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Chris Paul Deserves the MVP Award This Season...
Word on the street is that Kobe Bryant will be winning his first ever league MVP award this season. Do I think this is the correct choice? Hell and no I don't. In a season where you could make legitimate arguments for four different players (KG, LeBron, CP3, Kobe), Kobe would have been my last choice out of the "Big Four." Of the said stars, here's how I personally ranked them with my Blogger MVP/ROY vote: 1) KG, 2) CP3, 3) LeBron, 4) Kobe. It's not so much that I hate Kobe Bryant, but I just don't think he deserved it this season (more on that later.) I would like to say, I voted before the regular season was over, and was slightly swayed by Bill Simmons "KG4MVP Love Fest" article. Upon further review and if I could do it again, I think I would now go Paul first and KG second. Regardless, any of these four guys would have probably won the award the past 3 seasons... that's how amazing they all have been playing.
Apropos of nothing, today is Chris Paul's 23rd birthday. What does this have to do with anything you ask? Well, first off, I can't believe this young stud is only 23 years old. He plays like an established veteran, and gun to my head, I'd say he's the best PG in the entire league. Also, it happens to be "Chris Paul Appreciation Day." So, I am comprising this article in honor of his birthday, and making a case as to why Kobe Bryant is the wrongful MVP on the Association.
(Click "Read More..." to continue.)
Myth #1: Kobe's team were "big time" winners this season.
Answer: While not completely false, the fact that the Lakers won the Western Conference is being overblown, given the circumstances. It is true that the voting contingent is more likely to reward the MVP to a player on a "more winning" team... whether they will collectively admit it or not. Off the top of my head and without any research, I believe Moses Malone was the only player in the past 30 years to win the MVP when his team did not win 50 games. In fact, I think he might be the only player ever to win the MVP under those circumstances. Again, I did not research this, but I am fairly confident it is correct. Where am I going with this? Well, it pretty much eliminates LeBron from consideration since his supporting cast was so atrocious... despite the fact that LeBron had the best all-around stats of anyone in the league.
Well, the Lakers won the incredibly difficult Western Conference , so Kobe deserves it... right? Right?!?! Not so fast I say. They finished ONE game ahead of the New Orleans Hornets, and the top six teams in the West were within 3 games of each other. So really, any of those 6 teams could have taken the top seed, depending on a few lucky (or not so lucky) breaks at various points during the season. Under this train of thought, shouldn't someone from the Pistons (59 wins) or Celtics (66 wins) also be strongly be considered? I mean, KG had slightly lesser stats, but he was the best all-around player on the best team in the league. Don't tell me the Celtics had it easy because they were in the East... they went 25-5 against Western Conference teams this season.
So, with all that said, I don't think the fact that the Lakers having won ONE more game than the Hornets gives Kobe any advantage whatsoever over Paul. If anything, this category is a "wash" for these two.
Myth #2: Kobe is most responsible for the success of his team.
Answer: Really? Trying to determine how good a team would be over the course of a season without said player is incredibly subjective and pretty much impossible to do. However, after KG, Kobe has the best supporting cast of the Big 4 candidates. Take Kobe away from the Lakers, add Bynum, and they are a playoff bubble team. Take CP3 away from the Hornets and they don't make the playoffs. Not even close. Jannero Pargo and/or Bobby Jackson (before he was traded) running the show?!? Ha! Good luck with that. Worst off, take LeBron away from the Cavs and they win less games than the TWolves, despite the fact that they are in the Eastern Conference. If you go solely by this criteria, I guess one would have to say that LeBron should be MVP. Either way, both LeBron and CP3 are more responsible for the success of their team than Kobe. Which leads me too...
Myth #3: Kobe makes everyone around him better.
