With all the talk around here about what needs to be done to make the Suns a championship contender, i have to sit back and ponder… will it even matter? If Lebron becomes Jordan-esque, in that you can expect a championship every year he plays, we are in for a long ride.

what I have a problem with is players in the MVP race getting credit for having a solid team, something they have little or no control over, yet it’s used as part of the selection process every year.

and yes, LeBron deserved to get it, and D-Wade should be close behind, but where the hell is Billups in this conversation? I would think that all of the Nuggets would easily name him as the most valuable in the league, the way he has led them this year. It’s just the way his numbers aren’t eye-popping that keeps him out of the conversation. Thoughts?

how you can say with such certainty that Nash has made players better. I mean, there is relatively clear bump in performance for many of the players that played on the 2004-2005 through the 2007-2008 or even 2008-2009 Suns teams (note also this isn’t true for all players, like Eddie House who was better before and after the Suns). But Nash is also one of those players that got better. His performance improved dramatically after he returned to the Suns. So unless you’re going to argue that Nash’s playing with himself (yes, that sounds funny) makes him a better player, I’m not sure what your point is here. Instead, I think you could just as easily argue that the Suns made him better not the other way around.

But, likely, what’s true is that the combination of PHX players in the D’Antoni offense made something rather efficient and special that we saw once again when the Suns returned to that offense under Gentry (note also the Knicks jumped from a .475 eFG% last year to a .503 eFG% this year under D’Antoni). But to chalk it up to any one particular player (or even D’Antoni himself) really reduces what was a remarkable team effort in which all of the players were apparently making each other better.

Also, in regard to Billups, I’m not sure there’s much evidence that he made anyone all that much better (Carmelo Anthony has been noticably worse this year). But what is clear that Billups alone is a much better player than Allen Iverson, the player he replaced. Also, he’s actually a PG not a SG trying to play PG. So that fact in isolation explains much of Denver’s improvement (which by the way isn’t much i.e. 50 wins to 54). It’s not that he “led the team” or made other players better. He’s just better than Iverson and that’s enough. Also, you’re giving little credit to Chris Andersen, who’s insanely efficient play, made it possible for the Nuggets not to regress after the loss of Camby. I mean, those two players combined with the health of Nene and a somewhat increase production from Smith (and the loss of Iverson) are why the Nuggs are somewhat better this year. But don’t just point to Billups. Billups doesn’t make Chris Andersen the leagues 2nd leading shot-blocker even though he only plays 20 mpg (!!!!!).

Finally, I don’t know how you can say DWade is not a team player. There is no player, except perhaps Chris Paul, who has done more with less. I mean, DWade’s statistics are very similar to Lebron’s except Lebron is a somewhat better rebounder and 3 point shooter while Wade gets far more steals and a few more blocks. But what is the statistical basis or any basis to say DWade is not a team player? I want to know this.

Lebron might be better than DWade, but to say that his contribution to the Cavs is not only greater than Wade’s contribution to the Heat but so much greater that Wade doesn’t even qualify as a team player is absurd.

 Take DWade off the Heat and they’re the Kings. Take Lebron off the Cavs and they’re, at worst, the Bobcats. That’s a hell of a difference.