The Best in the Business

The votes are in and the players are waiting patiently. Which only event can you see an alley oop from Tracy McGrady to Kobe Bryant? That's right. The All-Star game is just five days away and you know what that means. The halfway point of the NBA season is near completion and everyone begins to ponder over the best of the best. I'm talking about the 2006-2007 MVP award. Although it is a bit early, too many fans are already on the edge of their seat waiting to read that sweet headline whether it's their favorite player smiling on the front of that Sports section in the paper. And where's the fun in the MVP poll without a little opinion.

As the players begin to blossom over the first half of the season, their rankings for MVP begin to emerge. Names like Steve Nash, Gilbert Arenas, and LeBron James are uttered on a daily basis. But who really deserves the honor. Although it seems unlikely, Nash is the favorite once again to take this year's trophy home. If the all-star Suns point guard wins once again, he will join Wilt Chamberlain and Celtic teammates Larry Bird and Bill Russell as the only players to win MVP three years in a row. And why not? Nash has clearly improved over the years, handing out a career best 11.8 assists and 19.3 points per game. But that's not all. Nash has set a personal record in three other categories, posting amazing numbers in field goal percentage (53.6%), three-point percentage (49.0%), and three pointers made (2.5 per game), all silencing the opposing critics. This 6'3'' play maker has controlled the Suns offense for three years now, winning the MVP award for the two full seasons he has carried them. And what happens to the Nash-centered team when he's gone? They lose two out of three games, both being home games against the young Bulls and pitiful Hawks. And what about last year when Nash was hurt? The Phoenix Suns managed to lose the three games without their star point guard.

So why shouldn't Nash win the MVP? Without Steve, the Suns look like a little league basketball team, kids just throwing up shots, hoping one of them goes in. And if that's still not enough to persuade you, then what else would? The only top candidates that are really on my list are Dirk Nowitzki, Gilbert Arenas, and LeBron James. And do these players even compete? Arenas is averaging almost 30 points per game (29.0 to be exact), and an astounding 6.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds. But is this really enough to compare him to such a high profile point guard like Nash? It's a blowout. Nash almost doubles his assists, and it wouldn't surprise me if he did at the end of the season. I know that Arenas averages ten more points and 1.4 more boards, but when you are surrounded by players like Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire, and even Raja Bell, you don't have to put up 30 points a game just to give your team a chance to win. And why don't we look at the history. Besides the fact that the Wizards are slightly better this year, going from number four in 2006 to number 2 presently, these players emulate last years statistics. Arenas is practically miming his past stats (going from 29.3 PPG, 6.1 APG, and 3.5 RPG to 29.0 PPG, 6.2 APG, and 4.7 RPG). And Nash, although slightly as well, improved his attributes as well (going from 18.9 PPG, 10.5 APG, and 4.2 RPG to 19.3 PPG, 11.8 APG, and 3.3 RPG). And the outcome in the MVP race in which both these players were in extremely similar situations they are in now? Drum roll please... Nash won by a landslide, taking 57 out of a possible 125 first place votes. How big of a landslide was this? Second place was Kobe Bryant with 22 votes, less than half the amount Nash received. And how do other players such as LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki fair in this heated competition? Not too well considering both have surprisingly dropped since last year, lessening their possibilities for bragging rights.

So it's easy to see that Nash could be a clear cut winner if all goes according to plan. But usually that's not what happens. Maybe LeBron will go on a scoring rampage, putting up 35 PPG in the month of March. Or Nash might go up for a lay-up that wasn't there, and injure his elbow for a month in the process. Who knows? But one thing is for certain. This is the NBA, and anything goes, anything.