Bill Simmons MVP pick is...the fans?

[fordronken]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070418

3. Dirk Nowitzki
A well-done and thoroughly efficient season. I enjoyed it. He took the Fist Pump/Sneer to new heights. I just don't think he was the MVP.

2. Steve Nash
Other than Kobe, the one star who consistently gets the "Look, There's No Way We're F------- Losing This Game!" look on his face, an absolute staple for any MVP candidate. He also navigated an arduous situation in Phoenix those first few weeks, back when the Suns were figuring out how to incorporate everyone into the mix and Amare and Marion were embroiled in a silly alpha dog battle. As I described in my column about the Suns three months ago, they were on the verge of imploding and Nash wouldn't allow it to happen. He raised everyone else to a higher place.

Which brings me to the Nash/Dirk thing. You could have switched Dirk with Duncan, KG, Bosh, Brand or any other elite forward and the Mavs still would have won 55-65 games. But the 2007 Suns were built like a complicated Italian race car, with specific features tailored to a specific type of driver, and Nash happened to be the only person on the planet who could have driven the car without crashing into a wall. The degree of difficulty was off the charts. So yes, this was my favorite Nash season yet. At the same time, I watched too many smart teams attack him defensively (Dallas, New Jersey, Golden State and Chicago, to name four, and even the Kings figured out to exploit him recently) and can't accept my MVP being such a liability on one end of the floor. I felt this way two years ago; I felt this way last year; and I feel this way now.

Anyway, I wish we handled MVP awards, the Oscars and the Emmys the same way -- if there's no deserving candidate in a given year, let's roll the award over to the following year and make it worth two awards, kinda like how golfers roll over a tie in a Skins match and count the next hole for twice as much. I never understood the concept of dispensing awards out of obligation over anything else. An award should be earned, not handed out.

Unfortunately, those aren't the rules. And since somebody needs to win this year, my vote goes to ...

1. The Fans
Why can't we win for putting up with such a brutal season? Aren't we the real MVPs? If Time Magazine can name "Us" as the 2006 Person of the Year, then "The Fans" can win the 2007 NBA MVP, dammit. And you know what? After enduring Tankapalooza 2007, a wasted trade deadline and a regular season best described as "apathetic," we deserve it. Bring on the playoffs. Please.

(PS: Congrats on your first MVP Award.)

 

[mathbzh]

43. Sebastian Telfair
No way the Celtics land the second lottery spot without him.

 

[TheFallen49]

What a cop-out...

He's a genius though... I mean it's clear that KG, Duncan, Brand, and Bosh have the EXACT same skill set as Dirk (only completely different). It's not his fault he's playing with Timmy and Garnett (two future HoF's) while Nash has no serious competition at the PG, although I think Paul, Deron, Kidd, and Iverson would fill his hole just as effectively as the listed PF's in Dirks scenario.

I usually enjoy his articles but I swear he's getting stupider. This season was boring? It was only boring because he's a Boston guy, the tankfest he constantly refers to is the only exciting thing there. Nevermind everywhere else, if the Celtics suck the season sucks.

 

[DeAnna]

I guess I wasn't the only one who noticed...

" watched too many smart teams attack him defensively (Dallas, New Jersey, Golden State and Chicago, to name four, and even the Kings figured out to exploit him recently) and can't accept my MVP being such a liability on one end of the floor. I felt this way two years ago; I felt this way last year; and I feel this way now."

 

[devilalum]

18. Shawn Marion
We're penalizing him 10 spots for an exchange in ESPN The Magazine's recent feature about Marion's being underappreciated. And just for the record, I agree. He's the second-most indispensable Sun besides Nash, as well as the best defensive player in the league. Anyway, here's what happened after Chris Palmer asked him if he'd rather be an MVP candidate and a 30-point scorer on a lesser team, or continue to do what he's doing on the second-best team in basketball.

• "Wow, that's interesting," he says thoughtfully, as if he's never entertained the prospect before. Marion pauses nearly 10 seconds to concentrate on the question. Only the muted sound of late-afternoon traffic outside the two-story living room breaks the silence. He fiddles with the remote as if it holds the answer. "I've never been asked that," he continues. "That would be an interesting situation to be in, to really show people what I can do. [Pause] But we'd be in the playoffs, right?"

(You bonehead! You get to play with Steve Nash! You're in the absolute perfect situation! Why don't you call Joe Johnson and ask him how Atlanta worked out, you bozo? Aaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!!!! I read that passage and nearly flipped out like Brooke did on the "Real World" after Davis brought up her double chin. Unbelievable. Shawn Marion should be high-fiving himself every morning that Nash and Mike D'Antoni passed through his life. ... Instead, he's debating the pros and cons of carrying a mediocre team? I give up. This league seems hopeless sometimes.)

This is what stood out to me. This is exactly what I thought when I read the Marion article.

 

[devilalum]

What a cop-out...

He's a genius though... I mean it's clear that KG, Duncan, Brand, and Bosh have the EXACT same skill set as Dirk (only completely different). It's not his fault he's playing with Timmy and Garnett (two future HoF's) while Nash has no serious competition at the PG, although I think Paul, Deron, Kidd, and Iverson would fill his hole just as effectively as the listed PF's in Dirks scenario.
.

Wrong

 

[F-Dog]

Shorter Bill Simmons:

"Steve Nash was the best player this year, but I'm not going to give him the MVP, because he's overrated and I don't like him. In fact, I'm not going to give an MVP for any of the last few years, because none of the players in the league today are good enough to carry the jockstraps of my beloved heroes from the distant past.

And no, I am not 'washed up' as a sportswriter at age 38. Why would you say such a thing?"