Kobe edges out Nash, Nowitzki in MVP race -- for now

	The Lakers have benefited from Kobe Bryant's increased efficiency on offense. John W. McDonough/SI
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Just as they don't hand out NBA titles in January (what a relief for Shaq and the defending champion Heat), they don't hand out individual awards at that early stage either. It takes a full six months and 82 games to ferret out the truly best in any given season. Still, it's fun to pause at the midway point and see where the hardware would go if the season ended today.

MVP: Kobe Bryant, Lakers

Dirk Nowitzki is the best player on the best team. Steve Nash is putting up numbers better than in his previous two MVP seasons. Dwyane Wade has kept the Heat afloat in Shaq's absence. But for all-around performance on both ends of the court -- while also making his team a winner -- Bryant is the MVP over the season's first half.

Bryant's scoring average (28.3) is actually down seven points from a year ago, but his assists (5.5) and shooting percentage (47.1) are up as he has finally heeded those calls to be more of a team player. He hasn't let offseason knee surgery or the loss of Lamar Odom, Chris Mihm and Kwame Brown to injuries slow him down either. Few picked the Lakers to be better than a bubble playoff team, but Bryant has almost single-handedly made them one of the top four or five teams in the West. Can he keep it up? We'll see. But for now, he's the best choice.

Rookie of the Year: Brandon Roy, Blazers

Despite missing 20 games with a left heel injury, the 6-foot-6 guard leads all rookies in scoring (14.7 points) while chipping in 4.3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.3 steals. Smooth and confident, he has been able to step in and play both guard positions competently. He's also showed an ability to deliver in the clutch, hitting several big shots late in games. Roy gets the nod over Bobcats forward Adam Morrison, who has yet to show he can do much more than score (while shooting 37.7 percent), and Raptors forward Andrea Bargnani, who is getting better but also struggling with his shooting (41.1 percent) and playmaking.

Coach of the Year: Phil Jackson, Lakers

Again, few picked the Lakers to do much of anything before the season. It looked especially bleak in training camp, when injuries prevented Bryant, Mihm and Vladimir Radmanovic, among others, from participating. Then Odom and Brown went down during the regular season. Yet Jackson somehow has been able to keep it together and get the most out of players like Luke Walton, Smush Parker, Andrew Bynum and Sasha Vujacic. Most important, he persuaded Bryant to trust his teammates and play within the system. Utah's Jerry Sloan has done a terrific job as well, but the Zen Master has done more with less to this point.