2008-09 NBA Regular Season Award Winners: The Real Deal

While some selections were fairly simple to make, others turned out to be gut-wrenching decisions that almost literally left me exhausted.

However, each selection was made with careful consideration given to all of the candidates.

With that in mind, and the 2008-09 NBA postseason about to get underway, let's get busy.

MVP - LeBron James
While Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade have had absolutely fantastic regular seasons and deserve to be mentioned as legitimate contenders for the MVP, this selection is an absolute 'no-brainer' for me as LeBron James has had a season for the ages while truly elevating the Cavaliers to elite status despite not having many 'elite status' type of teammates littering his roster.

James, the best all-around player on the planet and quite possibly the second-best all-around player the league has ever seen, next to Hall of Fame legend Oscar Robertson, is joined Kevin Garnett (2002-03), Scottie Pippen (1994-95) and Dave Cowens (1977-78) as the only players in league history (since 1973-74) to lead their team in total points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals in the same season.

Statistics aside, what I've seen from James this season is his 'Jordan-like' ability to impose his will on the outcome of games and flat-out take over when necessary.

Not many players can almost single-handedly lead their teams to championship contender status, but it's clear that James can.

Sixth Man - Jason Terry
Despite missing some time with a broken bone in his left hand earlier this season, Terry has separated himself from a solid group of contenders for the Sixth Man award including
My No. 2 and 3 picks, Nate Robinson and J.R. Smith.

Terry is an excellent scorer off the bench and isn't afraid to take the big shot - like Dallas' other big-name superstar.

Coach of the Year - Nate McMillan
For me, the job the Nate McMillan did in getting the Portland Trail Blazers to not only remain competitive following the lengthy loss of former starting center Greg Oden, but actually get them to perform at an astoundingly high level that suddenly makes them a scary team to face in the Western Conference and the only team in the conference that looks like they could possibly give the Lakers a respectable series at this point, having won two consecutive matchups against L.A.

While this was the toughest call out of all of the regular season award categories, I think McMillan has done as good a job as any head coach in the league this season.

My second selection, Hall of Fame head coach Larry Brown quickly turned around the losing mentality of the Charlotte Bobcats' young franchise with the additions of several veteran players while simultaneously setting the team up for future success under gifted point guard D.J. Augustin, a player I believe could turn out to possibly be the best point guard of this draft.

My third pick didn't even begin the season as a head coach, but if you ask me, Scott Brooks has done an incredible job with getting the young Oklahoma City Thunder to play surprisingly competitive basketball down the last third of the regular season.

Another thing. I'm starting to think the Thunder could have the makings of a formidable future team with first round draft picks Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook and whomever they select in this year's draft, forming a formidable quartet.

Rookie of the Year - Derrick Rose
As much as I'd like to give this award to someone else (sorry, I'm not a Rose fan) I have to admit that Rose has been pretty darned impressive all season long while playing the most demanding position on the floor.

While my personal feelings are that D.J. Augustin and Russell Westbrook in particular are going to be better than Rose and that Portland's Jerryd Bayless could be just as good as Rose, I have to be honest in admitting that Rose has had a 'better' overall season than any of the aforementioned players simply because he got consistent starting minutes from Day One as Chicago altered its style to compliment their gifted number one overall draft pick.

I was very impressed with O.J. Mayo, my number two selection and his surprising season. Mayo is now the unquestioned leader of the Memphis Grizzlies despite being just a rookie.

I absolutely love my number three rookie, New Jersey Nets young center Brook Lopez and thought he fell way too far in last year's draft, a fact he has confirmed with his outstanding play this season.

Oklahoma City Thunder rookie point guard Russell Westbrook is a gifted player that many think is the rookie of the year this season and Los Angeles Clippers rookie shooting guard Eric Gordon round out my top five in this category.

Defensive Player of the Year - Dwight Howard
I'll keep it simple by saying that Howard has patrolled the lane with a passion defensively this season while cleaning up on the glass to a league-leading tune of 13.8 boards per game. It's too bad the rest of his Orlando Magic teammates don't play defense with the same sense of urgency as Howard.

Shane Battier
I'm going to give Battier his props for guarding every player on the floor except President Barack Obama. The multi-talented forward routinely guarded his opponent's best offensive player and generally harassed them into a counter-productive night and generally helping the often offensively-challenged Rockets win with defense.

Kevin Garnett
KG is still the biggest defensive impact player in the game if you ask me, but his injuries this season have cost him time and the Celtics victories. Garnett's ability to help his teammates communicate effectively on defense cannot be understated.

Most Improved Player - Danny Granger
A lot of people will likely vote for my number two selection, New Jersey Nets lightning-quick point guard Devin Harris as the winner of this award, but I like Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger here.

Both players made big leaps forward with their respective games in reaching all-star status this season, so this was really a tough call. I leaned toward Granger simply because I think he can impact games in more ways than Harris can with his ability to rebound, pass and defend.

My third pick for this award, Utah Jazz backup power Paul Millsap has played himself into a starting role as soon as current Jazz starter Carlos Boozer hits the road for whatever he perceives as greener pastures.