2017-18 NBA Year-End Awards

The 2017-18 NBA season mercifully came to end last Friday night at Quicken Loan Arena when the Golden State Warriors completed a pretty easy sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers to win their third title in the last four years. Now that the champagne has been sprayed and the Larry O'Brien Trophy has been paraded through the streets of Oakland, it's time to reflect on the individual greatness the NBA has graced the basketball-loving public with over the past eight months. Here are my picks for all of the Association's prominent year-end awards.

MVP: LeBron James (Cavaliers)
In a career full of wildly productive seasons, 2017-18 is a contender for his most jaw-dropping since his first stint in Cleveland, if not ever. Carrying a team of aging, lackadaisical role players to a 50-win season that culminated in a NBA Finals appearance that seemed like a laughable pipe dream as recently as mid-April while remaining efficient (54.2 FG%, 36.7 3PG%, career-high 9.1 APG) and not showing any signs of decline or notable fatigue at age 33 is the type of unreal feat that reminds you of just how great James truly is.
Honorable Mentions: Anthony Davis (Pelicans), James Harden (Rockets), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)

Coach of the Year: Brad Stevens (Celtics)
I'm sorry, I just can't see the case for Dwane Casey. Even with a significantly improved second unit, a staring lineup full of veteran talent and no notable injuries to speak of, Casey's Raptors still wilted come playoff time-which resulted in him getting unceremoniously fired by the team following their latest embarrassing sweep at the hands of the Cavaliers. On the other hand, Stevens managed to overcome a pair of perceived season-derailing injuries to both of his team's All-Stars (Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving) and other injuries of varying significance to key rotational players (Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Marcus Morris, Daniel Theis, Shane Larkin) to take an undermanned team that predominantly consisted of unproven young players with little-to-no playoff experience all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Honorable Mentions: Quin Snyder (Jazz), Nate McMillan (Pacers), Dwane Casey (Raptors)

Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Davis (Pelicans)
The Brow's ability on the defensive end have always been overlooked because of his unique, lethal offensive skill set, but after his absurd 2017-18 campaign, that might not be the case for much longer. Davis made life hell for anyone that tried to drive inside against the Pelicans with his physical presence around the rim and elite shot-swatting ability (his 2.6 blocks per game led the league).

Honorable Mentions: Rudy Gobert (Jazz), Joel Embiid (76ers), Clint Capela (Rockets)

Rookie of the Year: Donovan Mitchell (Jazz)
Ben Simmons had the triple doubles and nonstop hype, but I'll take the "real" rookie any day of the week. Mitchell's killer instinct, scoring prowess (20.4 PPG, good for 25th in the league) and veteran-esque calmness in clutch situations made him the electric playmaker this defensive-minded Jazz team desperately needed to earn their second consecutive playoff berth in the ultracompetitive Western Conference.   

Honorable Mentions: Ben Simmons (76ers), Jayson Tatum (Celtics), Lauri Markkanen (Bulls)

Sixth Man of the Year: Lou Williams (Clippers)
You could make an argument that he started too many games (19) to be eligible for this award, but Williams' brilliance throughout this season can't be denied. The 31-year old journeyman guard emerged as a reliable offensive force, averaging career highs in points (22.6) and assists (5.3), for a Clippers squad that was in constant flux thanks to a rash of injuries (too many to list, but basically every other player of note besides DeAndre Jordan missed at least 20 games) and the shocking mid-season trade of star power forward Blake Griffin.     

Honorable Mentions: Fred VanVleet (Raptors), Eric Gordon (Rockets), Will Barton (Nuggets) 

Most Improved Player: Victor Oladipo (Pacers)
It's amazing what a change in scenery can do for a young player. After a three-year sentence in the basketball death pit otherwise known as the Orlando Magic followed by a brief stint as a middling bystander to Russell Westbrook's heroball antics in Oklahoma City, Oladipo finally blossomed into the two-way force he was projected to be when he was drafted second overall in the 2013 upon arriving in Indiana as a presumed afterthought in the Paul George trade. Oladipo's well-rounded, often dominant play helped a Pacers team that was widely projected to be a doormat establish a strong team chemistry and sense of resiliency that resulted in them shocking the league with a 48-win season.         

Honorable Mentions: Clint Capela (Rockets), Jaylen Brown (Celtics), Spencer Dinwiddie (Nets)

2018 NFL Position Rankings: Top 25 Inside Linebackers

25.Korey Toomer (49ers)
24.Joe Schobert (Browns)
23.Zach Cunningham (Texans)
22.Brandon Marshall (Broncos)
21.Zach Brown (Redskins)
20.Nick Kwiatkoski (Bears)
19.Reuben Foster (49ers)
18.Benardrick McKinney (Texans)
17.Derrick Johnson (Raiders)
16.Todd Davis (Broncos)
15.Wesley Woodyard (Titans)
14.Eric Kendricks (Vikings)
13.Blake Martinez (Packers)
12.Anthony Hitchens (Chiefs)
11.Jake Ryan (Packers)
10.Mychal Kendricks (Browns)
9.Demario Davis (Saints)
8.Avery Williamson (Jets)
7.Danny Trevathan (Bears)
6.Dont'a Hightower (Patriots)
5.C.J. Mosley (Ravens)
4.Sean Lee (Cowboys)
3.Deion Jones (Falcons)
2.Luke Kuechly (Panthers)
1.Bobby Wagner (Seahawks)

