First, I better say right off the bat that this is not a Kobe-hating slam blog. For anyone who remembers when I defended Steve Nash when he won it, I couldn't even begin to argue that Bryant didn't put up numbers that made him worthy of being MVP (I tried, believe me, but his stats were more than good enough to win the award both years).
What this is about, is the absolutely freakish season Chris Paul (commonly referred to as CP3) had, how it compares to the stats Nash put up both years he won it, and how both these player's stats compare to those of Bryant.
When Nash won the award, his offensive numbers were obviously all that the voters looked at in terms of his stats. They made the claim that he made his teammates better on the offensive end, which he did. But they failed to take into account how incredibly bad he was (and still is) as a man-to-man defender.
Bryant was, and still is, way better defensively, as an individual, than Nash ever was, is, or will be.
What I don't understand is this: Paul put up better numbers overall (I won't even bother trying to post the stats, because it would just look like a pile of manure if I tried) than Nash did in either of his MVP seasons. Not just offensively, but defensively as well.
Add to that the fact that Bryant's numbers are down this year compared to those 2 seasons (dramatically down in PPG, where I believe he averaged 35 per in 1 of those seasons, and managed "only" 28 or so this year).
So, my question to the voters is, how do you vote Bryant the MVP this year when CP3 had as good of a year overall, if not better, than Nash did in his back-to-back award-winning seasons when Bryant himself had marginal improvement in FG and 3PT %'s, rebounds and assists, but scored 7 fewer PPG than his "best" season when he averaged 35.4?
If anything, this only strengthens the arguement for Kobe and Laker fans that he should have won it at least 1 of the 2 years Nash did (possibly even last year when Dirk won the award). I would have to agree with them on that.
Since we can't go back in time and give him the award for any of those 3 seasons, will you admit you're giving him the award this year based on either lifetime achievement or simply being sick of hearing all the "you're just a bunch of Kobe-haters" comments?
In conclusion, YES I now admit Kobe should have won the award any 1 season out of the last 3...which one is irrelevent in my book. NO I don't think he should have won it this year, based on the stats he had compared to those seasons, plus the stats CP3 put up in comparison to Nash in his MVP seasons.
And once again, this is not to rip Bryant. If anything, it's to rip the voters for doing a 180 in my opinion in how they determine who wins the award.
Is Bryant worthy of it this year? You bet. But in my opinion, Paul should have won it based on all the above information.
"MVP is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests".
Kobe Bryant never once missed a game this regular season.
He finished second in scoring, He can dominant both defense & offense and take over the game if he needed to. He is still a clutch shooter and never played a aweeeeee games because he has a booboo in his fingers..
Kobe Bryant is MVP.
What does Christopher Emmanuel Paul has this season: 1st of all, CP3 is one of our Idol.
He missed 1 game this regular season.
He is currently averaging 21 points and 4 rebounds per game, and leads the NBA in steals with 2.6 a game and assists with 11.5 a game.
Paul set a Team USA World Championship total assist record with 44 assists, to go along with 9 turnovers.
One more thing, Comparing a young Goat to an old Goat heh? LOL
the best thing about this world!!!!! is freedom of speech !!!!!! we agree to disagree as my mom said once to my sister!!!! it is true.. we shouldnt argue religion and poltics... but the great thing about foxsports is lots of sports to talk about!!!!
I guess you missed the last few games of the season.
You know, the one's where the Lakers beat the Hornets and Spurs to pass them in the standings and win the Pacific division and then the Western Conference titles?
Had Paul lead his team to victory like that....he'd have my vote too.
...fact is, he didn't...Kobe did.
Good thing your vote doesn't count. The media is supposed to be un-biased...you obviously don't qualify.
I'll flush one down at Staples today in your honor.
I can't even say I'm surprised at this. I write a blog that generally backs Bryant for at least 1 MVP award over the past 4 seasons (just not this one), but I still can't win with the Kobe jock sniffers.
THIS SEASON, CP3 had better stats (in MY opinion). I thought I was still allowed that in this country, but I guess not, eh?
