The Sun Didn’t Rise On Manning, Barkley And K.J. Must Shine

When Phoenix forward Danny Manning tore his anterior cruciate ligament, it became fashionable to say the Suns’ chances of a championship went down with him. That’s not true.

“Hey, there ain’t no sense in killing ourselves,” forward Charles Barkley said with mock resignation. “Let’s count us out this season so we can go play golf.”

Manning made the Suns the league’s deepest team. But in the championship scheme of things, he was simply a talented role player.

The key to the Suns winning a championship rests with Barkley and Kevin Johnson. Both must be healthy for the Suns to make a run at the title.

Right now, Johnson isn’t healthy. A series of injuries has limited him to just 17 games this season.

“If we can get Kevin healthy and I stay healthy, we’re just as good as we’ve been the last few years,” Barkley said. Manning’s

injury will change the rotation. Barkley will probably have to play a few more minutes than Coach Paul Westphal would like. A.C. Green will have an increased role, and Wayman Tisdale, who has been lost in the Westphal shuffle, will be forced to step up.

The Suns’ glaring weakness - defense - remains. But Barkley and Johnson are so good they give Phoenix the chance to overcome that deficiency.

Here’s a look at the front runners for the league’s major individual awards with two months left in the regular season:

Most Valuable Player: Orlando’s Shaquille O’Neal. He’s got the skills. Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon and San Antonio’s David Robinson aren’t far behind.

Coach of the Year: Cleveland’s Mike Fratello seems to be the popular choice, even though the Cavaliers’ methodical style is anything but popular with players, fans and media. What Del Harris has done with the Los Angeles Lakers also will receive attention. But the nod here goes to Utah’s Jerry Sloan, who consistently gets the most his team has to offer.

Rookie of the Year: It’s too close to call. Glenn Robinson, Jason Kidd and Grant Hill all can make a claim as to why they should win the award. This should be an interesting race.

Most Improved Player: Guard Elliott Perry has gone from obscurity to the starting point guard for the Phoenix Suns. Philadelphia’s Dana Barros has gone from being a third guard in the rotation to an All-Star. He deserves the award because that is the most difficult jump to make.

Executive of the Year: San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich added Sean Elliott, Avery Johnson and Chuck Person to the roster for next to nothing.

Defensive Player of the Year: In the past, when Denver’s Dikembe Mutombo was skipped over for the award, he told the NBA to go to hell. This year, he will be saying thank you.

Sixth Man Award: The Suns’ Danny Manning and Dan Majerle were ahead of the pack. But now that Manning is out with an injury and Majerle is back in the starting lineup, the race is wide open. Denver’s Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf is the leader at the moment.