Every year, the NBA hands out a slew of awards to players and coaches around the league. While some awards are proverbial locks,there are awards that are completely up for grabs this year.
Chief among those that don't have a clear winner is the Most Improved Player award. The Raptors' Kyle Lowry and Pacers' Lance Stephenson are two of the favorites for the award, but I think there should be a slight change to the award this year.
The entire Phoenix Suns starting lineup, plus bench players, should share the Most Improved award. From Goran Dragic to Marcus Morris to P.J. Tucker, every player who gets significant minutes for the Suns this year has improved himself over last season.
Gerald Green was in the D-League last season and Eric Bledsoe was Chris Paul's understudy for years, toiling on the bench before bursting onto the scene this year. Starting center Miles Plumlee played sparingly last season in Indiana before being traded to the Suns alongside Ish Smith, who played very well in Bledsoe's absence this year.
The Suns didn't make the playoffs this season, but they did practically double the win total many pundits predicted for them. Because of this, the NBA should consider giving a team Most Improved award. The Suns have earned it.
Reach the columnist at mtonis@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Tonis_The_Tiger
