Nowitzki to bag MVP trophy in All-Star Game?

Source: By Joaquin Henson (The Philippine Star)

MANILA, Philippines - The way is clear for hometown hero Dirk Nowitzki to make a serious bid for the MVP trophy in the 59th NBA All-Star Game at the mammoth Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, this morning (Manila time) and if the expected attendance of 90,000 turns out, the building will be rocking with each touch of the ball by the 7-foot Dallas Mavericks stalwart from Germany.

Nowitzki, 31, has never claimed an MVP title in eight previous All-Star appearances although he was honored as the NBA MVP in 2007. He was picked by the Western Conference coaches to fill one of seven reserve spots in the West All-Star team but was elevated to starter status by coach George Karl with Kobe Bryant vacating the spot because of an ankle injury.

Nowitzki is No. 7 in league scoring with a 24.6 clip and he’s also averaging 7.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 37.7 minutes this season. But even more impressive than his stats is Nowitzki’s ability to bring out the best in his teammates and lead the Mavericks to a lofty 32-20 record, fourth in the tough Western Conference, at the All-Star break. Only the Los Angeles Lakers (41-13), Denver Nuggets (35-18) and Utah Jazz (32-19) are ahead in the West standings.

The other Maverick in the West squad is Jason Kidd who is Nowitzki’s chief feeder and caddy. Kidd was named by commissioner David Stern to replace New Orleans’ Chris Paul in the All-Star roster. There’s no more familiar player than Kidd to make sure Nowitzki has his touches and if he is to contend for the MVP plum, the German must be productive with the ball in his hands.

Kidd, 36, is in his 16th NBA season and has so far played in eight All-Star Games. He’s averaging 9.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 9.3 assists. Stern’s decision to pick Kidd was seen as a political move because Dallas is hosting the event. It was also seen as a ploy to prop up Nowitzki’s chances for an MVP performance.

Surely, there are more deserving guards to choose from the Western Conference. Two backcourtmen who come to mind are Golden State’s Monta Ellis and Houston’s Aaron Brooks, both enjoying breakout campaigns. Ellis is averaging 26.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists while Brooks is hitting at a 19.4 clip, grabbing 4.9 boards and dishing off 2.6 assists an outing. The downside is neither Golden State nor Houston is in the West’s top eight. But there are two players in the West cast from teams outside of the top eight - Memphis’ Zach Randolph and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Kaman who was tapped by Stern to replace injured Portland star Brandon Roy.

The West is favored to beat the East if only because of its higher talent level. If the season ended today, the eight West playoff qualifiers would brandish winning records with three teams - Houston, New Orleans and Memphis - missing the cut despite over .500 marks. In contrast, two Eastern Conference teams would make it to the playoffs with losing records - Miami (26-27) and Chicago (25-26).

The West has won two of the last three All-Star Games but the East still leads, 35 wins to the West’s 23, since the annual extravaganza made its debut in 1951. The East got off to a fast start by winning 11 of the first 16 All-Star Games because of the Boston Celtics dominance.

There have been 13 MVPs named from teams that hosted the All-Star Game. Last season, Shaquille O’Neal shared MVP honors with Bryant as his team, the Phoenix Suns, hosted. O’Neal was also named the MVP when his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, hosted in 2004. O’Neal was not chosen to play in the All-Star Game this year.

In 1993, John Stockton and Karl Malone were named co-MVPs in the All-Star Game, which was hosted by their team, the Utah Jazz, in Salt Lake City. Michael Jordan was the MVP when his team, the Chicago Bulls, hosted in 1988.

For the West, the starters are Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan and Amare Stoudemire. Two Phoenix teammates, Nash and Stoudemire, will make life a little easier for Karl who earned the right to coach the West because Phil Jackson claimed the honor last year. The coaches for the East and West are those whose teams are leading at the All-Star break but if they called the shots in the All-Star Game the previous year, the coaches with the next best records are chosen. Denver has the second best record in the West.

Others in the West lineup are Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, Randolph, Utah’s Deron Williams, the Lakers’ Pau Gasol, Denver’s Chauncey Billups (replacing Paul), Kidd and Kaman. The first-timers in an All-Star Game are Durant, Randolph, Williams and Kaman.

For the East, the starters are Cleveland’s LeBron James, Miami’s Dwyane Wade, Boston’s Kevin Garnett, Orlando’s Dwight Howard and Atlanta’s Joe Johnson, elevated from the reserve cast to replace Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson who is missing in action.

Completing the East roster are Boston’s Rajan Rondo and Paul Pierce, Toronto’s Chris Bosh, Chicago’s Derrick Rose, Charlotte’s Gerald Wallace, Atlanta’s Al Horford and New York’s David Lee. The first-time All-Star Game performers are Rondo, Rose, Wallace, Horford and Lee. Although the East has more All-Star Game rookies, coach Stan Van Gundy has the luxury of playing three mainstays from the same team - Rondo, Pierce and Garnett. Chemistry is crucial in an All-Star Game where players come from different teams and are unfamiliar with each other’s moves on the whole.

Under NBA rules, Stern has the right to name a replacement for an All-Star player who is unable to play for whatever reason but the coach chooses whom to replace an All-Star starter. In Iverson’s case, his starting spot was taken over by Johnson in a choice made by Van Gundy but Stern picked Lee to replace the Answer in the East squad.

Van Gundy was named to coach the East by virtue of his team Orlando’s second-place standing in the conference. Cleveland is No. 1 overall with a 43-11 mark but coach Mike Brown isn’t eligible for the All-Star Game because he was on the bench last year.

Fans vote for the starters in both teams while the coaches name the reserves. To allocate the votes, the starters are picked on the basis of most votes for two guards, two forwards and one center. The reserves are two guards, two forwards, one center and two regardless of position.

Van Gundy will probably favor his Orlando center Howard in the MVP derby. Howard, 24, is playing in his fourth All-Star Game and enjoying an incredible season, averaging 18.0 points and league-highs of 13.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots. It would’ve helped Howard’s cause if the East had another Magic player but surprisingly, Vince Carter was snubbed by his own coach.

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