Source: Ezra Shaw / Getty
Every year, the NBA hands out its “traditional” end of the season awards to its players. We all know that Steph Curry is the season’s MVP and Kawhi Leonard is the Defensive Player of the Year. But before the season is over, so we had to come up with our own awards picks. Check out our winners list― do you agree with us?
Who had the best ankle breakers (best handles)?
Chris Paul – Los Angeles Clippers
James Harden – Houston Rockets
Steph Curry – Golden State Warriors
Kyrie Irving – Cleveland Cavaliers
The Urban Daily pick: Steph Curry
We’re pretty sure you’ve seen (possibly) the most Vine’d and meme’d (other than the Jordan crying face) image of Chris Paul getting the business from Curry. Even Paul himself admitted that Curry’s handles got the best of him that day. They’re so official that he pulls amazing displays of dribbling and makes them look “ordinary.” This was a close category between Curry and Cleveland Cavaliers PG Kyrie Irving, but make no mistake, Chef has the best handles currently in the league.
Which “Old Head” played the best ball this year?
Tim Duncan – San Antonio Spurs
Paul Pierce – Washington Wizards
Vince Carter – Memphis Grizzlies
Dirk Nowitzki – Dallas Mavericks
The Urban Daily pick: Tim Duncan
When it’s all said and done, we believe that Tim Duncan will go down as the best power forward in NBA history. Duncan is so great that everyone expects him to have his “usual” 15-17 points and 10-12 rebounds a game at this stage in his career. That’s saying a lot considering he’s 38 years old! Special shout out goes to Paul Pierce who almost won a few of the games for the Wizards in the Atlanta playoff series with his late game heroics.
Which player is the biggest gunner/ball hog on his team?
Dion Waiters – Oklahoma City Thunder
J.R. Smith – Cleveland Cavaliers
Russell Westbrook – Oklahoma City Thunder
James Harden – Houston Rockets
The Urban Daily pick: Dion Waiters
Coming into the year, Dion Waiters said all of the right things about playing with LeBron. However, once the season actually started, Waiters reverted right back to his old self. A particular moment that stands out: Waiters clapping continuously for the ball as LeBron held it and ignored him. Waiters ended up being traded to the Thunder later on in the season and was paired with another gunner, Russell Westbrook.
Who had the deadliest jump shot in the league this season?
Steph Curry – Golden State Warriors
James Harden – Houston Rockets
Kyle Korver – Atlanta Hawks
Klay Thompson – Golden State Warriors
The Urban Daily pick: Steph Curry
Steph wins another category. While this may seem obvious, this was a close call between Steph and Kyle Korver of the Atlanta Hawks. During the Atlanta Hawks’ undefeated month of January, Korver was automatic from three and was shooting teams into submission. However, once it was reported from a Golden State practice that Steph had hit 77 straight three pointers, this was a no brainer.
Which player had the best highlight reel dunks this season?
Andrew Wiggins – Minnesota Timberwolves
DeAndre Jordan – Los Angeles Clippers
Anthony Davis – New Orleans Pelicans
Russell Westbrook – Oklahoma City Thunder
The Urban Daily pick: Andrew Wiggins
While going on to win the 2015 NBA Rookie of the Year award, Andrew Wiggins had a memorable year of highlight dunks. He came into the league with high expectations and for a while, we thought that he would be paired with King James. Well, after the Cavs traded him to a young Minnesota team with another high flyer, 2015 NBA Slam Dunk Champ Zach LaVine, we knew we were going to be in for some highlights from this crew….and they delivered. Wiggins’ most memorable dunks came against the Utah Jazz and its 7 foot center Rudy Gobert. Russell Westbrook gets a special shout out because while he didn’t normally dunk on someone…his dunks were high energy and he displayed a brand of super athleticism that no one in the league can match at his size.
Who had the “meanest” attitude this year in the league?
Russell Westbrook – Oklahoma City Thunder
DeMarcus Cousins – Sacramento Kings
Joakim Noah – Chicago Bulls
Draymond Green – Golden State Warriors
The Urban Daily pick: DeMarcus Cousins
DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins has blossomed into arguably the best center in the league. He is huge, but very mobile. In fact, the NBA hasn’t seen a type of big guy who can move like Boogie since Shaquille O’Neal was terrorizing the league. Cousins has also added a nice jump shot to his arsenal. With all of that said, Boogie is not the guy you want to make mad on the court. He is known to blow up at guys for even the smallest slights (see his beef with Chris Paul) and even his own coach. It’s a shame that the Sacramento Kings don’t play on TV more often, because we would all be exposed to this incredible (but hot headed) talent. Special shout out goes to Draymond Green. His post-game interviews and remarks after getting intentionally bumped on the court by Los Angeles Clippers guard Dahntay Jones were instant classics.
Which former star player looked the worst this past year?
