Nash is MVP so far this year?

[Jimcs50]

The WC MVP so far this year is not Kobe, not TD, not KG, but IMO is Steve Nash of the Suns. Last year the Suns were horrible and since they picked up Nash, they have taken off and have become one of the favorites to win the WC this year.

Look what Nash has done for Amare Stodemire and Shawn Marion this year. Amare who has been a good player who always seemed to fall short of his potential the last couple of years is playing his best bball ever, and all you Stoudemire haters even have to admit that he has arrived and is one of the top players in the league. Marion is having his best year as well. It is no coincidence that Nash arrived just before these two players have their breakout seasons. Nash makes every player better, if you can not hit a shot that Nash creates for you, you just plain can not hit shots. Nash is averaging over 11 assists and still is scoring over 15 pts on 56% shooting, with only a little over 3 TOs/game in a style of play where he is handling the ball 90% of the time and with the team running at every opportunity and having over 80 shots/game.

If Phoenix wins the Pacific by the margin I think they will, and Nash continues on this pace, it would be an injustice if Nash did not get huge consideration for the MVP.

NAME GP GS MIN PTS OFF DEF TOT AST STL BLK TO A/TO PF TECH
A. Stoudemire 13 13 36.5 26.0 3.3 5.8 9.1 1.0 0.85 2.00 2.3 0.43 3.1 0.3
S. Marion 13 13 39.4 20.3 3.2 9.1 12.3 2.2 1.62 2.00 1.2 1.81 2.5 0.0
S. Nash 13 13 34.2 15.7 0.4 2.7 3.1 11.2 1.15 0.00 3.5 3.24 2.4 0.0

[ducks]

dude amare finnlay gotr a point guard

he had rookie ones last year

nash should get consideration
but it already seems to me that james has it
everywhere you turn
how great james is and there are alot of east votes

[Jimcs50]

Cleveland might improve by a couple of games but they will not be much better and probably will not even make playoffs. There is no way that James gets MVP. Shaq is out too because Orlando will win that division.

[ducks]

I agree cavs have to win the divsion

I see cavs falling in second half
james is having to carry to much right now and it will catch up

I would not mind nash getting it if duncan does not
it would do good for the suns and the valley

amare most improved player of the year?

[Jimcs50]

I agree cavs have to win the divsion

I see cavs falling in second half
james is having to carry to much right now and it will catch up

I would not mind nash getting it if duncan does not
it would do good for the suns and the valley

amare most improved player of the year?


It will be betw Manu and Amare. If Manu continues to get better and better and can average close to 20/game, and the Spurs win the division going away, then Manu has a chance.

[Manu20]

Amare last year average 20 ppg and this year he is averaging 26 ppg and I think he would not average that the whole season because PHX has too many weapons offensively. IMO he will average around 23 ppg a game and that is not that much of an improvement of 20ppg.

Now if Manu can average around 17 to 18 points and 5rb 5assist a game then he has a good chance to win the most improved player of the year.

[E20]

What about Marbury.

[baseline bum]

Anyone who watched the Olympics knows Marbury is no point.

[Jimcs50]

Dude was out with a concussion, comes back and first game back, he has 20 pts and 14 assists.

Nash is really making a case for MVP.

[Jimcs50]

Nash was named Player of the Month in November.....and it starts.

I told you guys.

[Jimcs50]

By Eric Neel
Page 2

Let's hear it for Steve Nash for MVP.


Let's start the campaign right here and now.


Steve Nash for MVP.


The Suns won 29 games all last year. They're going to win that many by mid-January this season.


Steve Nash for MVP.


It's only December, but groundswelling and grassrootsing take time. On a thing like this, we have to get the ball rolling early.


He isn't your typical candidate. He's averaging just about 16 points a night, and MVPs are usually good for well above 20. He's playing the pure, pass-first point, and you can ask John Stockton and J-Kidd how much hardware that's been good for over the years. (Magic didn't win an MVP until he bumped his scoring to 23-plus in '87).


He's a long shot, but he's the right call.


The Suns score 109 points a night these days (14 above the league average, seven better than their closest competitors). They run good teams into the ground. They come in waves, they go on 21-0 runs (against Golden State last week) that turn NBA games into spirit-crushing, basketball-bully scenes straight out of "The Great Santini."



His numbers aren't the gaudiest -- but he still deserves some hardware.
Nash makes it happen.


He's as fast from circle to circle as anyone in the league, and he's pushing the ball up the floor like he's got the hounds of hell at his back. He averages 11 assists a night, and 15-plus per 48 minutes. He hits guys filling lanes and guys spotting up; and when the defense sags, he calls on his own junebugging jumper to the tune of a .533 field-goal percentage (and .414 from 3).


