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NBA Most Improved Player: Don't give Kwame Brown too much credit

By Terry Brown

Thursday, November 14 Updated 11:49 AM EST

Kwame Brown has been banned from the building.

I know he's scoring twice as many points as last year and grabbing twice as many rebounds while blocking almost five times as many shots. But Gilbert Arenas is doing just as well in his own right with his points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals, blah, blah, blah. Jason Richardson is averaging 20 a game. Vladimir Radmanovic just hit another three-pointer after grabbing another rebound as the next 7-foot sharpshooter.

But if veteran Sixer Aaron McKie wasn't good enough for our Most Improved Player Power Ranking below, then neither is some second-year player doing penance for a squandered Rookie of the Year campaign.

Need I remind you that Dirk Nowitzki didn't win the Most Improved Player Award in 2000 nor did Baron Davis in 2001 despite posting similar numbers in similar circumstances as our young friends.

Dirk Nowitzki

Rookie Year: 8.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.5 bpg, 40% shooting in 20.4 mpg

Second Year: 17.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.8 bpg, 46% shooting in 35.8 mpg.

Baron Davis

Rookie Year: 5.9 ppg, 2 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.2 bpg, 42% shooting in 18.2 mpg

Second Year: 13.8 ppg, 5 rpg, 7.3 apg, 2 spg, 0.4 bpg, 42% shooting in 38.9 mpg

They were rookies who became sophomores. It's natural. And you don't win awards for growing hair or fingernails or getting more minutes because the team that drafted you has invested too much time and money to not use you as much as possible.

They didn't necessarily get better as much as get bigger blocks of playing time.

All McKie has done since last season is post career highs in points, steals and rebounds. In fact, as the team's new starting small forward, he's averaging more rebounds per game than the Sixers' starting 7-foot center for a team that has no player averaging more than 8.5 per contest and needs every extra shot it can get. When the Sixers need him to score, he does. When they need him to defend, he does. When they need him to run the offense, he does. When they need him to board, he does and grabs another one just for good measure.

Aaron McKie

Current Stats: 15.2 ppg, 7 rpg, 4.5 apg, 3 spg, 0.1 bpg, 44% shooting in 39.3 mpg

Career Stats: 7.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.2 bpg, 43% shooting in 24.5 mpg

Now in his ninth NBA season, McKie has scratched and clawed his way to more minutes each season, winning the Sixthman of the Year Award along the way in 2001, and eventually becoming a starter this season. He's paid his dues, done his time and might even make our MIP list next week.

Just don't expect to see Mike Dunleavy, Jr. on it next year.

Michael Olowokandi

Los Angeles Clippers

Current Stats: 17.3 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.4 spg, 2.8 bpg, 54% shooting in 41.1 mpg

Career Stats: 9.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.5 spg, 1.5 bpg, 43% shooting in 29.8 mpg

Kandy could disappear today and return after the season ended with a tan, two leis and Kalua buzz as the most sought-after free agent on the market behind only Tim Duncan and Jason Kidd. His turnaround jumper in the paint has improved that much. He's hitting the glass that much harder. He's rejecting shots with that much more aggression. The Clippers come downcourt actually leaning on him to score. They return on defense with their backs against his jersey. A few months ago, his agent called him the second-best center in the league and said he was worth a max contract. He was almost right. Today, he could very well be the best active center in the league and Donald Sterling would have had a bargain.

Ricky Davis

Cleveland Cavaliers

Current Stats: 20.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.1 spg, 0.3 bpg, 43% shooting in 35.9 mpg

Career Stats: 8.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.2 bpg, 46% shooting in 18 mpg

The guy dunking on much taller, more popular basketball personalities these days is the proverbial player to be named later. Once, Davis was a throw-in in a deal including Anthony Mason, PJ Brown, Eddie Jones and Jamal Mashburn. Later, he was involved in a trade involving Brian Skinner, Chris Gatling, Don MacLean and, of all things, cash. Wednesday night, coach John Lucas decided to sit him on the bench for tip off after canning him six minutes into last game for disciplinary reasons. He still scored 19 and hung the bitter beer face on Dallas' Eduardo Najera on one particular dunk.

James Posey

Denver Nuggets

Current Stats: 17.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.3 spg, 0 bpg, 39% shooting in 38.7 mpg

Career Stats: 9.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.4 bpg, 40% shooting in 28 mpg

Opportunity knocked. He answered with almost twice as many points, rebounds and assists than he has ever averaged before for a team needing nearly twice as many points, rebounds and assists itself. He's the trivia answer to today's triple-double question also involving Jason Kidd, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and Jay Williams. As we speak, he is unquestionably the best player on an NBA team. So much for calling this kid a defensive specialist.

Bobby Jackson

Sacramento Kings

Current Stats: 18.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.1 bpg, 50% shooting in 34.3 mpg

Career Stats: 8.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1 spg, 0.1 bpg, 42% shooting in 21.4 mpg

Don't know if I would rather be the guy trying to defend this guy at the top of the key knowing there isn't any help behind or be the one who has to tell him that in a few weeks he's going back to the bench. He finished his first year in the league as a sub and, five years later, it looks like he's going to stay that way. In between, he's scored with the likes of Stephon Marbury, run the King offense with the likes of Mike Bibby and, Wednesday night with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists, did it all with the likes of Steve Francis. But you don't see anyone telling those guys to hit the pine.

Charlie Ward

New York Knicks

Current Stats: 11 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 5.5 apg, 2 spg, 0 bpg, 44% shooting in 29.2 mpg

Career Stats: 6.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.2 bpg, 41% shooting in 23 mpg

Remember, he's doing this with vultures perched on every backboard. Wednesday's franchise superstar is still injured with the hand be broke in a fistfight. The future franchise superstar is injured for the second consecutive season. Today, the Knicks get a former Heisman Trophy winner once drafted by the New York Yankees who elected, instead, to give basketball a shot as a mediocre reserve point guard. Nine years later, it's paying off. For both of them.