Mike Kahn - Midseason awards

[Eggcentric@xxxxxxx]

Midseason awards: The highs and lows of it
By Mike Kahn
SportsLine.com Executive Editor
Jan. 23, 2003
       
        
The NBA All-Star Game is a little more than two weeks away. Some players 
have been dominant since the end of October and others still haven't 
picked up a head of steam. 
 
There have been major surprises, disturbing disappointments, and some 
general business that hasn't changed over the past 20 years. But as we 
present our midseason awards, consider that some of it is serious, some 
of it is not and all of it is done in fun.  We'll leave it to you to decide 
which 
way the wind is blowing as we look back at the first half of the season with 
an eye on what promises to be an unpredictable conclusion to 2002-2003. 

Most valuable player 

Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs: But this isn't easy. Between Jason Kidd, 
Chris Webber, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett, there is little 
difference as well. But Duncan's dominance so far has been evident in too 
many categories for one of the top five teams in the league. 

Least valuable player 

Vin Baker, Boston Celtics: The Celtics figured if they brought Baker 
home for some loving, he'd return to his All-Star form. Wrong. He was that 
player five years ago. He's now a marginal starter who happens to have four 
years left at maximum money. Milwaukee's Tim Thomas, midway through 
his $70 million contract, has been a disappointment in the wake of the Glenn 
Robinson trade, and Michael Olowokandi has hurt his value in a contract year 
with the Los Angeles Clippers. 

Coach of the year 

Rick Adelman, Sacramento Kings: The Kings have had all sorts of 
injuries from Day 1, and still Adelman has controlled the chemistry and 
kept the team consistently one of the top three teams. But there are plenty 
of accolades to go around: Jerry Sloan has also done a great job with Utah; 
Don Nelson has had a spectacular first half in Dallas; Frankie Johnson has 
been a surprise at Phoenix, as has Eric Musselman at Golden State; Byron 
Scott has kept things on track in New Jersey; and Isiah Thomas has put 
things together at Indiana. 

Worst coach 

Sidney Lowe, Memphis: He refused to change the offense that he brought 
from Minnesota, forgetting that Jason Williams and Pau Gasol were not 
Terrell Brandon and Kevin Garnett. Lon Kruger never had a clue in Atlanta, 
and John Lucas was just biding time in Cleveland. 

Most improved player 

Matt Harpring, Utah Jazz: There is a possibility that for the first time 
in a generation, somebody else will lead the Jazz in scoring besides Karl 
Malone. 
Harpring has come on that strongly and is a tiger on defense and the boards, 
raising the entire team. Ricky Davis has put together All-Star caliber 
numbers 
in Cleveland, and Gilbert Arenas continues to build a versatile game at 
Golden 
State. 

Fastest deteriorating player 

Tom Gugliotta, Phoenix Suns: Sometimes, it's easy to forget Googs 
is even in the NBA anymore. He had played in 239 games in the five seasons 
before this one and has been in all of 10 games this time around. Grant 
Hill's future remains in peril after he fought back from a third ankle 
surgery, 
and the most confounding question remains in Toronto: What's in store for 
Vince Carter and his knee problems? 

Rookie of the year 

Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns: The general consensus is Stoudemire 
is the best rookie ever directly out of high school, called a combination of 
Karl Malone and Shawn Kemp by Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders. It's tough 
to overlook the impact of Houston's Yao Ming, but Stoudemire has averaged 
13.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and a block compared to 12.6 points, 7.9 rebounds 
and 2.0 blocks for Yao. Caron Butler has played well in spurts for Miami, but 
not at this level, and the Heat aren't winning. 

Rookie bust of the year 

Chris Wilcox, Los Angeles Clippers: Taken eighth right ahead of 
Stoudemire, Wilcox has played in only 18 games, starting two, and has 
38 points and 25 rebounds total, which is slightly more than the 36 points 
and 21 rebounds Stoudemire had in one game! Golden State's Mike Dunleavy, 
the third pick overall, has been slow to come around, as has Nikoloz 
Tskitishvili, the fifth pick by Denver. 

Best sixth man 

Michael Redd, Milwaukee Bucks: When the Bucks dealt Glenn Robinson, 
the hope was Tim Thomas would replace the bulk of the Big Dog's scoring, 
but it has fallen on the left shoulder of Redd, and he has responded -- often 
coming in for Ray Allen rather than playing with him. A second-round draft 
choice, he has improved steadily. Seattle's Desmond Mason is an instant 
impact player on both ends of the floor, but Indiana's Al Harrington is 
likely 
to win this award; it's just difficult to focus on him now because he has 
started a lot this season. 

Worst starter 

Smush Parker, Cleveland Cavaliers: As deposed coach John Lucas said:
 "Smush was so weak when he came in, he couldn't bench press 80 pounds." 
He also is lost a good portion of the time, which isn't a good idea for your 
point guard. He'll be in and out of the lineup, but he started enough to give 
you an idea of why the Cavs have won only eight games. 

Executive of the year 

Geoff Petrie, Sacramento Kings: This is getting to be a habit, and they 
might have to change the name of the award to the "Petrie Dish" the way 
this is going. But he added effective, veteran depth in Keon Clark and Jim 
Jackson without giving up anything. Donnie Walsh did similar duty in Indiana, 
picking up Erick Strickland as a free agent for the backcourt on an already 
talent-laden squad. 

Worst executive 

Glen Grunwald, Toronto Raptors: What a mess, just 18 months after 
he broke the bank to pay Carter, Antonio Davis, Alvin Williams and Jerome 
Williams. They had no money to keep Keon Clark last summer, and they 
now have the second-worst record in the league. Enough said. 

Surprise team 

Phoenix Suns: Nobody expected the Suns to rise from the lottery this 
season, but the combination of rookie Stoudemire, a healthier Stephon 
Marbury and talented young forward Shawn Marion makes them formidable 
every night. Nobody expected the Dallas Mavericks to start off 14-0 or 
31-5 either, but they did, and it will be interesting to see if they retain 
the home-court advantage. The Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets and Indiana 
Pacers have also exceeded expectations. 

Disappointing team 

Los Angeles Lakers/Clippers: One building, one city, two teams, 
both flops so far. Oh, the Lakers are coming on, but their horrific start 
without Shaquille O'Neal might prohibit them from even making a decent 
run at winning a fourth title in a row. But even worse have been the 
talent-rich Clippers, mired in the cellar of the Pacific Division, proving 
once again that perception is meaningless when it comes to a team owned 
by Donald Sterling. They have no chance for success. 

All-NBA team 

First 

*   F: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs 
*   F: Chris Webber, Sacramento Kings 
*   C: Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers 
*   G: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers 
*   G: Tracy McGrady, Orlando Magic 

Second 

*   F: Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves 
*   F: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks 
*   C: Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons 
*   G: Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets 
*   G: Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics 


All-Unproductive team 


*   F: Vin Baker, Boston Celtics 
*   F: Devean George, Los Angeles Lakers 
*   C: Jerome James, Seattle SuperSonics 
*   G: Damon Stoudamire, Portland Trail Blazers 
*   G: Kenny Anderson, Seattle SuperSonics