realistically, who deserves the MVP?

ko8e · Post #61 » by **ko8e** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 6:28 am

One more thing, what is the difference betwwen Chris Paul and Dwight Howard?

My opinion is Chris Paul is being considered, because Steve Nash won it twice with mediocre numbers. That's why more emphasis should be put on individual prowess, rather than team prowess.

Even if Kobe wins the award, giving the award to Steve Nash back to back, makes the award meaningless.

Kobe is a legend. We will look back and laugh at the notion that somehow the diluted MVP award completes Kobe's career. This is such a joke. It will be until we take the decision making out of the hands of writer wannabes, who never got picked in gym.

I would like to thank Steve Nash for saying Chris Paul should win it because he has less help. I thank him for letting us know he didn't deserve his 2 MVP's.

gnawtnek · Post #62 » by **gnawtnek** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:18 am

It's mainly the issue of kobe being taken for granted. Whenever you see a debate in the media, the player comparison is always between kobe and whichever player was hot at the moment (lebron, cp etc). Thisreflects the fact that kobe is indeed the best player in the league and by far the most consistent this year.
There really isn't much to argue about when you look closely at the other candidates

KG did change the culture of the team, but wouldn't adding two veteran franchise players do the same for any lottery team? The Celtics also did deliberately tank for Oden last year, so the whole biggest turnaround record isn't that special.

Lebron, well he had the best stats, but his team in the end is good/mediocore. The Lebron dominated offense does put up great numbers for lebron, but fails to make his team better.

Chris Paul has probably the best case to challenge kobe's candidacy. He led the hornets to a great turnaround, but didn't face the injuries and obstacles Kobe had.

Erik Eleven · Post #63 » by **Erik Eleven** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 4:12 pm

In recent years, the MVP has gone to the key player of the best team. Since team record seemingly matters more than exceptional individual contributions, there should be no doubt about Kobe nudging out CP3 by virtue of his team's better record. The same goes for Dwight Howard, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki etc. That leaves KG and Kobe going head to head.

I guess it could be argued that KG notches out Kobe due to his team's better record, but in that same breath, when comparing Kobe to KG it needs to be considered that the Eastern Conference is nowhere near as competitive as the WC is this season. It could also be argued that the Celtics' record against the west is squeaky clean and thus the difference between EC and WC therefore shouldn't be taken into account.

If we add to the equation the difference in individual stats and the hypothetical speculation of sitting each candidate out, and estimating the record they would have without him. This is where it comes down to speculation and personal preference. Given the injury situation of the Lakers this season, there is no doubt in my mind that Kobe was more valuable to the Lakers record this season than KG was for the Celtics. Even without, KG the Celtics would probably win 55-60 games. Given the injury situation for the Lakers and the most competitive WC ever, without Kobe, the Lakers might have actually missed the playoffs.

The fact that KG has such a good team around him actually works against him. It could also be argued that KG has set the tone for that entire team and that the outcome of their season would be radically different had he not been there to set the tone for their defense. The same could be said for Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, who are both franchise players in their own right.

All in all, take Kobe off the Lakers and KG off the Celtics and I think it's pretty safe to say that the Lakers would miss the playoffs and the Celtics would still win the east. If true, that speaks volumes. I don't know what matters the most to the voters

TylersLakers · Post #64 » by **TylersLakers** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:59 pm

Erik Eleven wrote:In recent years, the MVP has gone to the key player of the best team. Since team record seemingly matters more than exceptional individual contributions, there should be no doubt about Kobe nudging out CP3 by virtue of his team's better record. The same goes for Dwight Howard, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki etc. That leaves KG and Kobe going head to head.

I guess it could be argued that KG notches out Kobe due to his team's better record, but in that same breath, when comparing Kobe to KG it needs to be considered that the Eastern Conference is nowhere near as competitive as the WC is this season. It could also be argued that the Celtics' record against the west is squeaky clean and thus the difference between EC and WC therefore shouldn't be taken into account.

If we add to the equation the difference in individual stats and the hypothetical speculation of sitting each candidate out, and estimating the record they would have without him. This is where it comes down to speculation and personal preference. Given the injury situation of the Lakers this season, there is no doubt in my mind that Kobe was more valuable to the Lakers record this season than KG was for the Celtics. Even without, KG the Celtics would probably win 55-60 games. Given the injury situation for the Lakers and the most competitive WC ever, without Kobe, the Lakers might have actually missed the playoffs.

The fact that KG has such a good team around him actually works against him. It could also be argued that KG has set the tone for that entire team and that the outcome of their season would be radically different had he not been there to set the tone for their defense. The same could be said for Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, who are both franchise players in their own right.

All in all, take Kobe off the Lakers and KG off the Celtics and I think it's pretty safe to say that the Lakers would miss the playoffs and the Celtics would still win the east. If true, that speaks volumes. I don't know what matters the most to the voters