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Steve Nash = Worst NBA MVP of all Time

By BIGPHILLY, Section NBA
Posted on Tue May 10 2005 at 6:11 PM EST
More on: (all tags)

You thought you'd seen it all in sports...I mean just this past weekend a 50-1 horse won the Kentucky Derby and was followed by a 70-1 for a heck of a trifecta and superfecta payout (No one won at an alarming payout of $1.7 million but I digress)...

You've seen a grocery clerk take over the starting QB job of an NFL team and win a Super Bowl in one year...

You've seen Allen Iverson excited to "practice" when Chris Webber arrived...

You've seen a man with a half an eye host every show on the number one sports channel in the world...booyaa...

You've seen the freaking Boston Red Sox win the World Series...while the New England Patriots win the Super Bowl in the same year...

...but never have we seen the kind of injustice and sports anomaly that we witnessed just this past week, when the 2005 NBA MVP was announced.

In short, Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns was named the leagues MVP for the past season in which his Phoenix Suns ran away with the Western Conference Regular Season crown.

Let me say that again. Steve Nash.

Basically a point guard who plays absolutely no defense whatsoever, averages 15 points per game and plays for a team that runs and guns all night long...Let me reiterate one quick point - 15 points per game. Ok good.

He averaged 11 assists per game, which is terrific...but I think I could average 10 assists per game throwing the ball to Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion and Company night in and night out.

Let's put this in perspective, shall we?

Last season Stephone Marbury averaged 20 points and 8 assists per game playing for the SUNS while running the point. Basically the same if not better stats than Nash had this year.

Nice. So it can't be the stats, right?

I mean if it's stats - Allen Iverson would put Nash to shame and well, his own teammate Amare Stoudemire's resume for '04-05 looks like this:

 Ranks #5 in the NBA in Points Per Game(26.0)

 Ranks #2 in the NBA in Field-Goal Percentage(0.559)

 Ranks #12 in the NBA in Field Goal Attempts(1336.0)

 Ranks #1 in the NBA in Free Throw Attempts(795.0)

 Ranks #17 in the NBA in Offensive Rebounds Per Game(2.7)

 Ranks #17 in the NBA in Defensive Rebounds Per Game(6.2)

 Ranks #15 in the NBA in Blocks(130.0)

 Ranks #19 in the NBA in Double-doubles(27.0)

 Ranks #16 in the NBA in Field-Goal Attempts Per 48 Minutes(22.2)

 Ranks #2 in the NBA in Free Throw Attempts Per 48 Minutes(13.21)

 Ranks #4 in the NBA in Total Efficiency Points(2141.0)

 Ranks #3 in the NBA in Efficiency Ranking Per 48 Minutes(35.57)

 Ranks #17 in the NBA in Rebounds Per Game(8.9)

 Ranks #3 in the NBA in Field Goals Made(747.0)

 Ranks #3 in the NBA in Free Throws(583.0)

 Ranks #17 in the NBA in Offensive Rebounds(219.0)

 Ranks #17 in the NBA in Defensive Rebounds(494.0)

 Ranks #18 in the NBA in Total Rebounds(713.0)

 Ranks #3 in the NBA in Points(2080.0)

 Ranks #2 in the NBA in Field Goals Per 48 Minutes(12.41)

 Ranks #4 in the NBA in Free Throws Per 48 Minutes(9.69)

 Ranks #2 in the NBA in Points Per 48 Minutes(34.6)

 Ranks #4 in the NBA in Efficiency Ranking(26.76)

So it's not the stats.

No. Oh no. The voters will trumpet "THE PHOENIX SUNS went from 29-53 last year to a remarkable 62-20 this year!!! That's a 33 game improvement. He's such a difference maker - he should be the MVP!!! "

Hmmm. Ok. Well the Miami Heat went from just barely making the playoffs last year to 59-23 this year. Who is responsible for that? Well we'll get back to that in just a second.

What about the fact that the same voters just named the Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni Coach of the year. Isn't he responsible for the 33 game improvement? He's coach of the year - so it must be him - not the almighty, no defense playing, underwhelming stat machine Steve Nash, right?

...hmmm...this is really quite bizzare...

The truth of the matter is this. Shaquille O'Neal is the most dominating force in the NBA without equal. The only other players who can take over games by themselves are named Iverson, Duncan and possibly James. It's that simple.

A tiny little point guard who has never in his life guarded his opponent and who isn't even the best player on his own team is not the league MVP. As a matter of fact he's not even first team all NBA. Jason Kidd is a better point guard than he is.

Shaquille O'Neal has made Damon Jones into freaking Larry Bird and made Dwayne Wade into...well Kobe Bryant. His mere presence wins 40 games a year for any team. Add some talent around him and you get 60 wins.

Steve Nash? Please. Put him on the Sixers in place of Allen Iverson and the Sixers win 25 games if they're lucky. Put him on the Miami Heat in place of Shaquille O'Neal and the Heat might win 30 games.

Put Shaq or AI on the Suns with that team? They may not lose a game.

Message to the writers and voters: Don't go throwing MVP awards around like they are some token nice gesture to the team with the best record and the guy you think is most responsible for it. That's not what MOST VALUABLE PLAYER means.

If you want to redefine the MVP award then I'd ask David Stern to rename the trophy to MIPOTBT (Most important player on the Best team) award. Even then you might want to engrave Amare Stoudemire on the plaque because Steve Nash is barely an all-star point guard who plays no defense in a wide open division. Nothing more. Not a superstar. Not some icon of young players...and most certainly not the MVP of the NBA.