Look at those last two numbers. Think on them a minute. Tape 'em to your set for Wednesday night's game against the Jazz; and while you watch, try to reconcile them with the speed and aggressiveness of his approach. (You might need that TiVo slo-mo feature.) They do not compute. But there they are.


The game is flowing off his fingers. He's crackling. Think Mickey the Magician at the heart of the "Fantasia" storm. Think of popcorn going bang under the Jiffy-Pop foil. Ask Amare, who's up six in-perfect-stride points a night over last season, what I'm talking about. Ask Shawn Marion, if you can get him to come down off his alley-oop cloud. Ask Joe Johnson about his career bests from the field and from beyond the arc. Ask the good people over at 82games.com, who'll tell you the Suns, with the addition of Nash at the helm, are thus far 69 points better than the next-best five-man unit in the league (San Antonio's starting five). Ask the fans in Phoenix, many of whom, rumor has it, are growing their hair out and wetting it down on game days in the hope that some of the Nash magic might wind its way into their lives.


Because, see, Nash's first pass, the selfless, quick-draw way he's kicking the ball to open space and to open teammates, is infectious. Look at highlights from the beat-down the Suns put on Orlando Monday night. Quentin Richardson's rising up for what looks like a Quentin Richardson jump shot on the right wing, but he's just duping ... in mid-air, the shot becomes a little dump-down to Stoudamire, which becomes a big ol' dunk, which becomes five smiles on the way back down the court.


I'm telling you, Steve Nash isn't a Sun, he's the culture of the Suns (as a team, Phoenix is averaging a fourth-best 23.09 assists per game). He's who they are. And what they are is 18-3.



Amare Stoudemire's got to love getting dunks off Nash's dishes.
I'm telling you, Steve Nash for MVP.


He's worthy. He's worthy on his own merits; and he's worthy because his energy, style, and skill have done a remake on the Suns that puts the surgeons and stylists at "The Swan" to shame.


And just think of the way the vote strikes a symbolic blow.


Here's a guy who turns the MVP tradition inside out. Here's maybe the least predictable winner in history. You don't have to be a dominant big man to win. You don't have to lead the league in scoring to win. You don't have to dunk to win. You don't have to be KG, Shaq, Kobe, or T-Mac. You can be a wiry, hang-dog, thirty-something, 6-foot-3 point and be the center of the basketball world.


A vote for Nash is a vote for the points of old, too. It's a vote for Cousy. It's a vote for Kevin Porter and Tiny Archibald. It's a vote for Isiah and Stockton, and for Kidd, as well.


Call Steve Nash the MVP and you recognize a whole team. You acknowledge all the players who flow with his flow, from Amare to Bo Outlaw, and every Casey Jacobsen in between. More than that, call Steve Nash the MVP and you recognize the whole idea of team. The Suns have five guys averaging more than 14 points a game right now. There are stars on this team, to be sure, but there's no traditional superstar. They are balanced, and a threat from every corner and angle.


If Steve Nash is the MVP, basketball is fun again.


Up-tempo ball is back.


Pat Riley is dead and Jeff Van Gundy is on life support.


If Steve Nash is the MVP, we're not about wars of attrition, muscle-bound match-ups, and watch-the-paint-dry isolations. We're about pace, about play, about players, and about the game we know and love from the schoolyards and those grainy Showtime games on NBA TV.



Steve Nash has simply transformed the Suns in his first season in Phoenix.
It's a statement vote. It's a style vote. It's a philosophical vote.


So who's with me?


Steve Nash for MVP! Steve Nash for MVP! Steve Nash for MVP!


Make it a movement. Make it a shibboleth, one of those code phrases by which believers of the same faith recognize one another and gather together.


And let the word go forth.


Paint a sign on a wall somewhere. Write it in the dust on somebody's back windshield. Get a tattoo. Put it on your answering machine.


And kids, next time the teacher asks a question, raise your hand, flip a no-look eraser pass to your friend in the next aisle, and say ...


"Steve Nash for MVP."


Eric Neel is a columnist for Page 2. His Basketball Jones column will appear each Wednesday during the NBA season.



:smokin

[ducks]

41 points for suns in 2 tonight

[Jimcs50]

Bump :smokin

[reading]

Jimcs50, for your Nash campaign.

Phoenix’s 110-96 victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday, Dec 19/04.


