Cindy Klassen (left) won the Lou Marsh Award Monday as Canada's top athlete for 2006. But did Steve Nash's back-to-back selection as the NBA's most valuable player make him more worthy of the honour? (Canadian Press file photos)

Even before Cindy Klassen was named the 2006 Lou Marsh Award winner as Canada's top athlete, the debate was well underway in Sports Online.

Sure, Klassen was the darling of the Torino Games this past winter, with her multiple medals and quiet grace. But the NBA's favourite little guy, point guard Steve Nash, turned in another performance for the ages in a sport known more for its big men south of the border.

Shouldn't the two-time MVP of the NBA -- historic in its own right -- trump Klassen's record-breaking feat on the speed-skating oval? Dan Tavares and John Molinaro face off.

Dan Tavares

Now that the Lou Marsh Award has gone to Cindy Klassen, I'm wondering what you're thinking, John. You were a pretty big proponent of Steve Nash winning back-to-backs.

John Molinaro

Not just me, Dan. Even Stephen Brunt thought so. A big part of it, for me, is that speed skating is a niche sport, but basketball is hugely popular. That goes for the talent pool you have to compete against and the pressure you face.

Great minds — his and mine — think alike, it would seem.

Dan Tavares

Great minds can be wrong too. As is the case in this instance.

John Molinaro

I disagree, although I do appreciate your admission that mine is a great mind ...

Dan Tavares

OK, enough witty ripostes. We're wasting taxpayers' money here. The crux of your argument is weak.

You guys believe Nash separates himself from Klassen as the Athlete of the Year because he won the MVP in a sport that's more popular worldwide. That's a pretty facile argument if you ask me.

Is popularity and number of participants in a sport that big a factor? It hasn't been before. Explain Lou Marsh recipients like Adam van Koeverden, Daniel Igali, Catriona LeMay Doan and Myriam Bédard. A couple of years ago Sports Online honoured Paralympian Chantal Petitclerc over NHL MVP Martin St. Louis. I'm guessing hockey is more popular than wheelchair sprinting.

What you fail to acknowledge is the cold hard truth that an Olympic gold medal is far more prestigious than a NBA MVP any day. I'd bet dollars to doughnuts Nash would agree too.

As great as HIS mind is, it takes a superior mind not to be swayed by a byline and point out the flaws in his argument.

As for your flaws, there isn't enough time right now.

John Molinaro

Just as it's pointless to lock the stable once the horses have escaped, it's equally futile to try to rescind your admission that mine is a great mind. I'm afraid, much to your chagrin, I will hold you to that statement until the day I die.

I can assure you I wasn't swayed by a byline, I was merely pointing out that there are people other than myself who think it's not a slam-dunk that Klassen should win the award. You'll recall the reaction of other people in the newsroom when you told them I thought Nash should win: derision, and they made it sound like it was the craziest thing in the world to suggest anyone BUT Klassen should win.

Which is why I drew your attention to Brunt's column: because there are other people who think, at the very least, this issue should be debated before automatically rushing off to give the award to Klassen.

I don't agree with everything that Brunt wrote by any means (especially the part about basketball being a more popular sport — not sure why that would matter), but I do agree that the number of participants in a sport should be big a factor (I think I made this point to you on Friday when we talked about this in the office).

I think "the number of participants" issue is especially relevant when comparing a team sport such as basketball (apples) to an individual sport such as speed skating (oranges).

I am of the opinion that it is much harder to win the MVP award of the NBA (especially for a Canadian) in a sport traditionally dominated by Americans and with so many world-class players than to win a gold medal in a sport such as speed skating in which Canadians have traditionally done very well and where the talent pool of world class competitors is thinner.

Dan Tavares

While there are more basketball players world wide, the Olympics are a bigger deal. The Winter Games in particular are far more popular in Canada than the NBA.

Nash's achievement, while impressive, doesn't mean as much as Klassen's performance to Canadians. Did you even consider this?

Furthermore, and Brunt points this out too, Nash's team didn't win anything. While he states the [Phoenix] Suns wouldn't be as good without him, which may be true, but how does he know that? Is he certain that a different guard, say Jason Kidd, couldn't do the same thing with that team?

John Molinaro

You're right that winning should be a big factor, and in that case, Klassen has the edge on Nash (Nash didn't win anything, other than the MVP, but it's about winning championships and not MVP awards).

That being said, if we set winning as the standard, Klassen's victory over Nash isn't as great as it would appear: she won one gold medal, which meant that she only won one of five races. Earning five medals is a great accomplishment and I take nothing away from her, but I don't think she won five medals as much as she won one gold and settled for two bronze and two silvers.

Dan Tavares

But Klassen is Canada's most decorated Olympian ever and the star of Canada's best Olympics to date. IOC president Jacques Rogge, as Brunt noted, called her the athlete of the Torino Games. Has that ever been said about a Canadian Olympian, ever? That's historic and should count for plenty if you ask me.

Klassen's success also went beyond five races. She dominated on the World Cup circuit prior to the games, and what is so impressive is that her five Olympic medals came across disciplines — relays, sprints and long-distance. Most speed-skaters stick to one discipline. That makes the talent pool deeper than you may think.

Klassen won a more prestigious award in a more prestigious event against stiff competition. To top it off, her win mattered more to Canadians.

John Molinaro

You're right in saying Nash's achievement doesn't mean as much as Klassen's performance to Canadians. Neither Brunt nor I mentioned this in advocating for Nash, but I am willing to concede the point.

But no one seems to mention that Nash's achievement is at least as historic than Klassen's. Lots of Canadians have won gold medals, but only one Canadian has won the NBA MVP, and Nash has done it twice: more than Bob Cousy, Julius Erving, Shaq, Barkley, Bill Walton, Oscar Robertson, Willis Reed or David Robinson — all of them Hall of Famers.

He's also only the ninth player overall to win the honour in back-to-back seasons and only the second point guard to win it two years in a row, the other being Magic Johnson.

Dan Tavares

Nash's achievements are historic, I'll give you that. But I can't help but think that his piece of basketball history is as much about timing as anything. It's an accepted fact that the game of basketball is changing.

Historically, basketball has been a half-court game, in which the ball is funnelled to the big men under the basket for high-percentage shots. But more and more, the game is being played on the perimeter.

Instead of half-court sets, an increasing number of teams are adopting a fast-break, run-and-gun approach. When teams do setup, a lot of the passing is geared toward getting a man an open look at a three-pointer (see the 2006-07 Toronto Raptors).

Obviously, this system puts a premium on the point-guard's skills, so it's understandable that Nash is being recognized by the NBA now. Don't be surprised if more guards don't win the award in the future.

Also, Nash doesn't play at both ends of the court. He may be an offensive magician, but he's a turnstile as a defender. The NBA is so focused on scoring and razzle-dazzle that Nash's defensive woes are overlooked.

John Molinaro

I think the historic nature of Nash's back-to-back MVPs puts him in pretty special company and should count for as much (in terms of who is Canada's best athlete of 2006) as Klassen's performance meaning more to Canadians.

All that being said, I don't have a problem with Klassen winning the award. I merely wanted to serve as an advocate for someone (Nash) who I felt was being overlooked — those of us with great minds tend to take the road less travelled instead of following the rest of the herd.