Rajan Rondo – Dallas Mavericks
Deron Williams – Brooklyn Nets
Dwight Howard – Houston Rockets
Amare Stoudemire – Dallas Mavericks
The Urban Daily pick: Deron Williams
This category was also a toss up between Williams and Rondo, with the slight edge going to Williams because of his huge contract. There was once a time in the league where basketball heads actually discussed “the best PG in the league” question with Chris Paul, Williams, and Rondo’s names thrown in. Those days are gone. Williams did have a monster game to help Brooklyn win a crucial game against the Atlanta Hawks in the playoffs, but it was just a flash in the pan because he again disappeared the very next game.
Who was the best dressed player in the league?
John Wall – Washington Wizards
Chris Paul – Los Angeles Clippers
LeBron James – Cleveland Cavaliers
Carmelo Anthony – New York Knicks
Russell Westbrook – Oklahoma City Thunder
The Urban Daily pick: LeBron James
It is now commonplace for networks to show the arrival of a few players to the arena on television. Whenever the camera cuts to LeBron, he is usually very well dressed. His tailored suits and designer sneakers are all first rate and he usually adds some flair with non-prescription funky glasses or a cool derby. LeBron has brought fashion back to the forefront in the NBA. His production team even put on the first official NBA “fashion’ show during the 2015 NBA All-Star game festivities in New York City. Another special shout out goes to Russell Westbrook who appears to be destined for fashion greatness after he finishes playing basketball. Westbrook was recently named the creative director for Diesel jeans.
Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty
Who’s the best player who flew under the radar this year?
Harrison Barnes – Golden State Warriors
Trevor Ariza – Houston Rockets
Nerlens Noel – Philadelphia 76’ers
Michael Kidd Gilchrist – Charlotte Hornets
The Urban Daily pick: Harrison Barnes
Playing on a team that features the current MVP (Steph Curry) and his All Star backcourt mate (Klay Thompson), known as “The Splash Brothers,” Harrison Barnes’ contribution to the Warriors often go unnoticed. Playing in only his third season, Barnes has started to make a huge name for himself during the Warriors’ big season and an even bigger name for his solid play during the playoffs. He currently has been tasked with trying to slow down the best player on the planet, LeBron James, during the NBA Finals while King James is putting up numbers (of course). “The Black Falcon” is once again hitting some big shots and grabbing timely rebounds.
Who’s the best smack talker in the league?
Kevin Durant – Oklahoma City Thunder
Tony Allen – Memphis Grizzlies
Steph Curry – Golden State Warriors
Joakim Noah – Chicago Bulls
The Urban Daily pick: Tony Allen
Until the playoffs, a lot of people didn’t have a chance to watch a Memphis Grizzlies game on TV. They found out that they are a tough, hard-nosed squad that has some pretty good players in Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Mike Conley. However, the player who personifies Memphis and the city the most is Tony Allen. Allen was once again named to the NBA’s “All Defense” team and he takes a lot of pride in that. In fact, he lets the guy he’s guarding know that fact the entire game. In a game against the Golden State Warriors, he was getting inside of Golden State star Klay Thompson’s head. Once he stripped Klay, he looked at him and said, “FIRST TEAM ALL DEFENSE!”
Who would you want to take the last shot on your team?
James Harden – Houston Rockets
Paul Pierce – Washington Wizards
LeBron James – Cleveland Cavaliers
Steph Curry – Golden State Warriors
The Urban Daily pick: Paul Pierce
Once Paul Pierce retires, he will go into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He has made a career of making big shots and having big games to bail out his team at the last minute. In the playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks this year for the Wizards, Pierce hit three late three pointers (two counted) that either won the game or should have won the game for the Wiz. Once he banked a game winner against Atlanta in, he was asked if he called ‘bank’ and his answer was: ‘I called game….GAME!’
Who gave the best interviews this year in the league?
Russell Westbrook – Oklahoma City Thunder
Draymond Green – Golden State Warriors
DeMarcus Cousins – Sacramento Kings
Paul Pierce – Washington Wizards
The Urban Daily pick: Draymond Green
Every once a while, you can pick out the players who will be a media guy after their playing days are over. They usually are very candid in their interviews and never shy away from a microphone. Well, Draymond Green fits the bill here. Reporters can always count on Draymond to give them the info they need about the game or the team. He usually throws in some humor as well.
Which celebrity repped their team the hardest this year?
Drake – Toronto Raptors
Wale – Washington Wizards
Spike Lee – New York Knicks
Kanye West – Chicago Bulls
The Urban Daily pick: Spike Lee
The New York Knicks had a historically bad season this year. The plan was to tank to try to get the number 1 draft pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Well, they ended up with the fourth pick, but throughout it all, you could count on Spike Lee to be there courtside cheering on the Knicks with his super exclusive Knicks gear and adding some ‘Spike’ flavor to the outfit only he could get away with. The meme of Spike standing up looking disappointed was probably the highlight of the Knicks season this past year.
Source: Jim McIsaac / Getty
READ MORE ON THE URBAN DAILY
LeBron James, Matthew Dellavedova Pushes Cavs Past Warriors
Serena Williams Wins 2015 French Open While Battling Flu, Gets 20th Grand Slam Trophy
Cavs Win In Overtime To Even Out The NBA Finals
Kyrie Irving Is Out For Three-Four Months With a Fractured Knee Cap