SBNation.com - NBA Awards 2012: LeBron James Leads All-Defensive Team

All-NBA Teams Introduce The Dynamic Duo Era

2012-05-25T13:01:53Z

When the 2011-2012 All-NBA teams were announced Thursday, it was hard not to notice a pattern. Four of the five first team selections -- LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul -- have a teammate on either the second or the third team. The era of superstars teaming up that was hastened by LeBron's Decision and the simultaneous signing of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami is reaching critical mass. Along with New York Knick teammates Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler, each selected third team All-NBA, 10 of the 15 players honored are joined on the teams by a teammate.

Some of this comes in the traditional process of building teams -- Durant and Russell Westbrook were chosen by the Oklahoma City Thunder in back-to-back drafts, Bryant and Andrew Bynum were each chosen out of high school by a prescient L.A. Lakers front office -- but there's no sense in denying a trend in the sheer number of these high profile pairings. It started with Miami. Then Carmelo forced his way to New York to join 2011 second team All-NBA performer Amare Stoudemire and then Chandler joined them. Eventually, Paul orchestrated a trade to the Clippers to team with newly minted All-NBA power forward Blake Griffin.

As recently as three seasons ago, the 10 players on the All-NBA first and second teams came from 10 different teams -- this season only seven teams can lay claim to a first or second teamer, and only 10 teams total have any All-NBA selection on their roster.

You know who else has probably noticed this trend? Dwight Howard, the only first team All-NBA selection who does not have a teammate elsewhere on the All NBA team (or anywhere close to it, for that matter). Second teamer Kevin Love is probably mildly interested in what's happening also.

Tony Parker and Rajon Rondo have been a part of super teams for several seasons now, even if they weren't joined on the All-NBA team this year, and with all due respect to Dirk Nowitzki, he's 33, just won an NBA title and used to play with Steve Nash, so no one is going to feel too sorry for him that he's a little lonely in Dallas right now.

But Howard and Love (and last season's MVP Derrick Rose, who suffered so many injuries this season) must surely be looking at the NBA landscape and wondering who is left to team up with.

Follow @sbnation | Like SB Nation on Facebook | Subscribe to SB Nation YouTube

Love begins an extension in Minnesota next season, so he'd best hope that Ricky Rubio is a worthy sidekick if he wants to join in on the fabulous friend fun before 2016 or so. And who knows what's going to happen with Howard at this point given how quickly everything went south in Orlando last season. Now that Stan Van Gundy and Otis Smith are gone, can Howard be convinced to stay? Or will the team decide to trade him to get something in return, with or without his agreement to sign an extension with his new team?

And when do we start seeing super pals poaching from each other? As of now, Howard and Paul are scheduled to become free agents at the same time next summer. Will Paul be looking to upgrade from his second team All-NBA comrade to a first teamer in a new location? The fact that Howard and Paul might both be free agents in 2013 has certainly caught the eye of more than a few NBA general managers.

All this also begs the question: which is the most dynamic of the duos?

Of the four tandems that feature a first team All-NBA selection, two are still playing in the Conference Finals, Durant and Westbrook of the Thunder and James and Wade of the Heat. But the Lakers with Bryant and Bynum and the Clippers with Paul and Griffin each had solid seasons as well, losing in the conference semifinals. It comes as no surprise that these teams with multiple All-NBA selections formed half of the final eight teams in the playoffs this season.

Each pairing has its strengths and weaknesses.

James, the league's MVP, and Wade are both still relatively young (27 and 30 respectively) and arguably have the most sheer talent of all the pairings. But at times they seem to be somewhat incompatible, taking turns dominating games rather than dominating together.
Durant and Westbrook are the youngest duo, each just 23, which is a truly frightening prospect for the rest of the NBA. But like James and Wade, they are both most effective with the ball, and at times seem to be working at cross-purposes. They supplement each other to be sure, but they don't necessarily complement each other.
Paul and Griffin have a nice mix of youth (27 and 23 respectively) and positional blend. They form a true inside-outside combination with the potential to run a devastating pick and roll combination for years to come. But Griffin needs to develop more, and the two have played together the shortest of these pairings, with the hoped for synergies coming relatively slowly in Year 1 of the partnership. Then there's the question of how long they'll remain together, given that each is coming up on free agency, and the Clippers have not had the best history of player retention.
On paper the duo of Bryant and Bynum should be terrific, one of the truly great perimeter scorers in the league paired with one of the dominant low post forces. In practice, Bryant doesn't play well with others, and Bynum hasn't been the most mature presence himself. The two often seem to be competing with each other when they should be cooperating.

