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NBA MOST IMPROVED PLAYER 2008 -- WHY LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE DESERVED THE AWARD
Scouring the League for the players that have augmented their scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, blocks, and shooting percentage led me to narrow it down to five players. The reality of the situation is that only baller one can be named the M.I.P. for the 2007-2008 NBA Season. So, let’s play a little game of NBA Survivor. The first to be voted off the M.I.P. Island is Chris Paul; he will likely win the Most Valuable Player Award and it is unheard of for one man to win two major awards in the same year. The next two players to hit the road are Andrew Bynum and Rajon Rondo. Unfortunately for Andrew Bynum his time out because of injury has dropped him from what could have been a unanimous selection to the third spot. As for Gay, he has raised his game to a much higher level but his team has such an abysmal record this season that I couldn’t possibly justify choosing him to win the coveted Most Improved Player Award. The two players that made the most outstanding jumps in productivity are LaMarcus Aldridge and Hedo Turkoglu. The most glaring categorical difference between L.A. and Hedo lies in the points per game department where LaMarcus Aldridge has upped his scoring by 2.5 ppg more than Hedo Turkoglu. This statistic is usually the golden rule for deciding between two players; however, the debate is best decided by including the age and career length of the nominees in the M.I.P. equation. Generally speaking, the Most Improved Player is still new to the League, not an experienced veteran. It is also used as a form of name advertisement, as a way to let the world know about an up and coming ball player. Clearly Aldridge, only in his second season, is tailor-fitted for the M.I.P. jacket (no the award isn’t actually a jacket) due to his age and All Star potential. Turkoglu most certainly helped lead the charge this season for the Orlando Magic, but LaMarcus Aldridge has turned into a Rasheed Wallace type of player in only his sophomore season in the National Basketball Association. Adios senior Turkoglu! It appears that L.A. comes out on top in this game of NBA Survivor (at least in my mind). Well done big man. Well done.
1. LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE (Portland Trail Blazers) – 17.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, .7 spg, 1.2 bpg, 79.5% (FT%), 48.4% (FG%), 34.6 mpg
*Plus -- 8.8 ppg, 1.2 apg, 2.7 rpg, 4% (FT%), 12.7 mpg
2. HEDO TURKOGLU (Orlando Magic) – 19.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.9 apg, .9 spg, 82.6% (FT%), 40.5% (3p%), 45.4% (FG%), 37.4 mpg
*Plus – 6.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 3.2% (FG%), 6.2 mpg
3. RUDY GAY (Memphis Grizzlies) -- Rudy Gay — 20.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2 apg, 1.37 spg, .98 bpg, 46.2% (FG%), 78.5% (FT%), 34.6% (3p%), 37 mpg
*Plus – 9.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg, .7 apg, .5 spg, 4% (FG%), 5.8% (FT%), 10 mpg
4. ANDREW BYNUM (Los Angeles Lakers) – 13.1 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 1.7 apg, 2.1 bpg, 63.6% (FG%)
* Plus – 5.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, .5 bpg, .6 apg, 3.3% (FG%)
5. CHRIS PAUL (New Orleans Hornets) – 21.6 ppg, 11.5 apg, 3.9 rpg, 2.7 spg, 85.2% (FT%), 49.2% (FG%), 37.1% (3p%), 37.6 mpg
* Plus – 3.8 ppg, 2.7 apg, .9 spg, 3.3% (FT%), 5% (FG%)
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