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Great Buck Howard, The (2008)
IMDB rating: 7.50
Plot: When a law school dropout answers an advertisement to be a personal assistant he unknowingly signs on to work for a belligerent has-been magician struggling to resurrect his career. This leads to a journey across the country staging the comeback of a lifetime.
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Directors: McGinly Sean
Actors: Hanks Colin,Hendricks B.J.,Bhatt Ankur,Clemons Tony,Da Skitso Bubba,Dunne Griffin,Fischler Patrick,Gubler Matthew Gray,Hanks Tom,Hartley Nate,Hoey Matt,Jay Ricky,Johnson Shane,Langham Wallace,Comedy,Drama,
Thoughts on awards this year?
Well, I made an All-NBA list (see http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index? qid=20090314233522AArFTuM&r=w), so I might as well do the awards as well.
Sixth Man of the Year — Jason Terry
Not that difficult of a selection. Best scorer off the bench this season and aside from Dirk, the only reason Dallas has the eighth slot right now. He hasn’t missed enough games to impact his chances of getting the award. Robinson has spiced up the race, but it’s hard to argue that he’s a better scorer than Terry, which is the role both have. Maggette and Outlaw have put up big numbers, but they’re not on Terry’s level. Barbosa has started a bit too much and been a tad bit too inconsistent to be considered here. All this said, Ginobli wins this by a landslide had he actually been healthy. He’s far better than anyone in the current race.
Most Improved Player — Devin Harris
Another fairly easy pick. Harris has improved tremendously this year, going from a defensive stopper in Dallas to an All-Star this season. Incredibly fast guard that picks up a ton of fouls and he has gotten better at dealing dimes. Durant is definitely better, but it’s easier to chalk it up as rookie-to-sophomore improvement. Granger has been injured a tad bit too much, and while he made the All-Star team with Harris, take a peek at their PERs and the difference is clear. Lee and Millsap have had much better years as well but Harris is far ahead.
Rookie of the Year — Brook Lopez
This is hard, namely because this rookie class is so deep. Yes, Rose is brilliant and will be truly special in the future, but he remains deficient at the defensive end and doesn’t put up as much dimes as he should at the point. Mayo is an incredible scorer for a rookie, but has hit the wall recently and needs to pass the ball more. Westbrook is a great defender for a rookie, but needs to develop his overall game more, especially as a one guard. Gordon has been the sole light on the Clippers this year, and is shooting the lights out, but the same argument for Mayo applies. After all this we come to Lopez, who has arguably made the best adjustment to the NBA, playing well at both ends, swatting 1.8 balls a game, and is a fantastic rebounder for a first year player. His PER is also a full two points higher than Rose. All this said, Rose will probably win, but Lopez has been the better player this year and is more deserving of the award.
Defensive Player of the Year — Dwight Howard
An easy choice. When someone leads the league in rebounding and blocked shots, it’s hard not to give them the award (*cough* Ben Wallace *cough*). Howard is the best interior defender in the game, hands down. Wade has been fantastic at this end, but he’s not the same force Howard is. Everyone else in the discussion — Battier, Kobe, Garnett, Paul, LeBron — doesn’t even come close.
Coach of the Year — Stan Van Gundy
I hate to do this. Jerry Sloan needs to win it once, and Utah staying in the playoff race despite all their injuries is reason enough. But Van Gundy has turned the Magic into one of the league’s elite teams; that they’re even mentioned in the same breath as Boston and Cleveland is due to the work he’s done here. This can’t be ignored. Mike Brown has turned Cleveland from a middling offensive team into a juggernaut that uses LeBron’s strengths more effectively, but everyone expected a big jump after the Cavaliers got Mo Williams and had Pavlovic and Varajeo for a training camp. Erik Spoelstra has been fantastic for a first year coach, has had the audacity to bring Beasley off the bench to teach him discipline and defense, and has Miami in the playoff picture after a 15 win season. Scott Skiles has turned an utterly pathetic Bucks team into one of the league’s best defensive teams that is in the playoff push despite not having their best scorer (Redd) and interior defender (Bogut). Phil Jackson has made the Lakers care about defense and ensured that they are the best team in the NBA, with or without Bynum; look at the wins over Boston, Cleveland, and San Antonio for proof. But all of the work of these coaches pales in comparison to the jump for the Magic Van Gundy engineered from middling playoff team to an elite contender.
