Leandro Barbosa: NBA Sixth Man Awardee
By id_pop
@id_pop (293)
Philippines
April 24, 2007 1:33pm CST
He's quick, he's an excellent shooter, he's a great slasher, and thanks to all that and more, he's voted this season's NBA Sixth Man Awardee.
I think that, over the course of the season, Barbosa never really had tough competition (save for Ben Gordon, who started a few games too many later in the season and was no longer considered a sixth man). Following him on the vote count is Manu Ginobili and Jerry Stackhouse, but they're left eating dust on the trails of Barbosa's huge lead in voting.
It's not by chance that these players' (Barbosa, Ginobili, and Stackhouse) teams are all in the playoff race and are in a good position to snag a good finish in the Western Conference.
Again, he's earned respect and recognition for that very good display all season long.
Any thoughts?
1 person likes this
4 responses
@brandonmagsino (639)
• Philippines
27 Apr 07
Leandro Barbosa, the Brazilian, really deserved being voted the Sixth Man of this year's NBA season. The Suns are in general a high-scoring team, almost everyone in that squad can catch fire in an instance. Almost everyone is a threat from the outside, because everyone can score and i mean almost everyone. Even Amare has a 15-foot jumper he can make. But when the starting five gets tired or in foul trouble, or worse injured, its the reserves that has to fill up that slot. And with Leandro, he filled that slot up very effectively. He can score 20+ points in every given night. Fill up that stat sheet, Leandro, fill it up! Some teams rely on their bench to contribute to the team's offense and defense as well.
If it hasn't been for Barbosa, other players that could have won the Sixth Man award would be Ginobili, Stackhouse and even Monta Ellis (who did won the Most Improved Player Award).
@id_pop (293)
• Philippines
27 Apr 07
I don't think Monta Ellis would qualify; there had been a long stretch during the season when he filled in for Jason Richardson (who at the time was sidelined by a knee injury) as one of Golden State's starters. I think he also took Baron Davis's place when the starter was injured (a regular occurrence for the Warriors).
Anyway, I agree with what you said about Barbosa, but aside from his offensive prowess, the Suns' main use for him on the court is his speed. The Suns run very uptempo games and the last thing they need for a reserve to do is to lag behind. Barbosa gives them speed whenever Steve Nash is sitting on the bench to rest.
1 person likes this
@rouwel23 (1353)
• Philippines
14 Aug 07
leandro barbosa has really excelled, his quickness has earned him the sixth man awardee, good for him.