Nash had his eighth consecutive game with 10 or more assists, and all eight have been Phoenix victories. The only other three players in NBA history to duplicate the feat were Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson and John Stockton.

Not bad company.....

[Jimcs50]

Nash does not play and Phoenix loses 3 straight....


Hmmmm, who is the MVP this year? Duh!

[ChumpDumper]

With you from the start on this one, Jim.

[Spurminator]

It's really not even close at this point.

[Jimcs50]

Looks like it is a lock.

[2pac]

Nash isnt even MVP of his own team. As good as he is with the ball, he is much worse away from the ball. He is beyond worthless on defense.

When everyone wanted Kidd to be MVP over Duncan, at least you could point out that Kidd was a decent defensive PG who got a couple steals a game, which led to four points just about every time.

Nash doesnt have that.

Most Valuable Player. Not most valuable offensive player. While Nash has reinvigorated Phoenix, he still couldnt stop Stephen Hawking from driving the lane. It would make a mockery of the award to give it to someone who is among the absolute worst defenders in the league.

[Pandaemonaeon]

As much as Nash is having a great season right now, I just don't see him as an MVP-type. I mean, look at the past winners: Duncan, KG, AI, Shaq, Jordan, Malone, etc. -- these are players that are dominant on both ends of the floor. Nash's "MVP" season is just a matter of circumstance -- joining a talented team that needed the right man to direct them. He didn't really improve or upped his game, he's not even the most dominant player on that team.

[Sec24Row7]

If TD plays like he did tonight for the rest of the year and the spurs have the best record going away... he wins it again.

[Jimcs50]

Nash is MVP, I will bet any of you right now. You take a player, I get Nash, we bet head up. We can give Kori the money to hold for us. Deal?

[td4mvp21]

I don't think Nash is a definite MVP. IMO its a good race between him, TD(if we win best record, division, and he continues his strong play), Shaq, and Jermaine O'Neal

[Spurminator]

Nash's ability to create easy scores on the offensive end outweigh any defensive deficiencies he might have. The point guard position is the least important defensive position on the court. To say he can't be MVP because he can't play defense is like saying a left fielder can't be MVP because he doesn't turn double plays.

Duncan is making a strong run lately, though. It's down to Nash, Shaq, Dirk and Duncan right now.

[baseline bum]

Larry Bird won 3 MVPs, and his defense was every bit as bad as Nash's.

[BronxCowboy]

You guys make good points about Nash, but he can only have the kind of impact he has on a team with the type or orientation that Phoenix has. Put Duncan on just about any team in the NBA, and he would have a huge impact on the game.

[boutons]

"Shaq is out too because Orlando will win that division."

Totally impossible BS. Orlando is 12 GB of Miami with only 25 games left. ORL is even behind Wiz, in the SE div. I bet ORL has a real fight just to make the playoffs.

[ALVAREZ6]

I don't think Nash is a definite MVP. IMO its a good race between him, TD(if we win best record, division, and he continues his strong play), Shaq, and Jermaine O'Neal

Don't count on it.

Nothing standing out much from JO.

Plus, we all still remember the November incident

[ShoogarBear]

Steve Nash is the only "elite" player I've ever seen who routinely just completely QUITS playing defense after you make a first move on him.

That being said, the media has already decided he's the MVP. The only thing that will keep it from happening now is if he goes into another late-season physical breakdown. Which there's still a damn good chance of happening.

[Rummpd]

Larry Bird was a bad defender? Huh??????

[NCaliSpurs]

Nash is playing with 2 other all-stars and 2 other GREAT players in Q. Rich and Joe Johnson. Ironically, if you put J. Kidd in the same position, he would be the MVP.

The Suns didn't magically get better. Remember that tough Suns team in 02-03? Joe Johnson got better. Amare got better. They added Q. Rich.

And they switch a shooting PG for a passing PG. There is more to this equation than a losing streak when the Suns were without Nash.

Duncan is better than any player on the Suns team. Duncan's team has a better record. Duncan is the MVP.

[Jimcs50]

Nash is playing with 2 other all-stars and 2 other GREAT players in Q. Rich and Joe Johnson. Ironically, if you put J. Kidd in the same position, he would be the MVP.

The Suns didn't magically get better. Remember that tough Suns team in 02-03? Joe Johnson got better. Amare got better. They added Q. Rich.

And they switch a shooting PG for a passing PG. There is more to this equation than a losing streak when the Suns were without Nash.

Duncan is better than any player on the Suns team. Duncan's team has a better record. Duncan is the MVP.


Hellooo????

What are those same identicle player's stats when Nash is out of the lineup????


