**OFFICIAL NBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER (MVP) THREAD**

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by Mamba MVP

Originally Posted by solesavage

man dont be coming here saying kobes team was injured. injuries are a part of the game. you cant give someone the mvp trophy just for that reason. nobody expected new orleans to be a contender let alone be in the playoffs. what they have done is crazy and paul deserves it. if they finish with a better record you have to give it to the guy.

my thoughts exactly. To be honest I really didnt think N.O. had a chance to make the playoffs before the season started. CP3 is nasty, he really deserves the MVP trophy.

and why did you think they didn't have a chance? they only finished 3 games out last year with peja gone for most of the year and david west missing half of the season. injuries are a part of the game, but kobe hasn't let his team falter b/c of it like the hornets did last year.

Yeah that is sort of a funny argument. So injuries are a part of the game but you didn't expect New Orleans to even be in the playoffs when theybarely missed them last season with two key starters down for more then half the season? Really, injuries don't matter? So they went from 9th to 1st, allbecause of Paul, not because they were healthy all season long? Interesting theory there.

If New Orleans loses Chandler, for the season next year, and Peja misses 3 months, and Pargo signs elsewhere, and West misses a month and they miss theplayoffs by a game, I guess that will show Paul is overrated and a bum right? It's the same logic is it not?

There are variables to every players situation. To ignore them is to shape your argument the direction you want it.

 

[this is carter]

ronaldo balkman 4 mvp

 

[gregzzy23]

This is the worst award in all of sports. There is so much debate and then NOBODY cares when the winner is announced.

I'd pick Chris Paul btw hes just doing too much.

 

[kiddin like jason]

This is the worst award in all of sports. There is so much debate and then NOBODY cares when the winner is announced.
There are like 10 dudes in here who are VERY serious about this award, and they may have a Kobe summit if he wins it.

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason

This is the worst award in all of sports. There is so much debate and then NOBODY cares when the winner is announced.

There are like 10 dudes in here who are VERY serious about this award, and they may have a Kobe summit if he wins it.

So because people argue in a thread for MVP about the MVP we're very serious about it, but if we start a new thread about who the best point guard isevery other week it's ok?

 

[kiddin like jason]

See.

 

[MVP]

Originally Posted by CP1708

Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason

This is the worst award in all of sports. There is so much debate and then NOBODY cares when the winner is announced.

There are like 10 dudes in here who are VERY serious about this award, and they may have a Kobe summit if he wins it.

So because people argue in a thread for MVP about the MVP we're very serious about it, but if we start a new thread about who the best point guard is every other week it's ok?

GOT'EM

 

[cn24]

Kobe is my boy and the best player in the league but right now CP3 looks like the front runner

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason

See.

Cop out, come on man.

If you ain't serious about it, why you click on page 6 to then click on page 17 and see what we sayin? You just as serious as us.

 

[bullsrepeat3peat]

Linkhttp://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/12289270/site/21683474/

[h3][/h3]

[h3]Who is NBA MVP? It's Kobe Bryant's year.[/h3]Posted on Apr 11, 2008 9:05:00 AM
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First of all, let me say that I am not one of the members of the media who gets an actual vote on the NBA's postseason awards, but if I had a vote, mine would go to Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant this season.

I'll admit....I've been thinking about writing this blog for a while, but I have been torn between Bryant and New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul. I kept putting it off, waiting until close to the end of the season to try to take in as many games as possible before making my decision.

But for me, it comes down to this: It's Kobe's time. And apparently a lot of people agree with me, according to a Los Angeles Times survey. Paul has been an absolutely fabulous floor leader in helping raise up his team from one that didn't make the playoffs last season to one that has sat atop the powerful Western Conference for most of the second half of the season. The Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett has helped change the mentality of his team to one that focuses on defense, but he has had the help of two other all-stars in Paul Pierce (who many consider a candidate himself) and Ray Allen to give the Celtics the league's best record. LeBron James has literally carried the Cavaliers on his (strained) back for much of the season and leads the league in scoring, but his team hasn't followed up its Eastern Conference championship season with a similar performance.

And without Dwight Howard, there is no way the Orlando Magic would be sitting atop the Southeast Division and with the No. 3 seeding in the NBA playoffs. But it's not his -- or Paul's -- time...yet. All of those spectacular players deserve to be in the conversation. I wouldn't be disappointed if any of those guys won MVP, but I expect Bryant to win the hardware this season.