Myth #3.5: Kobe's supporting cast is not any better than (insert player here: CP3, KG, LeBron)
Answer: Myth #3 could be correct as a standalone statement, but Kobe does not make the players around him better than Chris Paul makes the players around him better. (You follow that?) As for Myth #3.5... hahahaha. First off, what can Kobe even do to make veterans like Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Luke Walton, and Derek Fisher "better?" In the cases of Odom and Gasol, they are already stars. If anything, they make Kobe's job easier. Gasol was/is an All-Star and Lamar Odom is an underrated player that would be the second option on a lot of other teams. He's a very slightly worse version of KG with better shooting range, but worse overall defense. Luke Walton and Derek Fisher are leaders that are as good as they will ever be. Bynum was playing very good before his injury, but was that Kobe's doing? I would attributed that to the normal development of a very talented young big man. It takes time for someone as young as Bynum to mature in the league. Plus, his sample size was so small that there is no way you can say whether or not Kobe did or didn't "make Bynum better." I'm leanding towards "no."
I suppose one could say that Kobe helped boost the game(s) of the role players on his team, but Chris Paul made David West into an All-Star. Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler hooked up for the most alley-oops of any combo in the league. Without Chris Paul's amazing pinpoint feeds every game, Chandler would be lucky to average 8 points per game. Instead, he's considered one of the best young centers in the league. Who else is even on their team? Mo Pete? Peja? Bonzi Wells? Jannero Pargo? Julian Wright? Hilton Armstrong? Should I keep going? I'd like to see Kobe lead this cast to 56 wins. Chris Paul could easily lead the Lakers (minus Kobe) to the best record in the West, I have no doubt in my mind.
Fact #1: Kobe wasn't really in the thick of the MVP race until they traded for Pau Gasol.
Answer: Correct. If the Blogger MVP/ROY Rankings are any small indication, Kobe never cracked the very top of the MVP consideration until they went on their sick winning streak, after the Pau Gasol trade [at the very beginning of February.] Also, I think you'll find that the mainstream media did not consider him a Top 3 candidate until they started climbing up the Western Conference standings. If my calculations are correct, the Lakers were an amazing 28-9 A.G. (After Gasol), thusly making them a good, but not great 29-16 B.G. When did Kobe's MVP push really start to take stride? Not until the end of the season when it appeared the Lakers would have a chance to win the Western Conference. Just some food for thought.
Fact #2: Kobe should have won it a few years ago.
Anwer: Correct. In my humble opinion, Kobe should have won it in 2005-06 OR 2006-07 when he had similar rebounding and assist numbers, but scored 35.4 ppg and 31.6 ppg, respectively. He also had infinitely worse supporting casts, especially in 2005-06. So, WHY should Chris Paul be punished this season since Kobe is "owed" an award? That doesn't make sense does it? Since they screwed up those years and gave it to Nash and Dirk, that means they are going to just keep pushing it down the line, regardless of current season performance? Kobe had a great year, but Chris Paul's was one for the ages. How long are CP3 and LeBron going to have to wait to get their Lifetime Achievement Award like Kobe did this season? 3 years? 5 years? 10?
Fact #3: Chris Paul had better statistics than Kobe Bryant this season.
Answer: Yep, he sure did. Let's take a gander at this, shall we?
CP3: 21.1 ppg, 11.6 apg, 2.7 spg, 4.0 rpg, 57.6% TS, 28.3 PER
Win Shares (completed formula that basically tells how many wins any given player is "responsible for"): 50
Kobe: 28.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 5.4 apg, 1.8 spg, 24.2 PER
Win Shares: 39
Kobe had a very good season, but Chris Paul's was one of the best Point Guard seasons EVER in the history of the NBA. I can't remember off the top of my head, but Chris Paul was one of only 4 (? was it 5?) players to average 20 points and 10 assists in a single season. Kobe's season wasn't even his own personal best season. How do you give him the MVP over Paul when all other aspects are so close, or even in Paul's advantage (in my opinion, as detailed above.)
Men lie, women lie, numbers don't.
Lastly, here are the final results of the Blogger MVP/ROY season-long voting. Looks like the majority of some very knowledgeable bloggers agree... it should indeed be CP34MVP in 2007-08!
Good luck to the Hornets in the playoffs, and I hope the Lakers choke on their own vomit. Ok, I might dislike Kobe just a little.
CW
1. A defense of Kobe Bryant
Written by KG4LVP, on 06-05-2008 20:20
You bring a solid, yet very biased argument. My first thought of this is I bet most people who are casual fans of the NBA, really did not even know who Chris Paul was before the season started. They may have heard of him, but he was simply and up and comer. He certainly has become a household name that is for sure as his great season has progressed and will become, if he has not already, the best PG in the NBA and in the top 10 of players in the league.
