Kobe and the Lakers finishing where they did has more to do with the management executing good trades rather then the players that left. You can't compare it that way. Come on now, the Lakers got Lamar Odom (overrated), Caron Butler (who???), and who the heck was that third guy again for Shaq?? The fools should have gotten Dwayne Wade if they knew what they were doing.
You're comparing Mitch Kupchak/Jerry Buss to Mark Cuban. Mark Cuban obviously has more basketball sense.
Who would I rather have on my team? It would be Shaq simply because he is a center and that is the most difficult position to fill. Is he the most dominating player ever? Yes. However, the Heat can win without him (as they did when he was out with injury). The Suns without Nash are a team in disarray. And that's what the Most Valuable Player award is all about.
If you'd been following the NBA season, you'd know that Nash was leading the MVP race from start to finish with Shaq slightly behind.
A couple of circumstances that helped Nash:
Suns finished with the best record.
Nash finished with assists record by a wide margin.
Suns won 60+ games after losing 50+ the previous season.
Shaq's stats are career lows, which is probably the main reason people didn't give him more votes.
DIV
Yep! Also, the Suns record with Nash out of the lineup was hideous. He was the difference maker. Funny thing is that this is basically the same team they had when Marbury was there. Goes to show no matter what team Marbury is on they lose (nets, suns, knicks, US olympic team)... because he is a fucking loser ball hog.
If you'd been following the NBA season, you'd know that Nash was leading the MVP race from start to finish with Shaq slightly behind.
A couple of circumstances that helped Nash:
Suns finished with the best record.
Nash finished with assists record by a wide margin.
Suns won 60+ games after losing 50+ the previous season.
Shaq's stats are career lows, which is probably the main reason people didn't give him more votes.
I never said there wasn't a good case for Nash. However, Shaq is the dominant one. Look at how much harder his opponents have to work on defense when Shaq is in the lineup. He always draws a double team. Also, look what Shaq does on defense. Having the big oaf guarding the lane shuts down penetration. Some of the things Shaq brings to the game don't show up on the stats.
Non contenders last season? Umm the Heat made it to the second round of the playoffs. Dwayne Wade led them. How is that non contenders last season?
Lakers being like shit this year to do with poor management. That and the fact that they changed like 75% of their roster. You think it's all Shaq? How about Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, Gary Payton, Karl Malone, Kareem Rush, Horace Grant, etc etc?
Those guys are so old or so shitty they couldn't have won a college championship this year. UNC beats them by 10. The old guys suck now. The others are role players.
Yes, it was all about Shaq in LA, and it pains me to admit that with Kobe having been there too. And it's all about Shaq in MIA. It's hard to contemplate how Shaq's physical presence makes other teams change their game plan and how many shots he affects / makes tougher. Few people make adjustments for Steve Nash's defense.
I don't see how this was even a close vote, except if league peeps wanted the pretty white guy to win.