who are your MVPs for each year this decade?

[Fabbs]

2000 - Shaq and Bavetta
2001 - A.I.
2002 - Bavetta
2003- Duncan
2004 - Duncan
2005 - Duncan
2006 - Duncan
2007 - Duncan
2008 - Lebron
2009 - Lebron

[endrity]

MyStar, I think you underrate Kidd's defense quite a bit. He was one of the best defensive PGs to every play at his peak. Not only was he quick to stay with everyone, unlike today, but he was so strong to cover not only 1s but 2s and 3s as well. He completely shut down Pierce in the ECF in 2002 and did it to Chauncey a year later as well. Kidd was a monster during those days. It is completely reasonable to assume that Kidd had a lot to do with the Nets becoming a defensive juggernaut (KMart had something to do with it as well).

The basic way the Nets played was to create turnovers and force you to make bad shots, get the ball to Kidd in the open court and try to find something. If not, give it to KMart in the halfcourt, hurry a shot up and get back in defense as quick as you can. Kidd dictated that pace all the time.

As I said, Duncan was amazing. But there is a strong reason for Kidd to be in the MVP consideration, given that the Nets had been the Arizona Cardinals of the NBA for the last 20 years and he changed that culture overnight.

[stretch]

in 2005, Steve Nash deserved that award BY FAR. his arrival alone turned his team from a 20 win team, to a 60 win team (best record in the league) in one year.

shaq was second fiddle to D-Wade. I can't give an MVP award to a #2 option, especially when they were a team that still made the playoffs the year before as a 4th seed i believe, and advanced to the second round. he wasnt even the MVP of his own team.

no way in should shaq have gotten mvp in 2005. only idiots and nash haters would say that.

[endrity]

05 was still Shaq's team.

Sorry but there are two things that stand out with Nash:
1) The pace. The fact that the Suns played at such a high pace created an opportunity for many more posessions to score, rebound, assist... That is why everyone had great statistical years with the Suns.

2) Defense. The Suns were ATTROCIUS defensively. They didn't even care. And because of that, they were never a true championship contender.

I for one want to think that the MVP has a great chance of delivering a le to the their team. I never got that feeling with Nash.

[DBryant88]

2000 - Shaq
2001 - Shaq
2002 - Duncan
2003- Duncan
2004 - Kevin Garnett
2005 - Shaq
2006 - Kobe
2007 - Dirk
2008 - Kobe
2009 - Dwyane Wade

[Kevin Garnett]

That's right, I was the mother in 2004 MVP, es! All others can go eat , and win a mother ing ring.

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!

[Darrin]

my list:

2000 - Shaquille O'Neal
2001 - Allen Iverson
2002 - Jason Kidd
2003- Tim Duncan
2004 - Kevin Garnett
2005 - Steve Nash
2006 - Chauncey Billups
2007 - Dirk Nowitzki
2008 - Kobe Bryant
2009 - Lebron James

[JamStone]

in 2005, Steve Nash deserved that award BY FAR. his arrival alone turned his team from a 20 win team, to a 60 win team (best record in the league) in one year.

shaq was second fiddle to D-Wade. I can't give an MVP award to a #2 option, especially when they were a team that still made the playoffs the year before as a 4th seed i believe, and advanced to the second round. he wasnt even the MVP of his own team.

no way in should shaq have gotten mvp in 2005. only idiots and nash haters would say that.

Your argument that Shaq was second fiddle hurts Nash's case even more since Nash was the fourth leading scorer on that 04-05 Suns team and took the fifth amount of FG attempts. In 04-05, that Heat team was still about Shaq. It's not hating on Nash. It's giving Shaq his due.

[stretch]

Your argument that Shaq was second fiddle hurts Nash's case even more since Nash was the fourth leading scorer on that 04-05 Suns team and took the fifth amount of FG attempts. In 04-05, that Heat team was still about Shaq. It's not hating on Nash. It's giving Shaq his due.

I just don't see how Shaq can be MVP if he isn't the MVP of his own team. Adding Wade, got that team from being a 25 win team and the 4th worst record in the league, to a 42 win team with the 4th seed in their conference. Now don't get me wrong, adding Shaq definitely helped, and got them from 4th seed to 1st seed, and to he ECF. but it wasn't nearly as drastic as going from complete garbage one year, to being in the second round the next. That was Wade's team, without question.

On the other hand, the Suns went from a 29 win team, to a 62 win team in a single year, the only significant change being the addition of Steve Nash, and making it to the WCF.

And your argument about taking FG's and scoring points is bull , because he also averaged the most assists in the league. Steve Nash basically accounted for an average of 38-40 points per game, whether scoring them himself, or dishing assists. His percentages were outstanding as well.

IMO I think there wasn't a question that Nash deserved that MVP, as well as the 2006 MVP. That is, if you go by the le of the award... Most VALUABLE Player. To me, that means a star player that in leading to his team to success, means the most to his team, and his team would suffer more without that particular star, than any other team in the league would suffer without their star player (hope that wasnt too confusing, lol). IMO Steve Nash proved in those years that his team needed him more than any other team in the league needed their star players. Unfortunately, the criteria of this award seems to change on a yearly basis.

[JamStone]

In the 2003-04 season, Dwyane Wade wasn't the only significant addition to that Miami Heat team. They also added Lamar Odom and Rafer Alston. Now criticize Alston all you want, he's still a huge step up from Travis Best, who started the majority of games at point guard for the Heat the season before. You cannot ignore those additions and give Wade all or even most of the credit for the improvement. You can give Shaq most of the credit for the improvement in 2004-05. Shaq was the only significant addition to the Heat in 2004-05 and the Heat even had to give up Odom, Butler, and Grant, three starters. And, they still improved 17 games (same as from 2002-03 to 2003-04) and ended up with the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

I wasn't discrediting Nash's impact or his play and contributions. But, your argument was specifically that you cannot give a #2 option the MVP. Nash wasn't even the #2 or #3 option on that Suns team. Did he set up the #1, #2, and #3 options? Yes. But, he wasn't one of them. That was your own logic, stretch.

Moreover, you seem to be recalling the Miami Heat of 2005-06 because in 2004-05, there was no question that Shaq was still the focus of the Miami Heat offense.