Is This Nash's Most-Deserving MVP Year?

The Phoenix Suns' point guard and two-time Most Valuable Player, Steve Nash, bolstered his case for three-in-a-row in the last week. Yet all he's done is show up at the games in street clothes and sit in the stands.

With Nash out of action because of a shoulder injury, his team has struggled. Thus, since his team was 38–10 before his injury, the 1–2 stretch going into last night's tilt in Seattle speaks volumes about his value or at least it seems to in voters' minds. During his first two award-winning seasons, Nash put up numbers that were good but not eye-popping yet he handily won the MVP race in part because the high-powered Phoenix offense often slowed to a crawl — at times a gallop — without Nash at the helm.

I've exhausted friends with my arguments against Nash being awarded those MVP titles. My case in a nutshell: If you're not the best player on your team, you can't be MVP. (Center Amare Stoudemire was the Suns' best player in 2004–05, and Shawn Marion was last season.) But I'm not unsympathetic to the voter's quandary.

Point guard is admittedly one of the hardest positions to quantify. Assists don't fully capture the value of a good passer. A great pass often puts the defense out of position and leads to another pass and then a basket, but that first pass goes uncredited. Nash's value is also wrapped up in the Suns' offense, and since his arrival they are the highest-scoring team in the league. And it isn't an illusion of pace; the Suns play at a very fast tempo but they also lead the league in Offensive Efficiency, points per 100 possessions.

Although I favored other candidates, Nash's stat lines during his two MVP seasons were impressive: 15.5 points and 11.5 assists per contest on 50.2% shooting in 2004–05 and 18.8/10.5 on 51.2% last season. Moreover, this season he's improved upon those marks, notching 19.3 points, 11.8 dimes, and shooting 54.6% (and 49% from behind the arc). The Suns' struggles in his absence underscore his importance, especially in light of their loss to Chicago Sunday night, when the Bulls stopped a furious Suns run and put the game away by going to a threeguard lineup.

This season Nash has overcome one of my primary objections to his previous awards, proving that he really is the best player on the Suns. Stoudemire's numbers are slightly depressed by his slow start and the limits the team has put on his minutes as he returns from microfracture knee surgery, and Marion has come back to earth after a superb season last year. The Nash-less Suns' struggle demonstrates that despite many efforts, the point guard is still without a quality backup. Boris Diaw, a forward who often takes the point when Nash goes to the bench, turns the ball over too much, and reserve guards, Leandro Barbosa and Marcus Banks, don't initiate the offense with the same vitality.

So Nash may well be the favorite this year, especially if the Suns continue to struggle in his absence, however, it's far from a done deal. Another contributing factor to Nash collecting MVPs was the lack of an overwhelming favorite. This year could be different. Nash's good buddy, Dirk Nowitzki, is having the kind of season that MVP voters typically reward. And he's no fluke. His numbers are stellar: 25.2 ppg, 9.5 rpg, and 49.9% shooting (41.5% from behind the arc), and he's the undisputed leader in a club heading toward a record season. The Mavericks are on pace for a 68–14 finish which would be one of the five best campaigns in NBA history. Dirk would be on MVP voters' minds as he's a perennial All-Star and has placed in the upper echelons of the balloting in recent years. He'd be a fine choice and David Stern would be overjoyed as it would undoubtedly boost the international marketing campaign to have a European-born MVP.

Both Nowitzki and Nash are great choices, but if I had a ballot, I would give the top spot to Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade. Wade has single-handedly kept Miami in the running for a playoff spot. His 28.8 points, 7.8 assists, and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 49.5% from the field are phenomenal. His fourth quarter heroics are a weekly event as San Antonio learned Sunday, and Wade has accomplished these numbers as the lone, potent offensive option for most of the season. But he won't win since saving your team from becoming the second coming of the 1999 Bulls (minus the deliberate cratering) is hardly as impressive as leading your team to one of the league's best records. Still, Wade has been the best player in the NBA this season.

But if the award goes to Nash, I won't further burden my already weary friends. He's earned the accolade this season with his work on the court, and the impact of his absence simply adds to an already sound argument.

mjohnson@nysun.com