Insider: MVP Watch

[Guest]

NBA MVP Watch: A final tribute

to the Admiral

by Terry Brown

Thursday, November 7 Updated 10:30 AM EST

Thank you very much, but David Robinson will carry his own cross.

As a starting center in the NBA, he will guard the opponent's biggest, baddest player, anchor offensive rotations, grab any hazardous rebounds, set picks and, if he happens to fall down in the course of his duties, pick himself up will all the quiet dignity befitting a former No. 1 pick, Rookie of the Year, All-Star, All-NBAer, MVP and World Champion.

He remains kind, courteous, thrifty, obedient and loyal, never needing any more motivation beyond a hard day's work. Not pride, anger, envy or fear, gluttony, sloth, greed or lust. He never needed a black hat in front of him or paternity suit behind to work up a sweat and smile on the basketball court.

And while there always seemed something morally just to his game, we wouldn't be talking about him in an MVP Power Ranking if he hadn't scored 71 points in a single contest back in 1994, grabbed 24 rebounds on two separate occasions or blocked 12 shots in a 1990 game. Through all of the pain and training tables, surgeries and rehab, Robinson's career averages remain 21.9 points and 10.8 rebounds, or, about 20,000 points and 10,000 boards in 900 or so games.

But not one trade demand, salary ultimatum, DUI or bribery charge.

Yet, he always seemed to be regarded as the good guy rather than the great center rather than both. But that fault might be more ours than his.

You didn't hear him make excuses when Hakeem Olajuwon kicked his butt up and down the court for the NBA title in 1995. You didn't hear him rub it in when he beat down an already wounded and sidelined Patrick Ewing in 1999 for his own title.

And, now, in his 14th and final NBA season, all you hear about is Michael Olowokandi and Jermaine O'Neal while Robinson grabs more offensive rebounds than any other player in the league thus far in the season, more total rebounds per game than all but 10 other players and blocks more shots than all but five others. In five games this season, he has four double-doubles. He is actually averaging more rebounds and blocked shots than last year while shooting a higher percentage from the field and the line.

One publication listed him as the best center statistically in the game today. The NBA currently ranks him 12th among all players in terms of efficiency.

And he will do more in leaving the game than all of the other assorted 7-footers do by showing up season in and season out without a hint of an NBA drop step, pivot or turnaround jumper on their bio sheet besides the 84 inches of genetics they had very little to do with.

There is a certain class to this conscious surrender, a respect for the game and the integrity of his position. This is not about right or wrong, good versus evil, but rather of conduct beyond dollars and stats. The game is bigger than Robinson but not more important. Tim Duncan has long been the leader of the San Antonio Spurs and he'll be damned if he's going to collect another paycheck without carrying the weight of it.

Olajuwon averaged 7 points, 6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks on 46 percent shooting in his 18th and final season.

Ewing averaged 6 points, 4 rebounds and 0.6 blocks on 44 percent shooting in his 17th and final season.

Robinson stands at 11 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks on 51 percent shooting and his own two feet.

Robinson is not going to be found on the list below of our Top 10 MVP candidates thus far in this early season. But it is only fitting that they all sit there looking up at him one more time. In another 78 games or so, he will play his last regula-season game in the NBA.

Leaving the game better than the way he found it.

The Top 10 Contenders

Tracy McGrady, Orlando Magic

Numbers: 32.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 5.8 apg, 1 spg, 1 bpg, 54% field, 80% line, 48% three

Beef: So good, so early, turning 40-point games into monotonous boxscores. Grant Hill is in the middle of one of the great NBA comebacks and all anybody can talk about is the kid who is already better than he ever was. Do I hear 50?

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Numbers: 26.6 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 8 apg, 2.2 spg, 1 bpg, 47% field, 84% line, 44% three

Beef: Tabloids be damned. Kobe'd trade his fifth spot in rebounding, seventh in scoring and eighth in rebounding for another crack at the three teams that beat the Lakers to start the season. Problem is, he'd probably be fourth, sixth and seventh, respectively, and the Lakers would be undefeated.

Gary Payton, Seattle Sonics

Numbers: 22.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 10 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.4 bpg, 49% field, 76% line, 36% three

Beef: The heart and soul of a franchise that would pay him by the hour and make him clock out for lunch if it could get away with it. Last year, he set a career mark in assists. This year, he just might break it. If only his bosses were graded on the curve.

Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets

Numbers: 15.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 9.2 apg, 2 spg, 0.2 bpg, 40% field, 90% line, 26% three

Beef: Making this whole savior gig look easy.

Steve Francis, Houston Rockets

Numbers: 30.3 ppg, 10 rpg, 5.8 apg, 0.7 spg, 1 bpg, 50% field, 83% line, 44% three

Beef: Point guards aren't supposed to average double-digit rebounds per game. Guys who score 30 points per game aren't supposed to lead their teams in assists. Six-foot-2 basketball players aren't supposed to make you forget about 7-foot-6 ones, either.

Glenn Robinson, Atlanta Hawks

Numbers: 26.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 5 apg, 2 spg, 0.4 bpg, 46% field, 93% line, 27% three

Beef: Who says you can't teach a Big Dog new tricks. This one's improved his scoring, rebounding, passing, defense and shooting from the field, line and long range over last year, putting up more points than his former team's all-star shooting guard, more assists than its point guard and more boards than its center or power forward.

Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks

Numbers: 23.5 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.5 spg, 1.2 bpg, 53% field, 77% line, 30% three

Beef: The league's last remaining undefeated team is led by a player NBA types won't admit but want to be like when they grow up. Could be the fifth year in a row that Dirk improves his scoring, rebounding, steals and shooting. Do we hand over Belgium now or later?

Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs

Numbers: 20.4 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.4 spg, 3 bpg, 44% field, 64% line

Beef: Incumbent gets a pass on his ritual slow start.

Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves

Numbers: 17.6 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 5.6 apg, 2.4 spg, 1.4 bpg, 41% field, 85% line, 25% three

Beef: One triple-double down, a cure for cancer to go.

Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers

Numbers: 28.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5 apg, 2.2 spg, 0 bpg, 36% field, 80% line, 0% three

Beef: You were expecting James Posey, maybe Kwame Brown, perhaps Zydrunas Ilgauskus in balloon pants, mohawk, butterfly collar and knit tie? The same kid who led the league in scoring last year and the year before who is back shooting worse and winning more than ever before.

[Diesel]

By the Numbers, Big Glenn Looks pretty darn good. Realistically though, Tmac is probably the best player playing right now. Where was Duncan?

I would also like to see GP get more credit. I can't believe that there were many on this BOARD that doubted GP and everytime I listen, I hear people saying, he's due to decline? Well, I believe in the glove. He's still DA MAN in Seattle.

[Guest]

Paytons defense is supbar now.Francis droped

33 points on him the other night.Parker destroyed

him in the playoffs last year.

On defense the decline has already started.On offense

it will happen before you know it.

Big dog's numbers slip every game.His assist slip

more as the game goes along.

But Duncan belongs there.

[Diesel]

You said SUBPAR?

Subpar to who?

GP, still averages 1.4 spg and is still one of the best ON BALL defenders in the game.

Name the PGs getting more than 1.4 spg.

As far as those 2 incidents, Isn't Francis averaging over 33 ppg?

Also, you keep mentioning that one playoff game last yr... But what happen all the rest of the times they met?

http://www.nba.com/games/20011121/SEASAS/boxscore.html

http://www.nba.com/games/20020329/SASSEA/boxscore.html

http://www.nba.com/games/20020403/SEASAS/boxscore.html

http://www.nba.com/games/20020422/SEASAS/boxscore.html

http://www.nba.com/games/20020501/SASSEA/boxscore.html

In other words, don't come up with 1 or 2 games and say that he's declining when all yr he was shutting parker down and it took San Antonio all 5 games of a best of 5 to beat Seattle.

[Guest]

Jt averages more steals than that.Big Deal

Didn't Jt also averaged 25PPG againest Seattle

last year??That is 6PPG better than JT's average

but Gary couldn't do a thing to stop him.I think

Gilbert Arenas also droped alot of points on

Payton aswell.People drop big numbers on Payton

on a regular basis now.

[beav]

payton's defense has quietly been slipping for 2-3 years... let's face it, at his age he can hardly expect to keep it up on both offense and defense...

[cyman3]

after JASON KIDD, the 2nd best PG (imo)

and what about STEVIE???

10 RPG!!!

that 6 footer should teach some CENTERS and POWER FORWARDS REBOUNDING101