Each week I'll look at the players who would have the best shot at the league MVP award if the season ended today. Why? Because we're bound to disagree and fight each other with chain whips ...
1. Steve Nash, PG, Suns: The Suns beat the Mavs, again. Steve Nash did exactly what makes him a viable MVP candidate, Dirk didn't. Somehow, though, this makes Nash seem less convincing, too. He didn't really prove himself, he just didn't hurt himself--unlike last time these two met, when Mr. Two-Time went above and beyond our expectations. Shouldn't that be part of what makes an MVP: the ability to surprise even his biggest supporters?
2. Dirk Nowitzki, PF, Mavericks: I wish I could demote him, I really do. Nash at least has an excuse for not taking over on Sunday, since anything dominant that team does counts as him taking over. Unfortunately, no one else is pushing hard enough to unseat that "best player on best team" logic. I also will only ever say this once: point guards and traditional post players can hide behind the team, freak scorers like Dirk can't.
3. LeBron James, SF, Cavaliers: Ladies and gentlemen, your Eastern Conference Player of the Month. This humble horse from out of Cleve-town averaged 30.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 7 assists, leading the Cavs to an 11-5 record. He stepped up immensely in getting a win against the Pistons. And unlike the front runners, whose teams are stacked, or Kobe, whose team is lousy with him, he's a unquestioned alpha dawg whose squad responds to his magnificent example. I wonder if a whole season of this would be enough to leapfrog Nash or Dirk. Oh well. He'll get his three MVP's before it's all over.
The Dirk/Nash MVP race might well be the storyline of the season, what with the Mavs historically good and Nash looking to join the pantheon. Everyone has an opinion, and I know that mine changes depending on the weather. If only there were some authoritative take that could set the record straight, once and for all.
"He's playing unbelievable, and Dallas has been unbelievable," D'Antoni said. "I think at the end of the day that's what it's all about. Not to take anything away from Steve and how he's playing. Sunday is another chance, another test for him in this year's race. But I think you have to look at the best team and whoever on that team is having a phenomenal year.
Well, there it is. Nash's own coach would vote for Dirk. Now, let's not take this at face value; DMB suggests that a three-peat for Nash might heighten the pressure, whereas this would make the Mavs sole owners of the postseason bull's eye. Still, is this high-stakes PR campaign really the time to play mind games in the press? Plus D'Antoni's known to be a straight shooter, making it less unbelievable that he'd outright endorse the enemy.
You want to know why Stoudemire matters? He makes it so the Suns can have "enemies" without it sounding goofy.
Kevin Willis passed his physical Saturday morning and will sign a 10-day contract with the Mavs, coach Avery Johnson confirmed...The 44-year-old, 7-footer won't be able to officially sign the deal until Monday when the league offices open for business so he won't be in uniform for the Suns game tomorrow...He will meet the team in Phoenix and begin workouts as soon as the contract is a done deal.
MFCP goes on to note that "more than anything," Willis is a great locker room guy and will be good for Desagana Diop. That's all fine and good, but give the guy some credit: he's about to become the oldest player in NBA history. From the Dallas Mavericks Blog:
At 44, he would be the oldest player in NBA history. Robert Parish was 43 when he waved towels on the 1996-97 Bulls bench
Who cares if this contract lasts into the playoffs? What's important is that Kevin Willis has achieved immortality.
It may have been overshadowed by 48 year-old Julio Franco yet again sticking in the majors, but 44 year-old Kevin Willis will apparently audition for a playoff roster spot with the Mavs. The Dallas Morning Newsreports that Avery is wiling to humor the ageless seven-footer:
Johnson said the team is looking for a big man – if they decide to sign anybody at all.
"Right now, it's kind of the best available person," he said. "I'm real leery about adding anybody right now. But if there's something that makes sense, we'll do it. But it's got to really make sense for us."
