What They're Saying Before the Orlando Magic Face Off Against the New Orleans Hornets
by erivera7 on Feb 26, 2010 12:00 PM EST
in News
Email
Print-
Media should take off its LeBron James blinders and start pumping Dwight Howard for MVP
Mike Bianchi thinks Dwight Howard deserves to be in the MVP discussion, even though he probably won't win the award this year.We say we want our NBA stars to be humble and hardworking. We say we want players who don't just score points but sacrifice themselves and their offensive production for the sake of the team. But is that really what we want?
Howard leads the league in doing the dirty work — rebounding, blocking shots and playing defense — and yet he gets no love for it. [...]
How can it be that the reigning Defensive Player of the Year — a guy who leads the league in rebounding and blocked shots and averages nearly 20 points per game — is not only ignored as an MVP candidate but continues to get ripped by some in the media? -
Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard should be favorite to repeat as defensive player of the year
Head coach Stan Van Gundy believes Howard, barring something unforeseen, should be named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said that C Dwight Howard should repeat as NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Howard leads the league in rebounding and blocked shots for the second consecutive season.
"I don't know how he couldn't get it again," Van Gundy said. "When you're that dominate on the defensive boards, you're taking away second chances. You're leading the league in blocked shots. He defends his position well. He's a very good pick-and-roll defender.
"There's just not a lot of weaknesses with him on the defensive end of the floor. I would be disappointed and surprised — assuming that the next 24 games continue the same trend — if he were not Defensive Player of the Year again."
More after the jump.
-
Awaiting the Orlando Magic in New Orleans: the unstoppable Marcus Thornton
Tania Ganguli talks about the impact Marcus Thornton, a rookie shooting guard for the New Orleans Hornets, has made coming off the bench. -
Orlando Magic are rounding into playoff form
Brian Schmitz notes that the Orlando Magic, with the 2010 NBA Playoffs looming closer, are beginning to think about the postseason."What we got caught up early in the year is only thinking about getting back to the Finals instead of playing the season out," Dwight Howard said. "I think since all-star weekend, we have done an excellent job to prepare us mentally for what's ahead."
Led by the mighty Howard, the Magic appear to be rounding into playoff form.
They have been playing their best basketball since a January stretch in which they lost seven of nine games. They have won 13 of their last 17, with two wins against the Celtics and one against the Cavs and another against Atlanta.
Smith doesn't feel the Magic have "hit their stride yet. I know our team is capable of more." -
The Good, The Bad and Jameer Nelson
Philip Rossman-Reich of Orlando Magic Daily chronicles Jameer Nelson's play, which has been up and down, and notes that he's "starting to play closer to his All-Star levels from last season." -
New Orleans Hornets face tall order in the Orlando Magic
John Reid of The Times Picayune comments that the Hornets will have a tough task dealing with the Magic in tonight's game.Against the Magic, not only must New Orleans worry about Howard, but guard Vince Carter scored 48 points in Orlando's 123-117 victory against the Hornets at Amway Arena earlier this month.
Several of Carter's shots came from open lanes to the basket that resulted in uncontested layups, which helped the Magic overcome a 15-point halftime deficit after the Hornets scored season-high 70 points.
"Our best offense is our best defense," Hornets rookie guard Darren Collison said. "It's real hard to score when the other team is scoring."
26 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
This team wins 15 less games and will struggle out of the first round without Dwight.
But the same could be said of Lebron. Can’t take anything away from “The King”, but you can sure as hell hope people start paying attention to “The Beast” as well.
I'm as tired of hearing about Lebron 24/7 as the next guy
But he is clearly the best player in the NBA. For someone with his body size to also be a great shot blocker, outside shooter, passer, and to also have the ability to dribble through two defenders to the lane and make off-balance layups? It’s just not something you ever see but once in a blue moon. However, he’s not superhuman. People like Howard, Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Kobe are still elite level players whose teams can beat the Cavs on any given night. But Lebron has to get the MVP. Without him, the Cavs would be struggling just to get to the playoffs this year. Isn’t that the definition of “MVP”?
There is no true criteria for determining MVP. It's mostly a popularity contest, like the ASG.
Can’t we silence these Christian athletes who thank Jesus whenever they win and never mention his name when they lose? You never hear them say, "Jesus made me drop the ball" or, "The Lord tripped me up behind the line of scrimmage."
by Diosnomeama on Feb 26, 2010 4:54 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I disagree.
