Individual honors

SI's Burns reveals his picks for the regular-season awards

These are tough times for Michigan sports fans, what with the Lions and Tigers and Feds (oh my!) investigating Ed Martin and his ties to the Fab Five. Fortunately for the Wolverine State, the Pistons are around to restore pride. In fact, the Central Division champs are all over this year's NBA postseason awards.

Having already selected New Jersey's Jason Kidd as MVP, here's a look at my picks for the other individual honors:

Rookie of the Year: Pau Gasol

The 7-footer from Spain, drafted No. 3 overall, is the runaway winner in this category. He leads all rookies in scoring (17.5), rebounding (9.0), field-goal percentage (.514) and blocked shots (2.13). Yes, he got a chance to play a lot of minutes for a bad team, but he also produced in a big way. Scouts consider him the real deal, and most agree he should be one of the game's better big men for years.

Honorable mention: Jason Richardson, Warriors; Shane Battier, Grizzlies; Andrei Kirilenko, Jazz; Richard Jefferson, Nets; Jamaal Tinsley, Pacers.

Coach of the Year: Rick Carlisle

In his first year on the job, Carlisle helped engineer a stunning turnaround from a 32-50 team to a squad that won 45 games and the franchise's first division title since '90. He convinced Jerry Stackhouse to sacrifice his game for the good of the team, found ways to overcome the lack of a quality point guard, and kept the club together during a bad losing stretch midway in the season. Known for his X's and O's on offense, he helped the Pistons' defense become fourth-best statistically in points allowed (91.7).

Honorable mention: Rick Adelman, Kings; Byron Scott, Nets; Nate McMillan, Sonics; Michael Jordan, Wizards (sorry, Doug Collins).

Sixth Man: Bobby Jackson

Though his numbers aren't as good as some other top candidates (11.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists), Jackson has been a major weapon off the bench for the NBA-leading Kings. His quickness and perimeter firepower ignite Sacramento's second unit:, and he often stays on the floor during crunch time. A hard-nosed defender, he brings some much-needed toughness as well. Besides, Sacramento deserves to have at least one of its players recognized.

Honorable mention: Quentin Richardson, Clippers; Corliss Williamson, Pistons; Malik Rose, Spurs; Ruben Patterson, Blazers.

Defensive: Ben Wallace

The 6-foot-9 Wallace leads the NBA in rebounding (12.9) and blocked shots (3.50) and is 14th in steals (1.72). The only player in the NBA to rank in the top 20 in those three categories, he even recorded a triple-double earlier this season with 10 points, 17 boards and 10 blocks vs. the Bucks. Big Ben also could become just the fourth player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounding and blocks the same season, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton and Hakeem Olajuwon.

Honorable mention: Dikembe Mutombo, Sixers; Doug Christie, Kings; Bruce Bowen, Spurs; Ron Artest, Pacers.

Most Improved: Jermaine O'Neal

O'Neal, a 6-foot-11 power forward, built on his breakthrough season of a year ago by increasing his numbers across the board en route to becoming an All-Star. He raised his scoring (18.7 from 12.9), rebounding (10.6 from 9.8), assists (1.6 from 1.2), field goal percentage (.476 from .465) and free-throw percentage (.681 from .601), and took on more of a leadership role alongside veteran Reggie Miller.

Honorable mention: Troy Hudson, Magic; Michael Redd, Bucks; Kenny Thomas, Rockets; Lee Nailon, Hornets.

Marty Burns covers pro basketball for CNNSI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment.

 

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