A sampling of voters for the NBA's postseason awards indicates Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest will be named Defensive Player of the Year.
Votes are not due until Thursday, but a poll of 24 voters showed Artest as the first choice on 19 ballots. A total of 127 media members vote on the award.
Artest was runner-up last season to Detroit's Ben Wallace.
He would become the first Pacer to receive the award.
Artest appears likely to be the only Pacers player to win a major performance award.
Al Harrington is in contention for Sixth Man of the Year honors but ranks behind Dallas forward Antawn Jamison in the early balloting.
Jermaine O'Neal has received mention in the voting for Most Valuable Player, but Minnesota's Kevin Garnett appears to be the winner. O'Neal, a third-team all-NBA selection the past two seasons, appears to be a second-team selection this year.
Rick Carlisle, who was voted Coach of the Year two years ago, has received votes for the award again, but Utah's Jerry Sloan and Hubie Brown of Memphis are the leading contenders.
League's leading men
Coach of the Year
An informal poll of 24 reporters who cover the league regularly - 13 from the Western Conference and 11 from the East - showed that Utah's Jerry Sloan had an edge over Hubie Brown of Memphis for the coaching honor.
Sloan received 14 first-place votes, Brown got eight, one was split, and there was one abstention. The point totals, on a 3-2-1 basis, showed Sloan with a 60 to 50 lead over Brown.
The voting also indicated that what has transpired in Milwaukee this season has gone largely unnoticed nationally as Bucks coach Terry Porter received only two second-place votes and six third-place votes to finish a distant third. Miami's Stan Van Gundy was fourth.
Most Valuable Player
Minnesota's Kevin Garnett was a unanimous MVP choice, with Tim Duncan second, Jermaine O'Neal third, Kobe Bryant fourth and Shaquille O'Neal fifth.
Rookie of the Year
Cleveland's LeBron James was a near unanimous choice as the league's top rookie, with Carmelo Anthony second and Dwyane Wade third. In the league's balloting in the past, though, this race has turned out to be a tie twice - Jason Kidd and Grant Hill in 1994; and Elton Brand and Steve Francis in 1999. Why promote one player when you can promote two?
All-NBA First Team
In the all-pro balloting, Garnett and Duncan were unanimous choices for the first team with Shaquille O'Neal a near-unanimous choice. Bryant and Jason Kidd rounded out the first team.
All NBA Second Team
The second team consisted of Jermaine O'Neal, Peja Stojakovic, Ben Wallace, Baron Davis, and Tracy McGrady.
All-NBA Third Team
The third team was comprised of Sam Cassell, Paul Pierce, Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, and Ron Artest.
Most Improved Player
Portland's Zach Randolph edged Cleveland's Carlos Boozer for most improved player, with Milwaukee's Michael Redd finishing a distant third.
Executive of the Year
Memphis' Jerry West won executive of the year by more than a two-to-one margin over anyone else
All-Rookie First and Second Team
The first all-rookie team was comprised of unanimous choices James, Anthony, Wade and Chris Bosh, along with Kirk Hinrich.
Milwaukee's T.J. Ford was the top vote-getter for the second team that also included Udonis Haslem, Josh Howard, Jarvis Hayes, and Raul Lopez
A couple of my predictions might actually come true this time. 
, and I totally forgot about Ron Artest