Recently on Twitter, I was asked my opinion of Derrick Rose's MVP merits for this season, specifically how they compared to the two MVPs Nash won. I used this opportunity to re-visit the 2006 season, which I mostly missed due to post-Katrina priority shifting. I also pored over the '05 season -- which I mostly remember, unlike at least one of my followers -- and tried to properly place Nash's impact in his first two years in Phoenix with Rose's impact in this, his third year in Chicago.

Before I proceed I would like to remind everyone who will read this that the definition of "most valuable" is intentionally a fluid one. It's up to each observer to weigh what they feel is most important and apply it to a definition they create within themselves. By the time this post is finished, you will have at least a working grasp of how I value tangibles, intangibles, and the demonstrated ability to play a particular position (in this case, point guard). I will make a case for a different MVP one season, and could re-write every MVP vote between '05 and '08 to fortify my point, but for all intents and purposes I'm simply answering a question as it was asked.

Now to set the table. A bit about '05 Nash, '06 Nash, and '11 Rose:

Rose, '11: 69 games, 25-4-8, 1.1 steals, 20 double-doubles, improvements in 3pt%, FT%; more TOPG; team currently first in East (proj. 59 wins + top seed)

BEST 3 TEAMMATES
- Carlos Boozer (18-9, 52% shooting, 24 double-doubles, inside presence on offense, missed 23 games)
- Luol Deng (18-5, 2.7 assists, defends best wing player on opposing team)
- Joakim Noah (12-11, 2.3 stocks, 18 double-doubles, inside presence on defense, missed 31 games)

Supporting Cast: Kyle Korver (pure shooter), Ronnie Brewer (pure defense)**, Taj Gibson, Kurt Thomas (both did an admirable job filling in for injured bigs), Keith Bogans (well... he's started all 70 games)

** - think of these two like using the Magic on the original NBA Jam - Skiles had all shot and no dunks, Anderson had all dunks and no shot

Nash, '05: 75 games, 15.5-11.5, 50-43-88 FG-3P-FT, 49 double-doubles, best player on top seed in playoffs, league leader: assists

BEST 3 TEAMMATES
- Shawn Marion (19-11, 3.5 stocks, world-class defender, battled bigger PFs all season)
- Amare Stoudemire (26-9, 2.6 stocks, world-class defensive liability battling Cs all season)
- Joe Johnson (17-5-3, 47.8% 3PT, secondary facilitator in SSOL system, defended best wing player)

Supporting Cast: Quentin Richardson (deadly from 3), Leandro Barbosa (super sixth man), Steven Hunter (only semi-appropriate backup for Amare on roster), Jim Jackson (gave Richardson/Johnson a breather)

Nash, '06: 79 games, 19-4-10, 51-43-92 FG-3PT-FT, 43 double-doubles, league leader: assists, second-best '05 teammate hurt entire season, third-best '05 teammate asked to not re-sign with team

BEST 3 TEAMMATES
- Shawn Marion (21-11, 3.7 stocks, defended best wing player)
- Boris Diaw (13-7-6, secondary facilitator on offense, played out of position all year)
- Raja Bell (14-3, 44% 3PT)

Supporting Cast: Leandro Barbosa (not-as-super sixth man, missed 25 games), Kurt Thomas (8-8, best big man on team), Eddie House, James Jones (Bell/Marion relief, sharpshooters)


What a nose-dive that '06 Suns team took! Terrible management decisions shut the door on that Suns team as quickly as it opened. Misfortune with injuries didn't help, but I spent a good 20 minutes trying to decide who to put as Nash's top '06 teammates, and who to relegate to supporting cast status. That '05 nucleus should have stayed together through the end of the decade. We can't fault Nash for them breaking up, but I can say that there was plenty of credit to spread for that '05 team's prosperity. They were simply a better team, on paper AND on the court. As I've said many times before, I think the '05 MVP should have gone to Shaq (73 games, 23-10, 2.3 blocks, .601 FG%). His old team won 34 games and finished fourth in their division just one year after losing in the Finals, whereas his new team jumped from a fringe .500 team the previous two seasons to 59 wins and the top seed in the East. Had Wade not gotten hurt, that Miami team may have gone to the '05 Finals, and that Finals just may have actually wound up being interesting. Either way, Shaq swung the fortunes of two teams by a combined 40 games (+17 for Miami, -23 for LA) and took his new team to a new level. That has to count for something.

