GER - Nowitzki gets GM's vote for MVP

NEW YORK (NBA) - If NBA general managers were to get their way, Germany's Dirk Nowitzki would get this year's NBA MVP award.

According to a poll of GMs conducted by NBA.com and released on Wednesday, Nowitzki easily outdistanced two-time reigning MVP Steve Nash for the prestigious award, which will be officially announced next month.

Nowitzki, the 7ft Dallas superstar, led the Mavericks to a 67-15 record, which matched the fourth-best mark in league history. He received 17 first-place votes and 109 points from the GMs.

Nash, the All-Star point guard of the Phoenix Suns, received seven first-place and 82 points. Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was third.

Italian rookie Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors missed out on the GM's pick for Rookie of the Year. Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy got 23 first-place votes - the most in balloting for any award - and 121 points, nearly double the total of Bargnani.

League executives correctly forecast the order in Sixth Man Award balloting, placing Brazilian guard Leandro Barbosa of the Phoenix Suns first, the San Antonio Spurs' Argentinian guard Manu Ginobili second and Mavericks swingman Jerry Stackhouse third. That award was announced on Monday.

The poll showed that GMs differed with members of the media on at least one award. The executives chose Avery Johnson of the league-leading Dallas Mavericks as Coach of the Year, which was won by Sam Mitchell of the Toronto Raptors in media balloting.

In the GM survey, Johnson received 13 first-place votes and 82 points and Mitchell received eight and 68. In media balloting for the award, Mitchell finished first ahead of Utah's Jerry Sloan, with Johnson third.

GMs predicted Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Martin as Most Improved Player, which will be announced Thursday, and Denver Nuggets center Marcus Camby as Defensive Player of the Year, which will be revealed Friday.

Raptors vice president Bryan Colangelo was picked by his peers as Executive of the Year.

FIBA