Nash or Nowitzki?

Question

Who's the better player. Who should win the MVP?

Answer 1

NASH.

Nowitzki is great but Nash has earned his two consecutive MVPs and is still playing at that level. No other star has to watch their team collapse as much when they aren't in the lineup (every year when Nash gets injured for a few games) - it just shows how valuable Nash truly is to the team.

Answer 2

Who is the better player? This is a very tough question because Nash and Nowitzki played different positions. If it will be Nash vs Kidd OR Nowtizki vs Duncan, it will be easier.

Who SHOULD win the MVP? Nash SHOULD be the MVP because I think Nash is more VALUABLE (MVP?) to his team than Nowitzki. Well, yeah, he has Marion and Stoudemire in his team but if you will observe the Suns offense, it always starts with Nash. Their offensive machine is nothing without the vital cog that runs it, which is of course Nash.

But if you will ask who WILL win the MVP? It's going to be Nowitzki because of other factors other than being valuable to their team. First, they have (and are poised) to get the best overall team record this season. Second, Nash won the award the past two seasons and this will greatly affect his chances when media people vote for the MVP.

Answer 3

Dirk Nowitzki has the most impact of the two.

People sometimes argue that a player's impact on a team can't be shown, and that Nash 'makes his teammates' better. To some extent this is true, but composite stats that attempt to measure a player's impact - like looking at on and off court statistical differences for teams, and incorporating the more intangible aspects of defence - have been getting a lot better in recent years. John Hollinger's PER, for instance, is fairly advanced.

The PER for a good player tends to be around 20, and the higher it gets, the better the player's impact. Nash has a respectable 24 so far this season, but Nowitzki's has been much higher at around 29. ESPN will allow you to see some of these stats on their website, but you need to have an account with them to get detailed breakdowns.

82games.com also shows some stats like this, the 'Roland Ratings.' Among players seeing consistent minutes, Nowitzki is the top-ranked player by far this year, and there are several others players, including Dwayne Wade and Tim Duncan, who rank above Nash.

This is nothing against Nash. He's the league's most skilled point guard, and he's done a lot for Phoenix. His game does have issues, like his porous defence, but by and large, he's been even better this season than previously. It was outrageous when he was in Dallas and not getting any attention for being one of the league's most accomplished players. But it would be far more outrageous now if Nowitzki's steadfast work and continous improvement weren't noted.

Having said that, the MVP is probably afforded too much importance in the NBA. Dominant players like Kobe Bryant (and he is dominant, even if he's a jerk) have never won, and may never win, and other team-building superstars like Jason Kidd - who is still leading the league in triple-doubles in his thirties after major surgery - almost certainly won't. It's better to focus on exceptional teams and players regardless of the hardware they accumulate.

Answer 4

nash is a better PG but i have to go with Nowitzki because he is just an all star and he makes everyone around him better and how many guys that are 7 feet tall can hit a 3 pointer?

And just to answer what Jacob put if you want to prove it by saying that nash getting injured is the true way to tell if he is MVP well let's look at the Cavs if Lebron got hurt i think that they would barely reach 70 pts each night without him so i have to say that if you are going to go that way it would have to be King James! Even though i think it is Dirk!

Answer 5

Nowitzki, he's due for his MVP this year, plus Nash wears down to easy from all that running and gunning towards the end of the year.

Answer 6

Nowitzki of course! It's a shame he hasn't earned the MVP award yet

Answer 7

Nowitzki all the way

Answer 8

i go for Nowitzki.
he's an all-around player.
he can shoot, rebound and pass.
he is deadly on every point of the court.
he can do the post, mid-length shots and three points.
he's like a walking mismatch, too hard to guard.
so what more can you ask for?
aahhh... yes.
an MVP title and the championship crown.

Answer 9

nash man anytime nash....hes been mvp man nd unfortunately nowitski hasnt. anyways nash has carisma. and hes good

Answer 10

Nowitski. Nash had his time in the sun.