Sam Smith

The last time Kevin Garnett played on a competitive team — actually, the only time since his senior year in high school in Chicago— he was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. My guess is Garnett will be the NBA’s MVP this season. He certainly is for the first half of the season with the Boston Celtics, coming off a 24-win season, holding the best record in the NBA.

You can think of it this way: If the Timberwolves knew what they were doing, Garnett now could have more league MVP awards than Bill Russell and Michael Jordan combined.

NBA teams hit the halfway mark in the last week, and going into this season the big story —other than Tim Donaghy trading on his position and Kobe Bryant perhaps being traded — was the Celtics.

Though they’ve hit a bit of a plateau, and Garnett will be sidelined a few games with an abdominal strain, the Celtics are playing better than anyone imagined. They’ve been the league’s best defensive team and, while not dominating like they did in the first two months, they’ve established themselves not only as a legitimate championship contender but the first Eastern Conference team since the 1998 Chicago Bulls that could be favorites for the title.

Yes, Detroit and Miami won championships recently, but the Pistons weren’t supposed to and most still can’t believe the Heat did.

Garnett is my MVP by a wide margin with the rest of my midway ballot.

1.  Garnett.

2. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets. After a bit of a down season with injuries, and when it looked like Deron Williams would pass him for top young point guard, the 2006 rookie of the year has been absolutely electric in leading the Hornets to the best record in the Western Conference. His pick-and-roll has proven almost impossible to defend and averages of 20 points and 10 assists are very impressive for a guard.

3. Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns. About 17 and 12. Not bad. Nash is becoming something of an after-thought with all this talk of chemistry problems, management issues and cloudy days in Phoenix. But perhaps more than ever, since they’ve never truly found a backup and they fall apart when he’s out, Nash continues to carry the team that has been around the top of the West all season.

4. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers. His offensive production is down. Right, he’s just No. 2 in the NBA in scoring. Bryant, who did want to be traded to the Chicago Bulls — what was he thinking? — fit his game to the development of young center Andrew Bynum. Now with Bynum hurt, Bryant has gone back on the offensive when he’s had to. He’s still the best individual talent in the NBA, and now has a team — when Bynum returns —that can go all the way.

5. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers. Another one-man band most of the time. He doesn’t have the best so-called supporting cast, but his team also has the poorest record of all the main contenders in this category. He does lead the NBA in scoring, is improving his shot and is making more effort on defense, though you’d love to see them play on the offensive end to take even more advantage of his amazing abilities.

Slide show Year in Pictures 2009 - Sports Experience an audio slide show of the best sports and news images from around the world and close to home.

Coach of the Half Year:

1. Nate McMillan, Portland Trailblazers. They have what, maybe one all-star in Brandon Roy? Maybe. They lost their potential franchise player, Greg Oden, to surgery for the season. They traded their top scorer and rebounder, Zach Randolph, for little. And they’re right in the race with Utah and Denver, far more talented teams, for the division lead. They compete and don’t quit. Yes, this award generally goes to the coach whose team was most underestimated by the media, but McMillan has put the kind of mark on the team he offered as a player, better results than the talent would suggest.

2. Byron Scott, New Orleans Hornets. There perhaps never was a coach who took a team to consecutive finals who got less credit and was more dismissed. Supposedly everyone else from assistants to players were responsible in New Jersey. Of course, the players ultimately are, but Scott has shown with different talent he can have a team produce well.

3. Eddie Jordan, Washington Wizards. On the way to being fired, Jordan could be coach of the year. This was supposed to be his last season with a team that wouldn’t defend and ultimately collapsed. What happens when Gilbert Arenas returns? Meanwhile, Jordan has gotten way more out of less than he ever had.

4. Doc Rivers, Boston Celtics. The talent improved, but it’s not always easy to get it to work together and not usually so quickly. Rivers has been a steady hand throughout.

5. Stan Van Gundy, Orlando Magic. He has that unique ability to get the most out of players and getting them to play with enthusiasm even when he’s tough on them. He’s a rare find and one of the best around.

Rookie of the Half Year:

Frankly, it’s a miserable class. Kevin Durant inevitably will get the award, but he’s just a volume shooter now on a bad team. Al Horford has been solid, Michael Conley has been hurt, Jeff Green has been buried on Durant’s bad team, Yi Jianlian has shown a lot of potential but appears to be wearing out some, Corey Brewer seems lost, Brandan Wright is, Joakim Noah was suspended by his own teammates, Spencer Hawes doesn’t play, and so goes your top 10 of the draft. Older international players and minor leagues like Juan Carlos Navarro and Jamerio Moon have had more impact.

Most Improved of the Half Year:

Beno Udrih, Sacramento Kings — This is likely the most difficult category to quantify. There’s much debate over MVP and whether it’s the best player or the most valuable to a team, but this category runs the gamut. Can a player be most improved if he was a high draft pick, like Andrew Bogut or Chris Kamen, who are getting more opportunities now? Can it be an experienced guy who played overseas and is now getting more chance, like Jose Calderon? What about an all-star who is evolving even more like Caron Butler or a veteran with more opportunity like Hedo Turkoglu or a kid who is maturing like Andrew Bynum or Al Jefferson? Or a guy finally getting a real chance like Tyson Chandler? I go with Udrih, who was ignored and mocked in San Antonio and let go without even a look by the Timberwolves.

Defensive Player:

Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics — Marcus Camby got it last season and is putting up loads of 20-rebound games. Chandler is making himself an inside force on defense and there’s always Bruce Bowen’s effort. But Garnett has revitalized an entire team with his defense and aggressiveness. He’s the rare player who makes others better on defense.

Sixth Man:

Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs — Also, little debate. The Bulls’ Ben Gordon is unique in that role as a scorer, and the Suns’ Leandro Barbosa also lights it up, but no one changes the game like Ginobili.

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