NBA Atlantic Division Recap

Standings
*Boston (56-26)
*New York (42-40)
*Philadelphia (41-41)
New Jersey (24-58)
Toronto (22-60)

Statistical Leaders
PPG- Carmelo Anthony, NY (25.6)
APG- Rajon Rondo, BOS (11.2)
RPG- Kris Humphries, NJ (10.4)
FG %- Thaddeus Young, PHI (.541)
FT %- Chauncey Billups, NY (.916)
3PT %- Ray Allen, BOS (.444)

All-Atlantic First Team
PG- Rajon Rondo (BOS)
SG- Demar DeRozan (TOR)
F- Paul Pierce (BOS)
F- Amare Stoudamire (NY)
C- Brook Lopez (NJ)

All-Atlantic Rookie Team
PG- Landry Fields (NY)
SG- Evan Turner (PHI)
F- Ed Davis (TOR)
F- Damion James (NJ)
C- Semih Erden (BOS)

Division Awards
MVP- Amare Stoudamire (NY)..Made an immediate impact on Broadway in his first season, averaging 25 PPG and 8 RPG in under 37 minutes per game.  Led the Knicks to a 42-win season, up from 29, giving the Knicks their first playoff appearance since 2004.

Defensive Player of the Year- Kris Humphries (NJ)..One of nine NBA players to average a double-double (10.1 PPG/10.4 RPG) in a breakout season in Newark.

Most Improved Player- DeMar DeRozan (TOR)..Averaged 17.2 PPG up from 8.6 and almost a whole rebound and assist more than his rookie year in his second NBA season.

Sixth Man of the Year- Glen Davis (BOS)..Averaged 11 PPG and 5.4 RPG in 78 games, 65 off the bench.

Rookie of the Year- Ed Davis (TOR)..Average 7 points and 7 rebounds in 65 games, 13 of which he had double-doubles.

Coach of the Year- Doug Collins (PHI)..Coached a Philly team that came out of nowhere to win 41 games and earn the 7th seed in the playoffs.

Players in the Penthouse
Paul Pierce (BOS)
Kevin Garnett (BOS)
Ray Allen (BOS)
Rajon Rondo (BOS)
Brook Lopez (NJ)
Derron Williams (NJ)
Carmelo Anthony (NY)
Amare Stoudamire (NY)
Elton Brand (PHI)
Andrea Bargnani (TOR)

Players in the Elevator
Kris Humphries (NJ)
Bill Walker (NY)
Landry Fields (NY)
Evan Turner (PHI)
Jrue Holliday (PHI)
Thaddeus Young (PHI)
Ed Davis (TOR)
DeMar DeRozan (TOR)

Players in the Doghouse
Glen Davis (BOS)
Jeff Green (BOS)
Nenad Kristic (BOS)
Jordan Farmar (NJ)
Ronny Turiaf (NY)
Andre Igoudala (PHI)
Leandro Barbosa (TOR)

Thoughts on the 5 Teams

Boston Celtics
- The big 3 may have hit its ceiling, but Doc Rivers staying in Boston for at least the next 5 years is more than encouraging.

New Jersey Nets
- The last time the Nets had the best point guard in the NBA they were winning Conference Championships with Jason Kidd.  Can Deron Williams do the same?
- This team won just 24 games, but in a league that requires dominance at the center and point guard position they have Lopez and Williams.  All they need is some good compliments. 
- This team may not compete in Newark, but should definitely do so in Brooklyn.

New York Knicks
- They have two of the leagues best forwards in Amare and Melo, but have lots of more work to do in order to contend.
- Is Mike D'Antoni the answer for the Knicks?  Given his track record he seems to be a great regular season coach that always fizzles in the playoffs.
- The Knicks got Melo, but the Nuggets were certainly the winners in that deal.

Philadelphia 76ers
- Elton Brand was arguably the MVP of this team, playing to the level we all knew he was capable of playing at.
- The young backcourt of Holliday and Turner could be the backcourt this team has been looking for since Allen Iverson was unloaded.

Toronto Raptors
- First there was Vince-sanity, then it was Chris Bosh counted upon to lead the team to the promised land, will DeMar DeRozan be the next delight north of the border?