However, even people who do not follow the NBA know about Kobe Bryant. I am sure because of the rape situation that happened a couple of years ago play into this in a way. He was later acquitted for this. Is this an argument for Kobe being the MVP? No. But I think many people are still holding some sort of trial in their minds about Kobe Bryant. He was acquitted of this and this is something that should not be held against him. And sad to say, I think many people still hold Kobe in a court room instead of a basketball court.
When you talk to people about Kobe here are many of the things that will come up:
1.) He is selfish
2.) He is a rapist
3.) He never won anything without Shaq
4.) Ball hog
5.) Always has a great team
6.) Phil Jackson
All of these things are true to some extent. But guess what. Maybe Kobe has changed. Maybe he actually matured a bit. Maybe the trials humbled Kobe, and now is actually a good team player. I think he has changed. I was able to watch Kobe many times; even the games that were not on ESPN or TNT, and many times Kobe would be cheering his teammates on while he was taking a breather. That is something that is certainly different about Kobe.
Now to the defense of Kobe winning the 2007-08 MVP award.
All I hear is that the Lakers are loaded. They have Pau Gasol. Big deal! The only reason they went out and traded for Gasol was the fact Bynum had gotten hurt and the Suns had made a move to get Shaq. Plus, Gasol could not do much for Memphis now could he? They needed to beef up inside. So they went out and got Pau Gasol, the oft injured All-Star center. Nice move, yes, but really washes with the injury to Bynum. So what I will attempt to do is use 5 points in a defense of Kobe’s MVP award. These points will be: Rosters comparison, off season turmoil, team improvement, opposing coaches game planning to stop Kobe, Bynum does not equal Bryant, make up award, criteria and durability. At the end, I will also lay out my own criteria in which I use to judge players of MVP caliber or not. I hope I can do this justice.
Roster Comparison
Lakers PPG RPG Blocks/Assists
C- Gasol 18.9 8.4 1.5 (BPG)
PF- Odom 14.2 10.6 0.9 (BPG)
SF- Walton 7.2 3.9 2.9 (APG)
SG- Bryant 28.3 6.3 5.4 (APG)
PG- Fisher 11.7 2.9 (A) 1.0 (SPG)
Key Bench Players
Farmar
Radmanovic
Turiaf
Vujacic
Injuries
Bynum
Ariza
Hornets PPG RPG ASST/BLKS
C- Chandler 11.8 11.7 1.06 (BPG)
PF- West 20.6 8.9 1.30 (BPG)
SF- Peja 16.4 4.3 1.2 (APG)
SG- Mo Peterson 8.0 2.7 0.9 (APG)
PG- Paul 21.1 4.0 11.6 (APG)
Bench
B. Wells
J. Wright
J. Pargo
R. Butler
It is clear that the rosters are not as one-sided as College Wolf led us to believe. The Hornets have two guys who averaged 20 points and 4 of their 5 starters averaged double figures.
While if you look at the Lakers roster, they have 1 guy who averaged over 20 and 4 of their 5 starters were in double figures. However, in a position by position break down would be as follows:
C – Clear edge Lakers
PF - Clear edge Hornets
SF – Clear edge Hornets
SG – Strong edge Lakers
PG - Strong edge Hornets
Bench – Slight edge to the Lakers, however not by much at all.
Coaching – Lakers have the edge with the immortal Phil Jackson
So now that we have looked at the rosters, let’s look at some of the other reasons why Kobe Bryant is the MVP of the 2007-08 season:
Off season turmoil
Before the season, trade rumors, fans booing, and low expectations surrounded the Laker franchise. Kobe was going to be traded. Kobe and Phil could not co-exist anymore. KG was supposed to be a Lakers and not a Celtic. Side note here, I wonder how different the Kobe reaction would be if KG landed on the Lakers? I would venture to say people would have a conversion shall we say, because Messiah has come to Hollywood. But I digress. So, through all of the off season turmoil, Kobe pressed on. With a bunch of relatively no name players, besides Odom and Fisher, the Lakers were possibly a 7th or 8th seed before the season started. Remember, Bynum was considered a disappointment and there had been calls even by Kobe to trade Bynum away. But, Bynum worked hard over the summer with Kareem Abdul Jabbar and really improved his game. And than injury hits Bynum, the Lakers however keep winning.
