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With Michael Jordan having another MVP season, the Chicago Bulls are making a mockery of the league and headed for their second consecutive 70-plus win season.

In fact, only one player can stop Chicago from ripping right through the season to its fifth title in the past seven years: Dennis Rodman. But even as Graffiti Man has sat out two suspensions, the Bulls have rarely missed a beat, going 10-1 without their top rebounder.

LAWRENCE'S PICKS

Here are Mitch Lawrence's picks for MVP and four other yearly awards. For the complete list of Lawrence's award-winners, keep reading. MVP: Michael Jordan, Chicago Rookie: Stephon Marbury, Minnesota Sixth Man: John Starks, New York Coach: Doug Collins, Detroit Executive: Pat Riley, Miami

"We might be better than last year's team," Jordan said.

That must be a scary thought, Jordan was told.

"Not for us," he smiled.

Here are the front-runners for the major awards, along with the best and worst of the first half:

MVP

But it's Jordan's all-around game and the Bulls' sheer dominance that makes him the odds-on favorite to take his fifth MVP and second in a row. Jordan is so far ahead he can't even see the runners-up. Grant Hill, Charles Barkley, Tim Hardaway and Shaquille O'Neal will have to wait for another season.

Coach of the Year

Detroit is on pace to win 60 games. Credit Doug Collins, along with Hill, for not letting the Pistons fall off the face of the earth when they lost Allan Houston to free agency.

Pat Riley wanted to coach Gary Payton and Juwan Howard, in addition to Alonzo Mourning. Payton stayed with Seattle, the league nixed the Howard deal and Riley got stuck with P.J. Brown and Dan Majerle. The result? The Heat has been in first place with a road record that's even better than the Bulls.

Riley's old assistant Jeff Van Gundy, in his first full season at helm in New York, has had to incorporate three new starters and a revamped bench. Not an easy job in New York. So far, you can't argue with the results.

It's close, but Collins is the choice here.

Executive of the Year

A ton of candidates, including Atlanta's Pete Babcock (for signing Dikembe Mutombo); Jerry West (for Shaq acquisition); Rudy Tomjanovich (for Barkley trade); Jerry Krause (for re-signing Jordan, Phil Jackson and Rodman on his good days) and Ernie Grunfeld (for rebuilding Knicks on the fly).

But given all he went through, Pat Riley deserves this award, as much as the league would hate for him to win it.

Rookie of the Year

If it were based on shot attempts, turnovers and highlight plays, Allen Iverson is the runaway winner. Thankfully, it's not. We can't give it to a guy who, at one point, led his team to 23 defeats in 24 games. In this day and age of a watered-down league, that stat is more mind-boggling than the Bulls' gaudy winning percentage.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim is having a nice rookie season, but playing in Vladivostok East isn't helping his cause. Marcus Camby, for reasons only known to Darrell Walker, can't find a starting spot in the Raptors' lineup. New Jersey's Kerry Kittles has been one of the few bright spots for John Calipari, and Erick Dampier made solid contributions for the Pacers when Rik Smits missed most of the first half.

But the winner is Stephon Marbury. Making the transition from college playmaker to pro point is never easy. But after only one season at Georgia Tech, Marbury has played beyond years and is one of the leading reasons the Timberwolves are headed to the playoffs for the first time in their history.

Sixth Man of the Year

Toni Kukoc has had some brilliant games, Terry Mills has been solid and Chris Gatling was a good acquisition for an otherwise inept Dallas team. But none has made the impact of John Starks. Surprisingly so, we have to add.

Starks got demoted when the Knicks signed Houston. He could have demanded a trade or caused major chemistry problems, given his volatile personality. But he has been the perfect sixth man, giving the Knicks a jolt of energy and providing instant offense.

Best free-agent acquisition

Who else? Shaq has been everything the Lakers thought he'd be, down to the hideous free-throw shooting. But he's a new man on the boards and as an intimidator in the lane.

Mutombo deserves a lot of consideration, giving the Hawks a defensive anchor for the first time in years and, in the opinion of some scouts, turning Atlanta into the second-best team in the East.

Worst free-agent acquisition

The Knicks spent $56 million to lure Allan Houston out of Detroit. After Payton's megadeal in Seattle, that was the second-highest contract for a guard signed for seven years. Trouble is, Houston didn't get to bring Grant Hill with him.

In New York, Houston hasn't had a player like Hill set him up for open shots. As a result, he is shooting only 40 percent, playing timidly at the offensive end and is a major defensive liability. He hasn't even been the Knicks' second-best free-agent signing, ranking behind Chris Childs and Buck Williams.

Best trade

The only reason the Rockets have a chance to go to the Finals and challenge the Bulls is because of Barkley's dominant play. Although they gave up four players -- three aren't even with the Suns anymore (Sam Cassell, Robert Horry and Chucky Brown) -- Barkley's first half proves he was well worth it. But can he stay healthy?

Charlotte pulled off the second-best trade. Not only did the Hornets get out from under Larry Johnson's enormous contract, long regarded as the worst in the entire league, they came away with Anthony Mason. Getting away from his chief enemy in New York, Patrick Ewing, Mase has been the Hornets' catalyst and deserved lots of consideration for the All-Star team.

Worst trade

The centerpiece of the Knicks' off-season rebuilding was their acquisition of Johnson, considered to be the first legit scoring option Ewing has ever played with. He has been far from it.

Chronic back trouble has robbed Johnson of his explosion, making him about as effective as Grandmama in the low post. He has taken less shots than Ewing, Houston or Starks and as many as Charles Oakley. He came to New York averaging 19 ppg over his career. So far he has matched that average just once.

All you hear from the Knicks is that Johnson's playing great defense, doing his best as he plays out of position, and passing well. But that's not why they got him.

Big disappointments

• The Bullets spent a load of money to re-sign Juwan Howard and traded for Rod Strickland and are fighting for the East's last playoff berth.
• The Sonics brought back the core of their team that went to the Finals, added a shot-blocker in Jim McIlvaine and are an alarming 0-6 vs. the Rockets, Lakers and Jazz.
• The Sixers added Iverson to Jerry Stackhouse, Derrick Coleman and Clarence Weatherspoon and are headed back to the lottery.
• Dallas broke up its Triple-J Ranch by trading the best of the trio, Jason Kidd, and not getting a whole lot in return. The key player for Dallas in the deal, Cassell, isn't a top talent and is free to walk after the season .

Best stories

• The emergence of Terrell Brandon as one of the game's top playmakers, despite playing on a team that doesn't have an offense.
• Steve Smith gives Michigan State, his alma mater, $2.5 million.
• Tom Gugliotta becomes the first player in Minnesota history to make the All-Star team and is a heavy favorite to garner Most Improved Player honors.
• Jayson Williams' board work and hustle in Meadowlands.
• Richmond putting up MVP numbers for Sacramento.
• Mark Jackson unseating John Stockton as the NBA's assist king.

Stories (and spin-jobs) we're tired of

• Rodman's outbursts.
• Orlando's loss of Shaq.
• The league vs. Pat Riley.
• How defense is better, so that's why there's a drop in scoring. Here's our spin on the league-average 95.6 ppg. Too many teams, too many fundamentally-deficient players and too many Mike Fratello wannabes.
• Fratello's coaching genius. Face it, the Cavs are a terrible team to watch. It's fitting that in a year when scoring is so anemic, the NBA is holding its midseason festival in Cav-land.