We haven't talked much about Tucker this season as he's been up and down to the Suns NBADL affiliate the Albuquerque Thunderbirds.

Alando is now coming back to Phoenix for good.

He performed very well for the T-birds:

I don't expect to see much of him as a Sun this year but it looks like he's made a lot of progress in becoming a perimeter player. We will talk more about AT this summer as we look at what next year's team might look like.

OK, no more annoying comments from me about the USAC crowd giving MVP props to the "wrong" guy last night. Even Nash agrees that Amare is now the Suns' MVP. From Paul Coro's latest:

So, chant away, USAC crowd. You'll get no more objections from me.

I just can't believe this. Steve Nash has apparently decided to hang them up early, and return to his soccer-playing roots:

[Update by TexSUN 4:08 PM PT]: Well, I had a lot of fun with this post, but before it causes someone to enter therapy, I'll fess up. In case you didn't check the date, this is an April Fool's prank. To the best of my knowledge, Nash will be with us for a couple of more years before disappearing into the world of filmmaking.

Every year it comes down to this question doesn't it. There is rarely a consensus player that stands out so far above the others that the debate avoids each person's understanding of "Most Valuable".

Perhaps my Google skills aren't up to par, but I couldn't find the official answer. There's lots of opinions out there though.

In the comments on this site ZonaFlash says its the guy you pick first on the playground.

Sorry ZF, but I disagree. That limits the discussion to basically the best player and ignores what the player did with the team his personal diety and GM provided.

The best description I found in my Googling was this one by Erick Blasco:

Erick's definitions are as good as any I have seen and I tend to agree with them.

But this vote isn't about criteria. Any set of criteria you could come up with in a year like this with several exceptional candidates would just end up with multiple answers. So the debate just ends up with those inclined to support one player pushing for criteria that supports their pre-exisiting choice. Hate Kobe? Then you clearly are going to argue that PER is important since he's ranked 8th this year.

If the league wanted to establish specific criteria than I am sure they would have by now. The fact is that its left up to the media voters. It is purposely meant to be their opinion.

So, in my world of no criteria, structure or direction then my opinion is clear.

Kobe Flippen Bryant. For his entire body of work; his fourth quarter clutchiness; his team's exceeding expectations; and yes his on and off the floor leadership to move past this summer's silliness and get a team full of young guys confident and playing well. Who would have guessed the league would fear Sasha Vujacic? That alone is worthy of the MVP.

As the end of the regular season approaches, the MVP chatter is starting to heat up, and for the first time since 2005, the Suns are nowhere near the thick of it. Steve Nash is still an awesome point guard whose story is far from finished. He's likely to get a Hall of Fame call after he retires, and hopefully will pick up a ring or two along the way. But, he's probably won his last Maurice Podoloff Trophy. Amare will undoubtedly be in the discussion a year from now, but he's not quite there yet for this season. And so, we Suns fans are left to choose between a player many of us despise, one that may be too young, and one who's playing for a team that's struggling to hang onto the fourth seed in the (L)East.

Then of course, there's the guy who's helped lead one of the biggest single-season turnarounds ever in Boston, the always-steady rock who plays for the Spurs, and the freakishly athletic center who made that memorable Superman dunk at the All-Star game. Clearly, there are plenty of deserving candidates to choose from this year, even if none of them play for the Suns. Let's look at a few of them, and why they would or wouldn't be at the top of my non-existent ballot if the voting happened today.

Kobe Bryant
If the MVP award was just about sheer individual scoring ability, one could argue that Kobe should already have as many of these trophies stacked on his shelf as Michael Jordan. But there's that pesky thing called team success that has kept getting in his way--until now. Despite the fact some of his team's good fortune is the obvious result of that inexplicable trade that landed Pau Gasol for a bag of peanuts, the Lakers were actually doing pretty well even before the trade happened. The breakout of Andrew Bynum deserves some credit, as well as a healthy season from Lamar Odom, and the swapping of Smush Parker for Derek Fisher. But the main reason the Lakers are so good is that Kobe is individually great, and now that greatness has been paired with an improved roster with which Kobe has graciously blended into nicely. Ironically, in a season when Kobe's individual numbers are down, he's more likely to win--and deserve--an MVP award than ever before.

