IN THE LANE

We scrap the usual notes format this week in this space to address the NBA’s annual awards. We do so with the disclaimer that we gave up our official vote once the league made the award voting a factor in which players could qualify for super-max contracts. Most Valuable Player: James Harden, Houston Rockets. This is a tougher call than it appeared at midseason, when there was Harden and then everyone else. And then LeBron James happened, and then Anthony Davis’ big numbers grew even bigger, and all the while DeMar DeRozan and Damian Lillard continued to happen. Now there is a competitive sense to the process, with LeBron having dominated in Kevin Love’s absence. So with quite a bit of consternation, almost guilty of that anyone-but-Jordan-again type of bias, the grudging choice here is Harden. Coach of the Year: Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics. The field is so loaded this season that it feels like half of the league’s coaches should receive votes. Stevens has maintained a place close to the top of the standings after losing his prized free-agent acquisition on opening night and his prized trade acquisition for the end of the season. And, yet, no Gordon Hayward? No Kyrie Irving? No problem. Remarkable. Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers. This is one of the toughest calls of any of the postseason awards, the race between Utah’s Donovan Mitchell and Philadelphia’s Simmons. Mitchell at times has almost single-handedly kept the Jazz afloat. And then you look at the 76ers without Joel Embiid, and it becomes clear that Simmons has similar ability. Sixth Man Award: Lou Williams, Los Angeles Clippers. Through all of the turmoil, from the preseason trade of Chris Paul to the midseason trade of Blake Griffin, Williams stood as the one constant in the Clippers’ playoff push. Most Improved Player: Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers. So who out there had Oladipo as franchise-altering talent? Certainly not the Magic and perhaps not the Thunder, although they weren’t exactly in need of a franchise player. Still, from an annual trade chip, Oladipo has emerged as a standings-altering talent, turning this into what should be a lopsided and perhaps unanimous vote, with all due respect to Clint Capela, Jamal Murray and Jaylen Brown. Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz. He has missed nearly a third of the season, but no single player anchors his team to the degree of Gobert, who has been to the Jazz’ defense what Donovan Mitchell has been to the offense. Executive of the Year: Kevin Pritchard, Indiana Pacers. No executive faced the type of back-to-the-wall pressure that Pritchard faced with Paul George’s trade ultimatum in Indiana. And all he did was save a franchise with the trade for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. It was the ultimate example of crisis management.