Look it up, numbnuts. :rolleyes

[ShoogarBear]

Barkley had a good point last night:

The Lakers got FOUR players for Shaq, and they suck. Meanwhile the Heat go from conference also-rans to prohibitive favorites in the East.

Dallas got nothing in return when Nash left, and is still going strong.

[Spurminator]

Meanwhile the Heat go from conference also-rans to prohibitive favorites in the East.

And the Suns did the same in the West. And unlike the Heat, they were a Lottery team last year.

[ShoogarBear]

And the Suns did the same in the West. And unlike the Heat, they were a Lottery team last year.

Yeah, but did you miss the part about what happened to their former teams?

And, unlike the Heat, they gave up nothing to get Nash. If the Suns had to lose, say, Joe Johnson and Barbosa to get Nash, would we be talking about him as MVP?

[td4mvp21]

Hellooo????

What are those same identicle player's stats when Nash is out of the lineup????


Look it up, numbnuts. :rolleyes

I think the team that ends up with the best record should have their star as mvp; whether it be the suns, spurs, or heat. I think now the definite top three are Nash Duncan O'neal

[Spurminator]

Yeah, but did you miss the part about what happened to their former teams?

The Mavs added Jerry Stackhouse, Erick Dampier and some very capable post role players, while getting rid of Antoine Walker, which alone was an improvement. Factor in the improvement of young players like Marquis Daniels and Josh Howard, and it's not surprising that they've maintained their Playoff status.

I've never been a fan of judging an MVP by what their previous and current teams are doing compared to last year anyway. I prefer to look at what the player's team is doing this year. Because players can change from year to year also. Perhaps Nash is a better fit in Phoenix than he was in Dallas, or maybe he simply got better... I wouldn't punish him for that. MVP isn't about picking the one player who could play for any team and lead them to Championship level, it's about choosing the player who, on his current team, is most responsible for leading them to a Championship level. Nash is the impetus of the most dangerous offense in the NBA, and on one of the best teams in the NBA. He has to be in the MVP discussion.

[Jimcs50]

Well, it is a two horse race betw Shaq and Nash.

[SirChaz]

And, unlike the Heat, they gave up nothing to get Nash.

Suns gave up Marbury and Hardaway to get Nash. Without the trade last January signing Nash would not have been possible.

The Suns had to give up a lot of salary including the #7 pick last year to get Nash and Q.


Suns have the 3rd best turnaround in league history right now. Much more improvement than Miami has shown.

[ALVAREZ6]

Allen Iverson IS the MVP.

I don't care who gets the award, AI is the true MVP.

Averaging close to 31 ppg, top 5 in assists and top 5 in steals, AI deserves it.

[Jimcs50]

Allen Iverson IS the MVP.

I don't care who gets the award, AI is the true MVP.

Averaging close to 31 ppg, top 5 in assists and top 5 in steals, AI deserves it.


:rolleyes

[Obstructed_View]

Allen Iverson IS the MVP.

I don't care who gets the award, AI is the true MVP.

Averaging close to 31 ppg, top 5 in assists and top 5 in steals, AI deserves it.
Don't forget he's the runaway league leader in turnovers.

[SuBZer0]

Oh everyone, I just heard that ESPN has released a report that Nash is the MVP

Here you go

Source : CLICKY! (http://www.palmbeachpost.com/heat/content/sports/epaper/2005/05/06/heat_feed.html)

Sources: Suns' Nash tops Shaq as NBA's Most Valuable Player
By Chris Perkins

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Friday, May 06, 2005

MIAMI — Heat center Shaquille O'Neal and his bruised thighs returned to

practice Friday, boosting hopes that he will be game-ready when Miami opens the second round of the playoffs.

But the injury report wasn't the only news concerning O'Neal.

ESPN.com reported that Phoenix guard Steve Nash will be named the Most Valuable Player when the award is announced Sunday. The Web site said that Nash edged O'Neal in the voting by NBA media.

If the report is accurate, it might be bad news for update if

Washington wins Miami's second-round playoff opponent.

"Oooh, that would be scary," center Alonzo Mourning said of the prospect of O'Neal failing to win the award. "If he doesn't win it he's going to be (upset), and I wouldn't want to play against him (upset)."

O'Neal, who hasn't practiced much the past three weeks because of illness or injury, didn't speak with reporters Friday. But he seemed to be getting around as well as he has since sustaining a right thigh bruise April 17 against Indiana and a left thigh bruise a week later against New Jersey.

"He went at it hard and good and looked strong, so it was good to have him back out there," coach Stan Van Gundy said Friday.