Now look at that '06 Suns team again. Nash's numbers improved significantly, meaning that he answered the bell and wound up carrying a weaker team to a second seed in the playoffs. His assists dipped (again, his premier big man was missing all season, his non-Marion wings just weren't as good, and Diaw averaged six assists playing the most unorthodox PF/C the league has ever seen) but all of his shooting percentages jumped, which means he wound up scoring more in a more efficient way. I have not mentioned defense because Nash never did get steals in his career and was/is a known liability in that department, although it should be noted now that Rose also doesn't get steals for reasons I'll discuss later. The only case I have against Nash's '06 MVP award is the fact that Kobe scored 35 points per game (second-highest post-merger average in NBA history) and led a Lakers team embarrassingly devoid of talent to 45 wins and a spot in the playoffs, but that choice wouldn't be vindicated because that Lakers team went on to squander a 3-1 lead in the series, culminated by Kobe's best Karl Malone impersonation in Game 7 -- only he avoided the ball for an entire half, and his team lost by 31.

'11 Rose has become a threat out to 25 feet; opposing PGs can't sag off of him anymore. Even with his improved long-range shooting, he's still at his best when he's attacking the rim, hitting cutters or spot-up shooters, or dropping the biscuit to a post player for an easy lay-in or dunk. '06 Nash didn't quite have that second luxury; many of his drives to the goal ended with him shooting one of those quirky runners or floaters, a clear indication that Nash was comfortable shouldering more of the scoring load without losing his ability to create.

Defensively, Rose isn't getting steals (1.1 per game as of writing this) any more than Nash does, but Tom Thibodeau's system teaches players to play sharp man-to-man defense and make your guy work for his shots. Nash at any point in his career would absolutely flounder in such a system, whereas Rose has made a leap on both ends of the floor as a result of buying into Thibodeau's defense-into-offense system.

Overall, I would say '11 Rose is right between those Nash seasons. I don't have a problem putting him above '05 Nash because that season, Nash was more of a table-setter than premier creator. You flanked him with 3 shooters and one low-post option, let him find the open player, and that player did their thing. '06 Nash embodied true leadership and adopted a strong never-say-quit attitude. Rose '11? Considering that the Bulls are looking at home-court advantage and are being projected to reach the Finals by many fans and analysts, one could make a strong case for this season manifesting as stronger historically than Nash's '06 season. Today I still give the slightest edge to '06 Nash, but will have no problem re-visiting this as the years pass and Rose's career arc continues to take shape.

We were told it was his birthday.

He was blatantly misquoted.

He had his name butchered.

Let's just hope that the 15th anniversary of Notorious B.I.G.'s passing is more properly commemorated on Twitter. Reading these things, while mostly hilarious, had to be embarrassing for the folks who screwed these things up. I don't claim to be a huge Biggie fan, though I appreciate both of his albums (and the fact that there haven't been years of posthumous works released)... and even I knew that March 9th is the date on which Biggie was murdered.

I was told that I'm probably a good writer so I'll try to post on here more and my opinions on Twitter less. Wait, that's not true. I'll still post on there but I'll go into more elaborate detail here. This'll be pretty good catharsis for me, I think. Onward!

Gotta admit, I missed you. More than a little bit.


And I don't typically keep beer in the house, but for you... for you, I'll make that exception.

“I only make records when I feel I have something to say. I'm not interested in releasing music just for the sake of selling something. Sade is not a brand.”

-- Helen Folasade Adu

And that, dear readers, pretty much sums up why I can't possibly pull myself to engage in basic, unfulfilling writing. I could try a 30-in-30 project, or incorporate photography or audio notes to augment this blog, but then I'd feel like I'm producing words for the sake of producing words -- not because I felt a certain way about a certain thing at a certain time. And true, I've sought catalysts since re-starting this blog, I really have. And I don't even mind the big fat "zero comments" staring back at me from most of my entries.

I have a really good explanation for avoiding the most obvious thing I've not discussed, if you know me at all. I'm not going to discuss work stuff on here because I'm fairly transparent via the URL of this blog, and I don't want anything I'd write in less than total favor coming back against me. I don't do gossip or watch TV, so that's out. I'm not discussing relationships anymore as a general rule, because my approach to dating is a bit unconventional and I find that most of the stereotypes associated with dating don't much apply to me. I don't do religion because I have my relationship with God; we have an understanding, and that's that.

