Commentary : Magic Still Reigns as Best Player in NBA

It’s the time of year to chime in with one more uneducated opinion on the NBA’s Best and Worst for Fiscal Season 1988-89. The envelopes, please.

Most Valuable Player: Magic Johnson, Lakers.

No one is better at the end of a game. No one has gotten so much out of one team, especially one that’s had such a long run of success. No one is a better motivator of men. No one keeps his teammates happier. No one is as complete a basketball player. Plus, you have to love a guy who handles the ball as much as Magic does and shoots 91 percent from the foul line.

Another Good Choice: Karl Malone, Utah. The Jordan contingent is going crazy. But Malone is as close to unstoppable as there is in an NBA front court.

And unstoppable front-court players, generally, go a lot longer in the playoffs than unstoppable back-court players. True, John Stockton makes Malone a finisher an awful lot of times rather than a creator. But Malone is also a ferocious rebounder.

And you could make an argument for: Michael Jordan, Chicago; Charles Barkley, Philadelphia; Pat Ewing, New York.

Coach of the Year: Don Nelson, Golden State.

Nelson heads a very distinguished list of finalists for what he’s been able to do with a team that, except for Manute Bol, is Washington Bullets West. True, the Warriors have gotten huge seasons from Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond, but it is Nelson who installed the pop-a-shot offense (116.6 points per game) in which the duo has thrived. All this while Ralph Sampson, to quote a current president, has been out of the loop. All this despite frequently starting a lineup in which no one is taller than 6 feet 8.

Another Good Choice: Cotton Fitzsimmons, Phoenix. True, he had good talent to work with, but he’s brought it all together in one season to where the Suns are all-timers for turnaround seasons and can’t be beat by the Western Conference at home. And do you notice how no one’s calling Tom Chambers a malcontent anymore?

Rookie of the Year: Mitch Richmond, Golden State.

This one was easy. Richmond has been a fearless player. He leads rookies in scoring (22.3 ppg) and is the only first-year player in the top 20 overall, helping lead the Golden State renaissance.

Pencil him in for a few future all-star appearances.

Best Sixth Man: Dennis Rodman, Detroit.

He’s annoying. He’s occasionally dirty. He takes those ridiculous-looking charges where he slides nine feet. But he gives you three elements off the bench: clinging defense, tenacious rebounding, and accurate, if infrequent, shooting. That’s Rodman who leads the league in field-goal percentage.

Another Good Choice: John Williams, Washington. He doesn’t have the numbers you might expect from a sixth man, but look at them across the board: 13.5 points, seven rebounds, 4.3 assists, 137 steals. You can at least speculate that one (or more) of those categories would be higher if Williams were put in one position. But he plays in the post on defense and brings up the ball on offense. He plays shooting guard. He plays power forward. No one player does more for his team in a reserve role.

Best Defensive Player: Rodman.

What makes Rodman tops is his ability for individual defense, which is what wins games in the playoffs. Playoff offense (and defense) comes down to individual matchups much more so than the regular season. He can shut down the hot man, be he guard or forward. And, unlike others, he not only can make a man miss, he can go get the rebound as well.

Another Good Choice: Mark Eaton, Utah. He wrecks entire offensive schemes with his 7-4 bulk and shot-blocking skills (3.9 per game). He is the major reason the Jazz is holding opponents to 43 percent shooting, the lowest percentage in more than a decade, and why it has held opponents under 100 points an amazing 42 times this season. And you could make an argument for Ewing; Bol; Jordan; Akeem Olajuwon, Houston.

Most Improved Player: Mullin.

What Mullin has done with his personal life is admirable and inspiring. That shouldn’t be confused with the fact that he’s made himself a much better basketball player as well. Part of that has to do with Nelson’s moving him from guard to forward, where he doesn’t have to cover some of the quicksilver two men in the league. But Mullin has raised his scoring average, become a game-breaking shooter and is second on the team in rebounding.

Another Good Choice: Larry Krystkowiak, Milwaukee. Here’s a guy who wasn’t known for doing much of anything, but who is the Bucks’ choice for defensive stopper. His play has allowed Terry Cummings more rom inside, he’s solidified the Milwaukee front court and he’s averaged 12.5 points on 47 percent shooting. And you could make an argument for Reggie Lewis, Boston; Darrell Griffith, Utah; Ron Anderson.

All-NBA First Team: Johnson, Jordan, Karl Malone, Barkley, Ewing.

What’s the difference between Mullin and Barkley? Not much, but Barkley’s got series-winning capability. Essentially a coin flip. Ewing allows the Knicks to press with impunity, plus he scores. And he’s the ultimate competitor.

Second team: Stockton; Dale Ellis, Seattle; Mullin; Chambers; Olajuwon.

Third team: Kevin Johnson, Phoenix; Isiah Thomas, Detroit; Bernard King, Washington; Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta; Robert Parish, Celtics.

All-Unappreciated: Terry Porter, Portland; Jeff Malone, Washington; A.C. Green, Lakers; Otis Thorpe, Houston; Mike Gminski, Philadelphia.