DEUCES WILD

By Harold McIlvain II

It seems as if it is the season for award shows right now.

The Academy, Grammy, Golden Globe and People’s Choice award shows have all aired and handed out some hardware. Celebrities have walked the red carpet and put together acceptance speeches.

Sports have the summer-time award show in the ESPYS, but it just feels right for a league like the NBA hand out some awards of its own right now.

It is the season for award shows after all.

It doesn’t seem like team have played over 60 games and are preparing for the stretch run. The usual suspects are still atop the standings in every division.

Cleveland, Boston and Orlando are atop the Eastern Conference with the Lakers, Denver and Dallas leading out of the Western Conference.  But there have been a good number of surprise teams and unlikely players that have stepped up this season.

And in today’s society, it’s all about giving out awards. It’s only natural to take a look at who might take home some of the more coveted league awards (and some made up ones) at the end of the season.

So go get your best tux on and get ready for the NBA award show. This article can wait. Suited up yet? Good. Here we go.

Hey, that guy isn’t as bad as I thought award:  Nate Robinson, Boston Celtics.

After racking up nearly a month full of DNPs with the Knicks, Robinson showed he could do more than just win a dunk competition by dropping 41 points on the Hawks in January.

The 5-9 guard and former first round pick still has only started two games this year – but that kind of fits this award title. Nate is not quite good but not quite bad.

Rookie of the year award:  Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee Bucks.

Sure there were some questions about Jennings after skipping college and heading to play professionally overseas. Some wondered about the attitude. But rarely was talent questioned with Jennings, and it has shown during his rookie campaign.

The point guard is averaging 15.8 points, 6.1 assists and 1.3 steals a game and is making the Bucks an interesting team to watch. Yes, the Bucks.

The shooting percentage from month-to-month has dropped from a 49 percent in November to a 30.7 percent in February. But at the same time the turnovers have decreased, too.

Tyreke Evans of the Kings is clearly going to win this award in the long run, but give me Jennings who brings a spark and swagger to a team that is actually winning – and will actually make the playoffs.

The same can’t be said for Evans or Stephen Curry, despite their better statistics.

Wow, this guy still plays award:  Theo Ratliff, Charlotte Bobcats.

The 36-year-old is still getting things done – but not by much, as he is averaging 13 minutes a game this year.

But evidently he is still worth having on a roster. Ratliff, who started the year on the Spurs, was traded for a protected second-round draft pick in 2016. Really? A second round pick?

Six years from now, the 42-year-old Ratliff will still be having an impact on the NBA.

Lindsey Hunter needs to be an honorable mention here. The 39-year-old Bull got minutes this year before being waived by the team and then being hired as a player development assistant.

Most Valuable Player award:  LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers.

This one is too easy. King James has put together four straight Player of the Month awards this season and now has won the award eight of the last 10 months, dating back to 2009.

That isn’t bad. And just in case you were wondering, no one has swept the monthly award in one season. LeBron is looking at doing just that, as he is averaging 30 points, 8.5 assists and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 51 percent from the field.

The we suck award:  New Jersey Nets.

Not much should be said here. This award has been locked up for a while.

Most improved player award:  Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder.

I’ve written in this space about this guy a couple times – maybe more than that.

But I can’t say enough about Durant. He is a franchise guy who wants to stay close to home and win with a group of young guys around him. He is a refreshing talent – both on and off the court.

OK. These guys are good. But next level good award? Atlanta Hawks.

Most awards are suppose to be, well, certain. The nature of a title of sorts is to be punctual and to the point, not inquisitive.

That isn’t the case with this award – or the Atlanta Hawks. They took the Celtics to a game seven last year, but it’s hard to take the next step when you are a poor road team.

The Hawks are remarkably outstanding at home and have the talent to make a run down the stretch in the playoffs.

But do they have what it takes? Only time will tell.

Harold McIlvain is an assistant sports editor of The Arkansas Traveler. His column appears every other Wednesday.