Smoove: MIP?

[lethalweapon3]

Never a good subject to bring up after a subpar performance+L, but is Josh Smith at least a finalist for the Most Improved Player award?

Thus far, he's on pace for career highs in FG%, Offensive Rebounds, Total Rebounds, Assists, Steals, and Assist/Turnover Ratio, with the Hawks on pace for their first season with 50+ wins in 12 years.

And nobody tell him, lest he be jinxed, but in the last 8 games he's shooting over 75% from the charity stripe.

What other MIP candidates are in the discussion?

~lw3

[benhillboy]

Good Question. I just hit up associatedcontent.com and they ommitted Josh altogether. The 10 players listed didn't jump out at me because three are on the same, way overachieving team (Ariza, Brooks, Landry) and four others are just on poor teams (Gallinari, Will Bynum, Douglass-Roberts, Love). Channing Frye and Marc Gasol are all contributing to winning teams, and the Bulls have dropped to .500 mainly due to Noah's absence. They all have improved their numbers signifigantly, but their roles are all skewed in one way or another from last season due to changing team make-up, filling in production for injured players, ever-changing line-ups, etc. Josh's role is exactly the same as last year, and his improvement goes beyond numbers, let alone he's leading (let's stop it with this Joe Johnson Hawks MVP nonsense) a "contender." After getting shafted by the coaches in All-Star voting, I would love to see Josh get consolation prizes of M.I.P. and All-NBA Second Team Defense, if not First.

Edited March 7, 2010 by benhillboy