Does Kobe have a shot at "stealing" the MVP award?

[dockingsched]

I'm reading through the MVP thread on the GB (been at home sick for 3 days now), and what strikes me is how unimpressive this yrs' candidates for MVP are.

right now it looks like derrick rose is the favorite, which would make him the youngest MVP ever. his numbers aren't crazy off the charts, and not too far off of kobe's.

d12 is seen as a strong candidate, but with his team only a 4 seed, not sure voters will overlook that. mvp has always been from an elite top 2 seed.

lebron and wade play on the same team, which will be held against them and possibly lead to a split vote.

dirk is a strong candidate, but if the lakers maintain a better record, kobe may get the edge.


so, if kobe has a great, player of the month like next 14 games in which the lakers overtake the bulls and celtics for the 2nd best record in the league...can kobe sneak in there and take the mvp trophy? you always hear people saying its a shame he only has one mvp, may be this the season voters look to rectify that.

[The Skyhook]

There really isn't a player this year that has separated himself from the rest of the group. Usually at this point of the season its a 2 man race but this season Rose, Kobe, Dwight, Dirk, and Lebron all have solid cases. However I think what helps Rose's case is the Bulls record vs the top teams in the league and the Bulls defense.

This season feels like one where Kobe could have easily won MVP if the Lakers had the league's top record. The Lakers didn't meet people's expectations this year and it hurt Kobe's case. There were just too many bumps in the road this season but if the Lakers win a championship all will be forgotten.

[kobe808lak]

Only if he has an unbelievable finish and Chicago + Rose go into a slump to close the yr. I don't see it happening though. If it isn't Rose it will be Howard but it is almost entirely Rose's to lose.

[KB24TBOTB]

Only if he has an unbelievable finish and Chicago + Rose go into a slump to close the yr. I don't see it happening though. If it isn't Rose it will be Howard but it is almost entirely Rose's to lose.

This, but i also think Kobe deserved to have more then one MVP but when he was in his prime the team sucked

[MoLakers]

not that i agree with D rose, its his until someone snatches it away. everyones on his butt including analysts and even jordan and pip. thats a big mountain to climb. kobe has a shot, but not realistic..especially if chicago gets 1st seed. i thought theyd be good but not 1st in the east good.

[trufan24]

no way....though still unofficial, MVP is already decided and we all know who that is....our 10-1 streak was mainly due to Bynum and team work...not so much Kobe....in contrast, Rose has been the key to their success, i may be overhypin Rose here but im just stating what i see, i mean they are 3-0 against the Heat, the only team that swept us this season....i know season matchups shouldnt matter much but that is one of the things that the league looks at in terms of selecting an MVP.

Im not even sure if Kobe is still our most important player, or if we even have such a player...i mean the Lakers is a complete puzzle team, i honestly think that if you take out one of our core members, this team will fall...Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, Lamar, Artest, Fisher, you take out any of those and this team will not win......okay maybe Fish, but even hes got more championship experience than anyother PGs in the league today

[semi-sentient]

He has a very distant shot, but I wouldn't put any money on anyone not named Derrick Rose. The Bulls have a fairly easy schedule the rest of the way and will most certainly end up a top 2 seed in their conference (that's enough), which is something that not even the biggest of homers expected. The fact that the Bulls have exceeded expectations with Rose getting the bulk of the credit has me thinking that he has the award all but locked up. The only thing that works against him -- and this is kind of stupid but has to be acknowledged in the Hollinger era -- is that he's not exactly the most efficient scorer in the league. He carries a very large offensive burden and I think he's up there with the best in terms of production, and defensively he's improved under Thibs system as well.

Dwight has no real chance. He's viewed as the DPOY and it's hard to pull out both awards unless you're having a remarkable season and leading your team to an elite record, which the Magic really don't have.

LeBron and Wade not only hurt each others chances by playing together, but they have proven that they aren't much more than ISO scorers or drive/kick playmakers. It's hard for me to see the value in players that can't adjust their game so that it's not so predictable, but that's exactly what both of them are -- predictable. Neither have any kind of leadership qualities either. I don't see how either of them can be in the running at this point.

Dirk is starting to really lose ground as the Mavs have slid in the rankings. He's a very efficient scorer and without question valuable to his team, but how much more valuable is he than anyone else? Offensively the only thing he really does is score efficiently, and IMO, that puts him at a disadvantage against other playmakers such as Rose, Kobe, or any other wing player that have to score AND create for others. He's a also a poor rebounder and defender for a guy his size. I'm just not feeling Dirk for MVP, although I know he's been hyped up quite a bit this season.

