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kriD · 04-16-2006, 06:42 AM

MVP RACE: WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

By Dwain Price
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Roscoe Nance, USA Today: This is the toughest MVP call that I've had to make since I've been covering the league. But [Steve] Nash gets my vote because the Suns were left for dead when they lost [Amare] Stoudemire to injury and Nash has them at the top of their division with a re-made roster from a year ago.

Mitch Lawrence, New York Daily News: This is a classic case of a superstar who makes lesser players around him better. [Dirk] Nowitzki carried the Mavs in a seasonlong battle for Western Conference supremacy against the deeper and more talented Spurs. Dallas fell short for the top spot, but the Mavs were still 2-2 vs. San Antonio, and 11-7 overall against division leaders, winning nine of their first 10 games. We don't know how far the Mavs can go in the postseason, but, contrary to public opinion, that's not considered in the MVP evaluation. What we do know is that Nowitzki made Dallas a championship contender this season -- for the first time ever.

Joe Juliano, Philadelphia Inquirer: While I have a lot of admiration for how significant the contributions of Nash and Nowitzki were for their teams, I feel [LeBron] James didn't have as much to work with in Cleveland and practically strapped the team to his back after the All-Star break. I've been very impressed with his ability to play the all-around game, something I didn't give him much credit for when he entered the league.

Marty Burns, Sports Illustrated: No player in the NBA has been as valuable to his team this season -- while also leading them to title contention -- as Nash.

Ron Tillery, Memphis Commercial Appeal: Nash's credentials are just too much to overcome for Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, San Antonio's Tim Duncan, the L.A. Clippers' Elton Brand and Cleveland's LeBron James.

Frank Hughes, The (Tacoma) News Tribune: I feel like a guy who scored 81 in a game, is one of only a handful of players in league history to average 35 points, broke the franchise record for 40-point games, and has taken that moribund [Lakers] crew to the playoffs deserves MVP.

Phil Jasner, Philadelphia Daily News: All I know is, the Suns, despite fading a bit recently, have stayed right near the top despite missing [Amare] Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas. I know it's easy to say it's the system that makes it work, but the guy driving the limo is Nash.

Jason Quick, The Oregonian: 1. Steve Nash, Phoenix. Quite simply, he makes everyone around him better, which makes him invaluable to a team. The emergence of Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and James Jones is a testament to Nash, who makes the Suns engine purr.

David DuPree, USA Today: I think James has had the biggest impact of anyone on a good team. He always seems to make the right decisions and the right plays, says the right things and plays the right way. Not only is he the MVP, but I think he is the best player in the league, as well.

Israel Gutierrez, Miami Herald: LeBron has done more for his team than any other player in the league, despite the loss of Larry Hughes for most of the year. And if you look at how his team struggles statistically with him off the court, there's no question he elevates his team more than any other MVP candidate.

The informal vote

How the MVP race is shaking out, according to an informal Star-Telegram survey of more than a third of the voting field:

1ST 2ND 3RD
Steve Nash
14 _ 17 _ 4
Dirk Nowitzki
13 _ 6 _ 9
LeBron James
8 _ 8 _ 11
Chauncey Billups
6 _ 4 _ 9
Kobe Bryant
3 _ 7 _ 8
Elton Brand
0 _ 1 _ 2
Dwyane Wade
0 _ 1 _ 0
Tim Duncan
0 _ 0 _ 1

The voting

The voting for the annual NBA awards can be complex. One hundred twenty-seven votes are cast in each category, with votes coming from print, radio, TV and Internet media who cover the NBA. Three media members from each of the league's 30 markets vote on each award, accounting for 90 of the votes. The names of those media members are given to the NBA public relations department by the public relations directors in the respective NBA cities. In the case of large media markets such as New York, the public relations director will break up the ballots, meaning some media members will vote in only two or three categories. The other 37 votes in each category come from NBA beat writers, such as Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram, and representatives of Sports Illustrated, TNT, ABC, ESPN, Sporting News and ESPN.com. The NBA will announce the winners of its annual postseason awards throughout the playoffs, which begin Saturday.

