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We go nowhere without Manu.
The Spurs are the best team, but do they have an MVP?
By Steve Aschburner, NBA.com
For many members of the Race to the MVP committee, weighing and ranking the candidates for the award each season is a task best suited to the black boxes. As in, those mysterious machines that can process all sorts of incompatible data, sift through the various individual vs. team accomplishments, measure it all against the competency of each player’s supporting cast and spit out unassailable results.
For others, though, the process is far simpler, more checkers than chess:
1. Identify the NBA’s best teams. (This generally is pretty easy to do, since the info is readily available near the top of the league standings each morning.)
2. Identify the best players on those teams. (About as easy as step No. 1, based on stats and known chemistry attributes).
As a practical definition of an NBA MVP, “the best players on the best teams” approach is fairly sound. Where it sometimes hits a snag is when the clubs near the top so spread out the workload, or are so deep, that we’re left with an ensemble effort rather than a star vehicle.
The San Antonio Spurs have presented that challenge to The Race for much of the 2010-11 season’s first month. At 13-1, no NBA team has been better. With 12 consecutive victories, no NBA team currently is hotter. The Spurs have won big, they’ve won small, they’ve won fast, they’ve won slow. But they haven’t had that one dominant superstar performer owning the score sheets on a night-in, night-out basis. Which doesn’t lend itself to easy MVP consideration.
Most folks who know the Spurs, though, and watch them closely will tell you—as many told the committee electronically the past couple of weeks—that swingman Manu Ginobili is the proverbial straw that stirs San Antonio’s drink. The 33-year-old Argentinian is having a terrific season individually, with his highest scoring average ever (20.8 ppg) as a full-time starter logging a career-high 33.1 minutes.
Yet Ginobili trails 20 other NBA players in scoring and, unlike a lot of MVP candidates, doesn’t lead his own team in other traditionally revered stat catgories. Point guard Tony Parker tops San Antonio in assists, efficiency and total points-rebounds-assists, but ranks 11th, 19th and 25th respectively in the league. Big man-in-decline Tim Duncan is the Spurs’ top rebounder but he’s 15th overall. And 12th in double-doubles.
Then there are the other key components of San Antonio’s perfect-for-November success, such as wingman Richard Jefferson, burly DeJuan Blair, exacting head coach Gregg Popovich and a well-defined and disciplined bench. It’s business as usual, as usual, in San Antonio and that tends to keep the experts’ highlight markers capped when trying to single out specific heroes.
That supposedly was going to be the problem out of Miami this season, with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade muddying the MVP waters for each other like twin jet engines propelling a supersonic Heat squad. So far, not so much. Atlanta had a little of that going on early, with no single player posting typical MVP numbers.
But the Spurs are the best team in the league right now and Ginobili is the best overall player—most impactful player, to be sure—on their roster at the moment. For the record, his highest finish ever in actual MVP voting came in 2007-08, when he placed 10th while starting in just 23 of his 74 appearances for San Antonio. But he’s higher than that now, while landing on this list for the first time this season:
*********************
Race to the MVP
8. Manu Ginobili, Spurs (13-1)
Last Week's Rank - NR
He doesn't rank among the league leaders in most statistical categories but he did earn one No. 1 label after scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter with a steal and a block in the final minute of the Spurs' comeback victory at Minnesota. "Ultimate compe or," coach Gregg Popovich called him. That's an MVP quality, for sure.
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The rest of the list, hit the link for the write-ups.
1. Dwight Howard, Magic (10-4)
2. Pau Gasol, Lakers (13-2)
3. Chris Paul, Hornets (11-3)
4. Derrick Rose, Bulls (8-5)
5. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks (10-4)
6. Kobe Bryant, Lakers (13-2)
7. Deron Williams, Jazz (11-5)
9. Russell Westbrook, Thunder (10-5)
10. Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets (8-6)
http://www.nba.com/2010/news/feature...s=iref:nbahpt1
Last edited by duncan228; 12-03-2010 at 01:05 PM.
We go nowhere without Manu.
kobe AND gasol in the top 10 ist just ridiculous..
Any ranking in which Mr Novitski is ahead of Mr Ginobili is a big joke.
ducks post in 10... 9... 8...
I don´t think is as clear as states the article. Right now, Tony and Manu are pretty even, they rebound at the same rate, Manu has a higher Scoring figure by 1.4, Parker has 2.8 more assists, and 1.65 more efficiency points, while Manu leads Tony by 0.43 per points.
