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LeBron went 0-2 vs. the Lakers and 14-for-45 from the field. No way LeBron should win MVP
NBA Beat: NBA MVP? It's LeBron over Kobe
Mike Monroe
By Thursday afternoon, the 123 official voters for the NBA's postseason awards must submit their ballots, including a one-through-five ranking of the players in the race for Most Valuable Player.
I've been an official voter since 1985, and can't remember a tougher decision than the one that faces those who must give their No. 1 vote to either LeBron James or Kobe Bryant.
Dwyane Wade?
He's slid over the past couple of weeks, maybe even out of the top three, depending on a voter's criteria. Those who value the record of each candidate's team — count me among those — won't be placing him among the top three.
Below are the five players who will show up on my official ballot, in the order I believe they should be in, as of Saturday morning.
If the standings change between now and Wednesday night, this order may change, too.
As always, I am informed, but not driven, by the formula three-time MVP Larry Bird devised to quantify any player's true value: points, rebounds, assists, steal and blocks, minus missed shots, missed free throws and turnovers. The sum is divided by games played. It's a great jumping-off point for careful consideration.
LeBron James, Cavaliers
Bird average: 32.15
Case for MVP: He has the highest Bird value. Additionally, he's nearly as good a closer as Bryant, still the player every coach would want taking a deciding shot in Game 7 of an NBA Finals. He's worthy of consideration for the All-Defensive team, too. Simply, he gets the vote because he's the reason Cavaliers have the best record.
Kobe Bryant, Lakers
Bird average: 24.26
Case for MVP: No player in the league is more reliable when the ball is in his hands and the game is on the line, or more focused on getting a stop in the same cir stance. Plus, he understands, more than at any time in his career, how to make his teammates better.
Dwight Howard, Magic
Bird average: 27.32
Case for MVP: The Magic's rise to super-elite level — they still have a shot at 60 wins — is built around Howard's dominance in the paint. His Bird average is killed by his Achilles' heel, free-throw bricking, which also makes him a poor crunch-time option.
Dwyane Wade, Heat
Bird average: 28.98
Case for MVP: He's had a great season, but he'll have to be content with the league scoring le. The Heat's record doesn't merit his being named MVP, even if he did carry a team that featured two rookies in prominent roles.
Chris Paul, Hornets
Bird average: 30.3
Case for MVP: Last season's runner-up for MVP honors, Paul's numbers this season are even better than last, but not enough to carry the Hornets past some injury woes. He can use this injustice as motivation for next season.
Last edited by duncan228; 04-11-2009 at 08:48 PM.
LeBron went 0-2 vs. the Lakers and 14-for-45 from the field. No way LeBron should win MVP
LeBron has played 36 games vs. .500 or better teams, and has shot 50% from the floor or better only 14 times in those 36 games. LeBron is not the MVP.
FGM-A
9-21 Boston
6-15 New Orleans
8-20 Dallas
10-20 Denver
13-21 Utah *Deron Williams and Mehmet Okur out
8-19 Atlanta
10-22 Philadelphia
9-21 Philadelphia
10-19 Atlanta
13-20 Denver
11-23 Houston
12-19 Miami
12-24 Miami
13-25 Boston
12-24 New Orleans
9-25 Lakers
14-30 Portland
14-27 Utah *Carlos Boozer out
10-27 Orlando
5-20 Lakers
9-18 Phoenix *Steve Nash out
7-21 Houston
12-23 SA *Duncan and Manu out
8-20 Atlanta
13-21 Miami
5-15 Boston
5-15 Miami
10-24 Phoenix
15-27 Orlando
10-22 Portland
9-21 Atlanta
9-22 Dallas
9-24 Detroit
7-20 Orlando
14-21 SA
8-17 Philadelphia
not sure what to say really....if Lebron wins MVP so what? Championships are more important anyway. Spurs fans and Laker fans know this (hopefully).
Lebron deserves the MVP. Kobe has been having a terrible month.
lebron won this award in halloween. once kobe was not the greatest player never to win mvp it was lebrons turn. nothing to see here
What do you guys think of using the Bird Formula as a starting place to quantify a player's value?
formulas are only for baseball.
So head to head against the other top MVP candidate is all that matters?
DUMB
I would cast my vote for D-Whistle or Dwright over Kobe&Lebron. what we mean by "MVP" isn't the "franchise player on the team with the best records for the regular season".
s t a l k e r a l e r t
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