LeBron James
If you consider Player Efficiency Rating (PER) to be the end-all indicator of a player's worth, then LeBron is your guy. He's right at the top of the list (for the record, Kobe is 8th). He's having a career year in just about every statistical category: scoring, shooting percentage, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals. Plus, with this now being his 5th season in he league, it's time to stop thinking of him as "too young" to be the MVP. The only problem is, his team isn't that good. They're currently hanging on for dear life to the fourth spot in the East. If they played in the West, they would be on the outside looking in if the playoffs started today. There seems to be an unspoken requirement for serious MVP contention that your team has to win at least 50 games. With a 41-33 record, that is no longer possible for LeBron.

Chris Paul
The argument against Chris Paul for MVP is simple: He's hasn't paid his dues yet. Otherwise, what's not to like about a guy who's likely to finish the season with more assists--and points--per game than two-time MVP Steve Nash ever has? He's also leading the league in steals, and most importantly has the Hornets (the Hornets!) vying for the top spot in the ultra-competitive West. This is a team that wasn't even a blip on the radar last season. How is this all that different from Nash and the Suns coming out of nowhere in 2005? CP3 without question represents the best combination of team success and individual contribution among the list of MVP candidates. (As an interesting side note, Charley Rosen disagrees with the CP3 for MVP argument, but does a nice job of breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of CP3, Nash, and Utah's Deron Williams).

Kevin Garnett
KG should probably be getting more consideration, given that his arrival had a major hand in changing the entire culture of a Celtics team that is now on its way to one of the largest single-season turnarounds ever. Unfortunately, his team was too good without him, going 7-2 in the nine games KG missed with the abdominal injury. He'll finish in the top five, but will have to look for a Finals MVP as his prize.

Tracy McGrady
More than anything else, McGrady will be remembered for leading his team on an unbelievable, historic 22-game winning streak, nearly half of which was done without Yao Ming. But, can the Rockets hang onto a top four seed? Even if they do, will T-Mac's many first round exits be held against him?

Dwight Howard
Howard hasn't been near the top of this discussion for quite some time, as his team has fallen off the radar a bit. Also, he's likely to be remembered more for his exploits in the All-Star dunk contest, than for his play during the season. Still, he's the main reason the Magic sit atop the Southeast Division, and he'll probably be in the mix for the #5 spot in the MVP voting.

Tim Duncan
No list of MVP candidates can be complete without mentioning the guy who keeps leading the Spurs to championships, while flying quietly under the radar.

Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire
Most in the national media (and the blogosphere) still seem to be tabbing Nash as the token MVP representative for the Suns, even though Amare is #3 on the aforementioned PER list, and looks to be gradually becoming the undisputed focal point of the offense. I'm going to dodge that issue for now, and just mention them both at the same time. It's unlikely that either will finish in the top five, and that's fine by me. The Suns have bigger fish to fry these days.

Dirk Nowitzki
You've got to include last season's MVP on a list like this, if for no other reason than as a sad reminder of how fast things can change in this league. With the Mavericks going down in flames, and Dirk forced to watch from the sidelines, there's zero chance he'll follow his buddy Nash as a repeat Podoloff winner.

Deron Williams
Barring a late season surge by the Jazz, it's highly unlikely that Williams will finish anywhere near the top five. But, he can console himself with knowing that he's maybe the only point guard in the league who can slow down Chris Paul.

Who gets my vote?
I understand all the people who think it's time to give Kobe his due. I really do. He's stood by the past three seasons while voters ignored his amazing individual achievements in favor of players with lesser numbers who played for better teams. Now that he's one of those players, are we really going to deny him just because his numbers aren't as good as they were in the past? It seems rather hypocritical doesn't it? Still, the MVP isn't supposed to be a Lifetime Achievement award given to someone just because "it's time". Even though Kobe has done everything he needed to do to finally win this thing (even playing with a busted pinkie!), I have to give my non-existent vote to someone I feel deserves it even more.