That leaves Kobe to talk about, and quite frankly, his minutes might be too low this year to really warrant consideration. If his minutes and production pick up from here on out (by alot), in addition to the Lakers ending up ahead of Dallas, Boston, and/or Chicago he can potentially sneak in there and contend with Rose. For that to happen though he'll need to get some media backing, and there isn't anyone really promoting Kobe for MVP. As suggested, he might have to win a Player of the Month award to get the ball rolling, and that's not likely to happen considering he's putting up his worst statistical month of the season.

[MoLakers]

Im not even sure if Kobe is still our most important player, or if we even have such a player...i mean the Lakers is a complete puzzle team, i honestly think that if you take out one of our core members, this team will fall...Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, Lamar, Artest, Fisher, you take out any of those and this team will not win......okay maybe Fish, but even hes got more championship experience than anyother PGs in the league today

i think the lakers have the talent and depth to win without any one of those 6 dudes except kobe. im not saying we WOULD win, but we have a good chance to win. Kobe is the most important player.. are u kidding me? i can picture the lakers still playing well without any of those other 5 players.

[Anklebreaker702]

Nah, they don't like Kobe enough for that. He was robbed from the award what twice or 3 times? They aren't going to turn around & give it to him when he's just in the middle of the pack as far as the candidates go.

[lovethisgame]

Does Kobe have a chance? Not a single ounce. The Lakers have been underachieving for most of the season, while D-Rose and the Bulls have been climbing to the top. Not to mention Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer out of the line-up for substantial periods.

Do I think Kobe deserves more than 1 MVP? It would be nice, but I don't think he deserved it over his peers. He went up against some really good players in Duncan, Shaq, KG, Nash, Dirk, and LBJ. I'm of the opinion that these players had better team success and vaulted their respective teams to better records while Kobe was averaging 35PPG. Maybe Kobe took this slight as a challenge and went on to win multiple championships. We should all just be happy with that. How many championships does Steve Nash, Dirk, and LBJ have?

[eckoner]

It seems like every year they alter the criteria for what MVP actually means.

Most times it's "If this player is not on that team they dont win as many games as they did" Thats when LeBron was the guy they wanted to take it.

The funny thing is most of those same talking heads this year are floating the idea of LeBron taking it this year. I dont get that if being judged by the same criteria

MVP in this day and age means nothing other than whose D**K the writers happen to be riding at that time and nothing more.

What about Durant, Aldridge, Dirk, Manu, Howard? To me those guyys are the main reason for their teams success...

I dont know..call me crazy

[shobe_81]

No way, Rose has played great for the team. He is pretty much their offense. He's the one who's played for the team throughout the season while their bigs have been injured left and right.

[KB24TBOTB]

It seems like every year they alter the criteria for what MVP actually means.

Most times it's "If this player is not on that team they dont win as many games as they did" Thats when LeBron was the guy they wanted to take it.

The funny thing is most of those same talking heads this year are floating the idea of LeBron taking it this year. I dont get that if being judged by the same criteria

MVP in this day and age means nothing other than whose D**K the writers happen to be riding at that time and nothing more.

What about Durant, Aldridge, Dirk, Manu, Howard? To me those guyys are the main reason for their teams success...

I dont know..call me crazy

Agreed it more about who's hyped

[magic1fan]

i don't think he really has a shot. like others have said he definately deserved more than one but at this stage of his career,i am sure he would rather have finals mvp's than regular season mvp's. he is the most important piece to this team and instead of him making a strong push to get a regualr season mvp,i would rather he save that energy and explode in the playoffs with us having another 2001 type run...

[Dr Aki]

its wide open right now...

i still think durant will win it, but rose has a legit case because the bulls are #1 in the east.

if the lakers could somehow pip chicago's record, maybe kobe would have smidgen of a case.

[Mindflayer]

Kobe has an extremely small chance. Lakers would have to get the second best record in the league, Chicago would have to free-fall in the standings in the eastm and OKC would also have to slide in the west. Even then, the writers would still likely find someone else to annoint.

[Imadogg]

Kobe's been pretty gross recently and the Lakers keep winning... he has a case for Least Valuable Player

[RocketPower23]

He hasn't played well recently, the Bulls would have to go on a semi nose dive, and finish with 25-27 losses and the Lakers would have to basically run the table. That and Kobe has to finish the season strong. Unlikely, but he's the only guy that could take it from Rose at this point.

[CodyB_]

If Kobe has a shot, you know he is going to take it, and miss.

[Anklebreaker702]

Kobe's been pretty gross recently and the Lakers keep winning... he has a case for Least Valuable Player

Easy imadogg although your statement is accurate, 24 has to get it going in order for us to go all the way.