These NBA awards give Jordan another MVP

Monday, April 21, 1997

MILWAUKEE -- It's that time again.

The NBA keeps sending me ballots, and I keep sending them back in -- if for no other reason than the fact that I get an easy column out of it.

Seriously, they give these things out and somebody has to vote, so here goes:

MVP -- Michael Jordan, Chicago.

Comment: Jordan, the greatest player in the history of the game, led the league in scoring for the ninth time on a team that won 69 games (the second-most in league history) and is on course to win its fifth NBA title in the last seven years. Moreover, he remained the best player in the game today while taking everyone's best shot every game. He had another year that only Michael Jordan can have. Case closed.

There is a faction around the league that wants to give the award to Karl Malone on the notion that Malone has had a great year and he's never gotten the recognition he deserved. That's fine and dandy, and he no doubt deserves to be runner-up, but MVP is not the forum to give somebody a lifetime achievement award. Ten years from now, it would look ludicrous if Karl Malone got MVP over Michael Jordan in a 69-victory year.

Two other things to consider: If you think Jordan gets calls, check out Malone. He leads the league in free-throw attempts. And while Jordan has to put up with Dennis Rodman's antics, Malone plays hassle-free. The nearest thing to a scandal in Utah this season came when John Stockton added Nestle's Quik to his milk one morning.

Rookie of the year -- Allen Iverson, Philadelphia.

Comment: Iverson is far and away the best rookie in the league. Period. He is so quick he has the potential to revolutionize the fastbreak, because a 1-on-3 can turn into a 1-on-0 in the blink of an eye. No other rookie has the potential to revolutionize anything.

Forget everything else. Forget this notion that Stephon Marbury should get the nod because he has meant more to his team. Put Iverson with the Timberwolves, and they'd be better than they are now; put Marbury with the 76ers, and they'd still have Derrick Coleman.

Forget this notion that Iverson shouldn't win because he commits too many turnovers. He commits too many turnovers because he's too quick for his own good at this point of his career, and his ballhandling hasn't caught up to his jets.

Forget this notion that he shouldn't win because he's too selfish. This is the NBA we're talking about.

Coach of the year -- Pat Riley, Miami.

Comment: Riley won 60 games and the division, with a team that was picked to finish no better than fourth in the division and be somewhere around seventh or eighth in the conference. He lost his $105-million forward before the season started when the NBA took Juwan Howard away from him, he lost his $115-million center for six weeks when Alonzo Mourning had his annual torn something, he lost Dan Majerle for most of the year, and he won with guys like John Crotty and Voshon Lenard and Keith Askins and Isaac Austin.

This Heat team won 30 road games, which is more than any of Riley's Lakers teams with Magic and Kareem and Worthy did. Remarkable.

In any other year, Dave Cowens would be the landslide winner, taking a Hornets team that looked terrible on paper and worse than that in the preseason and turning it into the best team in franchise history. It's difficult to imagine anyone doing a better job than Cowens did this season. That said, the vote still goes to Riley.

Defensive player of the year -- Dikembe Mutombo, Atlanta.

Comment: Mutombo will finish second in the league in rebounding and in blocked shots, and there is little question that he has the most imposing presence of any center in the league. Shawn Bradley is 7-6, and you can still miss him.

For years, Charlotte players have said that Hakeem Olajuwon is the best defensive player in the game because of his instincts. But this may be the year that Mutombo has overtaken him.

Comeback player of the year -- Muggsy Bogues, Charlotte.

Comment: Bogues played only six games last season, and when the season started, the Hornets weren't sure he had six good games left in him. There's no cartilage in his left knee. So the fact that he's been able to play 65 games this season is remarkable enough in itself to merit the award.

His ability to play at all in the early going was one of the biggest keys to the Hornets' entire season. Add to that the fact that Bogues improves his outside shooting this season -- the Hornets went 22-2 this season when Bogues scored in double figures -- and he's a runaway winner.

Other nominees: Dean Garrett, who came back from Europe to fill a vital role for the Timberwolves; Mark Price, who came back from blowing out his plantar fascia last summer in time to sign a three-year, $9 million deal with the Warriors; and Ricky Pierce, who came back from the dead on Denver's bench to play a prominent role with the Hornets in the second half of the season.

Most improved player -- Isaac Austin, Miami.

Comment: Austin and his constant companions, Ben and Jerry, were playing in Turkey this time a year ago at a combined weight of 340 pounds. Austin has shed 80 pounds since, and he was so good while Mourning was out for six weeks that the Heat actually gained ground on New York en route to the Atlantic Division title.

Remember: Austin used to be so bad that Utah gave up on him and released him two years ago. As badly as the Jazz have needed a center over the years, that should tell you something.

There are several other deserving candidates -- Rasheed Wallace in Portland, Doug Christie in Toronto, Kevin Garnett in Minnesota (in over his head last year, an All-Star this year), even Austin's teammate in Miami, Voshon Lenard, who was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks not that long ago. Actually, one could make a strong case for Glen Rice, who elevated his game this year. But I Like Ike.

Executive of the year -- Bob Bass, Charlotte.

Comment: Bass went into last off-season with three directives from owner George Shinn: 1. Hire a coach who was as far opposite Allan Bristow as possible, as cheaply as possible; 2. Get rid of Larry Johnson and his $84 million contract to anyone willing to take him for whatever they were willing to give up; 3. Stay under the salary cap at all times.

Bass will be the first to admit that Anthony Mason has turned out to be a better player than he ever dreamed, but his hunch to hire Cowens was right on the money and his acquisition of Vlade Divac was perhaps the best unsung deal in the league -- if picking up Ricky Pierce on the night of the trade deadline wasn't.

There are no other candidates because no other executive in the league has to work for a boss like Shinn. How does Bass keep his sanity working for Shinn? One close to the situation has the answer: George's office is in North Carolina, Bob's office is in South Carolina.

All-NBA -- First team: point guard Tim Hardaway, Miami; shooting guard Jordan; center Olajuwon; power forward Malone; small forward Rice.

Second team: PG Stockton; 2G Mitch Richmond, Sacramento; C Patrick Ewing, New York; PF Mason; SF Grant Hill, Detroit.

Third team: PG Damon Stoudamire, Toronto; 2G Latrell Sprewell, Golden State; C Mutombo; PF Charles Barkley, Houston; SF Scottie Pippen, Chicago.

All-defensive -- PG Mookie Blaylock, Atlanta; 2G Jordan; C Mutombo; PF Mason; SF Pippen.

always, the honorary coach is Dean Smith, years later still the only guy who could hold Michael Jordan to less than 20 points.