I just wanted to get some sort of discussion going on this. how is Dirk Nowitzki going to win the MVP simply on the strength of the Mavs' 67 wins? there needs to be a best team award, because that could avoid this kind of thing in the future.

here's my case: how is Dirk more valuable than, say, Elton Brand? I mean, just look at the numbers.

Dirk: 24.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 3.4 APG, .67 SPG, .79 BPG
Brand: 20.5 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.9 APG, .96 SPG, 2.24 BPG

just comparing the two, do Dirk's numbers really jump out at you? besides his .904 free throw percentage, he wasn't even top 10 in anything.

why should the centerpiece of a 67-win team automatically be the MVP? why not Kobe, who scored 31.6 PPG on a team that would've won 20 games without him, or, hell, even Nash again?

back to studying for finals. I hope this becomes something by the time I get back.

Numbers are not the be-all, end-all of MVP talk.

I really think Duncan deserves just as much chance as Dirk and Nash of winning this. I would be content with any one of those three. Kobe plays great D and the Lakers really would have been awful without him, but he takes so many shots (although his assists were up this year I believe). Duncan isn't as flashy as Dirk or Nash, but he plays pretty much perfect defense, always averages 20-10, and garners so much respect from opponents it opens up (I think) a lot of those threes Horry and others hit. If put in a bind I'd probably vote Duncan... Nash and Dirk would be tied right behind him (I'd hate to choose the more valuable to his team of those two).

Unfortunately, there's still no formal definition of "MVP". Is it the player who hurts the team the most if he's gone? Is it the best player on the best team? Is it the best player amongst the few best teams? Is it the best player in general?

You could probably come up with different answers for almost all of those. Kobe, Duncan, Nash, Dirk, etc, depending on how you want to look at it.

Based on the way I want to look at it, I'd say it's Kobe, because he put up the best overall numbers and his team would have been totally in the tank without him. But if we're limited only to talking about the very good teams, then you slip to Dirk. Or if you're talking about who's absence hurts the most amongst the very good teams, Nash. It all depends on your personal definition.

It's probably going to be Dirk since they kind of set the precendence with team success being a major factor the last two years with Nash winning it. He got basically all of the credit for the Suns' performance. Don't get me wrong, he deserves most of it, but it's not like Marion/Diaw/Amare/Johnson when he was there are all bums. Kobe or Lebron easily could have won it last year (I'd have personally picked the latter), and Nash was really probably the best of an underwhelming group the year before that. Hell, Dirk was better the last two years than he was this year, the real difference is the major improvement of Howard.

So now under the same premise as Nash's first MVP Dirk will probably get it even though Nash is making his strongest case ever and Kobe and Arenas were probably both better than Dirk and as valuable to their teams if not more so.

Dont get me wrong, I think nash and Dirk are great players but I dont think Nash should have any MVPs and i dont think Dirk should ever win one. When I think MVP I dont think of guys who cant win the big one year in and year out or guys who disappear in big series.

I think of guys who can take games over and who can win games and carry a team. Nash is close to that but not if he loses this round.

Teams like Detroit and San Antonio dont turn it on till the post season so guys like Duncan or Billups arent being mentioned because its more of a regular season award. They should wait till the playoffs are over before handing it out.

They already have an award for that, it's called the Finals MVP...

Nash, Kobe, Dirk...in that order, IMO, of course.

I love the depth to your argument...and you know, wins are measured in numbers, too.

I think Nash was worthy two years ago, Shaq's season wasn't any better than his. last year, it's a toss-up between Kobe and Bron Bron.

but I look at Nowitzki's season, and I just don't see an MVP type of season. you can say "numbers are not the be-all, end-all of MVP talk," but he doesn't play good defense, either. don't get me wrong, he's a great player, but not the 2007 MVP.

I could live with the order in the post above mine, and you could swap Nash and Kobe and it would still make sense.