I think the only thing that puts Manu as the Spurs MVP as of now, given this pairing, is that he has already closed out at least 6 of our 12 games in the streak, and that the team is making him a leader.
How? Nowitski is the clear leader of his team, scores more at a higher percentage on fewer shots.
No it's not. Dirk is having an MVP start to the season.. Sometimes Spurs fans can be the biggest homers, me included.
As explained in the other thread, Manu has always had better D than Tony, Manu has GENIUS basketball IQ and Tony doesn't....and that means intangibles (off the ball game, awareness, know how in general)....
This is seen on why Manu has been able to make impact in teams outside Spurs and Tony didn't...for instance....there's no diference in achievements in french NT with or without Parker...that can't be said with players like Dirk, Pau Gasol, Scola or Manu....
Backetball coaches or with knwoledge of the game will confirm you that...basketball is not just numbers, the X factor is also needed....
Watching that Minn. game, I had full confidence Manu would fight the entire time and win that game for the Spurs.
It's great having the ultimate Rocky Balboa of the NBA on your team. /bowdown
Manu is a man of Destiny.
In the worst game Manu ever played, -G4 of the 07 finals- he was 0-8.
He scored 3 points.
All in the final minute.
Spurs won by 3 points.
"He's Manu Ginobili".
He HAS it inside of him.
Novistki is just another excellent player.
Russ Westbrook is on that list and Durant isn't??????????
I haven't seen many OKC games but that just doesn't sound right.
Not that they're Bryant and Gasol, but I love how there's no reservations about giving the Lakers two top ten guys, but it's a struggle to put one Spur in.
Tough to separate the two. I actually think Parker has been slightly better, because not only is he consistent game to game, he's consistent throughout each game, for the most part. But it's close either way.
Generally, I don't like when this type of thing is done, but in this case, I might not have been a bad idea to put put Ginobili/Parker.
If Manu were a Laker or Heat...
While I am a Spurs fan, and I do agree that Ginobili should be in the top 5 of this list, I do disagree with the above statement. That Lakers team is special, but if Kobe goes down that team goes no where.. and vice versa. If Gasol goes down, I don't think that Lakers team gets out of the first round. They are both top 5 MVP candidates as well. Right now, today, the two best teams in the NBA are the Lakers and the Spurs, but we won't won't know who is best between them until May
Most top rated teams these days have 2 or 3 stars and they don't go anywhere without all of them playing. There can be exceptions--the 22 game win streak by the Rockets in 08 when Yao was out for the season comes to mind--but basketball is a team sport with mandatory superstars.
And if that sounds like a conundrum, it is nevertheless a truth.
Manu Ginobili, the NBAs 2010-2011 MVP - Awarded for his "know how in general".
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...-manu-for-mvp/Why not Manu for MVP?
Tim Griffin
...Ginobili is averaging a career-best 21.6 points per game and is also notched career bests in free throw percentage and minutes played per game. But most importantly, he has taken control as the team’s leader.
And for that, as the best player on the best team in the league, he should be considered as a potential MVP candidate if he can remain healthy.
...Aschburner does have Ginobili ranked eighth in his MVP race, cracking his weekly poll for the first time.
Rose???
Are you questioning his placement on that MVP contenders list?
If so, I'd wager the probability is very high that you don't watch much basketball at all outside of your own team (spurs).
On a side note, I find it amusing that whenever a national journalist talks about the Spurs' great start they always mention Blair as if he's been a key component to the success. It makes me wonder if they're actually watching the games or just reading the box scores.
In other words, they should be on the MVP list if you completely disregard the criteria of selecting an MVP. Otherwise Manu should be higher on the list than both Kobe and Pau or Tony Parker and Tim Duncan should both be on the list somewhere.
I had Parker and Ginobili as a tie for best player on the team. Ginobili has taken his game to another level. Manu is our MVP. Parker is our engine. Duncan is Master Splinter. Pop is Master Shredder whose holding Splitter Captive with an evil laugh "hehahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!". <---
Manu has really elevated his game. He's got to be a top 5 candidate now.
1. Deron
2. Dirk
3. Paul
4. Manu
5. Rose
6. Howard
7. Gasol
Dwight Howard's team is 13-4..he's putting up 23-12-2.5 blocks..he's the best defensive player in the NBA by a good margin..he's shooting 60% from the field..he's pretty easily going to win MVP IMO..
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