|  | | Kobe Bryant is the closest thing to a slam-dunk choice. |
In lifting the Lakers out of their funk and carrying them into the West's playoff picture, Kobe Bryant boosted his Most Valuable Player award resume. In fact, Kobe tops the 10 leading candidates for MVP, writes Marc Stein.Chat wrap: Senior NBA writer Marc SteinTodd's 'charmed' life | Changes for the better
| COAST TO COAST |
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| Webber |
Sacramento's Chris Webber is back on the fringes of the MVP derby, in spite of the 15 games he lost to an ankle injury, but he's not back on USA Basketball's radar. Not yet. Ongoing uncertainty about Webber's legal situation, as ESPN.com reported in December, has excluded him from Team USA consideration to date. Point guard Mike Bibby, as expected, was the first King to receive a national-team invite. Although Webber said in November that he wants to represent his country, the selection committee has been reluctant to even discuss the idea because of Webber's perjury trial looming this summer. The trial is scheduled to begin July 8 in spite of the recent death of former University of Michigan booster Ed Martin, the prosecution's star witness, at age 69. Legal experts have said the case against Webber has been weakened severely by Martin's death. It remains to be seen if Webber's legal cloud will lift in time for him to have a shot at making the national team, which is openly desperate for big men. ... Click for more on Yao Ming's push for Rookie of the Year, what the Pacers and Blazers have in common and Portland's worst nightmare.
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| SLAMS AND DUNKS |
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| Stackhouse |
If Jerry Stackhouse was the primary target of Michael Jordan's loud critique Sunday night, MJ is bang out of order. Jordan wouldn't look as good as he does now, fresher at 40 than he looked at this time last season, if Stack wasn't carrying the load for MJ in the first half of the season. Don't forget, furthermore, that Stackhouse has also played hurt at times this season, just like Mike. His Airness is obviously frustrated that the playoffs are slipping away, but that's not Stack's fault. The Wizards have been trying to get by with a patchwork frontcourt all season (Brendan Haywood, Christian Laettner, Charles Oakley and young Kwame Brown) and the two teams they're jostling with for No. 8 in the East (Orlando and Milwaukee) just made significant personnel upgrades. That's why. ... Click for more on MJ's tip that he's returning to D.C., reasons why DJ will be back in L.A., the Cavs' questionable move and Nene's name change.
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Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here. Also, send Stein a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.
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| STEIN SIDELINES |
MALE OF THE WEEK
 Allen Iverson
All he did was the seemingly impossible: Iverson led the Sixers to a 3-2 road trip through the Western Conference, with the only losses inflicted by the Kings and Lakers. Philadelphia beat Denver, Seattle and Portland -- no murderer's row but more than Detroit or Indiana or New Jersey can say.
E-MAIL OF THE WEEK
 If Jason Kidd is determined to bolt New Jersey to head for San Antonio, what's to stop Mark Cuban from swooping in and offering a sign-and-trade involving Steve Nash that will prevent the best point guard in the game from joining their division rival? Doesn't that make too much sense for the Mavs to pass up?
Andy Hicks
Dallas, TexasSTEIN: Kidd would have to want to go to Dallas for starters. The Nets can't sign-and-trade him anywhere they want just because they wouldn't want to lose Kidd for nothing. The Mavs would also have to throw in more players because Nash's salary ($6 million) is only about half as much as Kidd will be getting in his new deal. The Spurs have the cap room to sign Kidd outright. If he wants to go there, no one can really stop him. The good news for the Nets and Cuban: Kidd hasn't ruled out staying where he is.
Send Stein a question
SPEAK OF THE WEEK
 "I think he's having fun with it ... but he's not smiling when we're not winning."
— Orlando general manager John Gabriel, on Tracy McGrady's duel with Kobe Bryant for the scoring title.
STAT OF THE WEEK
27
That's the age of the oldest Cleveland Cavalier (Michael Stewart and Zydrunas Ilgauskas) after Tyrone Hill and Bimbo Coles were waived to join contenders. The Cavs have five players 21 or younger: Carlos Boozer, DeSagana Diop, Darius Miles, Smush Parker and Dajuan Wagner.
STAT OF THE WEAK
16-28
That's the shared record of Detroit, Indiana and New Jersey since the All-Star break. |
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