If Lebron continues to struggle at the end of a close game and if Rose continue his shooting slump then Howard should get the MVP. His team doesn't even play defense and he is single handedly keeping them in defensively. That's unheard of in this era of the NBA. Howard's offense is improving every year and if he can hit at least 70% of his free throw, I would even put him in the prime Shaq status. The guy is unbelievable and there's no reason he can't get the MVP if his team ended up with the top 2-3 seed in the east. Right now I see: 1. Rose 2. D. Howard 3. Lebron
I hate to say this, but I think Dirk probably will be MVP. Mainly because his team has been garbage without him, and they've beat pretty much every contender they've faced when he's healthy.
Rose is in the lead right now and Dwight is not that far behind, lets see what happens in the coming games.
Orlando isn't good enough to put Dwight in contention, although I think he actually does deserve it because his team is so dependent on him (just like LBJ the two years he won it). By the books, Dirk completely deserves it this year, but I don't know if the media will give it to him because last time he won it looked pretty bad for the league.
Dirk has no shot purely because there's no way he'll get 2 MVPs after the Golden State series. It's a coin flip between Howard and Rose. I'd probably give it to Rose, but either is a good choice. Dirk is a distant third, and then Lebron.
Dwight owes ALL of his success to Hakeem, so in essence Hakeems influence is your number 2 MVP candidate. lol
I'm not sure he's literally gunning for it..he's been upset at the team's lack of effort and has been vocal about it...i think he's just trying to win. And there's no point in discussing who's more valuable or who suffers more without a player because its all about team success. The MVP will be on the top 2 or 3 teams that are most likely to win it all....You have to put LA, boston, and SA up there with their records and past championship experience. Those are the safe choices. chicago and miami are risks because of their inexperience in the playoffs, both with individual players (except for a few) and as a team. That being said, I think there's still a feeling that the spurs big 3 are too old and don't have enough help for the whole title run, so it'll come down to LA and Boston. Allen is a serious possibility, especially after breaking the 3 pt record and shooting what will probably be a career high from three (currently at 46.1%). From LA I'd say it's either Pau or Kobe, but Kobe having just one MVP so far seems silly, so i think he's an automatic over Pau. Voters will jump at the opportunity to give Kobe another MVP. However, if the spurs pull ahead at the end by a large margin, let's say 66+ wins and no one else gets to 60, then it'll be tough to count them out. MVP to Manu.
His reputation was ruined and he was considered a chock artist. The most valuable player on the team with the most wins favorited to win it all loses decisively in the first round against an 8th seed. The league was probably embarassed after giving it to him.
maybe just by casual fans. That playoff series wasn't won/lost because of Dirk, a lot of GS players played out of their minds esp. S-Jax, B-diddy and Andris Biedrins. B-diddy was hitting one foot 3 pointers all series long and Biedrins protected the paint like a madman against the dallas slashers. Couple in Don Nelson's familiarity with the system and Dirk's game and it was all a recipe for a disaster. I don't think you can depend on Dirk's "choke artist" reputation when he's still continued to win games for Dallas left and right. I honestly think all the D Rose hype is overblown. It should still be between DH and LBJ. Those two guys have more far reaching effects on their team than Rose.
the argument's prime shaq's offense is light years ahead of howard even with 50% ft shooting. and i think howard's denfese is overrated compared to prime shaq. shaq was a better post defender, paint intimidator and an equal or better shot blocker and rebounder. Howard's just better at pick & roll defense and more committed to defense.
If I had to pick one player to build a franchise around today, I'm starting to think it would be Howard. That guy's career arc is so close to Hakeem's it is spooky.
I agree, but as a guy who has missed only a handful of Magic game this season I don't think Dwight is the MVP. He's close, but to me it's still LeBron. I might be biased though, because you often tend to undervalue the players you watch more often.
Shaq's only been on 3 All Defensive teams. All 2nd teams. Dwight Howard has already got him beat in Defensive teams and Defensive Player of The Year awards. I agree that Shaq's defensive INTIMIDATION was underrated, and Howard's defensive ability maybe not overrated but overinflated due to lack of quality big men in the NBA. But that pick & roll versatility and ability to cover ground away from the interior is a big additive for a big man. Its why Kevin Garnett and Ben Wallace are rated highly as defenders. And why on that same measure, Howard gets his credit.
I'd put that loss on Avery Johnson way more than on Dirk. He had a pretty good series as a whole, but Avery was the one who changed up their lineup in Game 1 to try and match up with the Warriors. That was the only game lost by the home team. Nelson had the Warriors playing without fear, and the Mavs looked pretty much scared the whole series. Dallas even rested their starters in a late season game against the Warriors to save face in case they lost. It's kind of ironic because if they had beaten the Warriors that game, the Nuggets would likely have received the #8 seed that year. Dirk did take his team to the Finals the year before and should have won a title. The refereeing in that series was terrible, and I think the Mavs got robbed to a certain degree. And that year, Dirk led his team to a buttload of wins and likely would have run to at least the WCF if they had faced any other team than the Warriors. Playoffs usually come down to matchups, and that Warriors team was custom-built to take down the Mavs. Nelson also knew exactly how to defend the Mavs and exploited the hell out of their defense. Kind of the same situation as the #8 Knicks taking down the Heat with all the Riley-Van Gundy plotlines. You want to talk about a #1 seed choking, then please take a look at the 1993-1994 Seattle Sonics. The Rockets should still thank their lucky stars for that gift.
