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Funny.
Even, I'm not that much of a Parker homer.....
Future world
Jack McCallum, SI.com
It's a little early to pull out the big predictions, like who's going to win the championship, how many NBA coaches will be fired over the next six months or what postseason avocation Ron Artest will choose to pursue. (I'm thinking roller derby.) But to kick off the New Year, here is a five-pack of more modest predictions. Keep in mind that I loved USC over Texas on Wednesday night.
1. The Indiana Pacers will re-bond after Artest finally lands somewhere, be it Denver or Los Angeles (Clippers, Lakers or Hollywood and Vine).
Rick Carlisle is a grind-it-out coach and that's what the Pacers, who will breathe a collective sigh of relief when Artest is finally gone, are going to do. Which, if you recall, is what they did last year, when Artest was out via suspension.
What does re-bond mean in terms of wins or losses? That's another question. Indiana is stuck in the Eastern Conference Central, perhaps the league's toughest division top to bottom, and will not get by the Detroit Pistons and the Cleveland Cavaliers. But the Pacers should make the playoffs and, once again, establish themselves as a notch behind Detroit and Miami. Will that make everyone happy in Indiana? No. But without Artest, they will be able to move on in 2006-07.
2. The April 9 game between the Clippers and the Lakers (who play this Friday night) will have -- drum roll, please -- playoff implications.
San Antonio, Dallas, Memphis, Phoenix and Golden State are postseason givens in the West in my book. Denver will make it, too, as long as the fragile Marcus Camby comes back from his pinkie break and doesn't get injured again. That leaves Utah (undermanned and underappreciated), Minnesota and the two L.A.'s fighting for the final two spots. Here's hoping someone can egg Lakers' coach Phil Jackson and Clippers point guard Sam Cassell into a good lip-flapping battle before that April showdown.
3. By the end of the season, Kevin Garnett will be the league's MDS -- Most Disgruntled Superstar.
His compe ion will be fierce if players such as the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, Philadelphia's Allen Iverson and Houston's Tracy McGrady don't make the playoffs. But Garnett is the clear choice. He took a pay cut (I hate to write those words because I am not suggesting we should take up a collection for him) so that the Timberwolves could strengthen their team; instead, they're going to finish the season with a worse record than last season's 44-38. Further, Garnett will be watching as his old coach, Flip Saunders, leads his new team, the Detroit Pistons, into the Finals.
4. This postseason will be the test for New Jersey's Vince Carter.
We've said that before. But this time we mean it. The Nets, who have quietly been the NBA's hottest team over the last two weeks, will go into the playoffs with the East's third seed, and I'm not sure they won't beat out the Heat for second. But in his eight-year career Carter has yet to prove himself in May. He has scored well (25.9-point average) in his 19 playoff games, but has shot poorly (40 percent) from the floor. And last season he couldn't prevent a four-and-out against the Heat in the first round. Sure, playoff advancement falls upon Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson, too, but Carter will be the lightning rod.
5. After four dozen stories about how Chauncey Billups won't be named MVP even though he is deserving, the Pistons point guard will, in fact, get the award. Why? For the best of reasons: he deserves it. The media screws up a lot of things, but, in general, they do well on the MVP vote. By the end of the season, Cleveland's LeBron James, Dallas's Dirk Nowitzki, Iverson, Miami's Dwyane Wade, San Antonio's Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, the Clippers' Elton Brand and '05 winner Steve Nash of Phoenix will all be worthy candidates. But Mr. Big Shot will be the best player and leader of a 68-win team, and he will get the nod.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_yl...nnsi&type=lgns
Funny.
Why - he leads the league in point in the paint on a team with a 25-7 record, and has increased his PPG, FG% and ASG.
Parker is a lot better than even some Spurs fans give him credit for - see recent game plan of Denver that was designed to stop Parker = that is respect!
it will never happen unless he marries Eva
MVP... no.
Yes he has. He is playing excellent!
There are a bunch of names out there doing better too.....alot better. And bigger names too.
So uh no- don't see it happening.
would he qualify for most improved player??
No, he was too good last season to be MIP.
Mip front runners are : David West, Zaza Pachulia and Boris Diaw.
Thats kinda what I thought.