I think if Chris Paul had a few more years under his belt, and had the kind of year he's having, the vote wouldn't even be close. The MVP award is supposed to be about the the current season, not for all the times a player has been snubbed in the past. It isn't supposed to be about age either, nor about what a player has proven during the playoffs. It's a regular season award for the current regular season. I think CP3 is having a better season than Kobe, and he's doing it on a team that has no earthly reason to be as high in the standings as it is. But don't despair, Kobe fans. My vote doesn't count, and I imagine the votes that do count will favor your guy in the end. For the first time ever, I can live with that.

The Lakers just can't seem to catch a break. The latest is Derek Fisher's torn tendon. This comes on top of Bynum's wandering kneecap, Gasol's gimpy ankle, poor Trevor Ariza's broken foot and who can forget Kobe's partially mutilated pinky finger.

Lakers fans, we feel your pain. We know all about bad luck and untimely injuries but you guys have just been cursed like no other team over the past few years. You finally look to get a full healthy season out of Odom and then you have to suffer through all of this.

You are our division rivals but we really do have sympathy for you....Who am I kidding? I hate L.A. I grew up watching my Suns get bounced in the playoffs year after year by Showtime. I despise obnoxious entitled Lakers fans and your stupid megapoxolis that exports all your problems to your neighbors to the west. From blown over smog, to urban sprawl to the crap that passes for entertainment from your one industry town. I. Hate. LA.

And so while I honestly don't wish injury on anyone, if any team has to have this kind of luck then I am glad its you. Its playoff time once again and I hope we get the chance to send you fishing for the third straight year!

Unless of course the Lakers somehow get Bynum and Gasol healthy and playing well together in which case I hope the Spurs take you out b/c we are a better matchup against them this year then a healthy LA team....

Ever since this business with Cuban banning bloggers I have been scratching my head over this question.

When you talk about access and all these questions raised by Cuban's ham-handed actions this is the question I keep coming back to.

The discussion about access and credentials and the logistics is clearly a side show as Henry Abbott shows in this great post on the topic. Credential procedures and blogger standards could be established and policed.

For me the issue is different.

I am a Suns fan. I would love to have access just like most Suns fans would. But if I had credentials and regular access I think I would find myself behaving more like a media member. Policing what I "report". Worrying about how Sean Marks will treat me if I dog his new haircut on the blog.

What makes blogging worthwhile for me - and it ain’t the money! - is the freedom to express whatever random thought about the Suns that I might have. The total freedom to do that. And with this great site I then have the opportunity to discuss it with you all. I think access would change that and turn a fun hobby obsession into a profession. I am not a journalist by trade and I don't really want to be one.

This is an age old problem with the media be it politics, sports or business. Access corrupts.

In this new age, the world of information is a better place because we now have both. If you want solid reporting read Paul Coro. He’s great. A true professional. How could I do better?

But if you want to have a virtual water cooler chat you can come here or start your own blog. Its free and you don't have to worry about getting fired.

So Mark, you can keep your credentials and I will keep my pajamas.

Update [2008-3-28 13:18:38 by Phoenix Stan]:

Looks like Matt over at Hardwood Paroxysm has a different take and is going to apply for Cuban's all access pass.

I get that. I really do. I can honestly say that if I lived in Dallas I might do the same thing.

Matt uses the term "professional blogger" which is an interesting concept as well. Maybe that's a level somewhere between what we are doing here (or at least what I am doing here) and the Tim McMahon's and Henry Abbott's of the world that actually get a paycheck from a media outlet.

Maybe Matt is a "professional" blogger in that he makes money at it and doesn't have a "Clark Kent" job. I don't really know. Is that the line?

All of these are interesting questions as we move forward into the brave new world of mixing fans and media together in the great melting pot of the blogsphere. Buckle up!

Here's a new video from Suns.com and Planet Orange that was e-mailed to me. I haven't figured out whether this is trying to be more hype for Shaq, or if it's making fun of all the hype for Shaq. Either way, I suddenly feel like I've been infected by one of those "viral" marketing campaigns. Enjoy!

