The J Notes’ NBA Year-End Awards for the 2015-16 Season

The Purple & Blues crew takes a time-out from complaining about the Utah Jazz missing the NBA Playoffs to give its year-end awards to the best players in the Association during the 2015-16 season.

‘Tis the season for year-end awards in the NBA. The 2015-16 campaign has featured some great performances and the league has already recognized some of them by naming its Defensive Player of the Year (Kawhi Leonard), Most Improved Player (C.J. McCollum) and Sixth Man of the Year (Jamal Crawford).

Seeing as how the Utah Jazz received an early vacation once again this year, instead of breaking down a Jazz-Warriors first-round playoff series, the Purple & Blues crew got together and assembled ballots to hand out our own year-end awards for the season that was in the NBA.

There were deathmatches in the nude, hurt feelings, Cyndi Lauper song-offs, limb amputations and one epic pillow fight. It was weird.

In the end, though, we were able to cast our votes and the results are finally in. The voting panel included myself, Purple & Blues contributors Greg Foster, Jared Woodcox and Karthik Narayanan, as well as P&B alum Jared Barker.

So, without further ado, here are the Purple & Blues 2015-16 NBA Year-End Awards. Please direct all dissenting opinions to the complaint department.

Next: MVP and Defensive Player of the Year

Most Valuable Player: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

This ain’t rocket science, folks. Stephen Curry just had one of the greatest statistical seasons in the history league, shooting better than 50 percent from the field, 45 percent from three-point range and 90 percent from the line, while averaging 30 points, five rebounds, nearly seven assists and more than two steals per game.

Moreover, the Warriors won a league-record 73 games thanks in large part to his efforts.

Purple & Blues alum Jared Barker on Curry’s value to the Warriors: “His team isn’t the same without him. With him they look unstoppable.” This has definitely proven true in the playoffs, with the woeful Houston Rockets just having stolen a win from Golden State while Curry nursed an ankle injury.

At any rate, no need for extended discussion here. Steph was the guy in what was probably the most lopsided MVP race in recent history.

Voting Results (first-place votes in parentheses):

1. Stephen Curry: 10 Pts. (5)
2. Kawhi Leonard: 2 Pts.
3. LeBron James: 1 Pt.
4. Damian Lillard: 1 Pt.

Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs

In looking at who was the league’s best defender during the 2015-16 season, I’m feeling like something of an outsider. My vote went to Draymond Green of the Warriors, whom I also expected to win the award last year. Having said that, it’s hard to argue against Kawhi Leonard.

Jazz fans have witnessed his brilliance firsthand as he’s consistently shut down our best player. In 16 career games against Leonard, Gordon Hayward is shooting just 35 percent from the field, 19 percent from three-point range and scoring 12.7 points per game.

For the year, Leonard posted a defensive rating of 94.9 and averaged 1.8 steals and one block per game.

Jared Woodcox on Kawhi’s incredible defensive effort this season and that tendency to lock down star players–

"In a league where defensive effort is more and more overlooked, Kawhi Leonard is a breath of fresh air to say the least. Watching the new face of the San Antonio Spurs dynasty on the defensive end is truly as entertaining as it gets. Leonard has an uncanny ability to stay in front of defenders and if his opponent does manage to get a shot up, it’s a safe bet to say it will be a toughly contested look each and every time. And Leonard isn’t just shutting down your run of the mill role player, but instead is tasked night in and night out with guarding opposing teams’ best players such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Paul George, all of whom he has been able to effectively disrupt defensively. He has been able to consistently challenge players such as these and completely take them out of their rhythm. No other player in the league compares to him in terms of what he is asked to do and what he is capable of doing defensively. It’s no coincidence that Kawhi received 40 more DPOY votes than second-place Draymond Green. His defensive talent is unmatched across the Association."

Voting Results:

1. Kawhi Leonard: 9 pts. (4)
2. Draymond Green: 5 pts. (1)

Next: Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man Award and Most Improved Player

Rookie of the Year: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves

As with the voting for MVP, the Rookie of the Year race became a one-man show pretty quickly this season. In his first year as a pro, Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns already has the look of the next, great big man in the league.

For the year, he averaged 18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. He also shot 54 percent from the field, 81 percent from the line and 34 percent from three-point range as a seven-foot center.

Jared Barker on Towns as ROY: “Towns may be the most complete offensive and defensive big man since Hakeem ‘The Dream’ Olajuwon. Fans in Minnesota should be ecstatic.” Yes they should. Meanwhile, Jazz fans will bemoan the fact that we’ll have to contend with the guy for the next decade-plus.

