Add Feedback | Send this Article | Published 2/6/03

Graphic By: Jonelle Thackston

The MVP race is tight.
In the end, Tracy "T-Mac" McGrady should win it.  No single player means more to his team than T-Mac.  No one on the planet is playing better basketball right now than McGrady.  The sad story of Grant Hill missing significant time due to recurring ankle problems has continued this year. McGrady has once again shouldered the burden of carrying Orlando single-handedly.  He gets help from Mike Miller and Shawn Kemp sporadically, but ultimately the team lives and dies by his performance night in and night out.

Chris Webber is making his case for the trophy over in the West, but the Kings are so deep and talented that it's hard to make a strong argument for him. It might be easier in the next few weeks when Webber will be out with a sprained ankle. He's not easily replaced, but the Kings have ample talent like Keon Clark and Hedo Turkoglu.

Kobe and Shaq are just, well, Kobe and Shaq.  Kobe is having his finest year as a pro.  Shaq has helped the Lakers get back in the playoff chase after their early stumble out of the gates.  O'Neal is the most dominant player in the league right now.  However, without Kobe, teams could just double and triple-team Shaq down low without having to worry about another equally deadly threat.  Kobe has proven that he is not ready to run a team on his own.  The Lakers have bigger fish to fry (namely, making the playoffs) than for us to pick an MVP from that team.

Jason Kidd, the centerpiece of the New Jersey Nets, deserves most of the credit for their success. The Nets, however, are not going to get as much publicity as they got last year.  They don't have a surprise element. Granted, they are playing some great basketball and are on the short list of teams that legitimately have a chance at winning the championship this year. Unless they make it the Finals again, Jason Kidd (the best pure point guard in the game today) will probably finish this season without any hardware.

Kevin Garnett?  No comment.  He is a great player and holds Minnesota together; he just is not one of the elite.

The Rookie of the Year race is going to be a two-player sprint to the finish.
Right now the momentum is mostly in Yao Ming's favor, especially after being voted to start the All-Star game.  He has made an impact that few rookies have ever made this early in their career. The question is:  Why does everyone think that? He's averaging around 13 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.  Those are not overly impressive stats.  He's 7'5".  He should have those numbers when he wakes up in the morning.  His biggest competition for the award is Amare Stoudemire, who is putting up similar numbers. Stoudemire, however, deserves a bigger grading curve. He is coming straight out of high school, while Yao has played against some of the best in the world in international competitions for years.  Yao will most likely win, but he still has some work to do if he is to be the prototype for the new breed of center that will take over the NBA.

Ron Artest is the designated basket-case this year.
Last year it was Kenyon Martin.  The year before that, it was Rasheed Wallace.  Actually, every year it's Rasheed Wallace, but this year Artest has been under the microscope.  He's a phenomenal defensive player.  Sometimes his emotions get in the way of his game.  He is the most important part of the Pacers' success, because his defense can shut down key opponents. In the playoffs solid defense wins games, and Artest is one of the best in that department.

Those are just some of the main players on the NBA's stage in the first half. The NBA will showcase some of those talents and more at the All-Star Game in Atlanta on February 9.  The beginning of the second half means the race for the playoffs begins.  The intensity will increase, and those players will be expected to go beyond their first-half production.  For the cellar-dwellers, the LeBron James Sweepstakes begins!  I'm looking at you, Cleveland, Denver, and Miami.