I think the MVP is much more meaningful than the ASG. Ultimately these types of awards are just window dressing, and what really matters is whether teams win or lose. But it still means something to say, “Yeah, that dude is the best in the world at what he does.”
But what makes an MVP?
Your criteria may differ from mine, which in turn may differ from the next person, and so on.
Can’t we silence these Christian athletes who thank Jesus whenever they win and never mention his name when they lose? You never hear them say, "Jesus made me drop the ball" or, "The Lord tripped me up behind the line of scrimmage."
Value to your team, numbers, and team success.
The real "Masters of Panic" are commenting on this blog.
by ben_gleicher on Feb 26, 2010 5:18 PM EST up reply actions
Let me amend my comment.
Most people tend to use the same things to measure MVP, but everybody puts emphasis on a different measurement each time.
Can’t we silence these Christian athletes who thank Jesus whenever they win and never mention his name when they lose? You never hear them say, "Jesus made me drop the ball" or, "The Lord tripped me up behind the line of scrimmage."
No one measurement should be used.
Take Lebron. He has the most multifaceted basketball talent I’ve ever seen. He’s athletic enough to run the floor like a point guard. He’s good at blocking out to get boards, timing jumps to get blocks, making no-look and thread-the-needle passes to cutting teammates, shooting 3-pointers, making contorted, ridiculous off-balance layups…there is literally almost nothing he can’t do on the court if he’s having an “on” night.
That’s a most valuable player. Someone who may not lead the league in any one category, but who is well-rounded enough to shine in many categories. Plus, it’s proven beyond any shadow of a doubt that Lebron makes his teammates better. Like I said, without him they’d be struggling to compete with the Heat and the Hawks. With him, they’re the best team in the Eastern Conference.
That’s an MVP. A great all-around basketball player who makes his team much better.
And the statistics show that.
You can look at ANY linear metric, whether it’s adjusted plus/minus, net plus/minus, PER, statistical plus/minus, WARP, Win Shares, and they’re almost all going to have LeBron as the best player in the NBA. That’s the evidence that I speak of when determining an MVP.
I write for Orlando Pinstriped Post and have a Twitter account.
"The second unit is kind of crazy because the second unit is only white guys." - Marcin Gortat
Easy. Is he the best player in the NBA? That's what the criteria should be.
The next question would be, what do the numbers show? That needs to be the evidence.
I write for Orlando Pinstriped Post and have a Twitter account.
"The second unit is kind of crazy because the second unit is only white guys." - Marcin Gortat
I think the criteria is easy, just look at the numbers.
When people stray away from that, then we get winners like Steve Nash. No offense to Nash, who’s an excellent player, but the statistics clearly showed he didn’t deserve to win the MVP either year he won it.
I write for Orlando Pinstriped Post and have a Twitter account.
"The second unit is kind of crazy because the second unit is only white guys." - Marcin Gortat
I'm just going to pretend I didn't see this, so my Sun's homerism doesn't get me in trouble.
Can’t we silence these Christian athletes who thank Jesus whenever they win and never mention his name when they lose? You never hear them say, "Jesus made me drop the ball" or, "The Lord tripped me up behind the line of scrimmage."
well value to the team and team success are important too.
They just play a secondary role.
The real "Masters of Panic" are commenting on this blog.
by ben_gleicher on Feb 26, 2010 5:28 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, I don't think you can look at strictly numbers.
That can be the primary, sure. But if you do just numbers, you start talking about how Mitch Richmond was one of the most valuable players in the league in the mid 90’s.
I hate Varejao.
But he wasn't and the numbers show that.
If you’re the best player in the NBA, the statistics are going to prove it. Value to the team and team success, in my opinion, are intertwined with the stats of an individual player. Last year was a perfect example of that. There were three candidates that, statistically, mirrored each other in LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade. It’s no surprise that each of their teams were successful, albeit, on different levels (that, ultimately, has to do with the supporting cast of each team). However, James was the superior player. Did it help that the Cavaliers had the best record in the league last year? Sure, but again, that has to do more with the supporting cast more than anything else. Sometimes that’s out of a player’s control.
I write for Orlando Pinstriped Post and have a Twitter account.
"The second unit is kind of crazy because the second unit is only white guys." - Marcin Gortat
If any of the numbers said that Shaq should have gotten it, it makes me wonder why numbers exist.
