It’s mid-January, and we know what that means in Chicago: Only five months until spring and 5 1/2 months to summer.
It’s also the halfway mark in the NBA season, which most teams consider a marathon and the Bulls regard as a prison sentence. The NBA bestows its honors and awards after the regular season, but with the Bears no longer playing and pitchers and catchers not reporting yet, we’re a little short of copy. So here’s a look at the best and the worst of the NBA in the first half of the season:
MVP: Tim Duncan, Spurs. You’re going to hear talk about Kevin Garnett, whose Timberwolves are fighting the Spurs for the division lead and beat the Spurs when they played this season. You’ll hear about Peja Stojakovic, who has been excellent for the Kings with Chris Webber out, and Jermaine O’Neal, a rock for a Pacers team some are saying could break the West’s stranglehold on the NBA title. Perhaps even Baron Davis, the early favorite, or Ben Wallace.
That thinking is similar to the Michael Jordan backlash in the 1990s, when Charles Barkley and Karl Malone won MVP awards. Everyone agreed Jordan was the best player, but they got tired of voting for him every year. Same with Duncan. It doesn’t help that he has no media presence, by choice. He makes everyone better, does more with less than anyone (there’s not anyone on his team even close to being an All-Star) and he’s consistent, the definition of a star.
Coach of the Year: Jerry Sloan, Jazz. Come on, isn’t it about time? It wasn’t all Karl Malone and John Stockton after all. Sloan’s teaching ability, his consistency and his demanding ways are a model for coaches. Denver’s Jeff Bzdelik, Milwaukee’s Terry Porter, Detroit’s Larry Brown and Sacramento’s Rick Adelman also deserve consideration.
Sixth Man: Bobby Jackson, Kings. Darrell Armstrong, Antawn Jamison, Desmond Mason, Al Harrington and Earl Boykins will get consideration, but Jackson is a true spark-plug player in the tradition of great sixth men who provide energy off the bench.
Defensive Player of the Year: Garnett. Ron Artest is certainly in the team picture, but it’s hard to overlook everything Garnett does. He rebounds, he blocks shots and he guards just about every position. Duncan, Wallace and Jason Kidd also get some mention.
Foot in Mouth Award: It could be retired for the Nets’ Kenyon Martin, who deserves a special mention for his callous, insensitive remarks belittling Alonzo Mourning’s kidney disease. Supporting actor goes to Rasheed Wallace, who in one of the rare interviews he granted said he is a victim of racial prejudice in the NBA. Media groups have asked that he stop doing interviews.
Biggest Disappointment: Bulls. So much for my prediction of fourth place in the East. It may be that the Bulls’ talent is more mirage than reality, because as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony have shown, you can perform in the NBA as a teenager.
The bad news is the Bulls have to blow it up and start again, getting rid of at least two from among Eddy Curry, Jamal Crawford and Tyson Chandler. The good news is they’re still in the Eastern Conference, and if they’re smart, they could compete next season without so-called potential star players. See the Milwaukee Bucks.
Most Improved Player: Brian Cardinal, Golden State Warriors. There are some terrific candidates for this award, which may be indicative of the declining quality of play in the NBA.
It’s hard to pass over Seattle’s Ronald “Flip” Murray, who had a nickname before he’d played a game, and then turned out to have an amazing game for a second-round pick. There’s Portland’s Zach Randolph, who has turned into a legitimate All-Star, Utah’s De-Shawn Stevenson, who has turned into a reliable shooter, Utah’s Andre Kirilenko, a developing star, and the Bucks’ Michael Redd, another second-round pick who has become a leader.
But this vote goes to a good guy, the Warriors’ Cardinal, who played 28 games in parts of three NBA seasons, never averaging more than 2.1 points. He has become almost a double-figure scorer (9.5), a solid defender and a valuable everyman, an inspirational overachiever.
Biggest Surprise: Denver Nuggets. Now really, who saw this coming? Marcus Camby is healthy, Andre Miller woke from his coma and Voshon Lenard and Boykins have contributed as free agents. There are guys named Andersen and Elson whose first names you still don’t know, and the lowest-paid coach in the league. They’ve competed all season in the league’s toughest division and against the best teams. Perhaps it won’t last with the competition, but it’s been the best revival since “The Producers.”
The Bucks also deserve a mention, but they play in the Eastern Conference.
Executive of the Year: Larry Harris, Bucks. Small market, limited budget. This is how you build an entertaining team. They ate the huge contracts of egomaniacal coach George Karl and disruptive Anthony Mason and said goodbye to aging Gary Payton, risky in the star-driven NBA. They took a chance on a good-guy coach who wasn’t going to compete with the players for attention. They showed that character does matter and hard work and effort can win without big names.
Also worthy: Isiah Thomas, for shaking up the Knicks; Kiki Vandeweghe, for finding the right blend of role players in Denver; the Lakers’ Mitch Kupchak, for making a Hall of Fame wing; and Minnesota’s Kevin McHale, for giving Garnett a chance to go somewhere in the playoffs.
Truth Award: Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, Lakers. O’Neal said Bryant was selfish and self-involved. Bryant said O’Neal was fat, lazy and irresponsible. No one actually denied the statements, only that they were said. Phil Jackson smiled mischievously.
Rookie of the Year: James. Sure Anthony’s Nuggets are much improved, perhaps playoff-bound after winning 17 games last season, the same as the Cavs. And James certainly has more opportunities to score with a poor team. But no one, perhaps ever, has come into the NBA with as much attention as James. He has held up remarkably well and performed consistently.
Non-Executive of the Year: Mark Cuban, Mavericks. So much for a good thing. He took the best Mavs team ever, a close group that was working well together, and broke it up, returning just five players in his role as the mad fantasy-league owner. Don’t be surprised if free agent Steve Nash bolts after the season.
Sam Smith’s NBA power rankings
NO., TEAM THE SKINNY
1. Kings Chris Webber? Who is that again?
2. Lakers By playoff time the Geritol shipment will be in.
3. Spurs Being renamed Tim Duncan and the Others.
4. T’wolves Garnett had better make the second round now.
5. Pacers Yes, Virginia, the East could have a champ.
6. Nets Byron Scott to rename his pet rat Jason.
7. Rockets Jeff Van Gundy rumored to have smiled.
8. Mavericks Team wants to buy mime classes for Mark Cuban.
9. Nuggets On a Rocky Mountain high thanks to ‘Melo.
10. Pistons How did you do it this time, Larry?
11. Jazz From Stockton and Malone to Kirilenko and Arroyo.
12. Grizzlies Give him a Hubie for this effort.
13. Bucks Good guys playing hard does get you somewhere.
14. Raptors One rebounder away. Does Rodman speak Canadian?
15. Hornets Paul Silas couldn’t have done this?
16. Sonics Home of rain and jumpers.
17. 76ers All that pounding catching up with Iverson.
18. Knicks Petitioning for change to New York Isiahs.
19. Trail Blazers Own edge in season series with Folsom Prison.
20. Clippers No longer a joke, but still with lottery seat.
21. Celtics Anyone have any more white centers to trade?
22. Heat Pat Riley coaching sweepstakes should begin soon.
23. Warriors At least the views are lovely.
24. Suns Anyone want a Colangelo for a draft pick?
25. Bulls Seem more interested in payoffs than playoffs.
26. Cavs No one has ever sold more shoes with as many losses.
27. Magic McGrady sank a coach and a team. That’s versatility.
28. Wizards Stackhouse signed on the every-other-season plan.
29. Hawks Fans and players about equally interested.
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