duncan228
04-13-2008, 01:09 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA041308.NBABeat.en.5a4d0884.html
Mike Monroe's NBA Beat: Why Kobe should be MVP
Mike Monroe
San Antonio Express-News
In the 23 years I've been an MVP voter, there never has been a more difficult choice than that faced by this year's selection panel.
There is but one consensus: You can cast a first-place vote for any of four worthy contenders without fear of embarrassment.
Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett has led the Celtics to the greatest one-season turnaround in NBA history.
Kobe Bryant has turned the NBA's best individual game into a far more team-oriented vehicle that has the Lakers back near the top in the most competitive Western Conference race ever.
Chris Paul has turned in one of the most dominant seasons ever for a point guard, at both ends of the court.
LeBron James has been so dominant that a Cavaliers team with starters who would be deep reserves on most good teams has the fourth-best record in the East.
There may be a stray first-place vote, maybe two or three, for candidates other than these four, but those will be provincial. The league requires voters to list five players on each MVP ballot, ranked first through fifth, and no ballot should omit the four prime candidates.
Who should be on the first line?
Media friends whose opinions I value believe Garnett's intangible contributions to the Celtics transcended his outstanding performance on the court. His work ethic was an example. He demanded dedication to defense from each teammate. He subjugated his own offensive skills to optimize those of other Celtics.
James' raw numbers are the most impressive of any of the candidates. His per-game “Bird Factor” ranking — points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, minus shots missed, free throws missed and turnovers — is the best of the featured four. He adjusted to a new set of teammates after the trade deadline deal that re-shaped the Cavs, too.
Paul's leadership of the Hornets has been unquestioned all season. He beat out two-time MVP Steve Nash as the league's top assists man and leads the league in steals, as well. Unless they stumble in one of their remaining games, the Hornets will be the West's top seed.
It is Bryant, though, who most deserves this year's MVP award. For the past six seasons he has been acknowledged as the game's most talented player, but he never has finished higher than third in MVP voting. The knock always was the same: He could score 81 points, but he didn't make teammates better the way others — Nash, Tim Duncan, Garnett — did.
That he gets my vote is no recognition of “lifetime achievement.” Bryant has earned it because he has learned to trust teammates. Though the Lakers play at a faster pace than the past few seasons, his shots are down, from a high of 27 per game in 2005-06, to 20.9 a game. The very fact he is willing to pass, even when the Lakers need a basket in the final seconds, makes him more dangerous in such circumstances.
I don't believe he really jumped over a speeding Aston Martin in a Nike shoe pitch previewing on YouTube.
But I know he deserves to be MVP.
Mike Monroe's NBA Beat: Why Kobe should be MVP
Mike Monroe
San Antonio Express-News
In the 23 years I've been an MVP voter, there never has been a more difficult choice than that faced by this year's selection panel.
There is but one consensus: You can cast a first-place vote for any of four worthy contenders without fear of embarrassment.
Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett has led the Celtics to the greatest one-season turnaround in NBA history.
Kobe Bryant has turned the NBA's best individual game into a far more team-oriented vehicle that has the Lakers back near the top in the most competitive Western Conference race ever.
Chris Paul has turned in one of the most dominant seasons ever for a point guard, at both ends of the court.
LeBron James has been so dominant that a Cavaliers team with starters who would be deep reserves on most good teams has the fourth-best record in the East.
There may be a stray first-place vote, maybe two or three, for candidates other than these four, but those will be provincial. The league requires voters to list five players on each MVP ballot, ranked first through fifth, and no ballot should omit the four prime candidates.
Who should be on the first line?
Media friends whose opinions I value believe Garnett's intangible contributions to the Celtics transcended his outstanding performance on the court. His work ethic was an example. He demanded dedication to defense from each teammate. He subjugated his own offensive skills to optimize those of other Celtics.
James' raw numbers are the most impressive of any of the candidates. His per-game “Bird Factor” ranking — points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, minus shots missed, free throws missed and turnovers — is the best of the featured four. He adjusted to a new set of teammates after the trade deadline deal that re-shaped the Cavs, too.
Paul's leadership of the Hornets has been unquestioned all season. He beat out two-time MVP Steve Nash as the league's top assists man and leads the league in steals, as well. Unless they stumble in one of their remaining games, the Hornets will be the West's top seed.
It is Bryant, though, who most deserves this year's MVP award. For the past six seasons he has been acknowledged as the game's most talented player, but he never has finished higher than third in MVP voting. The knock always was the same: He could score 81 points, but he didn't make teammates better the way others — Nash, Tim Duncan, Garnett — did.
That he gets my vote is no recognition of “lifetime achievement.” Bryant has earned it because he has learned to trust teammates. Though the Lakers play at a faster pace than the past few seasons, his shots are down, from a high of 27 per game in 2005-06, to 20.9 a game. The very fact he is willing to pass, even when the Lakers need a basket in the final seconds, makes him more dangerous in such circumstances.
I don't believe he really jumped over a speeding Aston Martin in a Nike shoe pitch previewing on YouTube.
But I know he deserves to be MVP.