Steve Nash must be taking lessons from David Copperfield. Because Nash winning the MVP this year is like Copperfield dating Claudia Schiffer.
It’s slight of hand and trickery—I just don’t see how Nash became a two-time MVP. I can’t help but feel like we’ve been duped as NBA fans.
Because Steve Nash as a two-time MVP is a farce.
This isn’t about Kobe, LeBron and Dirk anymore and if they should have won. It isn’t about personal attacks or who’s a better person. It isn’t about the merit of their seasons, what makes a team better, how much individual stats hold against team success, etc.
This is about the absurd notion forming that Steve Nash is one of, if not the best, point guards ever.
And if you don’t think that’s what’s happening, you need to realize that by Nash winning his second MVP Award, he just joined Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Tim Duncan as the only players to have won more than one MVP.
Nash has somehow done this without leading his team in scoring or being a game-altering threat to take over in the 4th quarter. He’s not even a lock to take the last shot in a tight game. Plus, he looks like Kelly Leak from the original Bad News Bears.
The strange thing is I like Steve Nash. I think he’s done wonders to change the pace and face of the NBA the past few seasons, reverting teams back to the 1980’s and early 90’s style of fast-tempo basketball. It’s what the NBA needed.
But Nash is no better than a handful of other NBA point guards who have been good, impressive and great—but never got to that level.
In a comparison provided by the good people at Basketball Reference.com, Nash is in a select company of solid and dependable point guards—but hardly the best ever. In fact, according to the website, Nash has only slightly better than a fifty percent chance to make the Hall of Fame. No other MVP has averaged fewer points since Wes Unseld in 1969. Yet he also became the only other point guard beside Magic Johnson to win back-to-back MVP’s.
Look at this group of point guards and their best seasons:
Steve Nash 2005: 15.5 points, 11.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds per game. He led the league in assists and shot 88.7% from the foul line. 2006: 18 points, 10.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds. He shot 92% from the free throw line and 43% from three point range, and led the league in assists.
John Stockton 1990: 17.2 points, 14.5 assists, 2.7 steals, 2.6 rebounds per game. Stockton led the NBA in assists from 1988-1996—but was never MVP, even though the Jazz routinely won and appeared in the playoffs. In ’90,
Kevin Johnson 1990: 23.9 points, 12.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds per game. Johnson shot 50% from the field that season. He routinely averaged a double-double in points and assists, basically from 1989-1996.
During that 1990 season, Johnson didn’t even get a vote for MVP; Stockton finished 9th to Magic Johnson. Nash is basically doing exactly what all point guards used to do—score and distribute. Heck, on occasion, some of them would even play defense.
The MLB A.L. MVP debate last year focused on the fact that David Ortiz was merely a hitter, while A-Rod played both parts of the game. While its obvious basketball and baseball are different sports; we also apparently have different basic criteria for MVP’s in general, because Nash doesn’t play any defense. Had Smush Parker not gone 7-37 over the last four games of the Lakers-Suns series, a national audience might have seen that Nash couldn’t guard a slow motion Ace Ventura when he’s pretending to play football at the asylum.
Here were the other candidates for MVP this season, who share similarities with MVP’s of the past:
Kobe Bryant, 2006: 35.4 points, 4.5 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals. Bryant won the scoring title.
Allen Iverson, 2001: 31.1 points, 4.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 steals per game. Iverson won the scoring title.
Michael Jordan, 1992: 30.1 points, 6.1 assists, 6.4 rebounds, 2.3 steals per game.
Obviously, throwing out all these stats isn’t going to change the outcome, and doesn’t prove or disprove anything.
But I can’t shake it—Nash is a current day John Stockton, Kevin Johnson, Isiah Thomas or Tim Hardaway who just joined a list of nine of the greatest players in NBA history.
The same guy who, at times during Phoenix’s Game 7 win over the Lakers Saturday, wasn’t even the most valuable guard on his own team, with Leandro Barbosa making us question why Nash had such a hard time earlier in the series. The same guy who has a two year scoring average of 16.7 points and plays some of the worst defense in the league. The same guy who is now in the same breath as Jordan, Bird and Magic.
For the past two months, I’ve been regretting the decision I made last December. Here I come, hat in hand, crawling back to the Lakers. If you don’t remember, in early December I proclaimed the life-long relationship between the Lakers and I was over in a post called "A Fan Breaks Up". I wanted out of my Sports relationship with the boys in purple and gold.
At the time, I gave a great big list of reasons why I was willing to part with them—why the team wasn’t mine anymore; despite the fact I’d been a Lakers fan since the days of Magic, Worthy, Kareem, Kurt Rambis and Byron Scott.