On any other team, he would be a sure-fire MVP candidate.
parker hasnt been in the league long enough to garner this coveted award. he may be having an all-star season, but the kid is still young and far from the most valuable player in the nba.
I'm not denying that Parker is having an amazing season or that his numbers are up across the boards. But, the major fact is...he's not even a lock in for All star, let alone MVP consideration.
Iverson
Kidd
Nash
Now Billups
Go ahead & give MVP to another guard of the moment...wouldn't take me more than a couple of minutes to list 10 players with more value than any of those. MVP used to require sick stats. Iverson is the only one on that list who can claim to have hung stats like that the year he won MVP. All the others stats would be hard to distinguish from any good John Stockton season; what the has happened to this award?
Iverson, Nash, and Billups are all deserving of MVP award (in this order) for this season. And it isn't just because of the stats. They are the driving force of the success of their teams and have the ability in them to make a team a compe or and threat.
no. tony is the man, but no
They can make THEIR team a compe or and threat; they cannot make ANY team a compe or and threat. I guess I have a different standard for MVP - a higher one. Iverson might be the lone expection - except his team isn't a threat, so nevermind. Also, after Phoenix gets beat at home on consecutive nights, maybe some of that Nash luster will start to wear off. Dude is a blast half the game; MVP should play CONSECUTIVE minutes, not take every 24 seconds off.
he's carried the team for a while now, but still the mvp of the team is tim duncan no matter what.
it is true that he has improved from last season but he is not mvp material ... at least not yet ..he is still young and tims still the best...
i kinda agree marrying eva might do the trick
I will not post for a year if Tony Parker wins MVP this season.
Signed,
T-Park
watch him be the mvp to allstar game
he was already a candiate for finals mvp when the spurs played the nets
against the great overrated has been kidd
So, let me understand..what exactly is your definition of an MVP? You say stats don't count, then what does?
I never said stats didn't matter - I said the stats of the most recent guard MVP's (save Iverson) have been nice, but not awesome - which is my point entirely. Their teams have success, in large part due to good chemistry, and those players fit in those systems. In each case, the player goes from being an MVP nobody (not even an also-ran) to a winner in a single season - because of team success. Nash is a perfect example - his numbers didn't improve dramatically when he moved from Dallas to Phoenix; but PHOENIX did - so Nash is all of a sudden MVP material.
In my mind, an MVP should be a player coveted by EVERY SINGLE team in the league; a player who wouldn't be traded for ANY OTHER PLAYER without serious consideration.
You don't think if the Spurs called Phoenix and offered Duncan for Nash straight up they wouldn't hesitate (after they finished giggling), or if Clevland called and offered James, or Minnesotta Garnett, or LA Kobe, etc..... , just 18 months ago Cuban let Nash leave over a few million - and no players - and now the Mavs are a stronger team! Can you imagine any team that ever had Magic, Bird, Jordan, Robinson, Olajuwon, Duncan, Malone letting THOSE players just go? There have always been great, solid, exciting point guards who performed really well, who never, ever sniffed MVP awards - Stockton being the most notable example. But now, every time a team starts winning, or looking really strong, the media seem to anoint the point of that team as the MVP longshot, and soon, front-runner.
They simply aren't the most valuable players in the league, IMO - or even close to it.
I would love to see Billups to get this award.
How do you know he can't make any teams better? Look at his stats and the way he is playing. He makes 3's. He nearly doesn't miss any free throws. He doesn't turn the ball over. He can creat his own shots. He makes big shots. He got the cool blood. He is not a selfish player. Well~ the only thing he doesn't do is rebounding. A PG got a package like this can make any team better. Once he wants to leave detroit, I think many teams would be interested in him.
He is playing well enough to be considered for the award. I think many people get too stuck up with the bigs stats. MVP means most VALUABLE player. TP has been the most valuble player for the spurs this season IMO. Conderation... yes....winning....even David Stern can't make tp win the mvp.
Two definitions of MVP --
Best Player in the league - Chauncey is definatly not that.
Most Important Player to his team - Chauncey isn't that either.
He isn't an amazing player, he is very good, but hardly a Timmy/Shaq type. Him winning MVP would be worse than Nash winning it.
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