Voting Results:

1. Karl-Anthony Towns: 10 Pts. (5)
2. Kristaps Porzingis : 3 Pts.
3. Myles Turner: 1 Pt.

Sixth Man Award: Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers

So, if you’ve followed my rantings over the years, you probably know that my level of affection for Jamal Crawford as both a basketball player and a person borders on….well, let’s preserve my dignity, quote Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and just say I think “he’s a righteous dude.”

Having said that, this one hurts a bit. Crawford’s ability to take a game over was on full display just a few, short weeks ago when he and the Clippers’ C-Team were responsible for the most embarrassing Jazz loss in recent years. In many ways, it felt like the game that closed the casket on Utah’s playoff hopes.

In case you’ve forgotten (or are a glutton for punishment)–

Still, I’ve got to give it up to my man J-Craw for an incredible season.

Voting Results:

1. Jamal Crawford: 7 Pts. (3)
2. Andre Iguodala: 4 Pts. (2)
3. Will Barton: 2 Pts.
4. Allen Crabbe: 1 Pt.

Most Improved Player: C.J. McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers

Just before the 2013 NBA Draft, former Jazz assistant coach Gordon Chiesa said that C.J. McCollum had the potential to be a star on local radio. However, injuries and inconsistent minutes kept McCollum from hitting the ground running in his first years as a pro.

This season, that star-in-the-making finally showed up. With Wes Matthews heading to Dallas, McCollum became the starting two-guard in PDX and elevated his scoring by more than 14 points per contest to 20.8 PPG, while doubling his rebounding output and quadrupling his assist average.

Karthik Narayanan on McCollum taking the prize–

"When Portland never made an offer to their free agent, Wesley Mathews, most people thought they were tanking. However, GM Neil Olshey and coach Terry Stotts saw something in CJ McCollum that others did not. While his numbers per 36 minutes haven’t improved significantly over than last season’s, his 2014-15 output came primarily against bench players. In 2015-16, opponents went into games knowing that they needed to shut down Damian Lillard and McCollum. There was no LaMarcus Aldridge to command double teams. Nonetheless, McCollum shot over 41 percent from three-point land to keep the Blazers a deadly offensive team and help their march into playoffs. He had eight 30-plus point games this year. Before this season, his career high was 29. He will have his work cut out for him in the coming season, as teams scout him further and try to expose him on the defensive end. For this season, though, McCollum has been a pleasant surprise and the league’s most improved player."

Voting Results:

1. C.J. McCollum: 8 Pts. (4)
2. Rodney Hood: 2 Pts. (1)
3. Stephen Curry: 1 Pt.
4. Kemba Walker: 1 Pt.
5. Jae Crowder: 1 Pt.
6. Hassan Whiteside: 1 Pt.

Next: Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year

Coach of the Year: Terry Stotts, Portland Trail Blazers

After a mass exodus of talent out of Rip City last summer–LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum and Robin Lopez all found new homes, leaving Damian Lillard to fend for himself–many expected the Portland Trail Blazers to finish near the bottom of the Western Conference.

Most experts expected the team to finish with a win total in the mid-20s. The Westgate SuperBook Las Vegas set the over/under on Portland’s win total at 26.5 wins.

Instead, the Blazers finished with a 44-38 record and the No. 5 seed heading into the playoffs. It was an incredible feat for the team and one that came in large part as a result of an incredible coaching effort by Terry Stotts.

The Blazers coach got more than most thought possible out of players like Allen Crabbe, Al-Farouq Aminu and Mason Plumlee, while C.J. McCollum led the pack by morphing into a 20-point scorer this season. While the players deserve a lot of credit for their development, so too does Stotts and his staff.

Steve Kerr was close here; the Warriors had a historic season. Whether the games he missed with back problems count against him or the fact that he contended with those medical problems and still directed a record-breaking season actually helps his case is a matter for debate. Ultimately, it may have split our vote.

In any event, Stotts’ coaching job this season was undoubtedly worthy of recognition.

Voting Results:

1. Terry Stotts: 6 Pts. (2)
2. Steve Kerr: 4 Pts. (2)
3. Rick Carlisle: 2 Pts. (1)
4. Brad Stevens: 1 Pt.
5. Gregg Popovich: 1 Pt.