As we continue into the super team era, which direction will this go? Will two megastars no longer be enough so that we'll see more Bosh-like third amigos? Like disposable razors, the next steps are fairly obvious: the Trac II begat the Mach III begat the Quattro begat the Hydro 5 (what will they think of next? Six blades?) Will four megastars get together at some point and decide, "to heck with having to struggle to win a title, let's do this the really easy way"? Or will salary caps and stringent luxury taxes have their desired effect and redistribute the talent to allow more teams to compete?

Keep an eye on Dwight Howard to get an early indication of where this is heading next.

2012 All-NBA Teams Announced, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant Lead First Team

2012-05-24T18:42:52Z

The awards and accolades for the 2011-12 NBA season continue to roll out. Art Garcia, Director of Athletic Communications at UT Arlington, reports that the full selections for the All-NBA teams have been decided.

The All-NBA First Team consists of Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. Second Team for 2012 is Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Andrew Bynum, Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook. The third team is Dirk Nowitzki, Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo.

The only difference between the First Team between last season and this season is the swapping out of Derrick Rose for Chris Paul. Rose had an injury-plagued season to follow up his MVP year in 2010-11. This is the second time Paul has made First Team, with his first appearance following the 2007-8 season.

James led all players with 118 First Team votes and 596 total points. Durant was second, with 117 First Team votes and 591 points. Bryant received 104 First Team votes and 568 points, Howard received 75 First Team votes and 476 points, while Paul received 74 First Team votes and 484 points.

Parker received the most First Team votes among all other players, with 41, while Bynum received the highest points total among all other players, with 400.

For more 2012 NBA awards and accolades, please stay tuned to this StoryStream. For lots more on the world of basketball, stop by SB Nation's dedicated NBA hub.

2012 NBA All-Defensive Teams Announced, LeBron James Leads First Team

2012-05-23T18:00:54Z

The 2012 NBA All-Defensive Teams were announced, and Miami Heat star LeBron James is the leading vote-getter for the squads. James picked up 24 first-team votes and five-second team votes to earn the most points. The rest of the first team includes Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul and Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen.

Curiously, New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler, who won the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, did not make the first team. There's a different voting body for the two honors -- the media votes on the Defensive Player of the Year, while NBA coaches vote on the All-Defense teams -- but it's odd to see there be this big of a difference. Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Luol Deng and Kobe Bryant joined Chandler on the second team.

Other players receiving votes included Philadelphia 76ers forward Andre Iguodala, Bulls center Joakim Noah and Knicks guard Iman Shumpert.

Larry Bird Wins 2012 NBA Executive Of The Year

2012-05-16T17:55:49Z

Larry Bird won the 2011-12 NBA Executive of the Year Award as president of basketball operations for the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, the team reports. The Pacers finished third in the Eastern Conference with a 42-24 record during this past regular season, and are currently tied 1-1 in their second round NBA Playoff series against the Miami Heat.

BREAKING NEWS: Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird is the recipient of the 2011-12 NBA Executive of the Year award.
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 16, 2012

Bird has been in charge of the Pacers' player personnel and coaching moves since 2003, and has overseen a marked improvement in the team recently. One year ago, the Pacers went just 37-45 during the regular season and were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by the Chicago Bulls as an 8-seed. One year prior to that, they didn't even make the postseason.

The Pacers have been one of the league's best defensive teams all year. They ranked fourth in the NBA with 43.9 rebounds per game, and 10th allowing 94.4 points.

For more on Bird and the Pacers, head over to the SB Nation blog Indy Cornrows. Stay tuned to SB Nation's NBA hub for more news and analysis.

Kyrie Irving Officially Wins 2012 NBA Rookie Of The Year

2012-05-15T14:55:43Z

To the surprise of nobody, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving was officially named the 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year on Tuesday. The No. 1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft received 117 of 120 first-place votes to win the award in a landslide.

In a press conference announcing the win, Irving said that the award is not only for him, but also "for the city of Cleveland."

Irving failed to become the fifth rookie to win unanimously, but still easily took home the crown. San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard, New York's Iman Shumpert and Denver's Kenneth Faried picked up the other three first-place votes. Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio finished second despite not earning any first-place votes. Faried, Leonard and Shumpert finished third, fourth and fifth overall.