The Kevin Willis saga is indeed a strange one. He's one of only fifteen players to reach 16,000 points and 11,000 rebounds, and even capped off his career with a 2003 Spurs ring. Yet he was back as recently as 2004-05, when he made an appearance for the Hawks.
It's also being rumored that Allsn Houston might try and return to the league. Most assumed him a micro-fracture casualty, but apparently there's some life left in him. Who knows, maybe the Michael Ray Richardson fiasco reminded him of his own anti-Semitic glory days. According to The New York Daily News, though, there's a small problem:
At least two NBA coaches believe that Houston is planning to play again. Houston, whose contract expires this summer, retired in October 2005 with chronic knee pain. Until then, he remains the second highest paid player in the league at $20.7 million behind Minnesota's Kevin Garnett ($21 million).
You know, I'm sick of hearing that Garnett's contract brought on the league-mandated max. Seeing as everyone in the universe thinks KG is worth every dime, I think it's time we recognize Houston's mega-deal as the real culprit.
"We don't have that one intimidating force," Cuban said. "We just don't have that one identifiable 'Shaq' who's going to automatically get you two feet from the basket. Or Michael Jordan. Even Larry Bird, when he was playing, wasn't really that presence."
Cuban then goes on to say that Dirk "isn't that type of player." If the quote gets cut off, you'd assume he's criticizing his superstar, one who might win this season's MVP. Granted, he places Dirk in the company of Bird, but it's still not what you'd expect from one of the league's foremost cheerleaders.
Now, the rest:
"Michael Jordan was intimidating. Shaq [Shaquille O'Neal] was intimidating. We just don't have that intimidating presence. In terms of that media respect, that's maybe what we don't have and why we don't necessarily get all the media attention. There's not that larger-than-life one personality."
So this isn't really a point about the Mavs' competitive worth, it's Cuban's thoughts on people's perception of his team. Or at least it's supposed to be. I think that, in the interest of fairness, we've got to remember that. But what does it say about Cuban that he won't say that Dirk shouldhave other teams frightened?
300 is currently our nation's box office grand champion. Not only is it making crazy money and getting excellent reviews, it also moved one YouTube moviemaker to put together a 300-themed tribute to Dirk Nowitzki.
I am fanatical neither about war movies or Dirk Nowitzki. But still, I've gotta tell you ... if I was a Mavericks fan, that would have me pretty jacked up. Between now and the playoffs, I'd probably watch that thing about 873 times.
It's expertly cut and edited. So expert, in fact, that it almost convinced me that Dirk is a bad-ass, throat-slashing, soul-stealing playoff warrior ... instead of a guy who lets his team lose four straight against the Heat and beats up exercise equipment.
• Clinched a playoff spot in the unusually deep Western Conference on March 6th
• Extended their win streak to 16
• Extended their home win streak to 23
• Became the only team (via Elias Says at ESPN.com) in North American pro sports history to ever win 51 game in a 56-game span in a single season.
That's not bad for one night's work. Some teams haven't accomplished that much in the entire history of the franchise. And this doesn't even mention that Jason Terry made one lucky old lady's evening with a kiss.
Terry plowed into an elderly woman in the 2nd row after going for a loose ball. He later went over to check that she was okay, and ended up kissing her. French kissing her. That's right, Terry went after her Tony Parker-style, and the game had to be delayed while they were mugging out. And then Terry had to fight that guy in the picture up there, because he just put his mack down on that guy's mom.
Okay, none of that's true. Sorry. Terry gave her a peck on the cheek. It was all very sweet and innocent. I can't promise you that they didn't exchange phone numbers, though.
A quick look back at Thursday night in The Association ...
