The powers that be at the NBA are sticklers for deadlines. There's a deadline for just about everything in the league.

But the league doesn't call the shots around here, at least not yet.

TOM STRATTMAN / Associated Press (ENLARGE)

Chris Paul is Sekou Smith's choice as the MVP in the NBA.

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That's why we've decided to ignore the deadline for announcing end-of-the-season award winners.

After all, why wait until next month to tell you what should be obvious to anyone paying attention?

So without further ado, the winners are:

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Most Valuable Player

Chris Paul, New Orleans

A strong case can be made for either Kobe Bryant or LeBron James. But what Paul's done in New Orleans defies all logic. No one predicted the Hornets to be a playoff team in the rugged Western Conference, let alone fighting for the top spot in the final weeks of the regular season. All fingers should point to Paul for the Hornets' breakout season. He's averaging that so-rare 20-10 (points and assists) and has helped make an All-Star out of David West and a potential All-Star out of Tyson Chandler. The most frightening aspect of Paul's rapid ascent up the league's superstar chart is that he's done it in less than three seasons.

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Defensive Player of the Year

Ron Artest, Sacramento

Forgotten the past two years thanks to a litany of dust ups, both on and off the court, Artest returned to his lockdown defensive ways this season. Hardly anyone has noticed, of course. That's what happens when you play on a team knee-deep in rebuilding mode that rarely makes any national TV appearances. Check with any of the league's advance scouts, though, and they'll tell you that Artest was at his menacing best on the defensive end this season — including a lockdown effort against Bryant in a Kings win a few weeks ago that escaped most everyone's attention.

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Rookie of the Year

Al Horford, Hawks

This award requires voters to make a choice. Do you want the guy who scores (Kevin Durant) or the guy that does everything else (Horford). Horford's case will be helped if the Hawks make the playoffs, because he's been one of the main additions for a franchise seeking to end the league's longest playoff drought. Averaging a double double (or darn close) would normally be all that's needed to lock up this honor. But Horford's competing against a hype machine that began a year ago when Durant was winning college Player of the Year honors. Like Artest, Horford's national exposure has been limited since the Hawks don't play any network or ESPN games. But insiders like Charles Barkley and several others have already made clear their preference for the Hawks' center.

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Most Improved Player

Rudy Gay, Memphis

Gay took a lot of grief from people before the 2006 draft for not playing up to his considerable talents while at UConn. And he's spent every moment since shutting up his detractors. He's become one of the league's true offensive dynamos this season, averaging 19.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists. Even before Pau Gasol was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, Gay's name was the one highlighted on the scouring report of most Grizzlies' opponents. His scoring average has jumped nearly 10 points from his rookie season. Once the Grizzlies find a steady point guard that can feed him on a regular basis, watch out.

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Coach of the Year

Doc Rivers, Boston

Despite the bellyaching from folks in Philadelphia (Mo Cheeks) and New Orleans (Byron Scott) , the masterful job Rivers has done melding together three All-Star talents (and egos) to turn the Celtics into the league's best team needs to be acknowledged. Not only have the Celtics become a championship contender in less than eight months, they've morphed into the league's most feared defensive crew (a la Detroit in 2004 when they rode the Rasheed Wallace trade to the Larry O'Brien trophy). Rivers is the guy who's had to make sure all of this came off without any glitches. And he's done a fantastic job, not that he won't have his haters if the Celtics falter in the playoffs.

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Executive of the Year

Danny Ainge, Boston

At the midway point of the season Ainge was in danger of losing this award to Lakers' head man Mitch Kupchack. But while the rest of the league's movers and shakers were busy admiring their work last month, Ainge was quietly adding the pieces that could put the Celtics over the top. Adding Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown were shred moves. Ainge also deserves credit for sticking with Rivers and his staff last summer after dealing for the culture change that is Kevin Garnett, as well as sharpshooting Ray Allen.