also distribute the pill with the best of them when on his game. Once he gets more consistent shooting he will be a real force to reckon with.

Team of the year

San Antonio, 42-12; 104 ppg, 96 opponent’s ppg, The Spurs shockingly have one of the highest win margins in the NBA, and yet once more, no one looks at this team as a real threat to make a run…still. Top 5 in scoring and assists/game, and also top 10 in opponent’s ppg. The Spurs have been an inferno, winning 44 % of their games by 10 +. They have been artfully controlling the NBA.

Coach of the year

Frank Vogel, Indiana Pacers; I will tell you why, he has a team that lives off of defense, and has, since he took over last year as their Head Coach. They have some well dispersed talent, and the team’s best player is 32 year old, David West, who is playing some of the best ball of his career. They have been coming together for the last 2 years, and now Vogel has them playing a surplus of quality hoops.

MVP of the year

LeBron James, SF, Miami Heat; 27 ppg, 8 rpg, 7 apg, shooting an inconceivable 57% from the field, 42% from behind the arc, best of his career, so he’s dropping them consistently. Also shut down on defense, LeBron is the best player in the league hands down, his game has it all, the ultimate package of speed, power, shooting, rebounding, and passing.

VTD All-NBA 1st team

PG- Chris Paul 17 ppg, 3 rpg, 10 apg

SG- James Harden 26 ppg, 5 rpg, 6 apg

C- Brook Lopez 19 ppg, 7 rpg, 2 bpg

PF- David Lee 19 ppg, 11 rpg, 4 apg

SF- LeBron James 27 ppg, 8 rpg, 7 apg

Written by Tony Karpinski of VegasTopDogs.com