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It’s time to hand out the bling.

That’s right, it’s time to give out the annual awards, so without any hesitation, we’ll start with the granddaddy of them all (or is it the grandson of them all?).

That’s right, the NWOY (Newsletter Writer of the Year) goes to, for the umpteenth consecutive year, Big Ed. This continues a long string of disappointments in the career of D-Moore. But, as they say, it builds character.

Maybe he’ll see the benefit of that, someday, because he’s done a ton of character-building.

As you may have noticed, this area has been mostly rip-free this season.

Sorry about that.

From here on out, it’s back to our constant bickering, jabbing and cheap, pointless one-liners.

Now, here’s the rest of the piddly little awards for the NBA.

Eddie Sefko

MVP: They should vacate this award this season. There are no legitimate candidates. It was going to be Kobe Bryant in a slam dunk, but then he acted like D-Moore around the holidays. He disappeared for a week or two. And the Lakers lost to Memphis, Portland and others. Bryant did a great job this year of keeping the Lakers together. And if they somehow finish with the top seed in the West, he’s back in my good graces. Until then, it’s Chris Paul, Kobe, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan.

Coach of the year: Doc Rivers. Yes, he had plenty of talent in Boston, but he coached it into a great defensive team. Many kudos also should go to Mo Cheeks in Philadelphia and Rick Adelman in Houston.

Rookie of the year: A very close battle between Al Horford of Atlanta and Kevin Durant of Seattle. In these cases, the player chosen later in the draft gets it. Also, picking Horford will infuriate D-Moore, which also makes it the right pick. Strong honorable mention to Rodney Stuckey, Al Thornton and Luis Scola.

Most improved: Al Jefferson of Minnesota, mainly because I’m too lazy to think of somebody better for this always goofy award. If you’re most improved, you were probably crappy a year ago.

Defensive player of the year: Since I totally dogged him in the MVP voting, I’m giving it to Boston's Kevin Garnett for buying into Rivers’ defensive approach and selling it to his teammates.

Sixth man: San Antonio's Manu Ginobili.

All-NBA: Garnett, James, Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire, Paul, Bryant. OK, so James is out of position. Sue me.

Eddie Sefko

Q: Sunday, I watched Dallas beat the Suns in Phoenix. I normally would have been very happy. But the game was rigged for Dallas to win. The Mavericks got into the penalty early in the fourth quarter, and four or five close calls went for Dallas. Then it hit me why David Stern had fixed the game. By losing, the Suns stay at No. 6. And the LA Lakers are No. 3. If those spots hold, LA and Phoenix (Kobe and Shaq) will meet in the first round. That would be like Christmas to Stern. The NBA even has commercials featuring Shaq and Kobe in the playoffs. How convenient.

Thumper

SEFKO: Many apologies to real NBA fans who read this newsletter. Heck, I’ll even apologize to D-Moore. Thumper is a longtime whiner, claiming that the league is rigged. I’ve never let him get into cyberspace before, but this time, I thought I’d let him vent.

That’s a bigger mistake than letting D-Moore drive after dark.

Might the Mavericks’ win have had something to do with them attacking the basket and Dirk Nowitzki playing one of his best games of the season? Nah, probably not. It was probably a bit of subterfuge by the league, even though there were 10 days to go in the regular season and there was no way at the time to know whether the 3-6 matchup would have any chance of holding.

If the league was really deep into covert activity, they would want to set it up so Shaq and Kobe could meet later in the playoffs -- which, by the way, they might.

Q: OK, many people want Avery Johnson gone. What are the chances we could get Larry Brown in his place?

Big Mike, trapped in Memphis

SEFKO: First of all, you must be a distant relative. I’m sure there’s a Big Mike somewhere in the family tree of Big Ed.

But you must have come from the knee-jerk side of the family. If you want to get rid of Johnson, you probably are overreacting. Second, if you want Larry Brown, all you’re doing is switching control freaks. Sometimes, the devil you know is better than the one you don’t.

