Garbage Time: Awards Edition

Welcome to the second installment of Garbage Time, theScore's new and aptly-titled NBA roundtable series.

In our second rotation on the floor, Joseph Casciaro, William Lou, and Blake Murphy break down who will win the awards that matter in 2014-15: MVP, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, and Most Improved Player.

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MVP

Casciaro: The Cavaliers should roll to 60 wins in the East. If LeBron lives up to his usual standards while leading them there, good luck keeping MVP number five away from him.

Lou: LeBron James will recapture the MVP trophy once more with Kevin Durant sidelined to start the season. James's Cavaliers will likely approach 60 wins and he's still the best player in the league.

Murphy: LeBron James. I think Blake Griffin is going to emerge as a legitimate candidate, Anthony Davis is going to take another step forward, and Steph Curry represents the best value if you’re betting. None of that matters for an actual prediction - you have to go with the best player on the planet.

Rookie of the Year

Murphy: Jabari Parker. This award is generally about opportunity on offense, and nobody will have more of an opportunity than Parker. He also happened to enter the draft with the most NBA-ready offensive game, and while I prefer Andrew Wiggins long term, nobody will touch Parker as a freshman.

Casciaro: Nerlens Noel will get plenty of NBA touches while playing for a team full of guys who aren't really NBA players, and he'll stat-stuff his way past Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins, this year at least.

Lou: Nerlens Noel faces stiff competition from Jabari Parker, but playing for the Sixers has its advantages. The Sixers play at a break-neck pace, thereby creating more possessions for Noel to boost his per-game numbers. Noel also has a year of experience training with NBA facilities under his belt. 

Coach of the Year

Lou: David Blatt will certainly take his lumps, but if he can steady the ship and help guide Cleveland to first place in the East as a rookie head coach, he will be as deserving as anyone.

Murphy: Stan Van Gundy's my pick. Gregg Popovich is the best coach in basketball, but that’s not always the foremost consideration here, and the affable SVG returning to add as many as 12 wins to a 29-53 Pistons team with few roster additions should have him right in the thick of the discussion.

Casciaro: The immediate expectations could work against him, but if the hilariously high-powered Cavs click the way we all expect them to, David Blatt edges out Doc Rivers for the award in his first NBA season.

Defensive Player of the Year

Casciaro: Maybe it's blind faith in reports that he's finally fully healthy again, or maybe it was the dominant flashes he showed against Portland in the playoffs, but for whatever reason, I'm expecting Dwight Howard's best season since leaving Orlando and his first DPOY in four years.

Lou: Dwight Howard looks to have finally shed his nagging back issues, and is primed to reinstate his monopoly over this award. With Patrick Beverley and Trevor Ariza tightening up defense on the perimeter, Houston's team numbers will improve, and Howard will be accredited accordingly.

Murphy: It's got to be Serge Ibaka. The block totals alone maybe overrated him in the past, but the fundamental defense has come along with it. Plus, those block totals count, and stick out to voters. Ibaka is very good, and with no clear candidate and extra attention from Kevin Durant’s early absence, he’s got a good a shot as anyone.

Sixth Man of the Year

Murphy: Look to the desert. Being the third point guard in Phoenix doesn’t at all downgrade Isaiah Thomas, who stands to see 30-plus minutes in a reserve role in Jeff Hornacek’s fast-paced offense. Few can fill it up as quickly as Thomas - he averaged 21.1 points per-36 minutes last year - and it’s scoring that wins this award.

Casciaro: Greg Monroe is an intriguing option in his new role, but this award usually goes to a guard or swingman who can shoot the lights out and score in bunches once he checks in. (Lamar Odom is the lone exception in the last 10 years.) My money's on Isaiah Thomas in Phoenix.

Lou: Reggie Jackson wants to be a starter, but Thunder head coach Scott Brooks has shown a preference in bringing him off the bench to help balance Oklahoma City's attack. Jackson's posted a solid line of 13.1 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.9 rebounds last season.

Most Improved Player

Lou: Kawhi Leonard will win because he's about to make the leap from great to elite. Leonard is the next star to carry the torch in San Antonio, and he will likely take on a bigger share of responsibilities this season. Plus, voters can't shut out the likely 60-win Spurs from awards ballots altogether. 

Murphy: It might not be possible for Anthony Bennett to actually be worse than last year, so improvement is obvious. It’s the degree that could be shocking, as a trimmed-down Bennett with sleep and shoulder issues behind him should emphatically remind people why he was a top pick out of UNLV.

Casciaro: Between the plethora of preseason possibilities and the handful of out-of-nowhere candidates that come along during the season, this is usually the toughest award to predict. Let's go with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist adding a not as terrible offensive game to his great defense while playing for what should be a pretty good Charlotte Hornets squad.