2018 NFL Position Rankings: Top 35 Defensive Ends

Note: Due to multiple major injuries that have limited him to appearing in only 8 games over the past 2 seasons, J.J. Watt was withheld from this list.
35.DaQuan Jones (Titans)
34.John Simon (Colts)
33.Brooks Reed (Falcons)
32.Adrian Clayborn (Patriots)
31.Myles Garrett (Browns)
30.Derek Wolfe (Broncos)
29.Mario Addison (Panthers)
28.Alex Okafor (Saints)
27.Frank Clark (Seahawks)
26.William Hayes (Dolphins)
25.Danielle Hunter (Vikings)
24.Ezekiel Ansah (Lions)
23.Michael Brockers (Rams)
22.Vinny Curry (Buccaneers)
21.Jabaal Sheard (Colts)
20.Jerry Hughes (Bills)
19.Michael Bennett (Eagles)
18.Jason Pierre-Paul (Buccaneers)
17.Yannick Ngakoue (Jaguars)
16.Leonard Williams (Jets)
15.Carlos Dunlap (Bengals)
14.Akiem Hicks (Bears)
13.Trey Flowers (Patriots)
12.Cameron Wake (Dolphins)
11.Cameron Heyward (Steelers)
10.DeMarcus Lawrence (Cowboys)
9.Everson Griffen (Vikings)
8.Melvin Ingram (Chargers)
7.Mike Daniels (Packers)
6.Joey Bosa (Chargers)
5.Brandon Graham (Eagles)
4.Chandler Jones (Cardinals)
3.Calias Campbell (Jaguars)
2.Cameron Jordan (Saints)
1.Khalil Mack (Raiders)

Movie Review: Upgrade

In an era where the entertainment industry regularly cooks up ill-conceived meals in an attempt to feed audiences insatiable appetite for nostalgia, sci-fi action thriller Upgrade marks a rare instance where a confident individual with an understanding of the necessary ingredients seized their chance to enter this storied kitchen and made something special. Writer/director Leigh Whannell (Insidious franchise, Saw I-III) has gifted B-movie fans with a gory, amusing and intelligent throwback to the days when genre movies balanced electric grindhouse thrills with thoughtful social commentary.

While there's plenty of the brutal, cleverly-shot fight scenes that the redband trailer offered up, Upgrade puts a greater emphasis on story than I expected. Whannell turns what could've easily been a straightforward revenge narrative about a widow (Logan Marshall-Green) seeking retribution for his wife's (Melanie Vallejo) murder into a twisty tale that highlights mankind's relationship with technology that could change how you feel about the future of artificial intelligence. Exploring why humans are drawn to technology and the potential hazards that come with new advancements in the field isn't exactly uncharted territory for the sci-fi genre, especially in our current  climate where previously unfathomable inventions like facial recognition software, talking computers and drones are already part of our reality, but this commentary is effective enough to help add some narrative weight behind all of the stylized blood-and-guts and smartass one-liners.

Upgrade is a huge triumph for the underserved B-movie market. Action flicks that lack big names and budgets that exceed the GDP of most medium-sized countries don't receive theatrical releases very often anymore, so it's great to see a veteran like Whannell take advantage of this rare opportunity by delivering a thoroughly badass product that seems destined to become a cult favorite. Genre enthusiasts should go see this ASAP before some inconsiderate jabroni spoils the insanity of the carnage and/or the whopper of an ending.

Grade: A-

The Best and Worst of Sandra Bullock

“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography of “Ocean's 8” star Sandra Bullock.

Films Starring Sandra Bullock that I've seen:
Demolition Man
Speed
Crash
The Proposal
The Blind Side
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Heat
Gravity
Our Brand is Crisis 

Best Performance: Gravity (2013)
I believe that Bullock's healthy amount of work in the romantic comedy genre has resulted in her being severely overlooked as a dramatic actor. Just about every "serious" film I've seen her in has been elevated by her massive yet nuanced performances. Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, which features Bullock alone on screen for about 80% of the running time, is the perfect showcase for her underrated chops. Bullock's powerhouse performance enhances the tension while also displaying an emotional range that you don't typically see in effects-driven disaster/survival movies. 

Worst Performance: Crash (2004)
As great as she's been of late, Bullock's road to becoming a strong dramatic actor wasn't without its major hiccups. The commanding screen presence that eventually became a hallmark of her craft was notably absent from the much-maligned Best Picture winner Crash. Her turn as the uppity, prejudiced wife of a Los Angeles-area district attorney (Brendan Fraser) is consistently wooden and thoroughly unconvincing.   

