The New Jersey Nets have been the laughingstock of the Eastern Conference pretty much since the summer they joined the NBA and immediately sold Julius Erving to the 76ers.

They played in Piscataway before moving to East Rutherford, practiced at a trucking warehouse, piped in phony crowd noise and made it a yearly habit to miss the playoffs.

In just one season, Jason Kidd has changed all that.

The Nets have been atop the Eastern Conference all season, reaching 50 wins for the first time in the franchise’s NBA history while playing an uptempo, exciting brand of basketball that has allowed the Meadowlands to surpass Madison Square Garden as the current mecca of basketball in the New York metropolitan area.

A lack of injuries has plenty to do with New Jersey’s success, but the main reason has been the play of Kidd.

Ballots have already been sent out to NBA writers and broadcasters who vote on the Most Valuable Player and other awards. Although The Associated Press does not participate in official balloting, here are some choices for several awards.

MVP

Kidd, New Jersey Nets. Turned a team that won 26 games last season into one that had 51 victories entering this weekend. Won Player of the Week honors three times, posted eight triple-doubles and repeatedly hit clutch shots in the fourth quarters of tight games. Runners-up: Tim Duncan, San Antonio; Tracy McGrady, Orlando; Gary Payton, Seattle; Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers.

Coach of the year

Rick Adelman, Sacramento Kings. Guided a team that was without Chris Webber for 26 games and Peja Stojakovic for 11 games to the NBA’s best record, including a recent 6-0 road trip that ended much of the talk about the Kings being merely mediocre on the road. Runner-up: Rick Carlisle, Detroit.

Rookie of the year

Pau Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies. Leads all rookies in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and blocks, all while showing surprising durability for a skinny player who actually appeared physically overmatched early in the season. A dunk he threw down over Kevin Garnett was one of the best in the league all season. Runner-up: Richard Jefferson, New Jersey.

Executive of the year

Joe Dumars, Detroit Pistons. It’s hard to give anyone the nod over New Jersey’s Rod Thorn, who dealt Stephon Marbury for Kidd, but Dumars gets it anyway by virtue of making not one, but two trades that vastly improved his team. The deal bringing Clifford Robinson from Phoenix for Jud Buechler and John Wallace qualifies as larceny. Getting Jon Barry from Sacramento for Mateen Cleaves was a steal. Runner-up: Thorn.

Defensive player

Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons. Has blossomed into the most valuable big man in the East. If he holds off Tim Duncan for the rebounding title, he will become the first player shorter than 6-foot-10 to lead the league in blocked shots and rebounds. He also has more steals than every other forward except Karl Malone and Shawn Marion. Runner-up: Ron Artest, Indiana.