I have not posted in a very long time, but I just had to get something off my chest that has been bothering me for a long time. I am not a McGrady apologist by any means, but I do not understand why he takes such a beating every year from the national media for not winning while others get a pass. Specifically, the one that bothers me the most is Steve Nash. What I really want to know is how Nash keeps getting passes (and praise) from everyone, while Tmac gets destroyed, when they basically have the same impact on winning playoff games year after year. I'm not defending McGrady. I think he just lacks that certain something that MVP players have that makes the difference in the 4th quarters of playoff games. But why does he take such a beating nationally, while everyone trips over themselves making excuses for Steve Nash and his playoff failures? STEVE NASH is not one of the best players in the NBA. He is not one of the best PGs of all time. He is not even a better player than Tmac, for all his shortcomings. He IS the worst player to ever receive an MVP award, and the fact that he won 2 back-to-back cheapens the award even further. I know how this myth began......Don David Sterleone, watching the Spurs win multiple championships while sapping what was left of his Jordan-inflated ratings, knew he had to do something to reverse this trend and bring some "magic" and artistry back to the game. But what to do? Where to turn? Who could be the new face of a new, up-tempo, entertaining style of play which could bring back all those fans lost to the Spurs boring-ball? Enter one Steven Nash. He (along with Mike D'Antoni) brought 100-point games, 3-second fast breaks and excited fans back to the league. The NBA had a new darling to promote, and what better way to do so than to name the leader of this hardwood-revolution the MVP, not once, but 2 consecutive seasons? I mean, what could make more of a statement about the rewards of this new style than to annoint it's face as the best player in the world 2 years running? The problem, of course, is that everything about Steve Nash is a complete over-hyped joke. Not that it's his fault. He just played his game, same as he had the previous years in Dallas, and went about his business with class and respect for the game. The problem is that the type of play he brings has never won anything important because it completely ignores defense in favor of scoring. Shouldn't the MVP award reward a player who impacts winning the most, instead of TV ratings? Even he must have felt embarrassed to accept those trophies, knowing full well that in a league with Kobe, LeBron, KG, Tim Duncan and Dwayne Wade, the entire ceremony was a farce. Steve Nash has never been an MVP, and to label him such is insulting to all others who have carried that title. He is a pathetic defensive player, has never been a go-to scorer, and only plays 30 MPG even when he is healthy because he wears down physically. His teams have never won anything, ever. He has never even been to the NBA Finals. What's worse, he seems to wear down and choke when the games matter most. Unlike McGrady, who puts up fantastic numbers in the playoffs and still gets killed for not winning, Nash puts up average numbers and seems to get a pass from everyone. Why doesn't he get called-out for being soft, or not being a true superstar, or not leading his team to victory by taking over in the 4th quarter? Let me ask you this: How would you rank these 4 PGs, either by career or best individual season? Steve Nash Gary Payton John Stockton Jason Kidd Gary Payton was a multiple Defensive POY winner, nicknamed "The Glove", consistent 20 PPG scorer, playoff performer, and made a Finals (Lost to true MVP Jordan). John Stockton is the all-time leader in assists and steals, excellent defender and shooter, made the playoffs almost 20 straight years, and played in 2 Finals (Lost to true MVP Jordan). Jason Kidd is a triple-double machine, the best rebounding PG since Oscar Robertson, runs the break as well as Nash while still contributing on defense, and has also played in 2 Finals (Lost to true MVP Duncan). I contend that all 3 (Stockton in early 90's, Payton in late 90's, Kidd in early 2000's) at one time was the best PG in the NBA. What do all 3 also have in common? NONE OF THEM EVER WON NBA MVP!!!!!!!!!! AND NASH WON 2?????????????????????????????? Nash does not stack up well to the older guys who preceeded him, and now he has already been passed this season by Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Tony Parker and the next generation of great NBA point guards. If you don't believe me, just look at who is still playing after the 1st round and who isn't. In one game this season in the series with the Spurs, I looked at the box score and saw the following: Nash 9 pts 7 asts Parker 40 pts 12 asts How does an MVP get beat so badly in an individual matchup in the playoffs? Can you imagine Jordan getting so thoroughly outplayed by Drexler in 92? Can you imagine Dream getting spanked so one-sidedly by D Robinson in 95? Can you imagine Kobe getting lit up so badly by Ginobili this year? Of course not, because THOSE are MVPs. Not imposters like Steve Nash. Everyone needs to back of McGrady, or they need to give the same treatment to Nash, Dirk and every other MVP-caliber star who doesn't win in the playoffs.
