It’s midseason, and you know what that means – time to break out the oneman ballot box and hand out the firsthalf awards for the 2005-06 season. The competition is close in several categories,but with the aid of my trusty Player Efficiency Ratings (PER, my perminute rating of a player’s statistical production), here’s a look at who would get my vote if the season ended today (all stats through Monday’s games):

SIXTH MAN AWARD
Mike Miller, Grizzlies (PER 17.4)

Miller is my pick in a close call over several worthy candidates,including the Hornets’ Speedy Claxton (16.8), the Nuggets’ Earl Boykins (16.6), and the Mavs’ Devin Harris (18.0).The Memphis swingman suffered a questionable demotion in favor of the aging Eddie Jones at the start of the year. But instead of complaining,he added a cheesy aerobics headband to his ensemble and calmly went about his business. He’s hitting his usual 40% on 3-pointers, and his 5.8 rebounds per game are notable for a reserve guard.Despite coming off the pine, he’s the second-leading scorer for one of the West’s most surprising teams.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Boris Diaw, Suns (PER 16.0)

This award has produced some of the strangest voting in recent NBA history, but this year it appears fairly straightforward. Diaw was one of the worst players on one of the worst teams in history last season, unable to get off the bench for an Atlanta squad that went 13-69. One year later, he’s a key element at both ends of the court for the division-leading Suns, shooting nearly 50% while filling the stat sheet with 11.8 points, 6.5 boards, and 5.9 assists. Other candidates include San Antonio’s Tony Parker (21.8), New Orleans/Oklahoma City’s David West (19.0), and Portland’s Steve Blake (16.1), but none have turned things around as dramatically as Diaw.

LEAST IMPROVED PLAYER
Ben Gordon, Bulls (PER 13.7)

Hey, aren’t guys supposed to take a step up in their second year? Gordon has followed the opposite path after winning the Sixth Man award as a rookie last season. An inability to get to the line and a lack of contributions in any department other than scoring has brought his progress to a screeching halt. His disappointing campaign is a major reason the Bulls, a 47-win team a year ago, look like lottery bait this year.

BEST FREE-AGENT SIGNING
Eddie House, Suns (PER 17.2)

Here’s a disturbing factoid: Of all the free agents to change teams in the offseason, none rank in the top 50 in the league in PER. Atlanta’s Joe Johnson leads the pack at 17.6,which ranks 59th. So obviously, none of the big ticket free agents have worked out quite as while as their teams had hoped.

Thus, we must turn our attention to the bargain basement for this year’s top signing, and no team got more value in this department than Phoenix. In addition to getting Diaw as a throw-in in the sign-and-trade deal that sent away Johnson and acquiring defensive stopper Raja Bell for a decent price, the Suns also picked up House as a late-summer afterthought and watched him turn into a scoring machine. The shot-happy guard has been a perfect fit in the Suns’ run-and-gun attack, averaging a whopping 23.8 points per 40 minutes while sporting one of the league’s lowest turnover rates. At less then a $1 million per season, that production makes him the league’s top bargain.

WORST FREE-AGENT SIGNING
Jerome James, Knicks

Not like we saw this coming or anything …

COACH OF THE YEAR
Mike D’Antoni, Suns

I realize Flip Saunders has to get plenty of credit for Detroit’s great start, but to me what D’Antoni has done in Phoenix is even more amazing. Even without Amare Stoudamire and his 26.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game (as per last year’s stats), this team is as good as any in the West, and it’s all thanks to D’Anoni’s willingness to take guys like Diaw, House, and Leandro Barbosa and let them play though their mistakes.

ANTI-COACH OF THE YEAR
Larry Brown, Knicks

I’ve seen players quit on a coach, but until this year I’d never seen a coach quit on his players. No one could have imagined that a relatively healthy Knicks team would be 14-32 right now. By the way,Larry,your replacement in Detroit is on pace to top last year’s win total by 15.

EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
Joe Dumars, Pistons

Isiah’s former backcourt mate is the complete opposite of Thomas as a GM. While spotlight-craving Isiah constantly looks to make the spectacular trade, the low-key Dumars specializes in underthe-radar moves.While Isiah spends like a drunken sailor, Dumars carefully manages his salary cap, doesn’t have a single max contract on his star-studded roster, and has yet to pay a cent of luxury tax. Oh, and while Isiah’s team loses, Dumars’s team wins.They’re 39-7 with half the Knicks payroll.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Chris Paul, Hornets (PER 22.2)

Everybody thought Paul would be good, but nobody had any idea he’d be scoring 16.4 points and handing out 7.8 assists every night. Half the season remains, but the Rookie of the Year chase is essentially over, as Paul has vaulted himself into the upper echelon of NBA guards with his brilliant playmaking. Thanks to his yeoman efforts, the otherwise talent-starved Hornets are making a surprising run at a playoff spot in the tough Western Conference.

ROOKIE BUST OF THE YEAR
Deron Williams, Jazz (PER 10.5)

I was tempted to vote Fran Vazquez of Orlando, since he didn’t even bother making the trip across the Atlantic, but in the end, Williams’s unrelenting mediocrity won me over.The Utah guard, selected one spot ahead of Paul with the third overall pick, recently joined the small fraternity of players who can say they lost their job to Milt Palacio.

DRAFT OF THE YEAR
New York Knicks

Okay, let’s throw Isiah a bone here. Well done,Zeke.The three first-rounders yielded three solid players, one of whom – forward Channing Frye – has a chance to be special. Now why can’t he be this smart when he makes trades?

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
LeBron James, Cavaliers (PER 28.9)

Yes, he’s been that good. In just his third year removed from high school,the Chosen One leads the NBA in PER,barely ahead of Kobe Bryant (28.8). Unlike Bryant, however, James’s teammates don’t want to strangle him, and the Cavs are nine games over .500 despite disappointing campaigns from free agent pick-ups Damon Jones, Donyell Marshall, and Larry Hughes.

The largely unrecognized excellence of the Clippers’ Elton Brand (27.9) has been duly noted in these quarters, making him a close second. Rounding out the top five are Miami’s Dwyane Wade (27.6), Dallas’s Dirk Nowitzki (26.7), and Bryant.

Mr. Hollinger is the author of the 200-06 Pro Basketball Forecast. He can be reached at jhollinger@nysun.com.