Mid-season Report
1. Albi the Racist Dragon - Depth and star power up and down the roster and the top record in the tougher Western Conference fetch Ben the top spot in the league. Perhaps there is a bit of luck in gettin career seasons from Chauncey Billups, Antawn Jamison, Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Kaman and Andrew Bogut, but give credit where credit is due.
2. Davis Blue Devils - The league's baby has been a big surprise thanks to the continued health of 4 of this season's top 14 fantasy players (Kobe, B Diddy, Marion, Nash). Still, without any depth on the roster, any injury to the Big 4 could be devastating come playoff time.
3. Pirate Zombies - In the preseason, we said that this team was very talented, but probably too young to compete in the West. However, almost every one of the youngsters has stepped up this year, led by First Half MVP Chris Paul and MIP Rudy Gay. The future is now for the Zombies.
4. Pasty White Chocolate - This team would be running teams out of the gym if it were in the East...unfortunately for Shane, they aren't, so they're stuck in a tough race just to get in to the playoffs. Continued health from First Half DPOY and a little post-trade rejuvenation from Jason Kidd could turn this team into a championship contender.
5. CA Gay Grizzlies - Another very talented Western Conference team. Despite a lot of missed games to injury and a bit of an imbalanced roster, this team is in the playoff hunt. Potentially getting Gilbert Arenas and/or Elton Brand back around playoff time makes this team a true "wild card."
6. McLovin - Yes, this team has the second best record in the whole league, but mostly due to a cake schedule (they are under .500 on the Yahoo standings). They are still talented however enough to make a Finals run in the East.
7. Mill Creek - This team has a new owner and some decent assets, at least enough to make the playoffs. However, middle of the road is as good as the current roster can get this team.
8. LLL - Having such a young team and lots of injuries has lead to a lot of inconsistency for this team. Enough talent to make a playoff in the East if Luol Deng, Grant Hill, Anderson Varejao etc. come back strong.
9. RIP Drazen - The only team that is currently out of the playoff picture that has a shot to get in. The talent level isn't of Western Conference playoff standard, but continued brilliance from Jose Calderon, health from T-Mac and a post-trade rejuvenation from Pau Gasol will give this team a puncher's chance.
10-12. KKK, Detroit Bad Boys, NAACP - Start counting those ping pong balls!
Awards:
All NBA First Team
PG Chris Paul
SG Kobe Bryant
SF LeBron James
PF Kevin Garnett
C Marcus Camby
Second Team
PG Baron Davis
SG Allen Iverson
SF Caron Butler
PF Chris Bosh
C Dwight Howard
Third Team
PG Steve Nash
SG Brandon Roy
SF Paul Pierce
PF Dirk Nowitzki
C Amare Stoudemire
HM: Jose Calderon, Deron Williams, Hedo Turkoglu, Josh Howard, Josh Smith, Shawn Marion, Carlos Boozer, Al Jefferson
All-Defensive First Team
PG Baron Davis
SG Kobe Bryant
SF Caron Butler
PF Kevin Garnett
C Marcus Camby
Second Team
PG Chris Paul
SG Ronnie Brewer
SF Paul Pierce
PF Josh Smith
C Dwight Howard
All-Rookie Team
PG Mike Conley/Juan Carlos Navarro (tie)
SG Kevin Durant
SF Jamario Moon
PF Al Horford
C Sean Williams
MVP
1. Chris Paul
2. Kevin Garnett
3. Kobe Bryant
4. LeBron James
5. Baron Davis
6. Dirk Nowitzki
7. Steve Nash
8. Dirk Nowitzki
9. Allen Iverson
10. Dwight Howard
Most Improved Player
1. Rudy Gay
2. Jose Calderon
3. Andrew Bynum
4. Chris Kaman
5. LaMarcus Aldridge
6. Hedo Turkoglu
7. Travis Outlaw
8. Marvin Williams
9. Ronnie Brewer
10. Devin Harris
SMOTY
1. Dirt Bag Ginobili
2. Travis Outlaw
3. Leandro Barbosa/Ben Gordon (tie)
4. David Lee
5. Josh Childress