DD, Would you trade him straight up for Tmac today? If so, why? What does Steve Nash do to win playoff games that McGrady does not? I would love to have him as that 3rd piece with Yao and McGrady, but that is my point.....he is a good 3rd star on a contender, not a lead dog, and certainly not a 2-time MVP.
Nash makes everyone better, is a great shooter, and an AWESOME FT shooter. I would not trade him for Tmac but only because of their age. As far as Mental toughness goes, Nash is head and shoulders above Tmac. DD
Nash didn't make Shaq better. The Mavs got better when he left. Marion was already the Matrix before he got there. Joe Johnson got better without him. He gets guys easy shots, and points, but I don't think he brings enough on offense for the whopping 30 minutes he plays to make up for the 40 and 12 he gave Tony Parker in a playoff game not even 2 weeks ago.
Nash is a great Pt guard. He has great all court vision and passes through the eye of a needle. I'd take him in a heartbeat. Kidd on the other hand is washed up. If we get Nash then we can have two cross-eyed back court players!
The Suns might have won the championship last year if it were not for Amare leaving the bench. Nash has led his team out of the first round several times...... No one can make Shaq better at this point in his career, he is pretty much washed up... Nash is a very good player.....so is Tmac.....but Nash is mentally tougher - I also can't recall Nash tossing his teamates under the bus, or deflecting blame....ala his Macness. DD
nash made 4 TURNOVERS late in game 5 v. the spurs in a TIGHT game. what happened in sportscenter? nothing really. that tells you how much nash gets away with things. he has that much talent on his team and can't even take a team to 6-7 games?
dd, he admitted he was clueless offensively when the spurs tried to foul shaq. he also let tony parker destroy him around without saying how he's gonna try and guard him he also made 4 critical TOs (point blank tos) in a game 5 where you saw the "choking" in him. he's def. not even close to heads/shoulders above tmac in terms of mental toughness. if anything, he's the opposite.
He did have a rough ending to that game, for sure. However, Nash has led that team these last few years to a fairly successful playoff run. Tmac and Nash are close IMHO.....one is an incredible athlete who can dominate when he wants to, the other is a surgical genius who dominates through making teamates better. Just different sides of a similar coin. DD
did anyone see the stat saturday night about parker's best six playoff performances. i'm pretty sure the majority were against the suns. the funny thing is, i still remember marbury abusing parker in 03, but parker was still fairly young.
This is my point exactly: The Suns lost last year because they didn't have Amare. The Suns lost this year because they replaced Marion with a washed-up Shaq. Nash could not lift them above the Spurs then or now or ever because he isn't even the most valuable player on his own team. Wade managed to will his team to a title with a washed-up Shaq, Toine, White Chocolate, The Glove and a bunch of nobodies just 24 months ago. Because he is a true superstar. Not a complementary piece masquerading as a superstar like Nash and Tracy. Nash is an over-hyped role player who brings a ton of flash but very little substance, just like Tmac. Why does everyone defend him like he is Magic Johnson?
I don't know, but he has been a very good player, and an MVP for a reason.... Heck, I would like the Greek version of Nash........ DD
Generally PG's and Centers have the biggest affect on the game, regardless of how good they are. You've seen that even adding Rafer Alston back to our lineup helps us but Steve Nash and Tracy Mcgrady are very different. He is also BY FAR the worst player to win the MVP but i just don't see the comparisons. You could say that neither plays good defense but Nash makes Tmac's defense look like Bruce Bowen. I think there might be similarities in where they rank all time amongst their respective positions. Their both around the bottom of the top 15 of their position.
MVP is a messed up award no doubt. But I really like the Suns. Tracy McGrady, to speak plainly, is a second round virgin. It doesn't bother me but it bothers a lot of people. If not for ref fixing last year and choking the Suns may well have won a championship
Yes, you are correct, there is a reason: Don David Sterleone needed a marketing gimmick to bring back everyone who could not stand watching NBA basketball games without Jordan in the Finals. Rather than choose a deserving winner like Duncan or Kobe, who might not sell as many seats, he chose the flavor-of-the-week in Nash. He then proceeded to ram down our throats how wonderful this new style of play was, conveniently handing him 2 MVPs in the process. The reason he won those awards was to sucker everyone into spending their dollar on the NBA again. He made the MVP trophy a marketing tool, not a basketball award. And everyone who bought into it then should be giving the same jeers to Nash for his consistent playoff failures that they are giving McGrady.
I think the Sports writers and broadcasters vote for the award right? Did Nash get your sister pregnant or something? DD
When you can take your team to the conference finals w/o a superstar you are a a great player. Is it Steve nash's fault shaq can't hit FTs.