Most Valuable Player — LeBron James
Put it this way. James has the best PER in the league and only Wade really compares to his averages. Unless the Heat win 50 games, Wade doesn’t have enough leverage in this conversation. For Kobe to win, the Lakers would have to have the best record in the league, and Cleveland would have to lose to Boston for home court supremacy in the playoffs. Now, Cleveland is clearly going to win the East — barring a major meltdown — so LeBron is the clear-cut MVP from all angles of the argument: the best player on the best team. This isn’t to detract from Wade; he’s been transcendent this year, but LeBron is a force for the ages. Aside from these three, everyone else doesn’t even come close.
Tav, got a better argument than a dismissive one-liner? I’m open to discussion on the topic, but not to guys who can articulate a cogent point to save their life.
junmccain, yeah, I have. LeBron went for three straight triple-doubles. Both are incredible players, but the difference maker is how their teams are doing. Unless Miami wins 50 games, you don’t have much of an argument.
kobefanz, even if the Lakers finish with a better record than Cleveland, it won’t be that much better. Cleveland will have to seriously screw up the rest of the season to create a gulf wide enough to influence the MVP voting. The rest of the good teams they face (except one game against Orlando at home) are at home, where as you know, only the Lakers have beaten them. Again, tough to see them losing enough to influence the MVP voting.
Again, tav, give some argument beyond a lame one-liner. Mayo has hit the wall recently if you haven’t noticed. Gordon ranks third-worst among two guards in rebound rate and is purely a scorer (I admit, his TS% for a rookie is fantastic). Rose’s assists are among the bottom half of all point guards and his TS% is pretty bad also. Lopez ranks among the top half of centers in rebound rate, FG%, and is eighth in the NBA in blocked shots. His PER is two points higher than Rose’s and averages 16.9 points per 40 minutes as versus Rose’s 17.9 per 40 minutes despite having a vastly lower usage rate.
To tav, I don’t know, a rookie center who shoots 52.7% from the field, 82.6% from the line, is in the upper half of centers in rebound rate, and is eighth in the league in blocked shots? And with the exception of Westbrook, he’s the only ROY candidate who plays well at both ends of the floor.
Argh, correction to the above. Cavaliers’ only away game against a good team is Orlando. Just illustrates how tough it will be for them to lose the East.
Wes, I know the hype machine is working against me, and Westbrook and Rose are going to be great in the future, but Lopez has had a better year than both of them. Thanks for the praise though.
ballerhensley, I use ESPN for stats; beyond that, anything similar is largely coincidental. And Lamar Odom for sixth man? Aside from probably not even being eligible, he hasn’t played that well off the bench when he did and certainly didn’t have the same impact Terry had.
Very good choices and explanations, but I think ROY belongs to either Rose or Westbrook. Both have proven that they can be NBA stars in the future. Westbrook is gonna be like Chris Paul with his ability to rebound and drive to the hoop. Rose is really athletic and can influence games. Lopez has played well, but I don’t think his performance will merit him the award, especially with all the hype surrounding Rose.
wes | Mar 15, 2009
what makes lopez so good then buddy
Tav | Mar 15, 2009
Yah your right but for the rookie of the year, it would be derrick rose
And for the MVP, it would be dwayne wade, why? look for his performance last 5 games or above.
junmccain | Mar 15, 2009
kobe will get MVP when lakers finish first
kobefanz (52-13 dreams are made) | Mar 15, 2009
you probly copied this from like espn hahahahahaah
naah i think 6 man is lamar odom
ballerhensley1 | Mar 15, 2009
Kinda agree with your picks but for the ROY I think it would be Derrick Rose hands-down…there may be some games that shows clearly that he is still a rookie but so far he has proven that he can compete with the best point guards in the NBA the only rookie who can challenge him is probably OJ Mayo…both started strong in the NBA and and at times they look more like vets than rookies…
LeBron will be the MVP but Kobe’s catching up, from the start it has been a seesaw battle between the 2 superstars…
great observations man…
Da'RainMan | Mar 15, 2009
MVP=kobe bryant
Most improved=davin harris/andrea bargnani
defensive man=wade/camby/D.howard
rookie of the year=rose/mayo
sixth man=barbosa/jason terry
coach of the year=phil jackson
osashi arsenal rules | Mar 15, 2009
" - from http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3 530822107858703201/
It’s such a beautiful song. ^-^ But I can’t find a music sheet or tutorial anywhere! D:
Francis Byrd