ESPN has picked up reports that Steve Nash will win his second consecutive MVP award.
The announcement may not come for two weeks, according to the Arizona Republic. But the paper, and others, report that the voting shows Nash edging LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Chauncey Billups and Kobe Bryant for the MVP.
The Phoenix Suns playmaker would become the 10th player to win the award in consecutive seasons.
If he does in fact win the award, Nash certainly benefited from being on an elite team. MVPs almost always come from teams with 50+ wins, which probably hurt Kobe Bryant’s chances (and the chances of LeBron James) to a certain extent. It’s hard to argue with the decision after the year Nash had, considering that the team lost Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, Kurt Thomas and Quentin Richardson to trades or injuries.
But, of course, the NBA declined to comment on the report. If the voting is complete, I’m not sure why the league doesn’t announce it themselves. What’s the benefit of waiting? Certainly, the announcement has less of an impact when the news has already been filtered through a few Arizona newspapers.