I did say KB24 deserved at least 1 MVP over the past 4 years, based on all the numbers, even using this season's CP3 stats vs. Nash's when Nash won the award to defend it. Go figure, everyone must have blinked when they got to that part (which amazes me, since it was scattered throughout this post, but then again, by the comments posted by a couple of you, Laker...err, Kobe fans aren't always the most intelligent/un-biased out there).
Bleed- Go ahead and flush, just make sure you crawl out of the bowl this time before you do. Oh, and I guess I didn't realize the award was given out to the guy who played better the last few games of the season. Un-biased...and you are?
lakersfan4life- I don't think I said he didn't "deserve" it either...well, maybe I did. The point was, if he deserved it this year, he deserved it MORE in any 1 of the previous 3.
underage- If you're referring to my CP3 and Nash comparisons, they're actually quite close, given the age difference.
You are entitled to your opinion. Just as i am entitled to mine. And i never said that you didnt say he deserved it. I simply said "Deservedly so". Dont get all bent out of shape over a bit of criticism.
I don't get bent out of shape over someone having their opinion.
I just get a chuckle out of an obvious Kobe lover/Laker fan jumping every time someone makes the slightest implication that he didn't deserve to win something, whether he actually did or not (i.e., the last 3 years..or 10, when so many thought it such an outrage that he didnt).
I'm as biased as they come...look at my screen name.
Stats don't tell the whole story, if they did, LeBron would be MVP, when in reality he trails Kobe, CP3 and KG, in that order.
I said that Paul would get my vote if they won those games due to the fact that it was such a close race (meaning the MVP AND the Western Conference) up to that point.
I give CP3 all the credit in the world, the dude is unreal. The fact that he had an All-Star in West, a former All-Star and 3-point contest winner and his team, remained healthy, and failed to win that big late season match-up made it lean in Kobe's favor.
Kobe has one (former) All-Star on his team..(Gasol in 2006)...that's it. He played the season with a busted finger, lost his starting center (Bynum)for the season, lost his replacement starting center (Gasol) for a 10 game stretch, lost his best perimeter defender (Ariza) and STILL won the West pretty well sums it up.
Kobe is the MVP...deservedly so.
He'll keep proving it until he raises another banner (or five) at Staples.
I never did make it to the porceline throne for you, only the urinal.
Dont know if you know how the MVP is chosen, but its not because a player has a better statistical season than a prior MVP.
So that argument is thrown out.
Its not even given to the player with the best stats.
So that argument is thrown out.
It does however have to do with your teams record and since the Lakers had the best record in the most competitive conference in NBA history. And the Hornets didnt.
That argument is thrown out.
Since Bryant's team had the best record in the most competitive conference in NBA History without a starting center for 29 games, Bynum missing the past 52 games, Ariza missing more than half a season, V Rad missing 17 games, Walton missing 10, and Gasol missing 10 games, while Bryant kept them atop the Varsity conference, I would say thats pretty damn MVP like.
And did I mention that Bryant played all 82 games a chunk of them with a broken hand and torn ligament in his shooting hand? That still need surgery?
And since there have been some people that didnt agree that MJ, Bird, Magic, Kareem, Wilt, Duncan, Nash, and Nowitzki should have recieved their MVPs, and the fact that KOBE HAS ALREADY WON THE 2008 MVP,
Your ENTIRE opinion is thrown out.
Dont think you're a hater, just uninformed.
I DO THINK SO!
Its like trying to convince us that the N.Y Giants didnt win the Super Bowl.
CUZIFFER: "if he deserved it this year, he deserved it MORE in any 1 of the previous 3."
In fact if you really think about it, Kobe should have won MVP the last three years.
KOBE is MVP for all the reasons pointed out by BLEED and TCBDOG so I don't have to repeat it.
It all boils down to this CUZIFFER, and I know you've been paying attention.
When the game is on the line and your team is trailing by 10 with five minutes to play, most GM's would say that the most valuable player to give the ball to would be KOBE BRYANT and not CP3, regardless of what role players each player has surrounding them.
Bottom line. Kobe strikes fear into opponents. Night in and night out. Same way Magic and Bird did. Same way Jordan did. He can manufacture points and trips to the foul line in any way imaginable. CP3 can't will his team to win like that yet.
Nash and Dirk won the last two years only because Kobe's teams did not have a record to back it up, otherwise Kobe would've been MVP because his statistical numbers were staggering.