Was Kobe eroding my sense of team? Absolutely—I was at my wits end. But isn’t that the case throughout the NBA? Is Allen Iverson the true essence of team basketball? Or Kevin Garnett? How about Vince Carter? Better yet, does the NBA even have ‘the true essence of team basketball’ left? Maybe you could point to the Pistons, the Spurs and the Suns.
Twenty years ago, all the great teams were built around players that had superstars that played multiple facets of the game well. And then you had your role players—like Kurt Rambis, who filled the “Dirty White Forward Thug Enforcer” role brilliantly.
Now, it’s like NBA teams are built on a one-dimensional or two-dimensional superstar and a bunch of role guys. So when I look at what the Lakers have become, my team isn’t much different than about 90% of the league.
In December, I proclaimed I wanted to see them share the ball more like the Showtime Lakers did. Again, who am I kidding—that’s not happening in many places in the NBA today. I should just embrace my inner Y-league gunner and love the current version of the Lakers for who they are.
Was Mitch Kupchek’s Isiah-like GM prowess driving me mad and destroying my favorite team? Certainly. His draft abilities are worse than Rob Babcock. Let’s just say that Kupchek’s the kind of guy who can’t make a decision on paper or plastic, let alone which players to target in the free agency market. For goodness sakes, he nearly lost Kobe to the Clippers, back when they were still the Clippers in 2004.
The “support” staff for Kobe is going to make Bryant take a long walk off a short pier. Seriously, these guys are worse than The Replacements, yet they manage to win more than 50% of the time—which is a small miracle.
Maybe my problem and anger wasn’t necessarily at Kupchek; perhaps I’m lashing out because I believe there is no risk in these GM’s making bad business decisions—Kupchek will have this job until he leaves or really, REALLY screws up. Two years later, he’ll be hired in another city and will fondly be remembered as the architect of this team. Teams somehow forget all the previous bad decisions and less than mediocre management that is the true backbone of their resumes.
GM’s and coaches are recycled more than a milk carton—or a Marissa-Ryan break-up on The O.C.
So as disheartened as I was at the Lakers, the management and the direction of the team, I broke a cardinal rule—I turned my back on them when times were lean. I’m ashamed of myself, I’ve never done it before, and how could I do it now?
To get back in good graces and earn my penance, I’m confessing this Sports sin.
Look at it this way: having the gumption to stay loyal to your team is like a parent loving their child when they do something wrong. The key to any Sports relationship is loyalty. I forgot that; I ignored it as I was berating the Lakers over four months ago.
I’m keenly aware that Sports loyalty is largely a one way street. Owners change, players leave, arenas and stadiums don’t last forever—sometimes as fans, we’re pretty cruel as well. But sometimes, in some seasons, all we have are our jerseys, our hats, our memories. For some teams and franchises, that’s all they’ve had for their whole existence—so what am I complaining about, I should be proud that the Lakers were handed down to me.
Leaving the Lakers isn’t right—I’m just as guilty as anyone for “breaking-up” with my team because I didn’t like the way they played, who was on the roster or who was pulling the strings. It’s like leaving a girl because she cuts her hair, starts dressing differently and begins listening to classical music. Still the same girl--a little different, but still the same.
Just because my team changed their make-up, their uniforms and their style from what I like the most about them, doesn’t really give me an excuse to bail on ‘em.
So, forgive me, Lakers. I’m coming home—and I’ll never leave again.
Getting ready for
the second half of the NBA season should be considered a sport itself
in many ways. Unlike with baseball, which takes place in the middle of
the summer and leaves us with many distractions until games really
matter, basketball takes place in the middle of winter. The only thing
between us and the NBA playoffs is about four more weeks of winter, the
NCAA Tournament, the World Baseball Classic, the start of the MLB
season and golf.
In other words, there may be only 30 games left
in the season, but the second half of the NBA season is going to drag
out longer than a daytime soap opera subplot. Let's countdown the top five things that can, will or should happen in the NBA 2005-2006 season, Part Deux.
5. Behind the scenes action. It's often the stuff that happens behind the magic curtain, where NBA Commissioner David Stern plays Wizard of Oz
that the most interesting stuff happens. Right now, that includes the
NBA tinkering with the playoff format, allowing the teams with the best
records in each conference to be seeded properly, instead of having the
division runner-up which also has the second best record to be seeded
fourth overall. Winning the division will still get you in, it just
doesn't guarantee a home playoff series--which is a positive step.
Another item to watch is to see if more progresses in the coming months regarding the Sonics new arena, which, if not approved, could led to the Sonics moving (San Diego or Las Vegas, anyone?) in 2010. If you want a better read on David Stern, check out Bill Simmon's interview with him.
Stern's an average guy who loves basketball, but thinks globally and
even has his own language at times. He's not afraid to expand the
league again in a couple years or let any number of struggling
franchises move to cities excited about the prospect of having a team.
Stay tuned. Personally, I'm waiting for Stern to grow back the mustache
and the over the ears haircut.
