SECAUCUS, NJ, Jan. 24, 2006 -- Time to celebrate. We have reached the midway point of the regular season, a perfect time to honor the best of the 2006-07 campaign to date. NBA.com's experts expound on their mid-season picks for the six major awards, as well as another eight "best of" categories.

Ben Wallace has won four of the last five Defensive Player of the Year awards, but those all came in a Detroit uniform. Somehow, less than 300 miles away in Chicago, Big Ben is off our DPOY radar this season.

Maurice Brooks:
Sure, Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony get all of the headlines in Denver, but while the dynamic duo is dropping buckets, Marcus Camby is the one handling all of the dirty work. Health is always an issue, but you can’t get much better than the 2.85 blocks and 12.7 rebounds per contest.

Jeff Dengate:
Based solely on his play in a Jan. 12 win over the Knicks, I’d lean toward giving Emeka Okafor the Defensive Player of the Year award. In 42 minutes, Okafor swatted a franchise-record 10 shots, pulled down nine boards and tallied three steals, to go with 20 points. Okafor, however, has been solid the rest of the season as well, ranking second in the league in blocks (2.95) and sixth in rebounding (11.3 rpg). In addition, Okafor is pulling down a league-high 3.9 boards on the offensive end each night.

John Hareas:
Kevin Garnett is the NBA’s leading rebounder and swatting two shots per game, yet amazingly has never won top defensive honors in his career, which should change in a few months.

Dave McMenamin:
How can a team that is 24th in the league giving up 102.5 points per game boast the Defensive Player of the Year? Well, only if his defense allowed his team’s offense to be No. 1 in the league with a 111.4 points per game average. Shawn Marion is sixth in the league with 2.1 steal per game average to go with 8.0 defensive boards and 1.5 blocks per game. The Matrix is like a defense in football that not only shuts down the other team, but returns interceptions for touchdowns. Marion is Phoenix’s do-it-all defender and allows them to play at a frenetic pace on offense because he’ll make just enough plays on D every game to keep the Suns tough to keep pace with in the run-and-gun.

Rob Peterson:
Emeka Okafor, the 2005 Rookie of the Year had a completely forgettable 2006. This year, he's making us forget his 2006. Okafor has returned for his injury plagued sophomore season with a vengeance and its opponents who a paying the price. At nearly three blocks per game, Okafor erases a lot of his teammate's mistakes near the rim, everything a good shot blocker should do. While the Bobcats are far from being a great team, Okafor has emerged as the premier defender in the NBA.

Chris Rosenbluth:
Emeka Okafor’s game begins and ends on the defensive end. He could never score another point and still start at the five for almost every team in the league. He’s quick, strong and capable of guarding anyone from Shawn Marion to Yao Ming. He consistently changes shots, and manages to block almost three a game. Throw in his 11.1 rpg, and the case becomes a little more clear. Get used to seeing him win this award year in and year out.

John Schuhmann:
Emeka Okafor has been put on a couple of posters this season, but there's still nobody better right now at keeping his opponents away from the basket. Proceed at your own risk.