I have become increasingly frustrated over the last few years with the distribution of the NBA MVP award. I don't want to take away from the great seasons that Dirk and Nash had, but I feel like we (NBA fanatics) have been a little bit cheated when it comes to naming an MVP. It seems a little bit like a farce when you mention Dirk in the same breath as Bird, Magic, MJ, Abdul-Jabbar, or even Duncan. Maybe I am the only one who feels this way, but I am going to vent for a minute.
Until 1979-1980, NBA players voted on who was going to win the Maurice Podoloff trophy. After that point in time, media members voted on the award. It seems to me they did an decent job of it through the 80's and most of the 90's, but that it has become a little sketchy as of late, especially over the last three years like I said earlier. I think the increased usage of the internet and the general availability of games has screwed with the voting. Before that point in time, sports writers saw players on the big stage in the playoffs or huge nationally televised games (of which there weren't nearly as many as there are now) or when they came to their city. In other words, they were drawing conclusions and voting from the knowledge they had dropped on them by players and coaches or by reputations developed by the players. They had to take what players and coaches thought into account because the writers did not have as much exposure to as many players as they do now. Once the internet and satellite/cable kicked in, I think sports writers began to disregard the players and coaches thoughts and to vote on what they thought was best. I respect sports writers for the most part, but how do they know who the MVP is? Are they out there playing against them or staying up late at night to develop a scheme to stop them? It certainly seems like a wierd system to have people who really have nothing to do directly with the game vote on its top individual honor.
So with that said, sit down and grab a fork cause here is the rest of my beef. Since the '79-'80 change here are your winners: Abdul-Jabbar, Dr. J, Moses Malone two years in a row, Bird three years in a row, Magic, MJ, Magic, Magic, MJ, MJ, Barkley, Olajuwon, Robinson, MJ, Karl Malone, MJ, Ka
rl Malone, Shaq, AI, Duncan two years in a row, Garnett, Nash for two years, and Dirk. (Another note, Moses Malone was the last guy to win the award on a team with less than 50 wins as he did so in '81-'82.)
That list of winners seems to be a list of "greatest ever players" until you hit the last few years. In fact, this is a great moment to turn to sports writers who can sit and debate stuff that ultimately has no consequence (something I am fine with and am patron of). Every one of these players, until the last two winners, can be argued to be in the top 5 or 6 players at their position EVER (which all have been by ESPN and others). The one exception may be Robinson, but I think he was awful close to it and the center postion may be the most stacked of all of them. Nash is great, but at the end of his career he will not even be close to cracking the top five point guards ever. Magic, The Big O, Isaiah, John Stockton, and Cousy all have him beat easily. Not to mention there are guys like J-Kidd, Payton, Frazier, and Archibald that might have him beat too (there are arguments to be had here.). As for Dirk, he may crack the top 10, but that is if he is lucky and people forget his consistent choke jobs and his ever present lack of defense and rebounding for a big guy. His is a great, great shooter and may be seen as a player ahead of his time if the league continues to get big men that can shoot, but Duncan, Malone, Barkley, McHale, Pettit, Garnett, Hayes, Debusschere, Schayes, Rodman, Kemp, Williams, Webber, Wallace, and Stoudemire might all beat him out. Undoubtedly there are arguments to be had over some of these, but I think the point is made. As great as Nash and Nowitzki have been, they haven't lived up to the greatness of their predecessors. I hope that this year the writers give the award to someone who fits the criteria left behind by the former greats who won the award. Although I am very partial to Kobe winning it this year, I would be ok with LeBron, Garnett, or Paul (I think he will go down as one of the greatest barring injury). Lets save the MVP award before it looses any more of its meaning and becomes extinct.
Until 1979-1980, NBA players voted on who was going to win the Maurice Podoloff trophy. After that point in time, media members voted on the award. It seems to me they did an decent job of it through the 80's and most of the 90's, but that it has become a little sketchy as of late, especially over the last three years like I said earlier. I think the increased usage of the internet and the general availability of games has screwed with the voting. Before that point in time, sports writers saw players on the big stage in the playoffs or huge nationally televised games (of which there weren't nearly as many as there are now) or when they came to their city. In other words, they were drawing conclusions and voting from the knowledge they had dropped on them by players and coaches or by reputations developed by the players. They had to take what players and coaches thought into account because the writers did not have as much exposure to as many players as they do now. Once the internet and satellite/cable kicked in, I think sports writers began to disregard the players and coaches thoughts and to vote on what they thought was best. I respect sports writers for the most part, but how do they know who the MVP is? Are they out there playing against them or staying up late at night to develop a scheme to stop them? It certainly seems like a wierd system to have people who really have nothing to do directly with the game vote on its top individual honor.
So with that said, sit down and grab a fork cause here is the rest of my beef. Since the '79-'80 change here are your winners: Abdul-Jabbar, Dr. J, Moses Malone two years in a row, Bird three years in a row, Magic, MJ, Magic, Magic, MJ, MJ, Barkley, Olajuwon, Robinson, MJ, Karl Malone, MJ, Ka
rl Malone, Shaq, AI, Duncan two years in a row, Garnett, Nash for two years, and Dirk. (Another note, Moses Malone was the last guy to win the award on a team with less than 50 wins as he did so in '81-'82.)That list of winners seems to be a list of "greatest ever players" until you hit the last few years. In fact, this is a great moment to turn to sports writers who can sit and debate stuff that ultimately has no consequence (something I am fine with and am patron of). Every one of these players, until the last two winners, can be argued to be in the top 5 or 6 players at their position EVER (which all have been by ESPN and others). The one exception may be Robinson, but I think he was awful close to it and the center postion may be the most stacked of all of them. Nash is great, but at the end of his career he will not even be close to cracking the top five point guards ever. Magic, The Big O, Isaiah, John Stockton, and Cousy all have him beat easily. Not to mention there are guys like J-Kidd, Payton, Frazier, and Archibald that might have him beat too (there are arguments to be had here.). As for Dirk, he may crack the top 10, but that is if he is lucky and people forget his consistent choke jobs and his ever present lack of defense and rebounding for a big guy. His is a great, great shooter and may be seen as a player ahead of his time if the league continues to get big men that can shoot, but Duncan, Malone, Barkley, McHale, Pettit, Garnett, Hayes, Debusschere, Schayes, Rodman, Kemp, Williams, Webber, Wallace, and Stoudemire might all beat him out. Undoubtedly there are arguments to be had over some of these, but I think the point is made. As great as Nash and Nowitzki have been, they haven't lived up to the greatness of their predecessors. I hope that this year the writers give the award to someone who fits the criteria left behind by the former greats who won the award. Although I am very partial to Kobe winning it this year, I would be ok with LeBron, Garnett, or Paul (I think he will go down as one of the greatest barring injury). Lets save the MVP award before it looses any more of its meaning and becomes extinct.
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