Paul Millsap comes up short of a new KIA
by Basketball John on May 12, 2009 11:26 AM MDT
7 comments
Danny Granger took home the award for Most Improved Player today. It was a pretty tough year competition-wise for this award. Both Granger and runner-up Devin Harris had huge years and were the bright spots on their teams.
Paul Millsap finished fourth, right behind Kevin Durant.
Player
Team
1st
2nd
3rd
Pts
Danny Granger
Indiana
48
37
13
364
Devin Harris
New Jersey
43
35
19
339
Kevin Durant
Oklahoma City
6
14
11
83
Paul Millsap
Utah
3
13
23
77
Millsap had the huge task of filling in for Carlos Boozer's 20 & 10 when Booze went down with an injury.
He did phenomenal during that period and at one point had 19 straight double-doubles (much to Boler & Booner's delight).
Unfortunately, he played so well that he's going to command big money this offseason and that leaves his status as a Jazz man up in the air.
There's no question that the Jazz and fans want him back. He's the embodiment of hustle and pure "who wants it more" status. What will the price be and will we be able to afford him will be the biggest question. The other of course will be, is he the go-to guy for a championship team? He is definitely a player on a team like that, but do we need to go after someone else to lighten the load on offense?
Ronnie B also finished with 2 3rd-place votes.
0 recs |
7 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
Nobody cares...
…but Danny Granger went to my high school in New Orleans about ten years after me. We had the same coach. So I’m a fan. The rest of you all ought to like him because he’s a MWC guy.
I'll make it coach.
I do like him
he’s a really exciting player, and I’m glad he’s repping for UNM/the Mountain West. Besides, he was a fantasy MONSTER for me.
Uh, do you think you could draw me like a ninja?
Like Granger, but
why is the award his?
Sure, he scored 6 ppg more, but his rebounds & steals both went down… and he played 13 fewer games (all compared to the season before).
Devin Harris also improved his scoring by 6+ ppg, but also increased his rebounds (barely), steals & assists… while playing more games.
’Sap played 6 fewer games, but his scoring went up by 5+ ppg, and he got 3 rebounds more/game. He also had slight increases to blocks & steals (0.1/game better) and an increase to assists per game (0.8 apg better than the season before).
Maybe it has to do with records? Utah’s record got worse, while Indiana & NJ each had the exact same record.
True Blue Jazz
I'm on Twitter
RIP Nick Adenhart. 4/9/09
Most difficult leap is from really good to great
And in a lot of people’s minds, that’s what Granger did, whereas Harris went from good to really good, and Sap’s increased production (as much as I love him and would have voted for him for MIP) was due at least in part to his significant increase in minutes. I dunno, I could be wrong, but that’s how I see it.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
Related FanPosts on SLC Dunk
Related FanShots on SLC Dunk
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
