<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">DALLAS - After reading "expert" after "expert" list possible NBA MVPs and fail to include Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki, I have concluded we have a problem. Apparently nobody is watching Mavs games. How else can you explain the failure to include him in the discussion of the most valuable players? My theory was roundly and quickly dismissed by Mr. Randy and others. So I went to American Airlines Center to get Mavs coach Avery Johnson's opinion on this matter. And before anybody jumps in with: "Well, of course Johnson is going to stroke his guy," let's remember that the Little General is not exactly Mr. PC with his players. Just ask Erick Dampier. Me: "When you look at Nowitzki's season so far, would you say he's been pretty good, good, great or MVP-like?" AJ: "That is a trick question." Me: "I didn't mean it to be." AJ: "If you talk about an MVP race, he should be in the forefront." Bingo. Finally, a little company on the "Dirk not being mentioned as an MVP candidate is a traveshamockery" bandwagon. "When you hear that talk, you always hear other guys' names, and then they will say you also have to think about Nowitzki," Johnson said. "No, in my opinion, if you are going to have that conversation ... he needs to be in." And before anybody can say "bias," Johnson went on to say how Nowitzki still has a couple of areas of his game that need improvement. "But ... ," Johnson continued, "there can't be that MVP race without him being involved." There can be, there is. Almost every MVP list included Chauncey Billups, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant. Nowitzki mostly checked in as an afterthought, on those lists he made at all. "If you are a true evaluator of all of these teams and the records and what qualifies somebody to be an MVP - forget your personal feelings - you have to put him in that race. He has to be in it," Johnson said. I think what he is saying is: Watch the game.</div> Source