Irving averaged 18.5 points and 5.4 assists per game and emerged as a top option in crunch time in just his rookie season, so he is a deserving winner.

Keep up with the rest of the winners on our NBA Awards 2012 StoryStream. For more fan perspective on Irving's ROY win, check our our Cavs blog, Fear the Sword and SB Nation Cleveland.

Kyrie Irving Is Reportedly 2012 Rookie Of The Year

2012-05-13T21:20:22Z

It would surprise no one if Kyrie Irving does indeed win the NBA's Rookie of the Year award for the 2012 season. (Well, no one except ESPN Deportes Alfredo Berrios, who is a huge Ricky Rubio fan.)

Now ESPN.com's Mark Stein reports the seemingly-inevitable, citing a league source who says Iriving, the Cavs point guard and No. 1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, will be named Rookie of the Year on Monday.

See the other winners: NBA Awards 2012

Irving had the best statistical season of any NBA rookie and seemed to lock up the award when the aforementioned Rubio -- his closest competition -- went down for the season with an ACL injury.

Irving finished his first NBA season averaging 18.5 points, 5.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds. Just as important as those raw numbers, he shot 46.9 percent from the field and 39.9 percent from three.

Our Cavs blog, Fear the Sword, could only offer ... a bunch of sarcasm:

In a stunning, shocking turn of events, Kyrie Irving will be named the NBA's Rookie of the Year on Monday, according to ESPN. I know you guys are as stunned as I am. Kyrie Irving was a total beast all season and emerged as the Cavaliers' best player pretty early in the season.

Keep up with the rest of the winners on our NBA Awards 2012 StoryStream. For more fan perspective on Irving's ROY win, check our our Cavs blog, Fear the Sword and SB Nation Cleveland.

LeBron James Flails Around During NBA MVP Press Conference

2012-05-12T18:00:27Z

It was pretty apparent that LeBron James was nervous as he stepped to the podium to accept his NBA MVP Award on Saturday. He fiddled with the microphones, tried to break the ice with a joke about notecards and generally looked a bit uncomfortable. It's natural, of course, for anyone to be a little nervous about speaking in public.

But hey, that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun at LeBron's expense with a quick GIF of him flailing around on stage.

via BlazersEdge

Thinking he won't be transitioning to Wheel of Fortune or The Price is Right after his basketball career.

LeBron James Officially Announced 2012 NBA MVP

2012-05-12T17:54:40Z

The Heat's LeBron James was officially announced as the winner of the 2012 NBA Most Valuable Player award on Saturday afternoon. Reports leaked out on Friday that James would be named MVP for the third time in his career and the league made it official one day later. He was presented with the trophy at a press conference in Miami.

At the press conference, James was emotional, stating that he hadn't been that nervous in a long time as he took the podium with butterflies in his stomach. He brought his teammates up on the stage to thank them and referred to the MVP as a team award for the Heat. James was also reflective on his past, and where he's come from to get to where he is today:

Where I come from -- Akron, Ohio -- they automatically think you're going to be a statistic...You're either going to fall in the streets or end up in prison, there's no way you're going to make it and be successful.

This is my ninth year in the NBA. Less than 10 years ago, I had dreams of being in the NBA. I dreamed of putting on an NBA uniform. I never dreamed about being the Most Valuable Player...It's something I never thought would happen.

James joins an elite group of players who have won three MVP awards. He is only the eighth player in NBA history to win it at least three times. The other seven on the list all have NBA titles on their resumes -- something LeBron is still gunning for in this 2012 Playoffs. LeBron addressed the outstanding goals for this season and the chase for his first title:

Heat nation, we have a bigger goal. I want you to know that. This is very overwhelming to me as an individual award. This is not the award I want. I want that championship and that's all that matters to me.

Here's the full list of three-time winners:

6 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
5 - Michael Jordan
5 - Bill Russell
4 - Wilt Chamberlain
3 - Larry Bird
3 - Magic Johnson
3 - Moses Malone
3 - LeBron James

James was a heavy favorite and won a convincing share of the first place votes for the award. He received 85 votes with the Thunder's Kevin Durant coming in second with 24 votes. Chris Paul (6), Tony Parker (4), and Kobe Bryant (2) were the other players to receive first place votes.

For all news and information regarding the Miami Heat, please visit Peninsula is Mightier, or check out SB Nation Tampa Bay.