Most Improved Player

Most Improved Player of the Year (aka the Team USA column)

(In the sake of full disclosure to all of my dedicated readers, I have been delayed at the airport for a while, and have been drinking at what can only be described a Tim Koch-esque pace. So if this post is incoherent or rambling, then you can blame the goose that is grey, and the fact that I am typing this with one hand because the other is busy holding a Jack and Ginger Ale…and if it is great as normal, then never mind…)

For as long as I can remember I have disliked Duke basketball. This animosity began way before I even knew what Boston College was, and so even though my dislike for them as an ACC rival grew in the last few years, it certainly was not developed because of a conference jealousy. Part of it might date back to when the 2001 Arizona Wildcats got screwed in the NCAA Championship game against the Jay Williams and Shane Battier led Blue Devils. Whatever the cause may be, I just know that I don’t like Duke, and so naturally I would not like the person that symbolizes Duke the most… Coach Mike Krzysweski. But that was the past, and this is the present. And in the present, I have begun to see the man known universally in the basketball as Coach K in a different light. With his association to the Army Academy, Coach K obviously has a special passion love and passion for this great country of ours, and so it is of no surprise that he would be honored to represent it as the coach of the national men’s basketball team the last few years. It is under this rule that I have begun to reevaluate the man. To anyone that follows Team USA basketball even remotely, it is easy to see that a transformation has been undertaken since Coach K has taken the helm. For years, basketball was America’s game and everyone else was just playing for second. The Dream Team won the Olympics without a team getting closer than 30 points, and though they were obviously a special collection of future Hall of Famers, this was the norm. Then in 2002, Team USA lost, on American soil, and they lost more than once. In finishing an embarrassing 6th at the World Championships in Indianapolis, it was evident that a change was necessary. So big name coach Larry Brown was brought in, equipped with some of the brightest young talent the NBA has to offer and they headed off to Athens to reclaim their dominance. Only after sweeping through the preliminaries, they met a Greek team against whom they could not defend the pick and roll and they finished with another disappointment in the Bronze medal. As can be expected this was not good enough and a subsequent change was again needed. Enter Jerry Colangelo and Coach K, who almost immediately changed the entire culture of USA Basketball. They sought out 3 year commitments from players and they restored the pride of playing for your country. Soon they were getting pledges from the world’s elite, and even more, the best players in the world were buying into the system of sacrificing self glory for the betterment of team and country. Most people think of Coach K as a great college coach, and rightfully so considering his track record. But after observing the last few years, in which the absolute best players in the world became subservient, listening and learning under the man, it became clear that he was the best basketball coach period, no preceding adjective needed. And while the greatness that his Olympic players have reached (LeBron’s 2 MVPs, Kobe’s 2 titles, Dwight’s 2 DPOYs) could be dismissed as the natural talent and progression that great players would have accomplished anyway, it shouldn’t be dismissed. More importantly though, it is the progression of the players on his 2010 World Championship team that defied the odds on the way to the title (a title that most nations value more than the Olympics), that must be examined as a true testament to Coach K’s greatness. In the NBA they have the Most Improved Player of the Year award, but this year it should more accurately be called the Greatest Benefactor of Team USA Award. And while there are other players having much improved years (yes that means you Roy Hibbert), I had a special theme for this article so I went with it. So without further ado, the top 3 (or really 4) most improved players of the year in the NBA.

Number 3 (Tie)- Eric Gordon, SG, Los Angeles Clippers

Entering Team USA training camp in early summer, Eric Gordon was more of an afterthought than an actual threat to making the team. But he more than any other player not name Kevin Durant impressed the coaching staff more during their stint in Vegas and exhibition games. He came off the bench with a fearless nature and had no fear in taking, and more importantly making big time 3s. He ended up not only making the team, but becoming a vital bench player for the team. On more than one occasion he sparked the offense with a big time shot and played better defense than anyone thought he could. Coach K showed implicit trust in him and it instilled a confidence in the young player that he has carried over to the NBA season. Though he plays for the lowly Clippers and thus doesn’t get much national attention, Gordon is 6th in the league in scoring at over 24 points a game. (It makes me sick even to this day that I picked Jamal Crawford over him in our fantasy draft…wipe that stupid smirk off your damn face Alex and go study). This is almost a 7 point per game increase, and combined with mega superstar in the making Blake Griffin, these two make the Clippers at least watchable this year. Once again, because he plays in basketball purgatory he isn’t on national TV as much I would like to watch him, so I had to do some research on him for this piece. I knew his scoring was way up, but what I did not realize was that he was 3rd in the league in averaging 9 free throws a game. Known as a knock down shooter throughout his career (in the NBA and before), it is shocking that he is only shooting 27% from 3 this year, and yet putting up these career numbers. It shows the progression of his game and that he no longer is just a spot up shooter, but has evolved into a scorer. He still has the reputation as a top notch shooter, and I fully expect his percentages to rise to more respectable levels, but now he his is using that rep to ball fake and get to the rim or fouled on defenders. He has way more explosion than anyone thinks by just looking at him (he was in the dunk-off last year), and I only expect him to continue to improve. Because he was buried in Clipper hell for the first two years of his career, I fully contribute this recent success to the coaching he received on Team USA, especially the re-emergence of his confidence, as he is now showing the world the player that made him the number one high school player of the year just a few years ago.

