can dirk make a run at the MVP

[seelenjaeger]

Kobe isnt even close to beeing the 2nd best player in the league

[Hoopsmeister]

First, while quite a few people who know something about basketball do refer to Kobe as the second best player in the league, there are also quite a few who disagree. Kobe is a good player who benefits from playing with the #1 player in the league and from the NBA hype machine's desperate search for the 'next Jordan'. The real Jordan at 38-39 did a better job with his group of reserves than Kobe did with his when Shaq was out, and I don't think anyone would argue that Jordan is still a top-5 player.

Secondly, I don't think Dirk should be League MVP this year. I think that should go to Duncan or Shaq. I do think that Dirk should get 'consideration' and a few votes, but I would be shocked if he did win it this year. Next year--well, we'll see.

But with that said, I still don't think Iverson, McGrady, Pierce, et. al. should get any real consideration for MVP. None of them have been able to lift their team above the mediocrity of the Eastern Conference. If someone like Dirk is going to be 'punished' in MVP consideration because of the quality of his team-mates, then the various Easterners should definitely be punished for the lack of quality of their teams.

If the MVP is 'the best player on the best team' then it should go to Shaq with Duncan and Dirk getting the follow-up consideration (Webber should be disqualified because he missed 25% of the season).
If its 'the player every team would trade anyone on their roster for' its Shaq with Duncan as the runner-up.
If its 'the most popular player' then it should be Vince Carter even if he sits out the season.
If its 'the most important to his team' then even Andre Miller should get some consideration--can you imagine what that team would be like without him? But I don't buy the last anyway--why should the League MVP be determined by who's best to his individual team? It should be who's best in the League. Period. And that's Shaq or Duncan. Period.

[aexchange]

n/m.

[Epitome22]

<< Kobe isnt even close to beeing the 2nd best player in the league >>



That's because he's the best player in the league.

[grbh]

Here is an article by Mike Monroe of FoxSports ranking who he believes are the top MVP candidates.

Link

[Hoopsmeister]

ESPN Insider's MVP watch
Thursday, March 14 Updated 11:09 AM EST


Shaq is, was, will be.

The absolute best player in the NBA over the last four years despite being crowned only once by the league's PR machine.

Forget points per 48 minutes, shooting percentages in overtime and wins on the road during the vernal equinox. Talk all you want about triple-doubles, double-digit double-doubles and 7-footers shooting threes.

There are now rules on the book designed specifically to stop Shaquille O'Neal like there were to stop the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain to go along with unwritten script similar to Michael Jordan.

The Shaq Rules exist because Shaq Rules.

In January, Shaq tallied 26 points and 9.4 boards. In February, he tallied 28 points and 10.9 boards. In March, he is averaging 31 points and 11.3 boards. Last month, he averaged 58 percent shooting and 1.5 blocks. This month, he's shooting a biblical 66 percent from the field (76-114) and blocking 2.6 shots per game.

Shaq must be smelling new jewelry.

With one month to go, Jason Kidd simply can't, Kevin Garnett is running out of gas, Tim Duncan may open and close the postseason on the road and Chris Webber never got out of the gate with medical clearance.

Shame on us for taking this long to anoint O'Neal properly. For having to point out that this season, he's averaging fewer points (27 to 27.6), rebounds (10.9 to 12.3) and blocks (2.2 to 2.6), all the characteristics of great centers, than he has over his career and significantly less than his one MVP year (29.7 / 13.6 / 3).

But does any of it matter when his playoff numbers of 28.2 points and 12.7 rebounds on 56 percent shooting stand on their own? That's over over years and 105 playoff games and counting.

O'Neal averages almost 12 postseason games per season.

And just wait until next year and the years after that when he's backing down on Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler and Raef LaFrentz.

Shaq is bringing the league to its knees, busted toe and all, and we can only hope that this year's MVP Award isn't too little, too late.

The Top 10 Contenders

Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers
Numbers: 27.4 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 3.2 apg, 0.6 spg, 2.3 bpg, 58% shooting
See above.

Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
Numbers: 24.9 ppg, 12.8 rpg, 3.6 apg, 0.6 spg, 2.5 bpg, 49% shooting
He was already leading the entire league in rebounding, his own team in scoring by more that twice the next player and the Spurs to a seven-game win streak that saw them blow out teams by an average of 14.7 points. What's next? He's currently working on a 56 percent shooting clip (69-122) for the month.

Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets
Numbers: 14.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 9.9 apg, 2.2 spg, 0.2 bpg, 37% shooting
Sentimentality only goes so far. Twice, Kidd had the ball and the shot to win the game against the Raptors and twice he barely scratched the rim and watched as, first, Lucious Harris grabbed the offensive board and put back, and, then, Kenyon Martin grabbed the offensive board and put back. This only added to his 3 of 18 night, 3 for 10 the game before and 37 percent shooting for the entire season. As the Nets' Eastern Conference lead shrinks, their Western Conference record continues to stink. Their recent 0-4 WC swing puts them at 14-10 for a 58 percent win tally. Last year, the Suns won 62 percent of their games. To top it all off, Kidd's career numbers of 14.1 ppg, 9.4 apg and 40 percent shooting aren't much different than his numbers this year. Nice try. But Eastern Conference success is just that.

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Numbers: 25.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.9 apg, 1.5 spg, 0.4 bpg, 47% shooting
His numbers continue to level as Shaq flexes, but another game against the Pacers could fix all that.

Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves
Numbers: 21.1 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 5.5 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.6 bpg, 46% shooting
On March 8, KG scored four points in 43 minutes as the Wolves lost by five to the Suns to add to what would become a five-game losing skid (and counting) to fall five games behind division-leading Dallas. And we hate to toss salt, but that marked the second game in a row that KG failed to reach the free-throw line despite shooting the ball 33 times.

Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
Numbers: 23.9 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.9 spg, 1 bpg, 47% shooting
Guess who was five points shy of having the best record in the entire NBA Wednesday night? You know he can score, you know he can board. But Nowitzki has tallied nine steals and six blocks during the Mavs' current five-game winning streak while still shooting 6 of 16 from three-point range. KG may have found his competition.

Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
Numbers: 26.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.7 spg, 1.1 bpg, 43% shooting
After shooting 4 of 5 from three-point range in the third quarter of Wednesday night's win against the Nets, Pierce pushed the Celtics to within three games of the Eastern Conference lead. So is it any wonder that he's also the No. 3 scorer in the league, No. 3 three-point shooter (409 attempts) and No. 3 three-point maker (159 makes), with long-range games of 5 of 8, 5 of 9, 6 of 9, 7 of 9 and 8 of 12.

Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers
Numbers: 31.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.5 apg, 2.7 spg, 0.2 bpg, 39% shooting
He talked the talk about the Nets, now he's walking it. In his last seven games, he's scored 263 points, never fewer than 28 and four times more than 40 for an average of 37 in the month of March, as the Sixers climb back into postseason office pools.

Gary Payton, Seattle Super Sonics
Numbers: 22 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 9.1 apg, 1.7 spg, 0.3 bpg, 46% shooting
Simply wine. You already know that this future Hall-of-Fame point guard is averaging more assists than any other season in his career playing the third-most minutes of his 12-year stint. But recognize that he's also committing the fewest turnovers per game in seven years as he pushes and pulls the Sonics into the postseason.

Tracy McGrady, Orlando Magic
Numbers: 25 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 5.1 apg, 1.5 spg, 0.9 bpg, 44% shooting
Wednesday night's 47-minute masterpiece (35 points, 8 boards, 8 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 50 percent shooting) aside, T-Mac may have hit the tarmac. So far in March, he's shooting 40 percent from the field with declines in his rebounding, assists and steals after soldiering the Magic into playoff competition the entire season. Perhaps we may have never known so quickly how good this kid really was without the injury to Grant Hill. But that same injury may keep us from seeing how good he can ultimately really be for quite awhile.

Dropped out: Michael Jordan

[TheKid]

Thanks Meister, good read.

[mavs_afroman]

I think that Duncan deserves it because he gets no help. Without him they're not even a .500 team.

Shaq and Dirk are the runners up. If you take away Shaq from the Lakers they become the Sixers with no Mutombo. Take away Dirk and you still have too all-stars left but the both do the same thing, score. Dirk deserves serious MVP consideration because the Mavs would be lacking in so many different areas. He's the most reliable scoring option. He's the best rebounder and sadly enouch for a while he was our best defender around the basket especially in big games.

Kidd always makes everyone on his team better but hasn't shown the ability to take over a game by himself so he's not in the top three.

[Big Boy Laroux]

kidd also has the ability to disappear from a game, especially with his shooting. 1-16? great shooter! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]