FanHouse NBA MVP

LeBron James was named the NBA MVP Monday afternoon. This is, of course, not a tremendous shock.

Time to let the irony sink in. Despite the Dallas Mavericks' dismal playoff showing, and a certain tall German's disappearing act, the '06-07 MVP went to Dirk Nowitzki. We already knew this news was coming, but that's not quite the same as having it come true.

There's really not much to say about this. Dirk and his Mavs owned the regular season, and then fell apart in the first round. The award is for the regular season, since not all players make the playoffs or stay alive that long in them. Thus, Dirk is your MVP. What's Nowitzki supposed to do, refuse it as a gesture of guilt and humility?

The real news from the press conference was Mark Cuban, weeping for all the world to see. Were they tears of joy, or was their taste bittersweet? That's something only Cubes knows for sure.

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.