(Emanuel Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs)
Even though I chose Derrick Rose as MVP, the award itself is difficult for me to understand. I go through a never ending debate with basketball fans and myself about how decide who is the most valuable player. Unless a player is out for a certain amount of time which results in the team losing games, there is no way to measure their value. On the flip side, a player who is never out and the team keeps winning can also show their value equally, but under different terms.
However, when dealing with the 6th Man award, it is based on how often the player is in the line up as well as how well they perform. Coming off the bench is a tough thing for most players to swallow, being a part of the starting line up, for some, represents their value in the NBA. Allen Iverson, who's list of accomplishments in the NBA could fill this post, was upset about coming of the bench after 14 years and opted to play overseas, hoping to start.
Manu Ginobili, who has been playing pro ball for 14 years himself, 9 of them in the NBA, has 3 championship rings to show for it. Manu Ginobili should no doubt be starter on any NBA team, but coach Greg Poppovich has intelligently used Ginobili coming of the bench, essentially putting a fresh "starter" into a game against an opposing team's bench unit. His maturity in accepting this role, never once making a public complaint and performing at an unbelievable high level every time out, makes this award an easy choice every year.
However, when dealing with the 6th Man award, it is based on how often the player is in the line up as well as how well they perform. Coming off the bench is a tough thing for most players to swallow, being a part of the starting line up, for some, represents their value in the NBA. Allen Iverson, who's list of accomplishments in the NBA could fill this post, was upset about coming of the bench after 14 years and opted to play overseas, hoping to start.
Manu Ginobili, who has been playing pro ball for 14 years himself, 9 of them in the NBA, has 3 championship rings to show for it. Manu Ginobili should no doubt be starter on any NBA team, but coach Greg Poppovich has intelligently used Ginobili coming of the bench, essentially putting a fresh "starter" into a game against an opposing team's bench unit. His maturity in accepting this role, never once making a public complaint and performing at an unbelievable high level every time out, makes this award an easy choice every year.
6th Man of Year:
Emanuel Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
Since entering the NBA in 2002, Ginobili has never averaged less than 15 points per game during his last 8 seasons. Scoring well above 1,000 points a season 5 times during his career, 3 NBA titles, 2 All-Star appearances and earning the 6th Man award in 2008 puts him among the best 6th men, in my opinion, in the history of the NBA besides Kevin McHale.
His willingness to put his body on the line for the sake of defense has lead to countless broken noses, bruises and a number of game stoppages due to the amount of blood coming out of his face. With all that, he rarely misses games, has never fouled out of a game and after being patched up, is usually back in the game by the next whistle.
His success as an international player has no doubt lead to his confidence and skill set, which at his age, should be deteriorating, but is not. At 34, Ginobili at times appears to have the ball attached to a string, crossing over with youngest of players, often out doing them. The San Antonio Spurs currently have the best record in the NBA and are about to make a lot of noise come playoff time. I think it's safe to say that Manu knows his role, understands its worth and loves the results.
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