But it was already a consensus that Kobe was the best player in the league. It finally came to fruition this year when his teammates woke up and when the Lakers replaced Smush and Kwame with Derek and Pau.
Kobe, then, seamlessly made the entire team a legit contender because of his being the biggest threat in the NBA.
And that is exactly how he makes his teammates better, by being the main object of opposing coaches' attention and by constantly having opposing defenses focus on him thus freeing his teammates for open looks and drives to the basket.
No team can stop let alone contain Kobe.
You can say Bowen contained Paul pretty well last night. It was David West and the Hornets' defense on Duncan that won that game for NO. Chis Paul finished with 17 pts, but five of those points came at the end when the game was already decided. And if West doesn't knock down those shots, CP3 doesn't get 13 assists. Meanwhile, Kobe scores 38 today without even making 10 field goals!! Meanwhile four others are in double figures because Utah is so caught up in trying to contain Kobe (he went to the line 23 times).
That's the difference between a real MVP and someone who simply puts up numbers.
Look at your boy Nash, his numbers have dropped significantly and has no longer been a threat since the departures of Shawn Marion, James Jones, and Tim Thomas.
DIZZ- i admitted this in a previous post, but i honestly havent paid much attention at all to the nba this year. the bucks stink (thanks for predicting that, by the way, and again, i was wrong for thinking they had a snow ball's chance in cuba of making the playoffs) and i'm never home at night to see games anyway.
that's why i went primarily off statistics, and the fact that the hornets basically came out of nowhere to finish with the #2 seed in the west.
again, i'm not necessarily arguing that bryant didnt deserve it this year. my argument is with the voters, who went with Nash those 2 seasons, but didnt select Paul, who had as good of, if not better, statistical season than either of Nash's, and Kobe averaged 7 fewer PPG with comparable AST & REB numbers.
that's who i'm calling out, not kobe fans or laker fans.
CUZIFFER: I see your point when it comes to statistics. That's sort of the grey area when it comes to the MVP voting. It's hard to determine what are the main factors that goes through the voters' minds when determining the MVP.
But I have a strong feeling that NASH won those two MVP's because the Suns won 60 games each of those years. And last year, DAL won 67 and Dirk had respectable enough numbers to win the award although they weren't staggering. I believe that the team's record always is a big factor in the voting.
That's why I said, if Kobe and the Lakers the last two years would have had a more respectable record, say, 55-60 wins since PHX and DAL both had excellent records, then Mr. Bryant wins it outright because his numbers were staggering.
But in this year's case, when the records of the top teams are comparable and the nominees' numbers are all respectable, it will almost always boil down to which player is the biggest threat and which player is the most complete.
Kobe, far and away, is the most complete player because he can guard three different positions as a defender. Chris Paul can't. Garnett, meanwhile, can also guard three different positions but then again his numbers are not as good as Kobe's. This is why Kobe is the top choice in 2008.
BTW, your BUCKS still need to find a way to play some defense. Until they do, they will continue to be flat out mediocre. I'm truly sorry.
Kobe made first team all nba as well as the all defensive team. All this while still being the primary offensive option for his team every game. Neither Nash, Nowitski or CP3 will ever have his all around game...not even close. Stats don't tell the whole story because if they did Kobe should've won it the past three seasons because only one player in the history of the league had a better three season stretch statistically than Kobe (Chamberlain). The problem is people subliminally hate on Kobe even when they don't think they are. The only years Jordan didn't win the MVP was when writers were just tired of giving it to him when it was obvious he was still the most dominating player in the league. Ditto for Kobe. There's just so much subliminal hate for the man it's sad. He's been the MVP for four seasons running and the pettines of sports writers has robbed him of those awards. Shame.
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*winner of the 2006 Best Avatar Award (i'm still waiting for my check, ricko)
*nominated for the Blogging Hall Of Fame (tough competition and weak campaign cost me the election)
*once considered leader of the infamous "clique" (which only exists in some people's minds)
*scored 4 touchdowns in 1 game of backyard football when i was 9 (playing against kids twice my size even)
*known by many bloggers as the "Give-A-Flunk -O-Meter guy
*long-sufferi ng fan of the milwaukee bucks and brewers (maybe this is their year! probably not)
