Halfway home
PHILADELPHIA – By the time you read this with your morning coffee today, all NBA teams will have reached the halfway point of the 2006-07 season.
Through the first 41 or so games, the Phoenix Suns have run other teams out of the building, the defending champion Miami Heat haven’t been able to make it to .500, the Los Angeles Lakers have a re-energized Kobe Bryant and the 76ers have rid themselves of their iconic superstar, Allen Iverson, and started to rebuild.
So following the NBA writers’ code, we cannot let this point in the season come to pass without looking at some award-winners for the first half:
Most valuable player
This is the toughest award to figure. Two-time and defending MVP Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns is having an even better season than he did in either of the previous two. Bryant is carrying the Lakers to heights no one expected this season.
Dirk Nowitzki is sparking Dallas’ single-minded bid to get back to the NBA Finals and win it all. And Gilbert Arenas has earned his share of accolades with his amazing scoring feats for the Washington Wizards.
Winner: Bryant.
Honorable mention: Nash, Nowitzki.
Coach of the year
All of the candidates are out West; sorry, Eddie Jordan and Flip Saunders. Mike D’Antoni has the Suns playing their best ball. Avery Johnson is keeping his foot on the gas with the Mavericks. Phil Jackson is orchestrating another winner with the Lakers, and Jeff Van Gundy has kept Houston afloat despite injuries to Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming.
Winner: D’Antoni.
Honorable mention: Johnson, Jackson.
Rookie of the year
Brandon Roy has been given a chance to play by the Portland Trail Blazers and leads all rookies with a 14.7-point average. Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani, the No. 1 overall pick, is finding his legs after a tough start, and Adam Morrison scores quietly in Charlotte. Of course, big support goes to former Villanova star Randy Foye, who has won a couple of games for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Winner: Roy.
Honorable mention: Foye, Bargnani.
Surprise team of the year
The Lakers went 12-9 while Lamar Odom sat out with a knee injury. The Rockets have been without McGrady for eight games and without Yao for 15 but are 10 games over .500 entering the weekend. Dallas and Phoenix are seemingly unstoppable and will engage in a chase for the No. 1 seed up to the last week. In the East, Washington is going along well, and Toronto has a shot at the playoffs after being out of the race from Day 1 last season.
Winner: Lakers.
Honorable mention: Houston, Toronto.
Disappointing team of the year
The 76ers. It’s not even close. As the Sports Illustrated Web site had posted in its midseason report, the Sixers were “a train wreck in the making and, sure enough, (they) sailed off the tracks in spectacular fashion.” After proclaiming he wanted to remain a Sixer until he retired, Iverson grew more and more miserable with the situation and got himself shipped out of town. Chris Webber didn’t want to be a part of a rebuilding process and also departed. Maybe 10-29 was rock-bottom, and they’re finding their way back up. But the first half truly was a mess.
Winner: 76ers.
Honorable mention: Miami, New Jersey.
Story lines for second half
1) Will the Phoenix Suns be able to get through the regular season without major injuries and show that an offense-oriented team can sail through the playoffs?
2) Can Shaquille O’Neal return to form following his 37-game absence from a knee injury and carry the Heat far in the postseason?
3) Will the Sixers win too many games to come up with the best chance of winning the No. 1 pick in the lottery?
4) Has Chris Webber got enough in the tank to help carry the Detroit Pistons to the top of the mediocre Eastern Conference and into the NBA Finals?