At the mid-point of the season HOOPSWORLD took a poll of their writers and contributors in an effort to see who we think is in the lead for the NBA's major awards. Here are the results, with every player earning votes and how many, plus some snappy comments. Agree or disagree? Leave a comment at the bottom and start the debate!

Most Valuable Player

Kevin Garnett – 6
LeBron James – 4
Chris Paul - 3
Brandon Roy – 2
Kobe Byrant – 1

"LeBron. Look, no supporting cast." – Ira Winderman

"James. He impacts his team and opponent on both ends of the floor as much or more than any single player." – Steven Jones

"Kobe Bryant's unselfish play has made the Lakers contenders." – Jon Mladic

"Portland's been the hottest team in the league for the past two months and are sitting atop the Northwest Division thanks to B-Roy. No one expected this." – Wendell Maxey

"Garnett is the key to the Celtics success this season and his unmatched ability to change an entire organization makes him the league's most valuable player." – Jessica Camerato

"Paul – The Hornets are a top five team in the league and no player is more important to a contending squad than Paul is to his; he's carrying his team in the tough West." – Preetom Bhattacharya

"It has to be LeBron – all you have to do is look at how bad the Cavs were without him to see he surely is more valuable than anyone else." – Jason Fleming

Rookie of the Year

Kevin Durant – 14
Al Horford – 2
Jamario Moon - 1

"Horford. He's doing his thing on a nightly basis for a team that has a chance of making postseason noise – two criteria that have thus far eluded Kevin Durant, through little fault of KD's." – Steven Jones

"Durant. The wins aren't their for his teams but is numbers stands out amongst the rookie class." – Librado Wright

"Durant. Shocking, I know." – Wendell Maxey

"Kevin Durant may score in double digits but Horford is one of the best players at his position." – Jessic Camerato

"Durant. Who else could it be...? I mean, really?" – Travis Heath

Coach of the Year

Nate McMillan – 12
Byron Scott – 2
Doc Rivers – 2
Eddie Jordan - 1

"McMillan. Winning streaks have as much to do with coaches as with players, and nobody expected this Blazer team roster to win consistently." – Steven Jones

"Jordan – The Wizards are finding success by playing in Jordan's system and getting everyone involved despite losing Gilbert Arenas." – Preetom Bhattacharya

Defensive Player of the Year

Marcus Camby – 9
Shawn Marion – 2
Dwight Howard - 2
Josh Smith – 2
Kevin Garnett - 1

"Marion is always overlooked, but always the most hard-nosed player on the court." – Bill Ingram

"I shudder to think how bad the Nuggets would be defensively without Camby's rebounding and help defense." – Yannis Koutroupis

"Camby - Howard hasn't done enough to knock off last year's champ, who has improved numbers." – Jon Mladic

"Howard is a beast on the boards and he tries to get his hands on any shots coming his way." – Jessica Camerato

"Camby. Nobody has averaged 4 blocks per game since Dikembe Mutombo back in '95-'96." – Tommy Beer

Most Improved Player

Chris Kaman – 5
Dwight Howard – 2
Andrew Bynum - 2
John Salmons – 2
Rudy Gay – 1
Lou Williams – 1
Carlos Delfino – 1
Al Jefferson – 1
Travis Outlaw - 1
Jose Calderon - 1

"Lou Williams. After not seeing any action in his first few years in the league he is now a big part of Mo Cheeks' rotation." – Librado Wright

"From odd man out to key contributor, Delfino has transformed his game since leaving the Detroit Pistons." – Jessica Camerato

"No-brainer. Kaman has absolutely obliterated his career-highs in just about every statistical category." – Tommy Beer

"Outlaw. The dude is straight ballin' for the Blazers and making shots when it really matters." – Travis Heath

"Salmons. He has played phenomenal ball with Ron Artest and Kevin Martin injured and deserves a much bigger role even though the stars are back." – Jason Fleming

Sixth Man of the Year

Manu Ginobili – 9
Leandro Barbosa – 3
Ben Gordon – 1
James Posey – 1
Travis Outlaw - 1
Jose Calderon - 1
Jason Terry - 1

"Mr. Energy (Ginobili) will dictate how far the Spurs go this season." – Bill Ingram

"Posey's fire and intensity off the bench, not to mention his unwavering support for his teammates, has changed games for the Celtics this season." – Jessica Camerato

"Barbosa – He never really became the pure point guard that the Suns needed him to be, but he's the definition of a microwave – instant offense off the bench." – Preetom Bhattacharya

"Outlaw. That's right, he's on my list twice (Most Improved). And maybe if he wins both awards, people will stop calling him Bo." – Travis Heath

Executive of the Year

Danny Ainge – 15
Mitch Kupchak – 1
Kevin Pritchard - 1

"Danny wrapped this award up the second he completed the KG trade – he better thank Kevin McHale at his press conference though." - Yannis Koutroupis

"Kupchak. He gets all the blame when things go wrong, so he deserves some credit for holding onto Andrew Bynum last year and pulling off the Cook-Ariza trade, as well as creating an environment that has Kobe pacified." – Steven Jones

"Kevin Pritchard deserves this award for how he completely re-tooled the Portland Trail Blazers through the draft and by making so many addition by subtraction trades. It's sad he will lose it to Ainge, who basically wins the award by not saying no when two superstars were on the table." – Jason Fleming