Insider Special: MVP Watch

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Pacers have several standouts,

but no MVP candidates

by Terry Brown

Thursday, January 30 Updated 11:41 AM EST

If future Hall of Famer Reggie Miller says Ron Artest is the Indiana Pacers' MVP, then don't blame us for not putting Jermaine O'Neal on this list even if Brad Miller was just named to his first all-star team and Al Harrington goes on to win Sixthman of the Year honors.

In 46 games this season, the Pacers have had seven-different leading scorers and seven-different leading rebounders on their way to the second-best record in the NBA, one game ahead of the best team, Sacramento, and one game behind Dallas in the win column.

On Jan. 24, they beat the Seattle Sonics after O'Neal, Artest and Ron Mercer each scored 14 points. The game before that, reserve guard Erick Strickland led them with 19 points as five other Pacers notched double-digits.

On the year, five Pacers average more than 12 points per game and four average more than five rebounds per game while their bench chips in 27.6 points per game.

They've got a 16-year veteran whose 1,207 NBA games have all been in the same uniform as well as three players drafted right out of high school and a coach who won back-to-back NBA titles.

They started out the season 10-1, have won seven of their last 10 games, never lost more than two games in a row throughout the season and are 5-1 in overtime.

So you tell me if the best low-post player in the Eastern Conference, best defender possibly in the entire NBA or the guy who has hit more three-pointers than any other player in the history of the game deserves to be this team's MVP much less a candidate for the league's MVP.

Or if it even matters.

The Top 10 Contenders

1. Chris Webber, Sacramento Kings

Numbers: 23 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 5.5 apg, 1.6 spg, 1.5 bpg, 46% field, 12% three, 57% line

Beef: I've seen him go around his back in traffic, through his legs and actually no-look a bucket off the glass. The hard part for Chris Webber, though, seems to be simply staying on the court, standing still with arms folded if need be. He averages 19½ missed games per season and has missed five so far this year before tweaking his ankle last Tuesday. May not seem like much, but the last 16 MVPs have missed a total of only 36 games for an average of 2.2 per season. Michael Jordan's five MVP seasons resulted in only two total missed games. Karl Malone's two MVP seasons resulted in one and Magic Johnson missed a total of 10 games during three MVP seasons. Allen Iverson did miss 11 in 2001 and Charles Barkley missed six in 1993. But the other four one-time MVP winners in that 16-year span missed only six total games (Duncan missed zero last season, Shaq missed three in 2000, David Robinson missed one in 1995 and Hakeem Olajuwon missed two in 1994).

2. Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves

Numbers: 21.8 ppg, 12.8 rpg, 5.7 apg, 1.5 spg, 1.5 bpg, 48% field, 36% three, 77% line

Beef: Head to Head: Jan. 27, 2003, Garnett scored 34 points on 14 of 19 shooting with 10 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block as . . .

3. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs

Numbers: 23.6 ppg, 12.6 rpg, 3.8 apg, 0.6 spg, 2.9 bpg, 49% field, 25% three, 68% line

Beef: . . . Duncan scored 17 points on 5 of 17 shooting with 10 boards, four assists and a block. Timberwolves 106, Spurs 95.

4. Tracy McGrady, Orlando Magic

Numbers: 30.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.8 bpg, 46% field, 38% three, 79% line

Beef: Not sure if I'm supposed to be more amazed by the fact that he's scored 1,209 points in 1,585 minutes so far this season or that he's done it on only 920 shots. And then he scores 31 points Wednesday night in 38 minutes on 18 shots and I'm even more confused.

5. Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets

Numbers: 20.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 8.4 apg, 2.3 spg, 0.3 bpg, 44% field, 34% three, 84% line

Beef: Let's say Kidd fully recovers from the strained groin sustained in Wednesday night's win over the Wizards and goes 10-for-10 against the Hornets on Friday. Well, then, he still wouldn't have shot a measly 40 percent on the month as the defending Eastern Conference champs went 8-5 in January with one to go after starting the season 23-9.

6. Stephon Marbury, Phoenix Suns

Numbers: 21.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 8.1 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.2 bpg, 42% field, 27% three, 76% line

Beef: The Suns have now lost three in a row and seven of their last 10 yet remain five games above .500 and fewer than four wins from the third seed in the Western Conference which, coupled with the fact that Starbury has statistically had betters seasons, defies all logic with his placement on this particular ranking. Except for the knowledge that these same Suns finished 10 games below .500 last season, nine games out of the playoffs completely and Starbury has, statistics be danged, never had a finer season.

7. Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics

Numbers: 26.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 4.5 apg, 2 spg, 0.8 bpg, 40% field, 27% three, 81% line

Beef: If Paul Pierce never shot a single three-pointer this season, his field goal percentage from the floor would be a respectable 44 percent. But, then again, if Paul Pierce never shot single three-pointer then he really wouldn't be Paul Pierce. And Pierce, by the way, has still upped his scoring average in each of his five seasons, is averaging more rebounds and more assists than ever before in his career and has made more free throws this year than anyone in the league.

8. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks

Numbers: 22.4 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.1 bpg, 45% field, 37% three, 85% line

Beef: We expect the best player on the best team to do a little better than 15.7 points on 35 percent shooting in the four losses of the last eight games, especially if he expects to be the best player in the best league. But even more so if he expects to remain the best player on the best team . . . emphasis on the last best.

9. Steve Francis, Houston Rockets

Numbers: 22.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 6.1 apg, 1.5 spg, 0.4 bpg, 43% field, 44% three, 79% line

Beef: The Rockets' 1-6 nosedive began with Stevie's four-point night against the Spurs on 1 of 12 shooting on Jan. 20 and continued with his 10-point performance Wednesday night against the Mavs on 2 of 13 shooting. That speck in his rear view mirror is . . .

10. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Numbers: 27.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 7.1 apg, 2.2 spg, 0.9 bpg, 44% field, 35% three, 82% line

Beef: He is first in the league in all-star votes, second in scoring, leading the league in triple-doubles, fourth in minutes per game, fifth in steals per game and ninth in assists per game, and absolutely lucky to be 10th on this list with his team still four games out of the playoffs behind the Rockets. And the best player in the game today would be the first to agree.