<p>I’m tempted to say Steve Nash, but who needs 3 MVP awards? Haha. Dirk Nowitzki is a good candidate, but he has so much talent around him like Josh Howard, Jason Terry, and Jerry Stackhouse. Plus, his game’s one-dimensional (for a 7-footer, he sure plays substandard defense) and in the category of pure scoring in order to carry his team, Arenas has been better than him this season. So IMHO, it’s Arenas by a nose over Nash.</p>
<p>uh you’re saying that Nowitzki shouldn’t get the award because he is surrounded by talent? I agree that Nowitzki isn’t going to win, but by your line of logic, you may as well rule Nash and Arenas out of the MVP race too. Arenas has a load of scoring help from both Butler (21.1 PPG) and Jamison (18.9) so there’s no way you can say he has no “talent around him.” Nash has Marion and Stoudemire, not to mention key players like Barbosa, Diaw, and Bell. If you’re going to go by your standards, Kobe should be MVP. He is fourth in the league in scoring at 28.3 PPG, and the more amazing feat is the fact that he is also averaging eight fewer shots per game than last season. He is slowly becoming a very solid team player, turning his team of “no-names” into title contenders.</p>
<p>But I’m not going with Kobe or Arenas for MVP. I think Nash will win it again. Yes, I know no player has won it three times in a row, and I know that he has Stoudemire back this year, but you cannot deny these two facts: his stats are better than his previous two MVP seasons and the Suns are winning on a large scale. You could argue that Nowitzki and the Mavs are winning as well, but the truth is, Nash is a smarter and more selfless player. I know it sounds cliche now that ESPN says it so often, but Nash makes everyone around him better. Is it a coincidence that Stoudemire came back so successfully from arthoscopic knee surgery with Nash running the point? NO! Nash is the smartest player I have ever seen play. His shot selection is impeccable; he never throws up shots for the sake of it, he waits for Marion and Amare to position themselves in the post for the rebound in case he misses the jumper. And that’s IF he misses. He leads all guards in FG%, ten percentage points higher than Arenas. He’s blowing away the assists competition - leading the second in line by almost two assists a game. But the reason why Nash should win it again is his consistency - he will easily give you 20-25 points, 12-15 assists, and 7-10 FT attempts on any given night.</p>
<p>Nash is very deserving, but 3 mvps in a row is unprecedented, and that would place him among some of the all time greats. And he is not MJ level or anything. Is that fair…I dunno. I say Kobe or Arenas or Nowitizki. But how come my main man Bosh gets no love? Over 20 and 10, he is leading the awful raps to the top of the (pathetic) Atlantic. That is a huge accomplishment. Too bad Yao is out awhile this year, he is a freak and will be a great. He could have won with the pace he was at. But give it to Nowitzki, he is the best player on the best team, and will lead the Mavs to the championship (everyone knows they’ll win).</p>
<p>I’d say give it to Nash. If not only to inspire the next generation of NBA stars that you don’t need to throw up 35 shots every night to win the game. </p>
<p>On top of being the best offensive point guard in the game, Nash is also amazingly clutch in the final seconds as well.</p>
<p>avant-garde,</p>
<p>Nowitzki’s supporting cast is far superior to Arenas’. Nash makes everybody around him overachievers. Kobe (whom I forgot about) carries his untalented team. Nowitzki, while a great offensive player, doesn’t run his offense or play great defense. He just scores a lot on a team that scores a lot. That’s great, but not MVP, especially when compared to Arenas or Nash.</p>
<p>You have to remember that the award should be based on the current season.</p>
<p>Nash’s previous wins should not be considered when choosing this season’s MVP.</p>
<p>Then again, we’re all humans.</p>
<p>Nash, with Kobe a close second.</p>
<p>Would Howard have developed into the player he is today without Nowitzki? What would Terry’s game be without a big man who can punish inside and play the perimeter? PGs are usually looked upon as guys who run the system, or make others around them better. But I’d argue Nowitzki has a similiar impact. Even Shaq said he wants his kids to watch the Gehhman b/c he is the new type of big man in the NBA game; I wouldn’t call him one-dimensional. And Nash and Arenas ain’t exactly lighting it up with their defensive prowess.</p>
<p>If Nash keeps his good play up, HE WILL will his third straight MVP</p>
<p>All I know is, Gilbert better be in the damn All-Star game…</p>
<p>Karl - I don’t see how you can call Nowitzki a punishing inside presence. When he came into the league he was the softest big man I had ever seen. And, yeah, now he’s beefed up a little, but he still plays like a girl. That’s why the Mavs lost in the Finals last year. They had no one to outmuscle Alonzo on the inside. Dampier was solid defensively, but as far as an offensive inside presence? Nothing. Nowitzki is STILL the softest seven footer I know in the paint (not counting Bargnani, Biedrins, or any other rookies). He prefers to pull up and shoot the J, rather than taking it to the hole. Heck, Nash takes it to the hoop more strongly than Nowitzki.</p>
<p>Fact is, Nowitzki IS one dimensional. He is a poor passer, a weak ball handler, and he runs the floor in an extremely sluggish manner. I’m not going to knock him; he’s one of the purest shooters in the league and he’s definitely the most impressive big man in terms of range and shooting form. It’s just that I refuse to label him as a player who elevates his teammates to another level. Not to be insensitive, but if you double team a weak player, there’s always going to be someone open. You’re giving Nowitzki too much credit. You cannot say that he is a better floor general than Nash; you just can’t. Nash is the engine of a Porsche; people “ooh” and “ah” at the Suns’ run-and-gun style of play, but without Nash, the Suns would be nowhere.</p>
<p>But Nowitzki, Nash, Kobe, and Arenas are all very deserving of the MVP. Plus, when LeBron, Wade, and Anthony step it up, they’re going to be mentioned in the race as well. That’s what I love about the NBA; each of the above named players are essential to their teams in different ways, and you can’t knock their talent. It all just comes down to how you define what an MVP actually is.</p>
<p>Nowitzki is one-dimensional because he’s 7 feet tall but can’t play defense. Look at guys like Yao Ming or Kevin Garnett: these giants are offensive AND defensive machines. When you’re that big, dontcha kinda have to be? However, Dirk plays more like an oversized shooting guard, letting his size go to waste. I’m not saying that Dirk is a not a good player, because he’s one of the league’s best talents. But he’s not the heart and soul of his team like Steve Nash, nor is his team greatly dependent on him to carry the offensive load like Gilbert Arenas or Kobe Bryant. As I said before, he’s a great scorer on a high-scoring team. That gets a starting berth in the All-Star game, but the MVP’s for guys like Nash, Arenas, Bryant, or James.</p>
<p>Gilbert is like last year’s kobe. Gilbert for MVP??? Kobe wasn’t even considered a top candidate last year… why should gilbert be considered a top candidate? Kobe did the same thing if not better what gilbert is doing now.</p>