Miami's second-round opponent might disagree.

O'Neal won only one MVP award in his previous 12 seasons. That was in 1999-2000 with the Los Angeles Lakers, when he averaged 29.7 points, 13.6 rebounds and 3.03 blocked shots.

This season, O'Neal averaged 22.9 points (12th in the league), 10.4 rebounds (sixth) and 2.34 blocks (sixth). His career-best 60.1 field-goal percentage led the league, but he shot a career-worst 46.1 percent on free throws.

Nash, acquired as a free agent from Dallas during the off-season, helped Phoenix win 62 games after winning just 29 a year ago, a 33-game improvement. The Heat improved by 17 games in its first season with O'Neal, who came in a trade with the Lakers. Miami had 42 victories last season and 59 this season, Nash averaged 15.5 points (40th) and 11.5 assists (first) while shooting 50.2 percent (tied for 20th) from the

field and 88.7 percent (sixth) on free throws.

Nash had two other All-Stars on his team, center Amare Stoudemire and forward Shawn Marion, while O'Neal had one, guard Dwyane Wade.

Van Gundy, who said he would be disappointed if O'Neal didn't win the award, restated his case Friday.

"The difference between (Nash) and Shaq is Dallas got better this year," Van Gundy said of the Mavericks, who improved from 52 victories last season to 58 this season. "Steve Nash left and Dallas got better.

The Lakers did not get better. There's nobody out there saying, 'I like this Lakers team better.'

"I'm certainly a great admirer of Steve Nash and I'm taking nothing away from him. Yeah, the Suns have been great, but so have the Dallas Mavericks, and the Lakers weren't. So to me . . . it's a clear-cut choice."

[pooh0406]

damn it... i hate nash!!!

[SuBZer0]

dammit...i hate YOU

[Tacker]

walking down memory lane

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Epic bump.

[BRHornet45]

sons why not ... give it to undeserving whitey again.

[Allanon]

5 year bump, that's gotta be a record.

Nash getting a 3rd MVP is very unlikely but possible I suppose.

[pauls931]

Tacker has the flux capacitor, lord have mercy on us all!

[Allanon]

Tacker has the flux capacitor, lord have mercy on us all!

:lol

[Jeremy]

The WC MVP so far this year is not Kobe, not TD, not KG, but IMO is Steve Nash of the Suns. Last year the Suns were horrible and since they picked up Nash, they have taken off and have become one of the favorites to win the WC this year.

Look what Nash has done for Amare Stodemire and Shawn Marion this year. Amare who has been a good player who always seemed to fall short of his potential the last couple of years is playing his best bball ever, and all you Stoudemire haters even have to admit that he has arrived and is one of the top players in the league. Marion is having his best year as well. It is no coincidence that Nash arrived just before these two players have their breakout seasons. Nash makes every player better, if you can not hit a shot that Nash creates for you, you just plain can not hit shots. Nash is averaging over 11 assists and still is scoring over 15 pts on 56% shooting, with only a little over 3 TOs/game in a style of play where he is handling the ball 90% of the time and with the team running at every opportunity and having over 80 shots/game.

If Phoenix wins the Pacific by the margin I think they will, and Nash continues on this pace, it would be an injustice if Nash did not get huge consideration for the MVP.

NAME GP GS MIN PTS OFF DEF TOT AST STL BLK TO A/TO PF TECH
A. Stoudemire 13 13 36.5 26.0 3.3 5.8 9.1 1.0 0.85 2.00 2.3 0.43 3.1 0.3
S. Marion 13 13 39.4 20.3 3.2 9.1 12.3 2.2 1.62 2.00 1.2 1.81 2.5 0.0
S. Nash 13 13 34.2 15.7 0.4 2.7 3.1 11.2 1.15 0.00 3.5 3.24 2.4 0.0

Nash is averaging more points and assists this season than he was 5 years ago (and than he did in the entire '04-05 season), while playing 2 minutes per game less. He is also shooting much better from FG, 3FG and FT this season compared to '04-05.

2004-05:

G GS MPG FG% 3p% FT% OFF DEF TOT APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG

75 75 34.3 .502 .431 .887 .80 2.60 3.30 11.5 .99 .08 3.27 1.80 15.5

This season:

G GS MPG FG% 3p% FT% OFF DEF TOT APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG

16 16 32.3 .531 .439 .936 .50 2.10 2.60 11.8 .31 .19 3.75 1.20 16.2

[pauls931]

IF the Suns get the best record in the west and beats LA once this season, then maybe... Not gonna happen without a Gasolesk type trade.