Live from the Big Mouth Beat....

You take the good, you take the bad, you take it all and there you have the facts of life with Shaq:

I know you Shaq lovers will tell me that this is just Shaq being Shaq and besides, he's right.

But just imagine if Amare ran his mouth like this. Or if Kurt Thomas took a jab at having to play interior D behind Steve Nash and Leandro Barbosa or OMG! if Shawn Marion said something bad about his time at the Suns. We would freak the F#%k out.

So don't let Shaq off the hook on this one. It was uncalled for, unprofessional and an unwarranted cheap shot at some less then star caliber players.

Yes, that's right. Ricky Davis is not a star and even he doesn't deserve this kind of treatment from a "leader" in the league.

Oh, and Big Thanks to the Bobcats for making last night's loss just a little easier to take.

[Update by TexSUN]: Speaking of The Big Mouth, how about this bit from that same article?:

Our boys over at Hardwood Paroxysm finally got around to noticing what we here the in desert have been saying all year.

And to that we say - Welcome to the party my friends!

We understand that not everyone watches each and every Suns game; Tivo remote held at the ready to rewind and slo-mo your way through 82 games. Its only natural when you are trying to cover the entire league that one might miss the nuances and subtleties of each team's evolution.

So yes, the Suns offense has changed. And my friends let me be clear. This was the plan all along. This isn't about The Big Triangle pitching his tent in the low block. This goes back much further.

Flash back with me now. Its 2007. An early summer day in Phoenix (which means its only 105 degrees). The Suns' brain trust is meeting by the pool somewhere in Scottsdale. They have a few cold drinks. The misters are misting. And there's a white board on a stand as the coaches, Sarver, a few random kids, and some girls in the pool try and look on while also avoiding random bits of Vinnie Del Negro's chest hair floating by.

Coach Mike lists his top 3 things to not get beat in the playoff's for the 4th straight season:

• Play Better Defense - this is only on the board first so that the laughing doesn't disrupt the rest of the conversation and the girls in the pool can go back to dodging black and gray curly hairs
• Get a big guy to play center - this being months before the Shaq option, I am not sure how this got on the list because everyone there knows that Mike wouldn't play a big guy if he had one. At least until he had THE ONE
• Dump Kurt Thomas' salary and avoid the luxury tax - Sarver is present. Enough said.
• Make the team less dependent on Steve Nash so that teams like the Spurs can't take him out of his game and totally shut down the Suns or Don Nelson can't work Steve to death by posting up whomever he is trying to hide on defense and so Steve Nash doesn't kill himself carrying the team for 82 games and then for all 4 qtrs of every playoff game - this one took both sides of the white board. But it was important. Really, really important.

and yes, that's four things he listed. He didn't really think dumping KT would help win in the playoff's so that doesn't count...

Here's what I said at the mid-season point:

They were and they still are.

And of course, the Suns' winning it all this year comes down to defense. They still have to improve their rotations and help D enough to get the key stops they were finally getting before The Trade.

A little luck wouldn't hurt either. Let's not forget getting jobbed by the ref's didn't start last night in Detroit or Oakland.

And losing key players at key times isn't something that only happens in LA or Dallas.

And while I am on this epic rant and in full-on "I told you so" mode, I have a bone to pick with this comment as well:

Exhibit A. In the second quarter of the recent Houston game Amare scored 18 points. Of those, he had 5 possessions in isolation. 3 times he scored and twice he was fouled and hit his throws. That's 10 of his 18 points that he created by himself.

Exhibit B. In last night's Piston's game in the final closing clutch minutes, Amare had the ball. And not off the usual pick and roll. Amare in isolation near the free throw line.

Now this is something new since Shaq's arrival and is a big step in the evolution of Amare Stoudemire and how the team uses him. He always had it in him. He has showed occasions of this ability. But now the team is leaning on him more and he's producing.

So watch out now. Amare is coming to finish at a rim near you. And you can't stop him.