1. Kevin Durant, Thunder: I'm not sure anyone has ever improved as much as he has improved this year. He has always been a great scorer, but now he's a smarter team player and a much more tenacious defender. The difference is evident in his team's record. The problem: He has improved so much that he's beyond this award.

2. Marc Gasol, Grizzlies: Pau's little brother has big game. Once thought of as a throw-in in the trade for his brother, he's now the best player on the floor for long stretches of Memphis games.

3. Marreese Speights, Sixers: Last season he was the 16th pick in the draft who showed some flashes of skill. This season, when the Sixers call timeouts in key parts of games, it's often to draw up a play for Speights.

4. Joakim Noah, Bulls: They were writing columns calling for him to be cut about this time last year. Now he's one of the best big men in the East. That's improvement.

5. Zach Randolph, Grizzlies: There are so many reasons he'll never win this award. Too old. Too established. Too bad for the NBA's image. However, the way he's playing is night and day compared to last year.

1. Gerald Wallace, Bobcats: I'm not going to sit here and say with 100 percent certainty, "Gerald Wallace is a robot sent from the future to save mankind from opposing teams' offenses." I'm just saying I would be very interested to see the results of an X-ray. I'm beginning to think his missing time for a collapsed lung was just factory maintenance.

2. Dwight Howard, Magic: In the greater context, it must be satisfying for Dwight's supporters to realize that he's actually reached a point where his tremendous defensive influence inside is taken for granted, as if it's a given, after years of criticism.

3. Josh Smith, Hawks: You know that feeling you get right when something terrible is about to happen? That feeling in the pit of your stomach that just wrenches you over with an overwhelming sense of doom, and your palms sweat and your hand shakes? That must be what players feel when they're driving and know Smith is coming from the weak side.

4. Rajon Rondo, Celtics: I end up getting confused and having to rewatch Celtics plays a lot because I think Rondo is in two places at once. Then I watch it and realize, no, it just seems like it because he's pretty much everywhere, all the time.

5. LeBron James, Cavs: If I had to give you one defensive element that LeBron excels at more than any other, it's this: He overwhelms you. Physically, he's able just to pressure you with his size and speed and coordination to the point that it's like the Mongol hordes cresting the hill and crushing down on you. Only they all have Nike gear on and have personal managers.

1. Carl Landry, Rockets: In a rare off night, foul trouble limited him to just 19 minutes in Saturday's loss to the Hornets. He still managed to make four of seven shots and score eight points, but he grabbed just one rebound. He has combined with Trevor Ariza and Aaron Brooks to give Houston its own version of the big three. (Last week: 2)

2. Jamal Crawford, Hawks: This time last week, the Hawks were in the short discussion for top team in the East. After getting beat down twice by the Cavs, falling to the Knicks and being blown out by the Heat, Hawks nation is trying to figure out what's wrong. Maybe it's Crawford, who had back-to-back stinkers at Cleveland (3-for-12) and at home against New York (2-for-12). (Last week: 1)

3. Al Harrington, Knicks: He continues to get it done, scoring in double digits in 16 of the past 17 games for New York, which has won three of four. (Last week: 4)

4. Jason Terry, Mavericks: He is still one of the best players in the league as far as getting buckets in bunches, but his numbers across the board are down from last season's Sixth Man of the Year run. (Last week: 5)

5. J.R. Smith, Nuggets: Anyone who can get 41 points, as he did Dec. 23 against the Hawks, obviously has talent, but he has struggled with consistency. Smith has failed to reach double digits in two of his past three games despite plenty of shot attempts and minutes. (Last week: 3)