No Names get better
We also see that these no names, like Farmar, Turiaf & Vujacic improve as the season goes along. I suppose none of the credit would ever go to Kobe, because of course, he is not a team player. It is all Phil Jackson. Right? Wrong. When you are playing every night along side the best player in the NBA over the last 10 years, you are bound to get better. Well, except for Kwame Brown, but again I digress. Now, the Lakers bench is formidable and allows Kobe to rest and get ready for his 4th quarter assassination of the opposing team.
Gives opposing coach’s headaches
Kobe Bryant is the one to stop on the Lakers. The coaches all over the league stay up and game plan to somehow stop Kobe. They don’t say, all we have to do is shut down Gasol or the under achieving Lamar Odom. They don’t say, “Wow! Is that Luke or Bill Walton out there?” No! It is Kobe. Night after night, the best defenders the NBA has to offer have one mission and one mission only, STOP KOBE BRYANT! And when Kobe hurt his finger mid season, I am sure all of LA stopped for a minute and saw their playoff dreams coming to an end.
Bynum = Bryant NOT!!!
An argument was made that if Kobe was injured, you could simply plug in Andrew Bynum. Come on, there are many words that could be said here but I will politely say that is simply crazy! You can’t simply replace a big man and allow Gasol to run the team. He could not get the job done in Memphis with players such as Gay and Miller who are solid NBA players. Plus last I checked Bynum is not coming back this year so this is not even an argument against Kobe winning the MVP award.
Make-up award
Another argument has been made that this is a make up award. My answer to this is really what does it matter? It reminds me of when Denzel Washington won the best actor award for Training Day, which some would argue was not the friendly Denzel that they are used to seeing on the Big Screen. I personally thought the movie was one of Denzel’s finest works. The same could be said if Kobe goes on and gets this team of his to the finals that this, of all the seasons, would be Kobe Bryant’s best works.
Durability
Despite injury his hand, Kobe played in all 82 games. Paul did not. Not bad for someone who gets hounded and bumped and I am sure a few cheap shots from time to time each and every night. In addition, this is not a bad feat considering he is playing in the Western Conference which is more fast paced than the East, but has a few bruising teams like Utah and that jerk Dirk! LOL…just a quick dig at his foul on AK 47 earlier in the year.
Criteria
What is funny is that on certain blogs, the criteria for the MVP seems to change depending on the player that is being discussed. For instance, on an MVP thread, people were arguing that Paul should win it because he has the best record in the Western Conference. Well, that changed when the Lakers ended up winning the #1 seed in the West. Some would also argue KG, because he turned the Celtics around and went 25-5 against the West. Well, that could be a valid argument, but people would down James because he played in the weak East. So it can’t be KG than if it is not James. You have to be consistent and I find too much inconsistency in the MVP criteria. I think that post season play should be a part of the criteria and they should hold off on voting for an MVP until the playoffs are over.
I honestly think that it should be a combination of things.
1.) Year’s performance
2.) Overall team expectations
3.) What if’s aka injuries, and if that player was not on the team any more.
4.) Leadership
5.) Team improvement
6.) Clutch performer.
7.) Past performance
8.) Going deep into the playoffs
In all of these categories Bryant is at the top or a very close second.
So, in conclusion, you either love him or hate him, but you can’t deny that Kobe Bryant not only is a great basketball player, but for the 2007-08 season he is the MVP of a wonderful regular season and another banner saying “World Champions” could be raised in the Staples Center and this time it is truly Kobe’s team.
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2. Written by roundhouse, on 06-05-2008 21:04
Before Gasol
30-16
With Gasol
22-4
While Gasol was injured
5-5 with home losses to Memphis and Charlotte
Enough said.
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3. Written by
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
 , on 07-05-2008 06:43
Thanks for your comments guys, I responded to them in the forum.
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