This season’s NBA Awards are predictable, almost anti-climatic. You can go to just about any so-called expert basketball analysis site and you’ll see pretty much the same predictions. So why read on? Because despite the fact that they announced Dwight Howard as the Defensive Player of the Year yesterday, we still predicted him to win it one day later. Would ESPN do that? I don’t think so. Street Cred.

Most Valuable Player

The MVP award is a highly coveted award designated to only the best of the best. Someone who does it all. When you’re talking the best player whose season stats trump all others in all categories, and leads his entire team to greatness, all signs and perhaps all votes in 2009 point to LeBron James. Strictly based off numbers alone, he has dominated averaging this year with 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists and shooting 49% from the field. He has led the Cleveland Cavaliers to finish with the best 2009 record with 66-16. His presence on the court elicits an anticipation from the crowd, that his next indescribable move will take down his opponent with ease. It sounds crazy but you can almost feel his power from the stands. It is this overwhelming talent and versatility he possesses that further establishes beyond his stats why he is worthy of MVP this year. The race for MVP remains close with strong contenders, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade right on LeBron’s curtails, the title for MVP is still up in the air and in the hands of voting panel. LeBron James edges them out in terms of overall stats and leading the entire team.

Prediction: LeBron James

Rookie of the Year

The ROY award nominees this year include Brook Lopez, OJ Mayo, and Derrick Rose. Let’s break it down by stats. Brook Lopez, the better of the two NBA Lopez brothers, finished his first year averaging 13 points, 8 rebounds, and a 53% from the field. OJ Mayo, fresh out of USC, kept the Grizzlies alive this year with 18.5 ppg, 3.8 rebounds, 3 assists, and a 43.9% FG percentage. Derrick Rose stepped up his game with 16.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. Derrick Rose who had hugged the limelight with Michael Beasley during the draft, has stepped up phenomenally to prove he goes beyond the hype and lives up to the selection of first draft pick. He led the Chicago Bulls to number 6 seed in this year’s playoffs, and continues to shine in the post season with 23 pts, 5 boards, 9 assists thus far. His rookie stats have elevated him to represent the same category of rookie greats as Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Penny Hardaway, Damon Stoudamire, Allen Iverson, Steve Francis, and Chris Paul. Beyond numbers and performance, Derrick Rose brings not only life back to this Chicago franchise, post-Jordan era, but we are witnessing the potential of a stellar point guard in the making.

Prediction: Derrick Rose

Defensive Player of the Year

The Defensive POY is credited to a player who exhibits the best defensive showmanship in the season, stopping shots, getting blocks, grabbing boards, and simply making it look easy to hold down opponents. The man who got the defensive job done this year, the Orlando Magic’s Superman with super-human defensive powers, Dwight Howard led the league in rebounding and blocked shots, with 13.8 boards, and 2.92 blocked shots. He now falls in the same category of greats as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Hakeem Olajuwawon, and Ben Wallace to lead in both categories in the same season. He’s brought the Magic to playoff contention this year and remains the fundamental powerhouse of the team. A hearty pre-congratulations for a well-deserved award.

Prediction: Dwight Howard

Sixth Man of the Year

Ben Gordon. Mike Miller. Leandro Barbosa. and Manu Ginobili. All past winners of the Sixth Man of the Year. Each give their team an added dimension off the bench. All can start for a lot of other teams, including their own. Each are on the floor when the game is on the line. After this season, you can add Jason “The Jet” Terry to the list. He was the highest-scoring nonstarter in the league this year at 19.6 points and managed to dish out 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals, helping the Mavs to the NBA Playoffs. Nate Robinson had comparable stats off the bench averaging 17.3 points, 4.1 assists, and 1.3 steals but those numbers are a little skewed when you consider he was playing in Mike D’Antoni’s offense. The Knicks not making the playoffs will also not win him votes. J.R Smith had a nice run of games, including a 45 point, 11 3-pointer division-clinching game but was a little too late to steal the award away. In the end, Terry was the most consistent, produced the most, and helped his team win.

Prediction: Jason Terry

Most Improved Player of the Year

Perhaps the award that is hardest to predict is the most improved player. Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma Thunder, Devin Harris of the New Jersey Nets, and Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers have all had a great season. It wouldn’t be a surprise if any one of them were to win it. Durant improved from 20.3 points on 43% shooting, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists last season to 25.3 points on 47.6% shooting, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. He should have been an All-Star but instead dominated All-Star weekend by winning the Rookie Challenge MVP award as well as the H-O-R-S-E competition. Harris improved from 15.4 points on 43.8% shooting and 6.5 assist after being traded to the Nets midseason to 21.3 points and 6.9 assists this season. He made the All-Star team for the first time and had the biggest jump in points from this season to last. He also had one of the best game winning shots in the season and made a lot of Nets’ fans forget about Jason Kidd. Granger improved from 19.6 points and 2.1 assists to 25.8 points and 2.7 assists. He also made the All-Star team for the first time and has increased his scoring by at least five points in three straight seasons. All three players will help their franchises for years to come but only Durant’s team improved in total wins (by 3) from a year ago. That’s why Kevin Durant is our pick for Most Improved Player.

Prediction: Kevin Durant