Executive of the Year, R.C. Buford, San Antonio Spurs

Sure, San Antonio Spurs GM R.C. Buford already had the best coach in the NBA, three Hall of Famers in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili and the league’s next great star in Kawhi Leonard already in place. None of it changes the fact that he had an incredible year.

His ability to lure guys like LaMarcus Aldridge and David West into the fold and convince Danny Green to take less money to remain in San Antonio were master moves. He also managed to acquire Kevin Martin and Andre Miller for the stretch run, making the Spurs a legit threat to Golden State’s title aspirations

I went with Stan Van Gundy here for rebuilding the Detroit Pistons roster from the ground up in a very short amount of time, then securing the team’s first playoff berth in years. Nonetheless, even I can’t deny the work that Buford has put in for the Spurs.

Voting Results:

1. R.C. Buford: 4 Pts. (2)
2. Stan Van Gundy: 3 Pts. (1)
3. Neil Olshey: 3 Pts. (1)
4. Sam Presti: 2 Pts. (1)
5. Dennis Lindsey: 1 Pt.

Next: All-NBA Teams

Here are the All-NBA teams as selected by our panel. There were a large number of dissenting opinions here, but, in the end, we’ve compiled a pretty strong list of the fifteen best players in the league this season. Notable omissions include James Harden (wow) and Blake Griffin, who missed a lot of time after breaking his hand.

Also of note is the fact that no Jazz player received a vote from our panel. You’ll find no homers here.

All-NBA First Team

Stephen Curry, GSW

Russell Westbrook, OKC

LeBron James, CLE

Kawhi Leonard, SAS

Draymond Green, GSW

All-NBA Second Team

Chris Paul, LAC

Klay Thompson, GSW

Kevin Durant, OKC

LaMarcus Aldridge, SAS

Al Horford, ATL

All-NBA Third Team

Kyle Lowry, TOR

Damain Lillard, POR

Paul Millsap, ATL

DeMarcus Cousins, SAC

Anthony Davis, NOP

Others receiving votes: DeAndre Jordan, James Harden, Andre Drummond, Paul George, Tim Duncan, DeMar DeRozan, Hassan Whiteside, Dirk Nowitzki, Karl-Anthony Towns, Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade

Next: All-Defensive and All-Rokie Teams

As with the All-NBA teams, the ballots varied dramatically in the All-Defensive Team voting.

Now, before I get torn to shreds over the placement of a certain stifling Jazz center, let me say preemptively that Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside tied in total points, but that the Heat big man won the tiebreaker by receiving more first-place votes.

If Gobert hadn’t missed a quarter of the season, it’s pretty safe to say you’d be looking at a different result here. As it stands, Gobert’s injuries must be taken into account.

Again, no homers here!

The league’s top defenders this season as selected by Purple & Blues–

All-Defensive First Team

Chris Paul, LAC

Avery Bradley, BOS

Kawhi Leonard, SAS

Draymond Green, GSW

Hassan Whiteside, MIA

All-Defensive Second Team

Mike Conley, MEM

Jimmy Butler, CHI

Andre Iguodala, GSW

Paul George, IND

Rudy Gobert, UTA

Others receiving votes: LeBron James, DeAndre Jordan, Tony Allen, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Tim Duncan, Stephen Curry, Marcus Smart, Trevor Ariza, Ricky Rubio, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward

Next: Prince Secretly Remodeled Carlos Boozer's House

This year’s rookie class will probably go down as one of the best of the last decade (at least). With the exception of Towns, who has his spot locked down, you could probably make a compelling case for any of our second-team selections supplanting the All-Rookie First Team picks.

Jazz rookie Trey Lyles finished just one vote shy of that distinction himself. It will be interesting to see where he lands when the NBA announces its own All-Rookie teams in the coming days.

Also, before anyone sends me angry tweets, we’re all aware that Julius Randle technically wasn’t a rookie. Jared Barker defends his vote for the Lakers big man, saying, “One game last year means nothing.” Makes sense to me.

Our All-Rookie selections–

All-Rookie First Team

D’Angelo Russell, LAL

Devin Booker, PHO

Justise Winslow, MIA

Kristaps Porzingis, NYK

Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN

All-Rookie Second Team

Emmanuel Mudiay, DEN

Stanley Johnson, DET

Trey Lyles, UTA

Myles Turner, IND

Nikola Jokic, DEN

Others receiving votes: Jahlil Okafor, Mario Hezonja, Josh Richardson, Raul Neto, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Julius Randle*