There is no written criteria for this award so it's hard to judge....Is it the player who is most important to his team? To the league? The best player in the league?

Bryant's Lakers sit 1-1/2 games behind the West's top team, the Hornets, and Los Angeles has had to fight through a lot more injuries this season than New Orleans, which remained fairly healthy -- significantly helping the Hornets' climb up the rankings this season. The Lakers' strong performance comes after a summer in which media reports indicated Bryant had demanded a trade from the Lakers so he could compete for a championship and claimed that he could not win with Los Angeles' roster. The controversy carried over into the start of the season. Bryant could have continued to pout and the Lakers easily could have melted down into a big chemistry mess. But Bryant did not want to discuss the controversy once the play started to count. He just played -- and he found ways to help his teammates play better. Along the way, young center Andrew Bynum really began to establish himself as a good player before his knee injury, and the Lakers (miraculously) found a way to acquire Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies for much maligned Kwame Brown to add to the Lakers' talent. Bryant kept them among the top West teams until that trade, and the Lakers stayed there even though Bryant toned down his game to involve his teammates more, dropping to second in the league in scoring behind James but putting himself among the top 20 in assists. He shook off a ligament injury to his hand, playing through it to keep the Lakers in contention. He just willed his team to a lot of victories, and most nights, there probably isn't a player you'd rather give the ball with the game on the line.

Having said all that, I just think it's Kobe's time. MVP is supposed to be an award that honors achievements for that year. But frankly, there have been plenty of times when it has been awarded to a player for his career achievements, such as Karl Malone and Charles Barkley -- and I'm OK with that. This might be the year that Bryant gets his due. He could have received the award any of the years that the Kobe-and-Shaq-led Lakers won three NBA titles from the 1999-2000 season through the 2001-02 season. But he was young and kind of cocky, and a lot of people didn't want to see him get it then. Shaq won it that first Lakers championship season (and it was O'Neal's time then, though he also could have won it many other seasons). Allen Iverson had a career year in 2000-01 as he led the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals, and Tim Duncan got the award in 2001-02 for the first time, even though the Lakers won the championship that season. There have been years when Bryant has had better statistics, but not years when he has sacrificed his game so much to make his team better.

Bryant might not win this season either. He has, after all, got some black marks on his resume, and there probably are some reporters and columnists who don't like him very much. But the oddsmakers are on his side this season and the Lakers are running a full-fledged campaign to try to convince voters to honor him.

None of those things influenced me, just Bryant's game. Really, I wish the NBA would do like baseball does and wait until after the playoffs to announce their awards. That way, voters could judge the players on how they also perform in the second -- and most important -- season. But I couldn't wait much longer to make a decision before the awards actually are announced.

Now, I'm just waiting for the comments about how I am just another member of the media who is a Lakers lover...yada, yada, yada. Save it. I am nothing of the sort, but you can't deny talent. Instead, let me know who you think should win and why. The winner hasn't been announced yet -- maybe you can sway some votes.

 

[703 hwy]

Co-MVP's

CP3 and that Laker guy

 

[nyk buc]

Originally Posted by srvballer

I think it's really going to come down to who finishes higher in the standings (Lakers or Hornets).

With that said I would like to see Kobe get one because he's been robbed a few times. But you can't really be mad over who they choose between the top choices.

kobe has been the best player the last 2 yrs but how has he been robbed? MVP is about the best player on one of the teams with the top 2-3 records. thelakers were never a top 5 team even the last 2-3 years.

kobe is a VERY VERY strong candidate this year, but those 2 losses hurt him in the standings for the best record and thus will most likely cost him the MVP.if the lakers win those, kobe would have the MVP wrapped up and delivered to LA right now. but unfortunately, it'll go to chris paul.

 

[xxtowrxx]

The Lakers were only 2 games over 500 last seasn, Kobe has improved his style. He can still score on you all day, but when he doesn't shoot until 2 minutesleft in the first quarter they've usually gained a 10-12 point advantage, where most shots have come from kick outs off Kobe's drives (without Gasol).

Kobe won't win because of his uncalled for lash out during the off season ...


Garnett should win it

 

[dland24]

Sorry if I am late, but Scoop Jackson wrote an article about why Kobe wont win it this year, and it really puts things in perspective. Check it.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=jackson/080407&sportCat=nba

Again, I am sorry if I am late.

 

[mister916]

Originally Posted by 703 Hwy

Co-MVP's

CP3 and that Laker guy

 

[la laker devotee]

MVP, ladies and gentlemen, is wrapped up!

