Dirk for Most Valuable Player

One of the curious and ironic developments over the last few seasons is the emergence of Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki as all-world superstars. It is curious because Nash was never an MVP candidate prior to his second stint with the Phoenix Suns - and ironic because Nash and Nowitzki were teammates in Dallas, but have really come into their own without each other. In their third consecutive season playing apart, the two players are once again MVP candidates.

Historically, the MVP has gone to the perceived 'best' player on the team with the most wins. That is one reason why I believe Dirk Nowitzki should win the MVP this season over Steve Nash. Not only is Nowitzki the unequivocal leader of his Dallas Mavericks, who have the best record in the NBA with 46 wins and just 9 losses, but it would also be a bit embarrassing to have Nash win the award for the third straight year since only three NBA players have won three consecutive MVP awards - Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Larry Bird. As great a floor leader and player that Steve Nash is, he does not belong in such company. Chamberlain was an unstoppable scoring and rebounding force who set many records and changed the face of the game with his ridiculous dominance in the paint. He also led his team to the NBA title in one of his MVP seasons, which Steve Nash has yet to do. Russell, as most die-hard fans know, led his Boston Celtics to almost a dozen championships in his career, and Larry Bird later led Boston to an additional three in the 1980s. Imagine Steve Nash winning a third straight MVP award only to lose in the playoffs again this season - it would look silly, especially since Michael Jordan himself never won three MVPs in a row in spite of his obvious dominance individually and the dominance of the Chicago Bulls over the rest of the NBA.

I have made my case for Nowitzki over Nash, and unless another player takes over the second half of the season and leads his team to a number of wins comparable to Nowitzki's Mavericks and Nash's Suns, there won't be any other candidate whose name will be in serious running for the award.

Nowitzki image courtesy NBA.com (Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images)