What’s the first thing Kobe Bryant did upon formally being awarded the
NBA’s Most Valuable Player award? Probably send a ‘thank you’ case of Scotch to
Chris Wallace, the General Manager of the Memphis Grizzlies and the person who
executed the trade that sent Pau Gasol to Los Angeles and made it possible for
Kobe to win his first league MVP award. Let’s face it, if not for the Gasol
acquisition, not only would Kobe not have won the award, the Lakers would have
most likely finished 4th or 5th in the hyper-competitive Western Conference.
With all due and deserving respect to Kevin Garnett and the work he’s
done in Boston, this year’s MVP award should clearly have gone to Chris Paul of
the New Orleans Hornets. Not only has CP3 led the Hornets to heights they’ve
not seen since leaving Charlotte, he’s done so without the help of an All-Star
Center, as is the aforementioned Gasol. It’s true when you compare the
averages of the other four starters for the Lakers and Hornets, there is not
much of a statistical difference (13.3 PPG with 8.75 years of experience for the
Lakers versus 14.2 PPG and 8 years of experience for the Hornets). However,
the true measure of value is found when reviewing the complete body of work for
each player over the course of the year.
Kobe’s individual numbers are
better than those of Chris Paul (28 PPG/6 RPG/5 APG versus 21 PPG/4 RPG/12 APG,
respectively), and Bryant was far better statistically than the next best Laker
starter. From the aspect the MVP should go to the best player on the best team,
one can argue Kobe is deserving of the award. However, when the focus is on the
middle initial of the acronym, there’s no doubt Chris Paul creates more value
for the Hornets than Kobe ever can for the Lakers.
Chris Paul came into the NBA in 2005, drafted only a couple of months
before Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and forced the Hornets to play
the majority of their games in Oklahoma City. The displaced New
Orleans/Oklahoma City franchise managed to win 38 games that season, a 20 game
improvement from the year before, and Chris Paul went on to win Rookie of the
Year in the NBA. Since the 2005-2006 season, the Hornets’ season record is 18
games better in ’07-’08. By contrast, the Lakers are only 12 games better over
the same time period.
Specific to this season, Chris’ 12 assists per
game versus Kobe’s 4 is a reflection of how CP3 makes the players around him
better. Kobe may have scored 7 more points per game than Chris, but Chris
created 16 more points per game than Kobe. His average of +7PPG versus the
average of the other Hornet starters further reflects Paul’s selflessness on the
court and his overall contribution to the team effort (Kobe was 15PPG better
than the average of his teammates). Furthermore, Chris Paul led the Hornets to
a 68.2% winning percentage this past season. The Lakers finished with a winning
percentage of 69.5%, but ended up winning 76% of their games after acquiring Pau
Gasol on February 1.
Maybe it’s the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles.
Maybe it’s because sports writers felt New Orleans’ regular season was a fluke –
a concept that has been significantly disproved so far in the playoffs. Maybe
it’s the sense Kobe deserves the MVP as a pseudo lifetime achievement award
(dare we mention Colorado?). Either way, there is more value in the 6’0” frame
of the little kid from Carolina than in the often-hyped leader of the Lakers.
There is no doubt Kobe will go down as one of the greatest players in NBA
history, but he has yet to achieve anything on a Shaq-less Laker team. Chris
Paul has been achieving since his arrival to the NBA. Although he won’t get to
hoist the MVP trophy this year, if CP3 continues to tear it up in the playoffs,
he just may be hoisting a different kind of hardware come June.
CP3's going to win several MVP's before his career is over. This may be the only one Kobe wins in his career. But had New Orleans been the top seed, I think CP3 would have won.
"Let’s face it, if not for the Gasol acquisition, not only would Kobe not have won the award, the Lakers would have most likely finished 4th or 5th in the hyper-competitive Western Conference."
I hope you're not a Kobe hater and are simply misinformed.
Before Gasol arrived the Lakers were on pace to win 56 games with Bynum. With Gasol, they won 57.
If Bynum would not have gotten hurt, the Lakers would probably not have gotten Pau and they still would have maintained their record.
If you say it's because of Pau, you can also make the argument that it's because of Andrew Bynum.
Kobe was the glue that kept it all together. Kobe played all 82 games. Kobe was the consistent one. Kobe is the MVP. Period.
I recommend watching more Lakers film because obviously out there in South Florida you don't get a chance to see many Lakers games. So I won't be too harsh on you.
"Not only has CP3 led the Hornets to heights they’ve not seen since leaving Charlotte, he’s done so without the help of an All-Star Center, as is the aforementioned Gasol"
Tyson Chandler was on Team USA this summer. Let me remind you that being on Team USA is more respectable than being an All-Star.
Let me also remind you that CP3 plays with Peja Stojakovic, a three-time All-Star and arguably the deadliest long range shooter in the world. Not the NBA, the world.
And let's not forget about David West. He's an All-Star too, with many more All-Star selections to come in his young career.
Guy i'm a die hard hornet fan but lets be real for a minute. Kobe has been in the league 12 season Paul has been in the league 3 years. This may have been kobe's only shot at MVP because young players like Paul and are getting better each year. Even if he did some things this off season that were completely on called from he came in to a bad situation and made the best of it. Chirs Paul will win mutiple MVP let Kobe have his day, because if Paul would have won it would have been a robbery because Kobe is the best player but, i still feel that the Hornets will come out of the West! Gratz KOBE and GO HORNETS!!!!!
the mvp award has changed a lot. in the old days kobe would have 3 or 4 by now. it's almost too hard to compare different positions. chris paul looked easily the best point guard the 2nd .5 of the season. but somepeople forget The Lakers were doing just fine with bynum. it wasn't like kobe needed a great center. he needed one that wasnt a 2nd stringer for the griz. (which is what kwame is now) Kobe tried to share the ball last few years. I used to watch the games. we would yell at the TV "STOP PASSING, JUST DO THE KOBE SHOW". thats because it was the best chance at winning. If I had one player to build around it would be Kobe. as for Chris Paul. he is great. but he has more help then people think. coach of the year Byron Scott is also a big factor in NO success. but I must admit. CP3 looks pretty darn good. his passes didn't look quite as flashy as Magic's but they get the job done. they are very accurate and he's a scary dude to play against. (when is his contract up? he should come to the Lakers :) but Kobe can throw the entire team on his back and win one when he needs to. but it IS like comparing apples to oranges.
fact was and is. Kobe was better this year period. no disrespect to the best point guard in the league. but Kobe is all around .the best person to build a team around. remember Kobe was all defense along with the 2nd place scoring title. plus he gets rebounds too. and can play guard or forward equally as well. hey CP3 why don't you come to Ca. we will get you in for some movie parts after we get you some rings :p
Do you really want to take some time to know more about me? Wow! I feel flattered. My name is Gil Gonzalez and I am an accomplished and successful writer and columnist. Well, in my own mind at least. Actually, I am your average sports fanatic that just can’t get enough when it comes to watching, talking or writing about sports.
Originally from Miami, I am a fan of all teams from South Florida. You can expect me to write a lot about the Dolphins, Heat, Marlins and Hurricanes. If the Panthers decide to win a couple of games, I may write about them, too. If you want to read more of my mental ramblings, visit my personal blog at danacreative. net
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