 

[you big dummy]

Originally Posted by LA Laker Devotee

MVP, ladies and gentlemen, is wrapped up!

 

[barondavis5]

If Kobe doesnt win it ill be mad as hell.

 

[kidskillz858]

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
(Archive)
It's the final Friday of the regular season ... and you know what that means.
One by one we dribble through the season-ending award ballots that will soon be shipped back to the league office.

Ready?
[h2]Most Valuable Player[/h2]

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
I thought the standings would help me decide. But they didn't.

I thought that Chris Paul having the best season of any point guard in a conference teeming with Hall of Fame-bound quarterbacks and leading his team to the best record in the West -- while possibly saving basketball in New Orleans in the process -- would be clinchers.

They weren't.

I thought I'd be voting for Paul after stacking all that up, but this voter simply can't deny Kobe his maiden MVP because the Lakers might finish a game or two or even three behind the Cinderella Hornets in the nine-team race of the century. I keep looking at Bryant's season and looking at Paul's and, yes, I'm still giving the edge to Kobe.

For all of Paul's undeniable brilliance -- and for all of you who can't wait to angrily dismiss this as a Lifetime Achievement Award for the guy who's considered the Best Player To Never Win The MVP Award -- I'm sorry. But Bryant has had to deal with and do more this season than even CP3.

Bryant has seen more double- and triple-teams and junk defenses. He's endured a far lower grade of overall team health; Andrew Bynum will end up playing less than half of the season and Pau Gasol has missed 11 games, too, just since his Feb. 1 arrival. Kobe has also played through a hand injury of his own that still requires surgery and is asked by his coach and teammates to be All-NBA at both ends, all while shouldering higher expectations than any player in the league.

Kobe certainly could have made this a lot easier if the Lakers hadn't suffered those unforgivable home losses to the Bobcats and Grizzlies in late March, giving New Orleans its huge opening to shock the world and secure the West's No. 1 overall seed. But I'm rescinding my previous contention that the team with the better record would decide the Kobe vs. Paul derby because the win-total difference, in the end, won't be sufficiently drastic enough to separate these two. The variables mentioned above, to me, are bigger.

I know, I know. Now you're going to ask how I could vote for Steve Nash two years running and not vote for Paul now. That complaint, for starters, has never made sense to me. Every season, and thus every MVP race, should be judged on its own. The specifics of every season are different and so is the MVP field every season. Just look at this field: It's suddenly down to a two-man sprint after it seemed for so long that we had four potential MVPs, now that LeBron James and his Cavaliers are sputtering to the finish and with Kevin Garnett's culture-changing impact in Boston unfairly (but unavoidably) taken for granted because of all the wildness out West.

If you insist on persisting with the Nash comparison, don't forget that the little Canadian won his back-to-back MVPs for almost single-handedly turning a 29-win team into a 62-win team in a West that wasn't too shabby ... and then by keeping Phoenix at a 54-win level after they traded away Joe Johnson and then lost Amare Stoudemire for most of the following season. None of that really helps us here anyway because Paul's play is closer to the blueprint of Nash's maiden MVP, but Bryant's season more closely resembles Nash's repeat performance.

Clear cut for Kobe? No one would dare say that. But I finally decided that Bryant has to be my MVP when he's playing the team ball of his life, for a club everyone fears in the playoffs far more than the Hornets, while he's also playing in a stratosphere as an individual that only LeBron can presently reach. At Stein Line HQ, all that adds up to No. 24.

STEIN'S BALLOT

1. Bryant
2. Paul
3. Garnett
4. James
5. Manu Ginobili, San Antonio

October prediction: Garnett

Link:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080412-13&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos2

 

[tupac003]

The race isn't over...

But tonights game might have helped some folks.

I wouldn't mind co-mvps. IMO I just can't short change what CP3 has done.

But if kobe takes it by himself I wouldn't be upset.

 

[kingofallkickz]

nuff said

 

[srvballer]

Whether Kobe or CP3 gets it you can't be mad at it.

But right now I'm leaning towards Kobe ftw.

 

[franchise3]

Originally Posted by KingofallKickz

nuff said

 

[aj232kb8]

 

[bullsrepeat3peat]

Originally Posted by tupac003

The race isn't over...

But tonights game might have helped some folks.

I wouldn't mind co-mvps. IMO I just can't short change what CP3 has done.

But if kobe takes it by himself I wouldn't be upset.

I think it's over now