TSN's 1999 NBA Award Winners

Sporting News, The, May 31, 1999

Player of the Year Karl Malone

Karl Malone, the most prolific scoring forward in the history of the NBA, still cares what others think of him. He doesn't necessarily want to be liked. He has said a few too many politically incorrect things and cleared space with a few too many elbows during his 14-year career to win a popularity contest He knows that. But he still has a burning desire to be respected. So upon hearing of his selection as THE SPORTING NEWS Player of the Year, chosen by his peers, Malone couldn't help but smile. For Malone, who played in the shadow of Michael Jordan for so long, it is the first such award from TSN.

"I'm 35 years old now, and for my peers to say that I'm the best player in the league, that means a lot to me," Malone says. "I'm not going to lie about it.... For your opponents to say you're the best in the league, that's an amazing honor."

The award comes in a season in which Malone had his longest shooting slump ever. Over one two-week, seven-game stretch, Malone, a lifetime 52.6 percent shooter, was 43-of-123 (35 percent), and he didn't once shoot better than 50 percent from the field. His frustration boiled over when he was ejected early in the third quarter in a loss to the Clippers with just seven points. It broke his string of 575 games of double-figure scoring.

But Malone started a new streak the next game-and he worked his way out of his shooting slump, playing his best during the final six weeks of the season. He scored 30-plus points in 10 of the 50 games and finished third in the league in scoring average (23.8 ppg). Malone pulled down 10 or more rebounds in 21 games, finishing 14th in the league with 9.4 rebounds per game. He also was named to the NBA's all-defensive first team.

Already fourth on the all-time scoring charts, trailing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Jordan, Malone is expected to re-sign with the Jazz this summer for four more years. At his current rate, Malone will pass Jordan and Chamberlain and be within 2,000 points of Jabbar when his new contract expires.

"I can't say enough about Karl Malone," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan says. "I have never been around a guy like him that works so hard and puts so much into trying to stay in great shape. He's ready to play every night. He comes at you

and plays hard and takes a lot of lumps but gets back up and keeps going." -Loren Jorgenses

Rookie of the Year Vince Carter

His calling card became the dunk. Turnaround. Windmill. Tomahawk. He became the Human Highlight Reel reincarnate, an evening staple on shows across the continent

But show-stopping dunks aren't the only mason Vince Carter was named THE SPORTING NEWS Rookie of the Year by his peers. Carter also played well enough in his first season to drag the Raptors from the NBA's basement into the light of respectability. He turned the Raptors from a 16-66 joke the previous season into a bona fide NBA team, one that threatened, until the season's final week, to make the playoffs for the first time in team history.

"We couldn't make the jump we did as a franchise without Vince Carter," Raptors coach Butch Carter says.

Once Carter slammed his way into the league's consciousness, he showed he could hit mid- and long-range jump shots, too. He proved he could play defense. He wasn't afraid to rebound, or to post up bigger players. Carter led the Raptors and all rookies in scoring, averaging 18.3 points. He was third on the team in rebounds with 5.7 a game. He was third in assists with 3.0 a game and first in blocked shots with an average of 1.5.

After the season's final game, Carter-hardly what you'd call a shy or retiring type-"guaranteed' to Toronto fans the Raptors will make the playoffs next season.

To do that, Carter knows he must improve his game. He will surprise no one next year. "I want to take on more of a leadership roll next season," he says. "I can't be afraid mentally. Every time I step on the floor, it has to be with the playoffs in mind." -Craig Daniels

Coach of the Year Jerry Sloan

The team coached by Jerry Sloan had a good season even without a lot of practice. He led the Jazz to a 37-13 record in a strange, lockout-shortened season, tying the Spurs for the league's best mark.

Sloan, a hard-talking farmer in the offseason, does little in the way of self-promotion. But his work with the Jazz has not gone unnoticed by his coaching peers, who voted Sloan THE SPORTING NEWS Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.

"Jerry is an unbelievably great coach," says Portland's Mike Dunleavy, also a top candidate. "Not only does his record speak for itself, but the way he does things is the right way. I've got great admiration for him."

Sloan, who has the league's longest tenure with one team, has coached the Jazz to the playoffs in each of his 11 seasons. The team has made two trips to the Finals.

Because the Jazz have been consistently good over the years, Sloan's coaching work sometimes has been overlooked. Not anymore. -Loren Jorgensen

Executive of the Year Geoff Petrie