No mistakes in the tango, Donna. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
I'm not sure Donald Sterling is a human being. He had to have been manufactured by someone, possibly David Stern, so that one team could solely just make profit for the NBA while doing nothing good for themselves. -- Aykis 16
In 2005 or 2006? No, O'Neal didn't deserve it.
Garnett should have won it in 2005, Bryant/James/Nowitzki were deserving of the award in 2006. I would have to look closely at the numbers in 2006, but that’s the trio that had an equal shot.
I write for Orlando Pinstriped Post and have a Twitter account.
"The second unit is kind of crazy because the second unit is only white guys." - Marcin Gortat
Okay then we're on the same page then Eddy.
No mistakes in the tango, Donna. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
I'm not sure Donald Sterling is a human being. He had to have been manufactured by someone, possibly David Stern, so that one team could solely just make profit for the NBA while doing nothing good for themselves. -- Aykis 16
Shaq's best seasons rank up there with the most powerful performances by a center in NBA history.
I’m thinking specifically of his years when the Lakers “three-peated”. He was dominant back then.
I think he’s still a good player. Even at 37. His footwork is good, his hook shots are usually smooth (unlike Howard’s, who is still developing his), and he’s still pretty good at getting O-rebs and slamming them back home. Granted he’s not the player he used to be, but he’s still one of the better centers in the league.
Yeah, the fact Shaq only had one MVP in his career is pretty puzzling.
Almost an indictment to the award itself. Or at least to the people voting for it.
I hate Varejao.
His career has been marked by a tendency for people to consider his effectiveness a mere result of his size and athleticism.
Especially when it comes to his poor free throw shooting, some in the public claimed that Shaq’s game was too one-sided, and therefore not worthy of as much respect as should be given to players like MJ and Magic Johnson, who were more versatile and graceful to watch.
Of course, if you look at just (a) statistical efficiency and (b) a proven tendency to make his teammates better, Shaq in his prime was as good as nearly anyone who has played in the NBA. But when it comes to award season and popular perception, a player like Shaq is at a bit of a disadvantage because he’s the polar opposite of someone like Nash. Sportswriters loved Nash because he was a throwback to an older mindset, where fundamentals and unselfishness too preeminence — and the uptempo style Phoenix excelled at was exciting for fans to watch. Shaq got tagged as just a big galoot who could push people around and make lots of dunks. This was quite incorrect, though, because while size and sheer force were big factors in Shaq’s success, his array of offensive post moves was very accomplished. He is a smart basketball player.
by Zach Attack on Feb 26, 2010 10:56 PM EST up reply actions
Excellent thoughts, my friend.
I write for Orlando Pinstriped Post and have a Twitter account.
"The second unit is kind of crazy because the second unit is only white guys." - Marcin Gortat
This. Very much this and then some.
No mistakes in the tango, Donna. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
I'm not sure Donald Sterling is a human being. He had to have been manufactured by someone, possibly David Stern, so that one team could solely just make profit for the NBA while doing nothing good for themselves. -- Aykis 16
But Bianchi doesn't know what he's talking about.
Dwight Howard has played for a MONTH at an MVP level, LeBron has been fantastic all season, leading the Cavs to the best record in the league. He’s BETTER than he was last year when he won MVP. There are three other guys that have performed better than him throughout the season…. Wade, Bosh, and Durant are all more deserving. Does Dwight deserve to be somewhere on everyone’s ballot? Yes. But should he be first? Unequivocally, no.
The real "Masters of Panic" are commenting on this blog.
Sounds familiar
He was one the people saying Hedo > VC and raising hell when VC was in his slump. I think he wrote a piece admitting he was wrong but it was kinda backhanded if I remember correctly. He also chose the Cavs over us in last seasons ECF and blamed SVG & Jameer for us losing the Finals. I had us taking the ECF in 6 but I was shocked Kelly Dyer & Sir Charles nailed it since neither one is a Magic homer like I am.
Life is a series of serious choices, theories are formed from experience, never mysterious forces. - stic.man
"I'm not impressed by your performance" - GSP
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Orlando Pinstriped Post
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Contact Us
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- The Los Angeles Clippers, and Los Angeles Lakers? Gone till November
- The Jamaican national team reminds me that it has multiple NBA players
- Create-a-Caption: ‘Hey! Hey, I like your name!’
- A closer look at a big night for Brandon Bass, who ate well because Rajon Rondo kept feeding him
- Kevin Garnett takes a little shot at Philadelphia’s ‘fair-weather fans.’ His words, not ours (VIDEO)