4. The Trade Deadline. For
Isiah Thomas, it means his season is almost over. He might have to
focus more on his civil suit involving the woman who's accusing him of
sexual harassment.
The only thing left for Thomas to do is trade away his promising big
man, Channing Frye and the Slam Dunk Champion Nate Robinson to, say,
the Clippers for newly signed Vin Baker (more on this shortly).
For
teams and players that actually matter (which immediately negates the
Knicks and all those Nene trade rumors), the hottest gossip surround
Steve Francis and Paul Pierce. Does anyone, besides Isiah, think that
Stevie Franchise is a "good addition" to their team? If someone is
actually dumb enough to trade for him, they should immediately flush
their season. And someone probably will. That man will automatically
win my "Isiah Thomas Excellence in General Managing Award". Just yesterday, the Chicago Tribune reported that Tracy McGrady could be traded, as well as Allen Iverson. Neither of these things will or should happen. Here's why: i####'re Philadelphia, barely sitting at .500 and alive for a playoff spot, do you actually throw all that away? Iverson's going to bring something, but it will be a poor trade in terms of talent for talent. You lose your shot at being a competitive playoff team in the relatively weak Eastern Conference. If
you are Houston, is there any conceivable situation in which you'd part
with one of the league's top five players? No, none what-so-ever. The
Rockets made a steal a couple years ago in trading Francis for McGrady
anyway. Plus, if T-Mac is traded, it would expose Yao Ming for the
horrible fraud of an NBA center he is. It
will be a relatively quite trading deadline since the usual mover and
shaker Dallas Mavericks have good chemistry--and not even Mark Cuban
would mess with that.
3. The looming superstar injury. It's
going to happen, it always does. Doesn't Vegas keep odds on something
like this, it seems right up their alley. "Odds that Shaquille
O'Neal strains a muscle which will force him to sit for five weeks, get
grossly out of shape and thereby destroy Miami's pseudo chances for the
Eastern Conference title" would be a great running line in Vegas. It
would change every week and probably cause a couple fans in South Beach
to have strokes.
Here's my list of top contenders (besides Shaq,
who's always #1): The entire New Jersey Nets starting five, Jermaine
O'Neal, Kenyon Martin (if he isn't traded), Tim Duncan, Sam Cassell, Tracy McGrady and Pau Gasol.
If
you're outraged and completely disagree, well, hold on a second. Think
about it: Kidd comes down with something every season now, often twice
as he ages faster than Robin Williams in Jack.
Richard Jefferson has been hurt on and off and the king of "is it a
real injury or is he faking", the one and only Vince Carter. Jermaine
O'Neal often goes through key stretches of the season on the IR, which
makes me believe come late March, he'll be back there again. Same
with Sam Cassell. And Tim Duncan has been battling foot problems
quietly all season. T-Mac's going through some personal issues, so it
wouldn't surprise me if his back starts "hurting" again for the final
eight to ten weeks of the season.
2. Which pseudo contender bites the dust first?
If the Pistons, Heat, Mavericks and Spurs are the "legit" contenders in
the eyes of most, then who among the "pretender contender's" will bow
out not so gracefully? The argument could be made for many, including
those four teams. But within a month you'll find a team that looked
good all year all the sudden isn't exactly playing like the Hickory Huskers anymore.
The
Clippers might have just signed their death warrant with the stunning
acquisition of Vin Baker. This is typical Elgin Baylor. Or Donald
Sterling. What are the Clips thinking here? Even Isiah bailed on Baker.
The Clippers sit at 30-21, fourth best in the Western Conference,
fighting not only for an elusive playoff spot, but a home series at
that and they bring in Vin and Tonic? In 27 games with the Knicks and
Rockets (who cut him in training camp) last season, he scored a total
of 38 points.
Maybe they needed to make a documentary about it:
Vin and Out in L.A. I think with this sudden disturbing turn of events
and if Baker sees any serious minutes, this team slides into the
playoffs in the eight spot at best.
1. Which team dominates the second half like the Pistons (and the Mavericks) did the first?
I like Phoenix here for several reasons. Steve Nash is putting up
better numbers than he did last year when he won the MVP. The Suns are
35-17, just five games back of the West leading Mavs--and they've been
without one of the best players in the league all season.
But
when Amare Stoudamire returns, this team will just get better. Think of
how fresh he'll be for the playoffs, too. The schedule is more than
favorable, with just a handle or dozen games against teams that can
legitimately beat the Suns. Their second half schedule features just
two games against Dallas and San Antonio--including just one game
against Detroit and no games against Miami. It looks like Gonzaga's WCC
schedule. They had to beef it up with out of division/conference
opponents.
Now we're officially ready. Let's get the second half
of the season started! On second thought, I'll take an NBA nap, TiVO
the next Kobe 80 point game and see you in April for the playoffs.
