Honoring the best and worst from the 2006-07 season

	Kobe Bryant strung together his fair share of 40- and 50-point games to win another scoring title for a so-so team. John W. McDonough/SI

By Dennis Velasco, Special to SI.com, DroppingDimes.com

It's over. Go ahead and breathe that sigh of relief if you won on the final week of the season. Whether it's the championship or the consolation title, a win is a win. For those of you who came up short, go ahead and scream -- but know that the constant waves of anxiety are now over. Fortunately, I came out on the winning end of the PFS Experts League, beating the very editor of this page, James Quintong. Sorry, JQ, but someone had to win and I certainly don't mind it being me. But enough about me.

Let's get to the stats and those players who excelled (Blue Chippers), gave more production relative to their draft position (Value Players or were disappointments (Duds). I'll review the big three categories a little more heavily since they're the main categories for a reason.

POINTS

Blue Chippers
Kobe Bryant, SG, Lakers: 77 G; 31.6 PPG
Carmelo Anthony, SF, Nuggets: 65 G; 28.9 PPG
Gilbert Arenas, PG, Wizards: 74 G; 28.4 PPG

Surprise, surprise, surprise. It's not much of a surprise that Bryant led the league in scoring for the second consecutive season. Sure there was a dropoff from 35.4 to 31.6 PPG, but it was still good enough for a title. But consider that he took fewer shots (27.2 last season, 22.8 this season) and actually upped his assists (4.5 to 5.4); like every player that defends Kobe, you have to respect him.

Anthony led the league in scoring for a while, but the MSG debacle, subsequent suspension and trade for Allen Iverson meant Melo's reign on top was destined to end. However, there is no question that he is one of the top players -- if not the best -- at the three position.

There were no other players more enjoyable to watch, read about, or read his thoughts on his blog more than Arenas. Unfortunately, thanks to Gerald "Crash" Wallace landing on his left knee, Agent Zero's season was cut short. But before the injury, Arenas was lighting it up all over the league, including dropping 60 on the Lakers, 54 on the Suns, 51 on the Jazz, and a hypothetical 84 or 85 on Duke University. Seriously, how can you not love this guy?

Value Players
Joe Johnson, PG/SG, Hawks: 57 G; 25.0 PPG
Ben Gordon, PG/SG, Bulls: 82 G; 21.4 PPG
Kevin Martin, SG, Kings: 80 G; 20.2 PPG

Before suffering a right calf strain, Johnson was putting up big numbers on a regular basis He increased his scoring output for the seventh straight season since his rookie campaign -- 6.3, 9.6, 9.8, 16.7, 17.1, 20.2, and 25.0 PPG this season.

Despite starting off the season alternating between the bench and the floor, Gordon still snapped the nets from all over the court and increased his scoring from 16.9 PPG to 21.4 PPG. He increased his field-goal percentage (42.2% last season to 45.5%), got to the line more (3.4 FTA to 5.4), and converted more from the charity stripe (78.7% to 86.4%). Last season, Martin flashed his scoring potential when Peja Stojakovic was injured. However, to jump from 10.8 PPG to 20.2 PPG was nothing short of sensational.

Duds
Jason Richardson, SG, Warriors: 51 G; 16.0 PPG
Mike James, PG, Timberwolves: 82 G; 10.1 PPG
Andrei Kirilenko, SF/PF, Jazz: 70 G; 8.3 PPG

Most players would be fine averaging 16.0 PPG in the NBA, but relative to last season's 23.2 PPG, J-Rich was J-Mid Income. Thanks to injuries and the evolution of Monta Ellis, Richardson played fewer minutes per game and took about 25 percent fewer shots. Even though since February, J-Rich's scoring average trended up to a peak of 21.6 PPG this month, considering where he was drafted, Richardson falls into the Dud category.

However, James did a lot worse. After averaging 20.3 PPG last season and signing a big contract with the T-wolves, James' game did not match the high price tag. James only averaged 10.1 PPG, about half of last season's output, and saw his time on the hardwood cut significantly because of rookie Randy Foye.

Let's not get it twisted, by no means is Kirilenko a scoring machine, but 8.3 PPG? The three previous seasons saw AK-47's point production dip down from 16.5 to 15.6 to 15.3 points per contest. So a minor slide would be understandable, especially since Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams stepped up their games this season. But drop all the way to single digits?