i’m not even trying to say that in a negative manner, just expressing the truth. i like having good conversation and reading opinions from other bulls fans, which is why i post here. i just can’t read your posts most of the time because i don’t understand what you’re talking about. seriously. others made mention before i ever did, and you seemingly haven’t taken it under advisement.

It would seem any hope the Bulls have of getting best record in the league started tonight with the Spurs and rest in a huge battle down in Houston tomorrow night.

Go Red …

1) Your list is dead on with my thinking…and probably the majority of the media at this point.

2) I don’t want to attempt to take anything away from Howard, as he’s had a remarkable year considering all changes in Orlando this year (a truly underplayed storyline this year).

3) Hollinger’s article was infinitely better than his previous, more feeble attempts at ‘proving’ DRose isn’t this year’s MVP. I can surely appreciate how he comes from all angles and tries to dispel all the arguments and counterarguments hurled at him by Rose/Chicago supporters (and his colleagues). That’s why it’s a good piece of writing and, as you say, has valid points. Hollinger is obviously no dummy. He knows what he’s talking about. But I can’t stand that he throws hissy fits via his articles when advanced metrics and statistical data don’t support his beliefs. He continually resorts to PER throughout his arguments, particularly when he is trying to show that Nash, Kidd, & Iverson shouldn’t have won / should have received votes other years. But Hollinger forgets that it wasn’t that long ago when the casual to die hard NBA fans had no idea what ‘PER’ was and how it was measured, including the Iverson and Kidd years he speaks of, and even the Nash year is pushing it. Hollinger makes it seem like those players heisted the MVP trophy from someone else when that obviously isn’t the case at all. Sure, maybe Duncan, Garnett, and/or Shaq should’ve won a few more MVP trophies in their respective hey-days, but to completely disregard what those ‘good story’ players did in those particular years is appalling. Iverson led his team to the finals with the worst supporting cast of any contending team during the past decade; Nash was the catalyst and best player on the best team in the league; Kidd ALMOST won the MVP (so why is he in this conversation again?), but he single-handedly dragged his crummy team to the NBA Finals two years in a row! I don’t care that Iverson’s assist to turnover ratio was garbage, that Nash only averaged 15 ppg, or that Kidd shot a lowly percentage from the floor…those guys brought it night in and night out for their teams, and to say they are/were undeserving of winning an MVP – especially when there are absolutely no clear cut rules as to how/what makes or defines an MVP – is a slap in the face to some truly great players for some truly great performances. Rose this year is no different. Does he have a ‘great underdog story’? Absolutely. Does that increase his chances of winning? Possibly. The ‘history’ Hollinger writes about somewhat supports the notion. But Hollinger’s statistics fail to measure some of the most important stuff that makes MVPs, MVPS: the intangibles MVPs and championship caliber teams need to succeed. The attitude. The confidence. The drive. PER, adjusted +/-, et al. simply cannot encompass the importance of these necessities. Iverson, Nash, & Kidd – they did the same things for their teams, arguably more so than Shaq, Garnett, and Duncan did for their teams during the disputed years. And Rose is doing it right now for his team. You can’t dispute that. One final comment…

4) Hollinger failed to address one incredibly large piece of evidence that supports Rose’s MVP candidacy: peer support. This has nothing to do with a ‘good story’; why would these guys care or even think about that? Look at this list: Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, Juwon Howard, Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Hubie Brown, LeBron James, Jason Kidd, Tyson Chandler, Doc Rivers, Gregg Popovich, Chris Bosh, Charles Barkley…the list goes on. Every single one of these basketball legends (well…minus Tyson Chandler) has endorsed Rose as MVP as of late. Am I missing something, or does the opinion of these guys hold more clout than that of Hollinger and his PER?