NBA Mid-Season Awards

MVP

LeBron James, and it isn't close. Chris Broussard thinks that Kevin Durant has LeBron beat out. Broussard should stick to getting breaking news from his bevy of sources, because his analysis is clearly sub-par. LeBron has a better true shooting percentage than Durant; he has a (much) better assist rate; he has a better turnover rate; he has a higher usage rate; he has a better rebound rate; and he's a far superior defender. So yeah, I don't really see room for an argument for Durant, despite his very good year. In fact, Chris Paul's incredible fourth quarter numbers (his PER in the fourth quarter is over 35 and is best in the league) and transformation of the Clippers into a contender in the Western Conference leads me to put him ahead of Durant as well, though only by a hair.
Top five: James, Paul, Durant, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard

Rookie of the Year

Kyrie Irving, and this race is also landslide. Irving is a 19 year old with a PER over 20. He (along with a healthy Anderson Varajao) has led the Cavaliers from a complete joke into a competitive team. Rubio is a blast to watch, but desperately needs to improve his shooting. Leonard is the only player on the list playing productive minutes for a contender. Ayon has a PER of nearly 20 and easily leads the Hornets--who, unlike the Bobcats, at least look they are trying--in adjusted plus minus.
Top five: Irving, Rubio, Kawhi Leonard, Gustavo Ayon, Isaiah Thomas

6th Man

When are we going to get a close race? As long as Scott Brooks keeps James Harden coming off the bench, he should have this one nailed down. Harden has a true shooting percentage of almost 65% and a higher assist rate than Russell Westbrook. He's also third in the league in adjusted plus minus.
Top five: Harden, Lou Williams, Andre Miller, Al Harrington, Mo Williams

Coach of the Year

Tom Thibodeau by a smidge over Gregg Popovich, with Doug Collins not far behind. People forget that the Bulls were not a defensive juggernaut before Thubodeau came along. And this year, they are even third in the league in offensive efficiency, behind only Miami and Oklahoma City. Meanwhile Popovich, despite injuries, has San Antonio playing like a championship contender. And Collins is getting everything possible out of his Sixers team.
Top five: Thibodeau, Popovich, Collins, Frank Vogel, Rick Carlisle

Defensive Player of the Year

No one stands out here. Dwight Howard is still the league's most feared defender, but with Orlando having only the league's 12th best defensive efficiency, he is not playing up to his usual standard (though it should be noted that he's surrounded by horrid defenders). Andre Iguodala is the most important defender on the team with the NBA's best defensive efficiency. Tyson Chandler has greatly helped turn the Knicks into a top-10 defense. And LeBron is doing his usual work on the wings. My ballot right can be seen below, but this race is close enough that it will likely change over the rest of the season.
Top five: Iguodala, Chandler, Howard, James, Tony Allen

Most Improved

Linsanity! Yes, Jeremy Lin played terribly against the Miami Heat last night, but let's not discount what he's done since being placed in the starting lineup. He has a PER over 22 and has obviously been a key cog in many of the Knicks' wins. And talk about "improved"...this from a guy who got pretty much no run last year. Lin has been overhyped, but he's also a lot better than he showed yesterday. The Heat didn't show the league some new "blueprint" for stopping Lin (his penchant for turning the ball over when faced with ball pressure and long arms was already out there), they just executed well and are a terrible matchup for him.
Top five: Lin, Ryan Anderson, Greg Monroe, James Harden, Kyle Lowry