Henderson Voted Most Improved

A few months ago, Alan Henderson had never heard of Wally Pipp. He has now.

After getting a chance to start for the Atlanta Hawks when Christian Laettner was ill, Henderson grabbed the job, never let go and was chosen the NBA's most improved player Thursday.

"I was playing behind an All-Star forward," said Henderson, who averaged 17.8 points and 7.0 rebounds starting the final 33 games of the season. "I knew I would get a chance, but I didn't know when it would be or even if it would be here."

The break came when Laettner, who played in the 1997 All-Star game but struggled in the first half this season, came down with the flu before a Feb. 10 game at Milwaukee. Henderson stepped into the lineup and played 43 minutes, scoring 19 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.

The 6-foot-9 forward never relinquished the spot, b2olstering the Hawks with his energy, quickness and creativity around the basket.

"It's a funny thing," Henderson said. "If Laettner had not gotten the flu, I'd probably still be running around saying, `I can play. Give me a chance.'"

When Henderson started that first game at Milwaukee, he was asked if he knew about Pipp, the 1920s first baseman who left the New York Yankees lineup with a headache and was replaced by Lou Gehrig.

"I didn't know who Wally Pipp was," Henderson said. "I do now."

It was Henderson's own illness last season that put him in a position to improve so dramatically. After a promising rookie year and an outstanding training camp in 1996, Henderson contracted a mysterious illness that eventually was diagnosed as acute viral pancreatitis.

Henderson was so weak for a time that he couldn't eat or get out of bed. He lost 25 pounds before doctors diagnosed his condition, which kept him off the court for 51 games.

"When I got sick, I wasn't thinking too much about basketball," said Henderson, a first-round pick from Indiana in 1995. "I was just trying to get my strength back so I could do everyday things."

Henderson wound up averaging 6.6 points and 3.9 rebounds last season, but he didn't get back to full strength until this season. He averaged 14.3 points and 6.4 rebounds and shot 48.5 percent from the field this season, all career highs.

Henderson received 33 votes from a national panel of media members. Corliss Williamson of Sacramento was second with 25 votes and Donyell Marshall of Golden State> finished third with 24.

"He's worked as hard as anyone I've ever seen," Atlanta coach Lenny Wilkens said. "He was pretty sick for a while. It goes to show what dedication and hard work will do."

Early this season, Henderson endured more misfortune. A severely sprained ankle 21/2 weeks into the season kept him from playing in 13 games, but that only delayed his emergence.

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