04-16-2006, 06:42 AM	#83
kriD Platinum Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Germany Posts: 2,039	MVP RACE: WHAT THEY'RE SAYING By Dwain Price Star-Telegram Staff Writer *Roscoe Nance, USA Today:* This is the toughest MVP call that I've had to make since I've been covering the league. But [Steve] Nash gets my vote because the Suns were left for dead when they lost [Amare] Stoudemire to injury and Nash has them at the top of their division with a re-made roster from a year ago. *Mitch Lawrence, New York Daily News:* This is a classic case of a superstar who makes lesser players around him better. [Dirk] Nowitzki carried the Mavs in a seasonlong battle for Western Conference supremacy against the deeper and more talented Spurs. Dallas fell short for the top spot, but the Mavs were still 2-2 vs. San Antonio, and 11-7 overall against division leaders, winning nine of their first 10 games. We don't know how far the Mavs can go in the postseason, but, contrary to public opinion, that's not considered in the MVP evaluation. What we do know is that Nowitzki made Dallas a championship contender this season -- for the first time ever. *Joe Juliano, Philadelphia Inquirer:* While I have a lot of admiration for how significant the contributions of Nash and Nowitzki were for their teams, I feel [LeBron] James didn't have as much to work with in Cleveland and practically strapped the team to his back after the All-Star break. I've been very impressed with his ability to play the all-around game, something I didn't give him much credit for when he entered the league. *Marty Burns, Sports Illustrated:* No player in the NBA has been as valuable to his team this season -- while also leading them to title contention -- as Nash. *Ron Tillery, Memphis Commercial Appeal:* Nash's credentials are just too much to overcome for Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, San Antonio's Tim Duncan, the L.A. Clippers' Elton Brand and Cleveland's LeBron James. *Frank Hughes, The (Tacoma) News Tribune:* I feel like a guy who scored 81 in a game, is one of only a handful of players in league history to average 35 points, broke the franchise record for 40-point games, and has taken that moribund [Lakers] crew to the playoffs deserves MVP. *Phil Jasner, Philadelphia Daily News:* All I know is, the Suns, despite fading a bit recently, have stayed right near the top despite missing [Amare] Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas. I know it's easy to say it's the system that makes it work, but the guy driving the limo is Nash. *Jason Quick, The Oregonian:* 1. Steve Nash, Phoenix. Quite simply, he makes everyone around him better, which makes him invaluable to a team. The emergence of Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and James Jones is a testament to Nash, who makes the Suns engine purr. *David DuPree, USA Today:* I think James has had the biggest impact of anyone on a good team. He always seems to make the right decisions and the right plays, says the right things and plays the right way. Not only is he the MVP, but I think he is the best player in the league, as well. *Israel Gutierrez, Miami Herald:* LeBron has done more for his team than any other player in the league, despite the loss of Larry Hughes for most of the year. And if you look at how his team struggles statistically with him off the court, there's no question he elevates his team more than any other MVP candidate. The informal vote How the MVP race is shaking out, according to an informal Star-Telegram survey of more than a third of the voting field: 1ST 2ND 3RD Steve Nash 14 _ 17 _ 4 Dirk Nowitzki 13 _ 6 _ 9 LeBron James 8 _ 8 _ 11 Chauncey Billups 6 _ 4 _ 9 Kobe Bryant 3 _ 7 _ 8 Elton Brand 0 _ 1 _ 2 Dwyane Wade 0 _ 1 _ 0 Tim Duncan 0 _ 0 _ 1 The voting The voting for the annual NBA awards can be complex. One hundred twenty-seven votes are cast in each category, with votes coming from print, radio, TV and Internet media who cover the NBA. Three media members from each of the league's 30 markets vote on each award, accounting for 90 of the votes. The names of those media members are given to the NBA public relations department by the public relations directors in the respective NBA cities. In the case of large media markets such as New York, the public relations director will break up the ballots, meaning some media members will vote in only two or three categories. The other 37 votes in each category come from NBA beat writers, such as Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram, and representatives of Sports Illustrated, TNT, ABC, ESPN, Sporting News and ESPN.com. The NBA will announce the winners of its annual postseason awards throughout the playoffs, which begin Saturday.