Aside from MVP and DPOY which award means the most to a players career?

[Ebbs]

So basically Most Improved Player, 6th man of the year, or Rookie of the year?

Which one is most indicative of a players high skill set and which looks best on a players resume when all is said and done?

Last 3 MIP'S:
Ryan Anderson
Kevin Love
Aaron Brooks

Last 3 6th men:
James Harden
Lamar Odom
Jamal Crawford

Last 3 ROY's:
Kyrie Irving
Blake Griffin
Tyreke Evans

[alexander_37]

Usually ROY is a one man race. Probably 6th man.

[Hawkeye15]

meaningful to a player? Probably ROY. You are young, trying to prove you belong, and winning that probably brings more emotion then the other awards.

[JordansBulls]

ROY because it shows how much potential you have.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/roy.html

Just look at the list here.

Season	Lg	Player	                Age	Tm
2011-12	NBA	Kyrie Irving*(V)	19	CLE
2010-11	NBA	Blake Griffin*(V)	21	LAC
2009-10	NBA	Tyreke Evans*(V)	20	SAC
2008-09	NBA	Derrick Rose*(V)	20	CHI
2007-08	NBA	Kevin Durant*(V)	19	SEA
2006-07	NBA	Brandon Roy*(V)	        22	POR
2005-06	NBA	Chris Paul*(V)	        20	NOK
2004-05	NBA	Emeka Okafor*(V)	22	CHA
2003-04	NBA	LeBron James*(V)	19	CLE
2002-03	NBA	Amare Stoudemire*(V)	20	PHO
2001-02	NBA	Pau Gasol*(V)	        21	MEM
2000-01	NBA	Mike Miller*(V)	        20	ORL
1999-00	NBA	Steve Francis*(V)	22	HOU
1999-00	NBA	Elton Brand*(V)  	20	CHI
1998-99	NBA	Vince Carter*(V)	22	TOR
1997-98	NBA	Tim Duncan*(V)	        21	SAS
1996-97	NBA	Allen Iverson*(V)	21	PHI
1995-96	NBA	Damon Stoudamire*(V)	22	TOR
1994-95	NBA	Jason Kidd*(V)	        21	DAL
1994-95	NBA	Grant Hill*(V)	        22	DET
1993-94	NBA	Chris Webber*(V)	20	GSW
1992-93	NBA	Shaquille O'Neal*(V)	20	ORL
1991-92	NBA	Larry Johnson*(V)	22	CHH
1990-91	NBA	Derrick Coleman*(V)	23	NJN
1989-90	NBA	David Robinson*(V)	24	SAS
1988-89	NBA	Mitch Richmond*(V)	23	GSW
1987-88	NBA	Mark Jackson*(V)	22	NYK
1986-87	NBA	Chuck Person*(V)	22	IND
1985-86	NBA	Patrick Ewing*(V)	23	NYK
1984-85	NBA	Michael Jordan*(V)	21	CHI
1983-84	NBA	Ralph Sampson*(V)	23	HOU
1982-83	NBA	Terry Cummings	        21	SDC
1981-82	NBA	Buck Williams	        21	NJN
1980-81	NBA	Darrell Griffith	22	UTA
1979-80	NBA	Larry Bird	        23	BOS
1978-79	NBA	Phil Ford	22	KCK
1977-78	NBA	Walter Davis	23	PHO
1976-77	NBA	Adrian Dantley	20	BUF
1975-76	NBA	Alvan Adams	21	PHO
1974-75	NBA	Jamaal Wilkes	21	GSW
1973-74	NBA	Ernie DiGregorio	23	BUF
1972-73	NBA	Bob McAdoo	21	BUF
1971-72	NBA	Sidney Wicks	22	POR
1970-71	NBA	Geoff Petrie	22	POR
1970-71	NBA	Dave Cowens	22	BOS
1969-70	NBA	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	22	MIL
1968-69	NBA	Wes Unseld	22	BAL
1967-68	NBA	Earl Monroe	23	BAL
1966-67	NBA	Dave Bing	23	DET
1965-66	NBA	Rick Barry	21	SFW
1964-65	NBA	Willis Reed	22	NYK
1963-64	NBA	Jerry Lucas	23	CIN
1962-63	NBA	Terry Dischinger	22	CHZ
1961-62	NBA	Walt Bellamy	22	CHP
1960-61	NBA	Oscar Robertson	22	CIN
1959-60	NBA	Wilt Chamberlain	23	PHW
1958-59	NBA	Elgin Baylor	24	MNL
1957-58	NBA	Woody Sauldsberry	23	PHW
1956-57	NBA	Tom Heinsohn	22	BOS
1955-56	NBA	Maurice Stokes	22	ROC
1954-55	NBA	Bob Pettit	22	MLH
1953-54	NBA	Ray Felix	23	BLB
1952-53	NBA	Monk Meineke	22	FTW

[Daunter]

I would say Most Improved because it means you took your game to the next level.

[barreleffact]

ROY. HOF'ers are more likely to have a ROY than either of the other 2. MIP means you either sucked before or were uncharacteristically improved. 6th man means you arent an elite playe. Crawford- scorer only, Odom borderline retirement, Harden- fringe all-star, but he is the exception more so than the standard

[FraziersKnicks]

Roy

[b@llhog24]

ROY. Tends to be more indicative of a HOF career in comparison to 6MOY/MI.

[Bishnoff]

ROY. HOF'ers are more likely to have a ROY than either of the other 2. MIP means you either sucked before or were uncharacteristically improved. 6th man means you arent an elite playe. Crawford- scorer only, Odom borderline retirement, Harden- fringe all-star, but he is the exception more so than the standard

Bolded.

[StarvingKnick22]

ROY tells who will the next future star will be. Well, usually.

[kyubi256]

I'd say Sixth Man. Rookie of the Year is too specific to just rookies so it doesn't take into account people who can get much better the more they play and also if they change systems.

Most improved is a nice one but it means that you had to be "not so good." That's great if you are looking at guys who change systems. But I think that it does not tell the whole story for guys who have been consistently good but finally took the step to stardom. Especially if they are overshadowed by guys who are bad/injured then great.

I'd say the best would be 6th man. Because it shows how instrumental you are to your teams success. Most teams need a good 6th man because the starters can't play 48 minutes for 82 games. So the 6th man is there to add scoring and keep the differential high so leads are not blown.

[mngopher35]

This is kind of a weird question. The only award that an elite player can really get is ROY. Most improved means at one point in time you weren't considered that great, and 6th man means your coming off the bench (good players can be in these spots but not Elite top 10) players. So id say any player who wants to be considered a great or the best would want ROY over the others.

[kyubi256]

^Manu is a 6th man but he is a great player. There were discussions of how the Heat or Celtics should run their big 3. It is possible to have a great player come off the bench

[Ebbs]

A lot of real good players are 6th men because they need that offensive spark off the bench. I think Roy can be misleading because a lot of rookies end up being the best in their class despite mediocre rookie seasons; whether that's due to injury, role on the team, etc. . . So I would personally choose MIP. Although a lot of players never do much after this point stepping your game up so much from one season to the next that the league considers you to be most improved is huge.

[KnickaBocka.44]

Of the choices listed I would say ROY.

I think if a player gets named to any of the All-NBA teams that would be more significant though.