Worst. Game Seven. Ever. On a night that Dallas unveiled their Nowitzki MVP campaign, the German One didn't disappoint. Nowitzki had 31 points and 11 rebounds as the Mavericks spanked the Dwyane Wade-less Heat 112-100 for their 10th straight victory. (Quick question: Is it just me, or are Dirk's 30-10 nights becoming eerily automatic?) The Mavs have now won 31 of 33 and became just the fourth team in NBA history to have three winning streaks of at least 10 games. (See: '70-71 Bucks, '80-81 76ers and the '99-2000 Lakers.) Shaquille O'Neal had 17 points and eight rebounds, which -- news flash here -- isn't going to cut it, Big Diesel!
Suddenly It's Just As Much Fun To Talk About Mr. Fifty. Washington tried its best to blow a 17-point lead to Sacramento, but by the power of replay, held on to win, 109-106. With less than a second left, Kings' guard John Salmons nailed a game-tying three, but after video review officials ruled he hadn't got it off in time. Gilbert Arenas had an Agent Zero-like night (43 points, seven boards and seven assists) and my new favorite Wiz/action hero, 'Mr. Fifty' Deshawn Stevenson, backed up his moniker with 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting. Who Needs Pau Gasol? The monster that is Ben Wallace, scored 14 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, had a season-high seven -- say it again -- seven blocks and even managed to sink two free-throws to lead Chicago to an 84-78 win over Cleveland. Yes, fear the 'fro is back, folks! (Too soon?)
Well, this news is definitely not "big" or "sexy" or "important whatsoever," but it is something, and that's what I was asking for, right? Via ESPN.com, our first trade of the day! (Um, if you can call it that.)
The Atlanta Hawks acquired guard Anthony Johnson from the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday in exchange for the Hawks' 2007 second-round draft pick.
"We're happy to be able to bring Anthony Johnson back to Atlanta," Hawks general manager Billy Knight said in a statement. "He provides us with another veteran presence, and brings a great deal of regular season and postseason experience to our club."
Yes, hilariously enough, this will be Johnson's third stint with the Hawks. He signed with the team as a free agent in January 1999, and again in August 2000, but was traded away on both occasions.
And while Johnson's proven to be a solid guard and teammate over the years, something tells me he won't be bringing that certain "fire" to the Hawks that Sekou Smith claims they so desperately need. (AJC link via TrueHoop)
Somehow lost in the midst of Monta Ellis' ups, Michael Cooper's bricks and Penn's chainsaw not malfunctioning and accidentally slicing Tony Parker in two, was this potentially fierce All-Star Weekend moment via the Dallas-Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade didn't greet one another as the Western and Eastern Conference starters met at Thomas & Mack Center midcourt circle just before the opening tip.
Each bumped fists and man-hugged with just about every starter out there. Somehow, Nowitzki and Wade missed sharing pleasantries.
In case you've forgotten the drama, less than two weeks ago, Wade criticized Nowitzki's leadership skills, saying, "The reason they [the Mavs] lost the championship is because he [Nowitzki] wasn't the leader that he's supposed to be in the closing moments."
This, of course, led Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to openly blast Wade on everything from being a referee's pet to leading his teammates to the buffet table to questioning his Marquette business classes . . . on his blog. With typos.
And while both superstars have attempted to downplay the noise, saying things like, "it's nothing personal," and "there's really nothing to talk about," the fact of the matter is, it is and boy, is there ever. Their Shaq-and-Kobe-like fist-dis just goes to prove it.
Miami visits Dallas this Thursday. Thank you, NBA schedule-makers.
Each week I'll look at the players who would have the best shot at the league MVP award if the season ended today. Why? Because we're bound to disagree and fight each other with chain whips ... 
I've been holding my breath since Thursday, when it was revealed that the Mavs 
It may have been overshadowed by 48 year-old Julio Franco yet again 
Here's something Mark Cuban said to 
A quick look back at Thursday night in The Association ...
Well, this news is definitely not "big" or "sexy" or "important whatsoever," but it is something, and 
Somehow lost in the midst of Monta Ellis' ups, Michael Cooper's bricks and Penn's chainsaw not malfunctioning and accidentally slicing Tony Parker in two, was this potentially fierce All-Star Weekend moment 
