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NBA Most Improved Player: Is Bobby Jackson the best choice?

By Terry Brown

Thursday, February 6 Updated 12:09 PM EST

Don't blame Bobby Jackson.

He didn't tell Sacramento King management to bend over backwards with their pocketbooks for Mike Bibby after the point guard averaged fewer than 14 points per game and five assists the season before.

Jackson

All Jackson ever did was put up 18.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game on 50 percent shooting to go along with 49 three pointers in the 26 games that Bibby was on the sideline nursing a foot injury that required surgery to start this season.

The Kings were 20-6 on Jackson's watch with a civilian Peja Stojakovic, who was hobbled at best when he did play.

Jackson wasn't only the best point guard on the team. He was the best player on the best team in the entire NBA.

Then Bibby returned on Dec. 19, and in the ensuing three games, Jackson was cut down to 25 minutes per game after averaging 34.4 up to that point. His statistics went down to 13 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game as the backup guard.

Jackson then went down, himself, with a broken hand on Dec. 25.

In his place, Bibby averaged 17.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game on 45 percent shooting with 26 three-pointers in 24 games.

The Kings are currently 13-11 on Bibby's watch after falling to the rival Lakers last week and to second in the Pacific by percentage points to the Blazers, fourth in the Western Conference and seventh overall.

Wednesday night, Bibby scored 11 points on 5 of 12 shooting with four assists, zero steals and three turnovers in 30 minutes. The Kings lost that game, making it the sixth time in eight tries as they continue to struggle with the left ankle injury to franchise forward Chris Webber, who hasn't played since Jan. 24.

But you weren't going to try to pin that on Jackson, too, were you?

Ricky Davis

Cleveland Cavaliers

Current Stats: 21.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 5 apg, 1.8 spg, 0.3 bpg, 40% shooting in 39.9 mpg

Career Stats: 10.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.2 bpg, 44% shooting in 21.8 mpg

The question isn't whether Davis did, in fact, untie his shoes and take them off after being yanked out of last Sunday's game with six minutes to play much to his public dismay or not. Yes, he did take his sweet time to walk off the court. Yes, he did make his way to furthest reaches of the bench and untie his shoes. And, yes, he did need extra time to re-tie them before being put back in the game. The point is that Cleveland needs more of Davis and all that entails and not less. The question, though, is if any other Cavalier could do the same. Tie hisr own shoes with or without thousands of people watching, that is.

Bobby Jackson

Sacramento Kings

Current Stats:19.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.5 spg, 0.03 bpg, 49% shooting in 33.6 mpg

Career Stats: 9.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1 spg, 0.1 bpg, 42% shooting in 22.1 mpg

See above.

Matt Harpring

Utah Jazz

Current Stats: 18.5 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.2 bpg, 50% shooting in 33.5 mpg

Career Stats: 12.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.1 bpg, 47% shooting in 29 mpg

I knew it. There was no way this Academic All-American selection from Georgia Tech could possibly score 17.8 points per game and shoot 50 percent from the field again like he did in December while drilling 10 three-pointers. And I was right. In January, he averaged 20.4 points per game and shot 52 percent from the field while drilling 14 three-pointers and is on pace to hit three times as many from long range as he ever has in his career before. He'd be higher on this list if that sweet stroke of his hadn't been tuned right out of his mother's womb. Hard to improve on that.

Corey Maggette

Los Angeles Clippers

Current Stats: 16.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.3 bpg, 44% shooting in 32.5 mpg

Career Stats: 10.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.2 bpg, 45% shooting in 22.5 mpg

You were thinking, perhaps, Lamar Odom? Elton Brand? Michael Olowokandi? Quentin Richardson almost won Sixthman of the Year last season. Andre Miller led the league in assists. For goodness sakes, the Clippers had two lottery picks this season and, apparently, there are many more to come. And that doesn't count some so-called ambidextrous point guard from an exotic port or their very own, though much less heralded, 7-foot center from beyond the Great Wall who likes to shoot threes. And somehow they've managed to keep all of this under the same 17-win circus tent. Oh, yeah. Almost forgot to mention that they've also got this small forward who, after three years of this nonsense, has found a way not only to survive but thrive.

Ron Artest

Indiana Pacers

Current Stats: 15.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.2 spg, 0.7 bpg, 45% shooting in 34.1 mpg

Career Stats: 12.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2 spg, 0.6 bpg, 41% shooting in 31.3 mpg

Obviously, the kid lacks priorities. Why go toe to toe with a buttoned-down coach almost 30 years removed from actual action and risk inevitable suspension when Kobe Bryant is just around the corner. That chip on his shoulder not only cost perhaps the best player on this board an all-star bid but the chance to purge against the biggest game on the court today. Which may have been all the therapy he'll ever need . . . or want.