Personally, I don’t think Johnson has lost this team. And that would be the only reason to dump him with three years left on his contract.

Now if the first round is a four-and-out, maybe things change.

If Johnson is jettisoned -- and again, I don’t think he will be -- a more logical replacement is a lot closer to home: either Paul Westphal or Del Harris. Both would be an instant hit among the players and would merge the Don Nelson way with the Avery Johnson way.

Might not be a bad idea.

Q: I appreciate your coverage of the Mavs more than anyone, and I know Dirk is a super player. But it seems like observations that the team centers on Dirk are not appreciated by him or Avery Johnson. I don’t blame him. I just wish reporters would back off Dirk for a while and give the rest of the team some credit.

Eddie O.

SEFKO: From one Eddie to another, I see your point. We sometimes latch onto Dirk and ride him, somewhat like the team does. But the superstar also defines the team. He was the one who got all the blame last May, and he also gets much of the credit in good times. Comes with the territory.

But yes, there are many times when the star of the game is somebody else. It's up to us to point that out. Jason Terry was the Mavericks’ best player Tuesday against Seattle. But neither Terry nor Josh Howard nor anybody else is as consistent as Dirk is.

Q: OK, which team would be the best matchup for the Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs?

Doug, Garland

SEFKO: Hey, there are no good matchups this year. They all are too hard.

But if you want the best chance to move on, the Mavericks need to see either New Orleans or San Antonio.

I don’t think they need any part of Kobe Bryant. And while Pau Gasol was a piece of cake to handle when he had no help in Memphis, he’ll be a lot tougher now.

Give me an inexperienced team from New Orleans whose two best players have never been in the playoffs. Or give me a Spurs team you know you already match up fairly well with.

Kobe is too much of a wild card.

Q: If the Mavericks turn this thing around and win a playoff series or two, would that mean you were wrong about the Jason Kidd trade?

Multiple inquiries

SEFKO: No.

Q: Care to explain?

Multiple inquiries

SEFKO: Well, let’s review. The Mavericks made the deal to get better, right? I’m not going to give them the benefit of the doubt that, if they win one round, IT makes them better than last year’s team, just because that team was upset in the first round.

For the future of this franchise, I still think Devin Harris was a better fit. But I agree they had very little chance of winning the title this season as they were constructed.

Now? They may have a five percent better chance.

Worth it?

We’ll see.

Q: Do you think Josh Howard will continue this solid play of late into the playoffs?

Dan, Dallas

SEFKO: There’s no reason to think he won’t. And, by the way, I would classify it as more than just solid. I would say it’s been damn good.

The guy had trouble meshing with Kidd. And let’s face it, Howard got dissed a little by the team because it brought in a new No. 2 in support of Nowitzki, albeit a different sort of No. 2.

Still, those days are gone. Howard seems to be doing just fine with Kidd at the controls. And the bottom line is Howard is going to have to be this good in the playoffs if the Mavericks are going to have a chance.

Ditto for Jason Terry.

Q: We’ve heard the company line. How close to 100 percent do you think Dirk is?

SEFKO: Again, I got this one from a handful of faithful e-mailers. I don’t buy the party line that he’s 60 percent.

But he’s not 90 percent, either. I’d say he’s somewhere around 75-80 percent, which makes him about the same as Josh Howard or Tayshaun Prince. If you notice, Nowitzki mostly has been scoring or rebounding, but not both.

That’s the way it is for now.

But rest assured if the Mavericks clinch their playoff spot Thursday or Saturday, Nowitzki will get some quality down time Sunday or Wednesday.

Q: Who is your pick to win the NBA title?

SEFKO: I tabbed Phoenix way back at the beginning of the season. And unlike D-Moore, I’m not going to change now. I’ll just be a man and stick with my original pick.

Q: Can anybody beat Boston in the East?

SEFKO: Absolutely.

Next year.

Oh, OK, maybe Detroit can do it. But the Green is back.