As the season midway point approaches in the NBA, it seems suitable to discuss who the MVP is as of now. In my book the candidates as of now have to be Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal. Let’s see some cases for why each player should get the trophy.
Tim Duncan- He is playing phenomenal, on the verge of being named to the All-NBA first team for the 8th consecutive year and being named to the NBA All Defensive first team for the 7th time. These are mind boggling stats, considering that he is now entering Magic and MJ territory as one of the greatest players ever. His play has helped the Spurs to own the best record in the Western Conference and NBA, and history shows that this is VERY important because the last player to win MVP without owning the 1st or 2nd best record in the NBA was Michael Jordan back in 1987-1988. But what I think is the most extraordinary stat is his minutes per game. Tim Duncan is averaging 35.1 minutes per game, not even in the top 50 in MPG in the NBA. In only 35.1 minutes per game he is averaging: 21.7 points per game, good for 13th in the NBA, 3rd in rebounds per game with 11.9, 2nd in blocks per game with 2.89 (second only to Andrei Kirilenko, who has been injured for more than half the season so far) and finally, he is second in double-doubles with 33. So if Tim Duncan played as much as Allen Iverson or Kobe Bryant (Which is around 40 minutes a game) we could see Kevin Garnett-like stats, but without the attitude problem. If he does win the MVP his year, he will have won more MVP trophies than Oscar Robertson, and Karl Malone to name a few and he would be tied with Magic Johnson, Moses Malone and Larry Bird. But by no means am I suggesting that Tim Duncan should be MVP, I am strictly telling the facts…Ok yes I think he should be a shoe-in for MVP, but I am writing this article for the reader to decide from the facts given.
Steve Nash- Having a great year with the surprising Phoenix Suns, giving them the steady leadership that they have needed. He is averaging a NBA leading and career high 10.9 assists per game. But what he means to this team is so much more than just his great stats. He has led them to the second best record in the league by getting everyone involved in the game, seeing the open Quentin Richardson on the perimeter and giving great feeds in the post to Amare Stoudemire. His presence is so greatly needed, as shown by their recent skid, stemming from his thigh injury. The Suns have just come off a 6 game losing streak, which all started with his injury. The first game without Steve Nash, the Suns starting point guard for that game was Leandro Barbosa, who finished the game with 1 total assist, nearly 10 behind Steve Nash’s average. I basically believe that he is the most important player to any team, which should make him the Most Valuable Player, but we all know that that is not how it works, or else Tracy McGrady would have won the past 3 MVP trophies.
LeBron James- Now we come to the man-child, King James. He really is incredible. I didn’t exactly believe the hype about him coming out of high-school, but he SERIOUSLY is the real deal. May end up being the first person since Jordan to average 25 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists and is definitely the youngest to average more than 25 points per game. He truly is great, seeing the floor like a young Magic Johnson, dunking like his Airness in his prime and putting up numbers the Big O would envy. He is also helping his team to the second best record in the East, helping the Cavaliers to be only 9 wins away from equaling their win total from last year. But what hurts him is the Conference he is in. We have seen East Coast biased in the past 3 years in the MVP voting and this year doesn’t appear to be any different, with the West thoroughly dominating the East presently. Should he be MVP? Probably. Will he win it? Not unless the Cavs lead the East at the end of this year.
Shaquille O’Neal- The man whose team is in on top in the East is having a nice little season this year. After the whole Kobe debacle, he has managed to stay virtually injury-free and he has been a huge factor in every game. His numbers are 22.8 points per game, good for 11th, 10.6 rebounds per game, good for 7th, 2.6 blocks per game, 3rd in the L and 26 doubles, good for third. His stats are basically that of a downgraded Tim Duncan, but like Steve Nash, he means much more to his team than just his stats. He has been a big factor in helping Dwyane Wade to become the superstar that he is now by not being selfish at all, he is not asking for every pass and as a result he is shooting an NBA best 60% from the field. Another way he helps D-Wade, is by giving him open lanes by attracting double teams. The double and triple teams also have allowed the shooters on his team to shoot basically unguarded, helping Damon Jones and Rasual Butler to become great role players. On the defensive end he has helped the Heat to become a great defensive team. His size and shot blocking ability help him change shots, whether it’s by swatting them or by just making someone force a bad shot. Shaquille O’Neal’s presence has been a giant factor in the Heat’s great season, another MVP trophy for Shaq would definitely not be a mistake.
Every single one of these players could win MVP and would be more than qualified, but as the reader you can decide for yourself whether someone should MVP because of their stats, or what they mean to their team.