Lazar tops Big East by being on 8 of 13 leaders lists - how about MVP talk?

[bamamarquettefan]

Can we get the MVP chants going when Lazar steps to the line in the next home game at Louisville?  As a colleague of mine notes on www.crackedsidewalks.com, "Our power forward is leading the Big East in steals!"
In fact, if you check the Big East leader board (http://www.bigeast.org/fls/19400/stats/mbasketball/2009-2010/CONFONLY.HTM#conf.wki), Lazar is one of the league leaders in 8 of 13 categories, best in the conference.

Here are the only four players to be on a Big East leaderboard in at least 6 categories:

1. HAYWARD, Lazar-MU (8 categories: 1st steals, 5th FT%, 5th def rebounds, 5th three-pointers made, 7th rebounding, 9th three-point %, 9th scoring, 13th offensive rebounds)

2. JOHNSON, Wes-SYR (7 categories: 3rd defensive rebounding, 4th rebounding, 4th blocked shots, 8th minutes, 9th steals, 10th FT%, 17th scoring)

3-tie. MONROE, Greg-GU (6 categories: 1st defensive rebounds, 3rd rebounding, 5th blocked shots, 9th assists, 11th FG%, 15th scoring)

3-tie. RAUTINS, Andy-SYR (6 categories: 2nd three-pointers made, 3rd FT%, 3rd steals, 12th assists, 4th three-point %, 22nd scoring)

Another 10 players make the list in five categories: ABROMAITIS, Tim-ND; FREEMAN, Austin-GU; GIBBS, Ashton-PITT; HARANGODY, Luke-ND; MITCHELL, Jonathan-RU; NDIAYE, Hamady-RU; PETERSON, Jamine-PC; REYNOLDS, Scottie-VU; WALKER, Kemba-UCONN; WALKER, Will-DPU.

I wish there were categories for diving on the floor and not letting all of your first-year teammates get down, but even just looking at the stats alone, why isn't Lazar leading the MVP discussion outside of the fact that Milwaukee is a long way from New York?

[tower912]

Lazar should definitely be in the discussion, but I think Johnson from Syracuse probably gets it.    Best do-everything player on a likely #1 seed.    Plus, he has been on TV more than Lazar so more people think of him as a star.   

[TallTitan34]

Rautins is easily becomming my most hated Big East player.

[Nukem2]

MVP is unlikely as MU is not in the top 2-3 in the league.  But, certainly should make 1st team All-BE.

[muballer10]

This isn't fantasy basketball, getting credit for both offensive and defensive rebounds on seperate occasions is pretty much. I love Lazar as much as the next guy, but he is not the BEast POY. Great season though, we wouldnt be where we are today without him.

[LON]

He was JOBBED last year for individual awards.

I won't say that again this year if he doesn't get BE POY, but he is definitely in the discussion.

[Tom Crean's Tanning Bed]

Dunno about Lazar as BE POY; my vote right now would have to go towards Wesley Johnson.

However, at minimum, Lazar should be on one of the All-Big East teams (probably towards the top of the 2nd team, maybe 1st depending on how the stretch run goes).  Hell, he's probably got a shot at defensive POY with the steals/rebounding numbers (not to mention just some life-ruining defensive plays too he has made in big situations).

[flash]

As much as he may deserve to win Big East MVP he is not going to.  My money is on Wesley Johnson, he is the best player on the best team.  MU doesn't get enough exposure, and Lazar does not get close to the ammount of attention Wesley Johnson and Scottie Reynolds get.  Tough luck for Lazar, he his having a truly outstanding season. 

[ATWizJr]

If not POY, then certainly first team BE!

[dwaderoy2004]

oh yeah, he'll be first team big east.  coaches thought and knew enough of him to put him on the preseason team.  he has done nothing to disappoint.

[lab_warrior]

He doesn't have "Notre Dame" across his jersey, and doesn't stuff his own stats on a pathetically  losing team.  I think that's why Harrangody won.

[4everwarriors]

POY will go, deservingly so, to a player on a team with a much better record than MU.

[TJ]

I'm going to get jumped on for this, but he's coming off possibly his worst 2 game stretch against Pitt and then the regulation time @ Cincinnati.  He needs to play the last 4 games and postseason like he played in OT before there's any MVP talk.

[radome]

I would love for Lazar to win it but I think Johnson, Reynolds and Monroe are ahead of him.

[goodgreatgrand]

Rautins is easily becomming my most hated Big East player.

Hilarious. How is it that Syracuse gets these absolutely deadly long-range shooting, white kids?

I went to a nyc aau tournament last year and was watching a kid named Trevor Cooney. He's a white kid from Delaware that is a SG. He was throwing down unbelievable dunks while draining 3 pointer after 3 pointer with every one being shot from further away than the prior shot. I leaned over to my friend and jokingly said "He looks like the next great white kid that will torture BE teams for 4 years at Syracuse." My friend, an SU alum, replied, "Yeah, Boeheim is personally recruiting him and he's one of their top recruiting targets for 2011."

So, before you feel at ease next year when Rautins is gone, there will be another one coming. 

[bamamarquettefan]

I understand the top player on top team argument usually wins, but for me it should be the player who most likely added the most wins to his team.  Georgetown, Nova and Syracuse would have been very good teams without Johnson, Reynolds and Monroe, as awesome as they all are.  I just don't see how MU would have had a prayer in a lot of these games without Lazar.  Luckily, Fulce really had the breakthrough game he needed against Cincy, but what in the world would we have been able to do to win games without Lazar on both ends of the court? I realize POY and MVP are different, but he is at least MVP in my book.

[tower912]

I understand the top player on top team argument usually wins, but for me it should be the player who most likely added the most wins to his team.  Georgetown, Nova and Syracuse would have been very good teams without Johnson, Reynolds and Monroe, as awesome as they all are.  I just don't see how MU would have had a prayer in a lot of these games without Lazar.  Luckily, Fulce really had the breakthrough game he needed against Cincy, but what in the world would we have been able to do to win games without Lazar on both ends of the court? I realize POY and MVP are different, but he is at least MVP in my book.

By this argument, Jones from USF wins it.