Number 3 (Tie) – Russell Westbrook, PG, Oklahoma City Thunder

He was another player was not expected to make the World Championship team, let alone become one of the most trusted guards throughout the tournament. I hate to pimp myself out, but I totally called Westbrook as a future NBA star after watching him play for UCLA in the tourney a few years ago. People questioned his jumper and his decision making (both of which are still decently valid concerns) but he was an absolute freak of an athlete and a player no one could stop off the dribble. However, not even I thought he would make the jump to star this quickly, but once again I think I must credit his time with Coach K. Westbrook is in the top 10 in points per game (23.3) and assists per game (8.6) and he has been the best player on the Thunder thus far, a fact NO ONE would have predicted. As is to be expected from his attacking nature, he is getting to the line just under 9 times a game, and is knocking down just under 90% of those free throws (the Thunder are actually might challenge the all time NBA record for FT % in a season, still early, but we will see). He has hung a couple monster games on teams this year already, and I am not the first person to say that he might be the explosive guard in the game today. Combined with Durant, the future of the Thunder is bright with the ball in the hands of this budding superstar.

2nd- Derrick Rose, PG, Chicago Bulls

This is one that might get some serious criticism. Well I have an explanation, so relax. Yes Rose did win the Rookie of the Year two years ago, and was already one of the top 20 players in the league, but this year that number has leapt incredibly. And that is why he is on this list, because I believe the hardest jump you can make in the NBA is from star to NBA superstar. And D-Rose has done it this year. As long as I have heard about Rose I have heard about how dangerous he was off the dribble and finishing at the rim but that his major weakness was his jump shot and that defenders should just play a few feet off him. First off, even with defenders playing a few feet off him he was still blowing by them and scoring, but this year if you go under that pick and roll, he is pulling up and knocking down that jumper with consistency. So just to be clear you can’t play up on him because he will blow by you, and now you can’t play off him because he is able to knock down the shot (shooting a career high 41% on 3s this year)…leaves quite a predicament, and one that opposing point guards face every night they face him. Like Westbrook he is also in the top 10 in both scoring (23.9 (8th)) and assists (8.4 (9th)), and is truly a joy to watch play basketball. He is not afraid of the big moment and is the true leader of a dangerous Bulls team that once healthy will be a very scary 4 seed (still think LeBron should have gone here if he was going to leave, but alas). Despite not getting the alleged King, for the first time since his Airness, Chicago fans have someone to get truly excited about watching on a nightly basis, and he truly is a treat.

1st- Kevin Love, PF, Minnesota Timberwolves

He made this decision very easy because all I have to say is 30-30 and NBA followers know that his case is immediately validated. And even despite that historic night (first one since Moses Malone over 20 plus years ago), Love has proved his worth night in and night out. He is leading the league in rebounding at 15.6 rpg (leading by a lot too) and is averaging over 20 points per game for a surprising T-Wolves team. Besides the rebounding, which is incredible in its own right, he also throws the best outlet pass in the league since Bill Walton, which is a PGs dream (paging Ricky Rubio) and along with the resurgence of two notable number 2 picks, Darko and Beasley, is leading a bit of a respectability surge in the collapsed football stadium state. I love everything about Kevin Love, he plays the game the right way and is a truly humbled star who you can tell feels blessed every time he gets to put on an NBA jersey.

Ok so I apologize that the explanations got shorter as the list progressed but it sucks to type with one hand and the final descent was made during the Kevin Love paragraph. There will be a MVP candidate column coming out in the next few days and as a present to my man Greg I plan to put Amare in it…..until next time…