div align = "center" MASON REDD VAN EXEL JACKSON WILLIAMSON PPG - SEASON 13.4 15.7 12.8 11.8 11.6 RPG 6.7 4.8 3.1 3.1 4.2 APG 1.3 1.5 4.9 1.8 1.2 MPG 32.9 29.3 27.9 24.7 23.7 FG % .436 .465 .404 .422 .419 PPG - WEEK 9.5 16.7 5.0 10.5 14.8 RPG 5.0 6.7 6.3 4.0 3.3 APG 0.8 1.7 3.0 2.5 1.3

Michael has been “Redd” hot lately. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE

THE SKINNY
With the holidays, a short week for many players, though both Desmond Mason and Corliss Williamson had four-game weeks. Making the charge this week was Milwaukee’s Michael Redd. After just nine points against Memphis, he dropped back-to-back 20-point efforts. Redd dominated against Orlando on the 23rd, scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 boards. Williamson also continued his charge, scoring double-figures in three of four games and upping his field goal percentage again.

On the other side of the ledger, Mason continued his late-December slump. He shot less than 32% from the field during the week and had just five points against Toronto on Thursday. Mason built up quite a Sixth Man lead in the early part of the season, but will have to rediscover his touch to maintain it. Nick Van Exel also dropped this week, scoring just two points in a two-game stretch. He rebounded with a 13-point, 11-rebound campaign against New Orleans but still had a poor week. Stephen Jackson essentially stayed in neutral in a short, two-game week. He had 17 against Washington, but just four against the Hornets – who played three of the five top Sixth Man candidates this week.

Stephen Jackson doing what he does best. Andrew D. Berenstein/NBAE

THE SCOUTING REPORT -
STEPHEN JACKSON, G/F, SAN ANTONIO
San Antonio Spurs guard Stephen Jackson did something he doesn't normally do on Wednesday night when the Spurs took on the Seattle SuperSonics: he started. Though Jackson started two games earlier this season when the Spurs usual starter at shooting guard, Steve Smith, was sidelined, this was different because Jackson started over Smith. Though Jackson said after the game that he had not been told the reason for his promotion, Coach Gregg Popovich made it clear to the media, telling them, “I just want to try to find Timmy (Duncan) some help.”

That’s exactly what Jackson has been doing all season long. After falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of last season’s playoffs, the Spurs made it a goal to get more offense from the backcourt. In order to do that, they picked up Speedy Claxton in a trade with Philadelphia and brought Emanuel Ginobili, their 1999 second-round pick, to the US. However, Claxton has been sidelined for all but three games by a sprained knee and Ginobili was off to a slow start before spraining his ankle. The injuries opened the door for Jackson, and he’s taken full advantage. The third-year guard is averaging 11.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while shooting 42.5% (37% from three) and playing 24.3 minutes a night.

That production is a dramatic improvement from last season, when Jackson was buried on the Spurs bench. He played just 227 minutes over 23 games. The difference this year? “I understand the system better,” Jackson says. The adjustment to the disciplined style of Popovich and the Spurs was a big one for a player coming from the downtrodden New Jersey Nets - especially for a player just 23 years old (now 24) and with limited NBA experience after entering the 1999 NBA Draft directly out of Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, the high school juggernaut Jackson starred at.

Because Jackson played on an also-ran Nets team and saw limited playing time last year, casual NBA fans are just beginning to gain an appreciation for his skills. Games like his 17-point, 9-rebound effort against Dallas on ESPN earlier this month are helping him get the word out. “The recognition will come if I play well,” he says philosophically. Jackson also demurs when asked to compare himself to other sixth men. “I’ll leave that to the coaches and scouts,” he insists. Right now, their opinion is clear - Jackson is a rising young player in the NBA.

WHY HE’LL WIN THE SIXTH MAN AWARD
The best thing Jackson has in his favor is visibility. In addition to his performance against Dallas, Jackson had 18 points and eight rebounds against Sacramento last week as the Spurs handed the Kings their first home loss on TNT. As noted, the Spurs have been looking for more offense from shooting guard and Jackson is a similar player to Derek Anderson, who helped San Antonio to the league’s best regular-season record during the 2000-01 season. He’ll get his points.

WHY HE WON’T WIN THE SIXTH MAN AWARD
Jackson has a reputation as being one-dimensional and weak on defense, meaning he’ll need to dramatically outscore players with better defensive reps like Mason to win – and so far he isn’t. Jackson has been starting recently and could stay in the position – or could lose his minutes altogether if Ginobili plays well when he gets healthy.

ABOUT THE SIXTH MAN AWARD
Most recent winner: Corliss Williamson, Detroit (complete list of winners)

No Sonic has ever won the Sixth Man Award, though several honorees have played for the Sonics (Eddie Johnson, Ricky Pierce, and Detlef Schrempf). The best Sonic finish was by current Coach Nate McMillan, who placed second during the 1993-94 season to Charlotte’s Dell Curry.

Eligibility: In order to be eligible for Sixth Man voting, a player must come off the bench for more games than he starts in.

PAST SIXTH MAN CENTRALS