Are Gibson and Brooks Sixth Man of the Year candidates?

Jan 19, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Isaiah Thomas (3) controls the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Jeremy Lin in the first half at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

1. Isaiah Thomas

Notable Stats: 15.2 points per game, 42.6 percent shooting from the field, 3.7 apg.

Random Fun Stat: Like Nate Robinson, Thomas is 5-foot-9, went to the University of Washington, and is left-handed.

The Suns have been going with Thomas-Bledsoe-Dragic-Morris-Morris late in games this season. That is three point guards, and two 6-foot-9 brothers. They did it against the giant Grizzlies team a couple of weeks ago and almost won. Thomas is the guy who creates offense in that lineup and has been a key cog in a team that is still hanging on to the last spot in the West playoff race.

Everyone expects the Suns to get passed by Oklahoma City and finish 9^th in the West for the second consecutive year. Right now, despite losing a ridiculous amount of heartbreakers, Phoenix is hanging on to the last spot by a half a game. Unpopular Opinion Alert: I would rather see the Suns make the playoffs than the Thunder. I know, stop reading now.

Phoenix is the most underappreciated entertaining team in the NBA. They have the second highest pace in the league and would probably play the team with the highest pace (Golden State) in the first round. In April, where the games usually slow down, having one series that matches up the two fastest teams would be fantastic. The Suns play harder than anyone and are the only team that actually gives you the sense they dislike their opponents, a rarity in 2015. Also, the Thunder is a squad without chemistry and filled with players who don’t pass. I’m sick of watching a team full of “I’m playing to get mine” players with tremendous talent succeeding. (Good call on adding Dion Waiters.) And if the Thunder miss the playoffs, Scott Brooks would probably get fired, which actually might be good for OKC.

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Thomas probably won’t win Sixth Man of the Year just because the Suns have a good chance of missing the playoffs. It doesn’t help that he plays on a team that gets no media attention. To truly test if people really know about the PG, I put him to the Google test against Isiah Thomas. When you search “Isaiah Thomas”, Google doesn’t ask “Did you mean: Isiah Thomas?” I can’t imagine how rewarding it must have been for Isaiah when that turned. If you search, “Isah Thomas”, Isiah comes up first. Same for “Isih” and “Isiih”. Isaiah does come up first however when you search “Isaah” and every “Isaaaah” combination afterwards up to five consecutive a’s. (I don’t know why Google cut it off then, but at six a’s, a Facebook page for “don vito” comes up. You think I’m kidding.) So even if he doesn’t win Sixth Man of the Year, he has that going for him.

Thomas is the best candidate for the award because he has performed best in a pretty difficult situation. He was added to a team that already had two All-Star level point guards from the previous season, plays successfully and scores alongside them. They have somehow made it work despite having three players who also need the ball in their hands. Thomas, the former last pick in the draft, is the ultimate misfit on a team full of them. He has been playing so well this year that it looks like he has a spot in Phoenix over last year’s Most Improved Player and All-NBA Third Teamer, Goran Dragic.