...

Wait, I covered some of this in my very first post. Let's get back on track, here.

I don't need or want my writings to be exalted. I don't want to make you miss me, just for me to fire back with some petty writing. Frankly, I don't want you to miss me, either. But I do want you to know that no writing will be forced, and all of it will have meaning.

That's what I want to share with you. Oh, and it's Youtube Thursday, so I'll share some parkour with you, too.

Hey, my handful of readers! Seems like I abandoned you in 2009, but I'm going to try to be better. Hopefully, the new design will encourage me to write more. The other one was all dark and dreary-looking. Let's move it on - recap of "what you missed" not compulsory, but what the heck:

- made it to a full year in my management position
- had a wonderful holiday season
- lost 3 pounds (woo!!)
- cheered the Saints to victory... and watched them lose a couple :(
- grew my friendship base a little more
- made headways on house #2
- got a BlackBerry
- fully committed to get back into school for August.

So just a few minutes ago, my mom sent me a text message, stating that she wants to move her computer. The exchange:

mom: I want to move the computer out of my room and into the back room. What do I need to do?
me: move it.
mom: Wires?
me: move those too.
mom: will they reach?
me: no, I'm sure you'll have to reach for them.

Guess I'll give her a hand with that :)

Moving on, to Youtube Thursday: I can't embed this week's selection. However, OK Go, the band who makes videos of themselves dancing on treadmills and family members' back yards, have done it again with their latest video, "This Too Shall Pass." It features Notre Dame University's marching band, and is very well put-together. The song is nice too.

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass

You walk in - comfortable, inviting seating greets you as warmly as the immediately-available parking. You find your company and begin to thumb through an extensive selection of wines; red, blush, and white.

Electing to skip on the wine and go for the good stuff, the barkeeper presents a second menu, this one full of spirits beyond the basic Crown Royal, Bacardi, Tanqueray, etc. While scanning, selecting, and eventually drinking, a fusion of light hip-hop, r&b, gentle rock, and downtempo music plays in the background, setting a tone that is rhythmic, yet played at a volume conducive to conversation.

A cursory glance around the room shows all kinds of people: Birthday celebrants. First daters. 2Ls knocking off after another day of intense studies. Tourists, here for a midday drink, on the suggestion of a concierge. All of these people elect to come here because the place is pristine, the bartenders show a level of service and attention unlike any other watering hole in the city, the drinks are reasonably priced with a special every day (this particular day, standard and flavored call margaritas are $3), and the vibes given by the other patrons suggest a neighborly feel in an otherwise moderately cosmopolitan locale. A rooftop patio provides a second type of atmosphere; the music lightly floats here, but this is where you go if you want a view of the city skyline. As smoking is verboten inside, you may up here if you choose.



...

Why doesn't this place exist where I am? And if it does, can someone point me to it? I know what I want to do with my life, but the social side of me yearns for a place that feels part-coffeehouse, part premier bar. My tastes are evolving and honestly, I'm not one for the loud club scene anymore. I like to be able to hear myself think, and on my nights out I'm always thinking of a good place to take a date, especially on the nights when I'm out alone.

Just this past weekend, I stumbled upon a nice place that does salsa/merengue dancing - and I couldn't help but appreciate how genius this place was. Something simple, yet fun, and requiring no great skill to partake in brought joy to so many (seriously, you should have seen them) - and yet, that wasn't what I was out for.

I was looking for my place to hear myself think, that isn't a corner-plot residence in Gentilly. I wanted a beer and part of this cigar I got from a post-election party last year (I read that it smokes better with age, and while I'm not a smoker I just felt like it would sedate me a little) and a little time for me to be social, yet relaxed.

Did I get it? Of course not - or at least, not as I envisioned it (and probably wasn't going to get at a time beyond 1am). As I commented on my Twitter account, make my "w" lowercase - that is to say, I found beer and a rooftop to take in the cigar, but the music was put-offish and the crowd wasn't what I sought.




It all made me realize, maybe I have to create it, if I want it and can't find it... but the question remains: Am I creating it for myself, or am I not the only one who wants this?