Handing out awards for the Cavaliers at the third-way point

The Cleveland Cavaliers are having an excellent season. Their beatdown Monday of the Utah Jazz built their winning streak to four games, continuing to cement their spot at the top of the Eastern Conference. They are performing at the top end of preseason expectations and truly look like a contender despite their collective inexperience.

It’s simplest to look at the Cavs’ team as a whole and declare they are all killing it, and it’s certainly fun to do so, but that’s not a very nuanced way to evaluate the season. Individual players are helping and hurting the Cavs in very different ways, and when placed together the story of the season comes to light.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing well – which players deserve awards?

With the first third of the season now in the rearview mirror let’s hand out some awards to the various members of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Let’s pick five to highlight the very best, and in one case the very worst, of the season thus far.

For everyone else, feel free to come up with an award for each remaining player — a “most games missed” for Ricky Rubio, a “most mascots disparaged” for Robin Lopez, and so forth. We’ll start with the best player on the Cavs this year: who has been the MVP?