In my last post, I concluded by saying that I would soon explain why Kobe Bryant was not my MVP. It's an advertisement of sorts, one that is used commonly to bring people back. And, just like most advertisements, I use advertisements to advertise something else. "Advertising" aside, I concluded that an MVP argument is one that cannot be won. Why? Because every single sports fan, not just in basketball, but in baseball, football, hockey, and soccer, all have a different view as to what the Most Valuable Player is. This year, Steve Nash won the award for the second straight season, posing people to ponder to themselves. LeBron James had superior numbers, and led his team to comparable wins. Kobe Bryant had better numbers, and was arguably more valuable to his team. Dirk Nowitzki led his team to a better record. Chauncey Billups led his team to a better record than...well...everyone. So how is Steve Nash the MVP? How is the MVP Award handed out and judged? Here are some of the many viewpoints from which people judge the Most Valuable Player award:

   1. Best Player - To some, the MVP award is something that corresponds to how good a player is. To the best player in the NBA during a particular season. This year, it's hard to doubt that it was Kobe Bryant, who set an NBA record many thought would never be achieved, and redefined the way we think of scoring in the modern era. If the MVP award is to congratulate the NBA's best player, then Kobe Bryant wins it this year by a landslide.

   2. Player who ended off the season the best - Some people believe the MVP award is one to reward a player's clutch ability. The player who ends off the regular season playing the best in the NBA. In the second half of this years season, LeBron James averaged 10+ 4th Quarter PPG, hit 3 game winning shots, and scored 20+ points in the 4th Quarter on several occasions. He also ended off the season leading the Cavs to one of the best records in the East. If you define the MVP as the player who is best when it matters most, in the second half to a grueling NBA season LeBron James was head and shoulders above all.

   3. Player who is simply the most valuable - Probably the second most popular judgment process, which is strange because the award does stand for Most Valuable Player, meaning this should be the standard people use. However it's not, which can be a shame. This year, the argument can be made for Kobe Bryant or LeBron James here. Take either off their team, and the Cavs and Lakers are cave dwellers. Put them on their team, and they are playoff squads. You can't say that for Steve Nash, Dirk, or Chauncey. LeBron and Kobe were the most valuable to their teams

   4. Player who is most valuable on an elite team - For some reason, and no one is quite sure why, this is the choice NBA experts use in determining the MVP recipient. This year, the players on elite teams in the running were Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, and Chauncey Billups. With Billups, the Pistons still win 48 - 52 games, so he is automatically eliminated. It now comes down to the Canadian mop-head and German hockey player look-a-like.

This one is interesting, because besides Dirk, there are no other All Stars on the Dallas Mavericks. However, without Dirk, the Mavs still have enough talent to compete for 50 wins. Without Steve Nash however, the Suns struggle to make the playoffs. Yes they have Shawn Marion, but he has not been as valuable as most say. He benefits a ton off Nash, scoring 234 of 716 FGs this year off direct Nash assists. That's 1/3 of every FG Shawn Marion scores. Without Steve Nash, this Suns team is in the same position the Lakers, Hornets, Kings, and Jazz were this year: Fighting for their lives

   In conclusion, by using the common formula, Steve Nash was more valuable to the Suns than Dirk was to the Mavs. Without Dirk, the Mavs win 45+. Without Nash, the Suns win 45 games if a miracle comes along. Steve Nash won the MVP in the same way players have won it the last 20 years, as a player on a sub-par team hasn't won the MVP since 1982.

It will anger some people that guys like John Stockton, Scottie Pippen, Gary Payton, and Kobe Bryant haven't won MVP and Steve Nash has, but the bottom line is: MVPs are awarded by season. Ever year, someone has simply deserved it more than any of those players, and if you can't accept it because Steve Nash happens to look like a 46 year old hockey player, you need to go and watch another sport. Steve Nash is everything the game isn't today, and in a rare case, tat has actually turned into a great, great thing.

- KMart                                                            

Welcome everyone!!

This is Kevin Martell, and I'll be posting blogs that revolve around recent happenings in the NBA, and my personal opinons on such matters. I'm a junkie, a nut, and a big fan of anything basketball, and with the 06' Playoffs looming around the corner, I expect to be active in posting my thoughts.

Hopefully I help give everyone some insight on basketball, some entertainment, and some excessive blogging!

Thanks - KMart