Best Film: The Heat (2013)
While it's not quite on the level of Bridesmaids, The Heat is still easily one of Paul Feig's best projects to-date. A sharp, vulgar script from Katie Dippold paired with the fantastic juxtaposition between its two leads (Bullock as a stern FBI agent, Melissa McCarthy as a short-tempered Boston police officer) made this buddy comedy a seriously funny treat. 

Worst Film: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
Good intentions don't always result in good art and few films illustrate that point better than Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. This drama based on a best selling novel about a 10-year old kid (Thomas Horn) trying to cope with the death of his father (Tom Hanks), who was killed during the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11, is a dull melodrama with an obnoxious protagonist that never even comes close to hitting its intended emotional target.   

Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Superfly” star Jason Mitchell. 

Album Review: Kanye West-ye

As the great Dr. Robert Doback once told his son Dale after he'd given up his dream of running a prestigious worldwide entertainment company to take a job as a caterer, life just isn't the same if you lose your dinosaur. In other words, sacrificing what makes you unique strictly for the sake of appeasing other people is a move that you'll regret in the long run. It's taken about 15 years, but Kanye West appears to be on the cusp of losing his dinosaur. His eight LP ye is a borderline unlistenable collection of tracks that sees the hip-hip icon betraying the no-holds-barred authenticity and unwavering confidence that has helped define his legacy as one of the music industry's most dynamic talents to deliver a feigned apology for his (very) recent public misdeeds.

Where his chaotic last LP The Life of Pablo was rough around the edges by design, ye sounds like a truly unfinished product. After sitting through this jarring barrage of soul samples, obnoxious hooks and aimless features a few times, it's hard not to come away feeling that ye is simply a PR move disguised as an album. Like just about every piece of damage control from a public figure or company, this mercifully short (it clocks in at just under 24 minutes) musical apology for West's most headline-grabbing string of controversial comments to-date contains the subtlety of a nuclear arsenal and sincerity of an average political stump speech.

After undergoing the most hostile public takedowns of his career following his now-infamous TMZ outburst and repeated praise of Donald Trump, it's comically evident that West and his team were desperate to change the narrative around him. And what better way to win the people over than to concoct a nice introspective album that focuses on how much he loves his family and his struggles with bipolar disorder? This calculated charade might've worked if West had approached this material with any sort of conviction. His delivery is so consistently sloppy and devoid of legitimate emotion that it renders every single "heartfelt" sentiment completely meaningless. Watching an artist that has preached sticking to your true self at every turn suddenly table that previously steadfast belief because their public image, which has always been polarizing, could've possibly taken a long-term hit is a shocking and disheartening development that I honestly didn't see coming.

Whatever fleeting victories are found on ye stem from the goofy back-to-back combo of "Yikes" and "All Mine". While neither of these tracks flirt with greatness, they at least allow glimpses of West's signature brashness and childlike giddiness to shine through. On an album that's driven by an unsettling sense of phoniness, a couple of on-brand songs with bouncy beats and vulgar punchlines offer up some much-needed hope that West's vacation to the world of contrived conformity is only temporary.

The existence of ye has made me wish that West stayed out of the public eye for at least a little bit longer. Succumbing to a media shitstorm with a rushed album riddled with lackluster material that's at the very least forced, if not completely insincere was an uncharacteristic move that stripped away the unapologetic attitude and unpredictable creative flare that usually define his projects. I'm pulling for West to rebound from this unfortunate misstep in an otherwise pretty remarkable career, but considering this and the similarly suspect quality of his other recent endeavors not named Daytona, you have to at least consider the possibility that his reign as hip-hop's boldest voice has come to an end.
   

Grade: D+

Standout Tracks

1.Yikes

2.All Mine 

2018 NFL Position Rankings: Top 30 Defensive Tackles

30.Al Woods (Colts)
29.Dalvin Tomlinson (Giants)
28.Kyle Williams (Bills)
27.Malcom Brown (Patriots)
26.Justin Ellis (Raiders)
25.Domata Peko (Broncos)
24.Danny Shelton (Patriots)
23.Corey Peters (Cardinals)
22.D.J. Reader (Texans)
21.Star Lotulelei (Bills)
20.Michael Pierce (Ravens)
19.Marcell Dareus (Jaguars)
18.David Irving (Cowboys)
17.Sheldon Richardson (Vikings)
16.Timmy Jernigan (Eagles)
15.Kenny Clark (Packers)
14.Chris Jones (Chiefs)
13.Malik Jackson (Jaguars)
12.Grady Jarrett (Falcons)
11.DeForest Buckner (49ers)
10.Brandon Williams (Ravens)
9.Linval Joseph (Vikings)
8.Jurrell Casey (Titans)
7.Gerald McCoy (Buccaneers)
6.Damon Harrison (Giants)
5.Kawann Short (Panthers)
4.Ndamukong Suh (Rams)
3.Geno Atkins (Bengals)
2.Fletcher Cox (Eagles)
1.Aaron Donald (Rams)