Tim Bontemps Apr 17, 2026, 07:00 AM ET Close Tim Bontemps is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com who covers the league and what's impacting it on and off the court, including trade deadline intel, expansion and his MVP Straw Polls. You can find Tim alongside Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon on The Hoop Collective podcast. After the NBA ruled Thursday that Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham had successfully challenged the 65-game rule for major postseason awards as it applied to them this season, the league sent its official ballots for 2025-26 honors. That list consists of seven individual end-of-season awards -- Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player and Clutch Player of the Year -- along with three All-NBA teams, two All-Defense units and two All-Rookie squads. As one of those 100 voters, here is my ballot, and the reasons behind each decision.…