Who ya got?
The whole MVP debate has gotten almost tiring but one must admit that this year is more compelling than most, in that there are so many deserving candidates. The ESPN folks had it down to between Kobe and Nash, but if I had a vote it would go to LeBron. I wish I could make an argument for Chauncey, but I just can't. The fact that he is getting mentioned in the discussion means he is getting the credit he deserves as one of the finest players in the league, but he doesn't control the game the way the other guys do. Granted, he doesn't have to, due to the overall excellent of the Pistons' roster, but if you swapped him with LeBron, the Pistons would have just as many wins (if not more) and Cleveland many fewer.
LB vs. Kobe is easy to me. Even though I hate Kobe with the best of them, you have to acknowledge he had a crazy year. But the whole lack of teamwork bothers me. LeBron's sustained excellence in many categories trumps Kobe's 50 points and one assist shit. Plus people argue that Kobe has done so much with so little. Once Larry Hughes went down, LeBron sure didn't have anyone better than Lamar Odom to run with. And he ended up with the better record. Plus, Kobe's playing for the best coach this side of Chuck Daly and LeBron's burning with a rookie on the bench.
Lebron vs. Steve is maybe a bit tougher, except for the fact that the Suns have a lot of talent, even if nobody acknowledged that before the season. Not a knock on Nash, but he's playing with an arguably first team all-NBA forward, plus many role players who fit into a well-designed system. Now the system doesn't run right without the point guard and Nash has been a revelation. But again, trade him and LeBron and the anti-war Canadian doesn't win 50 with the Cleveland roster and I like James running with the D'Antoni guys.
Honorable mention to DWade, who got a little banged up towards the end. He absolutely terrifies me.
posted by Ironwood Flash at
4:12 PM
6 Comments:
I should not have left Dirk out of the discussion--what a year! I'll still go with LeBron, though.
By
Ironwood Flash, at 5:12 PM
My vote is for Dirk actually. Only 3 teams with 60 wins and he leads one of them. His skills are unreal. Is his supporting cast really that much better than Nash's in Phx? Terry and Howard are fine players and Howard may one day be excellent. But neither of them come close to Marion (who by the way would be a fine MVP choice in his own right). Chauncey has all those great guys around him. Duncan was not himself this year. So, I go for Dirk with apologies to LeBron. LBJ will win it soon enough. I think there are 6 worthy guys and my ballot would look like this:
Dirk
Lebron
Kobe
Nash
Billups
Marion
I'm taking Dallas to emerge from the West.
By
Knick33, at 6:09 PM
First thing, I find it a little amazing how scantly Tim Duncan’s name is popping up in the various MVP discussions. We’ve just come to take for granted how good he is, that when he has a “down year” --- for him --- it’s suddenly no longer impressive. But the Spurs won 63 games and had the best record in the Western Conference (a conference where the eight seed finished 6 games ABOVE .500, mind you), and the Spurs are clearly Duncan’s team. Trade Tony Parker for half a dozen point guards around the league, and the Spurs don’t miss a beat --- for real. Ginobilli sucked this year.... OK, Duncan doesn’t finish in my MVP top five either, but he certainly warrants a place in the discussion at least as much as Chauncey Billups, for example. (And that by no means is meant to disrespect Chauncey or any Detroit Piston, but the team’s strengths are not individual greatness.)
Also, it drives me crazy how much the MVP discussions in recent years have turned into debates about who plays with worse teammates. It first bothered me when it came up incessantly during the KG-TD debate in ’02-’03. Maybe it’s been around forever. But Jordan didn’t become less valuable as Pippen got better. Magic played with Kareem and Worthy, Bird with McHale and Parish. Granted, he’s no Mike, Magic or Larry, but I don’t think Nash should be penalized for playing alongside Marion, nor should Kobe get bonus points for playing with guys named Smush and Kwame. “Valuable” is making the most of what you got.
All this being said, LeBron James is my MVP for one simple reason: His versatility on both ends of the court means he has an impact, a positive one, every time he steps on the court, and in a number of different ways. He elevates his teammates, he shuts down his opponents, and he can become a one-man scoring machine when he needs to. The team won 50 games for the first time in more than a decade, improving by eight games over last year.
Although there ain’t no award for Second Most Valuable Player, the top also-rans in my mind are Nash, Dirk, Wade, and as much as I hate to say it, Kobe.
By
jLev, at 9:53 AM
I'm going w/LeBron. I'd actually give it to Wade if he'd played more this year, but he didn't. In fact, the Diggler would be my number 2, followed by the Lil Canadian, Wade, and Duncan. No votes for the Black Mamba from the me-Wolves...
By
Jason N, at 11:03 AM
A three way with Bird and magic sounds kinky but weird
By
The Green, at 4:03 AM
LeBron
Dirk
Nashy
JLev, it is truth you speak on the stupid who was worse teammates debate.
By
The Green, at 4:08 AM
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