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.

kelvin sampson

the phrase "they are who we thought they were" became famous when dennis green went nuts in a post-game press conference last fall.

kelvin sampson is who i thought he was.  a guy who has a problem abiding by the ncaa rules regarding contact with potential recruits.

i dont care how stupid the rule might be, it's still the rule.  you dont see bobby knight, coach K, lute olsen, tom izzo and the like getting caught doing this stuff regularly, so why cant sampson get a grasp for this simple rule?

hoody

yesterday morning jason smith, on espn radio, gave us some big news from patriot-land.

the bill belichick hoody is the most popular item being sold at the patriots pro shop.  not tom brady jerseys.  not randy moss jerseys.  the homeless man hoody.

it's not news, and nobody should care.  smith even said so.  then he rambled on about it for like 5 minutes.  i'm rambling on about it because i think it's hilarious how desperate sports-talk radio hosts are for material that junk like this even makes the air.

manny being manny

ok, the guy has talent.  no denying it.  but does he have the slightest clue what's going on 90% of the time?  first, he celebrates a home run against cleveland by flipping his bat and admiring the ball as it sailed to the bleachers (to bring his team within 7-4 mind you), then he makes a statement about possibly losing the series as 'not the end of the world.'

ok, he's right about that, but it's how he said it more than what he said.

i'd say he's about 9 eggs short of a dozen, and the other 3 are cracked.

joe torre and kobe bryant

joe might go, kobe might too.  or not.  or maybe.  or maybe not.

if i were torre, i'd break down george steinbrenner's door, flip him the bird, and tell him to shove his manager's job where the sun dont shine.

if i were kobe, i'd use those 2 magic words from this moment on whenever the media asks about anything regarding him possibly being traded....."no comment."

it sounds like the lakers dont want to trade kobe because they'd have to go into full rebuild mode.  i'm wondering how that would so different than what is going on right now.

yeah, kobe puts butts in the seats.  but in '09, he's going to leave (assuming he's still there) anyway, and the lakers will be left with nothing, have won nothing between now and then, and have to start from scratch anyway.

why not start over NOW so that in 2 years, maybe they'll be competitive again, and not have the daily drama that revolves around kobe, jerry, mitch, phil, penelope, dierdre, austin, carson, jenna, and jacoby (i made those last 6 names up to complete the soap opera cast)?

are the lakers in financial trouble, and cant afford to not fill the arena every game this season or something?

oh, and if i was kobe, i'd also ease up on the no-trade clause thing too.  it really handicaps a deal getting done when he'll basically only agree to a trade to 2 teams, and only then if said team doesnt give up their best player in return.

a rare pat-myself-on-the-back moment (followed by me biting the hand that feeds me)

i've now made the fox funhouse blog spotlight 3 times (that i can recall), with 2 of them coming in the last week or so.

i'm honored and humbled to be chosen for such recognition.....but i have a favor to ask the funhouse crew.

could you look a little closer at my screen name and spell it correctly next time (if there is a next time)?  one "Z", two "F's".  i'd appreciate it, and i thank you in advance.

one more thing

i had more when i attempted to post this last night, but i accidentally hit the back button on my mouse and erased the whole f'n thing.  if i think of the other stuff, i'll try and throw it in my next pulitzer prize-worthy edition.

are you serious?

kobe bryant wants a trade.  wait, no he doesnt.  hold up, yes he does.....or maybe not.

good grief charlie brown, make up your freakin' mind already.

possible reasons kobe may want to be traded....

1.  after trying #24 for a year and not winning a championship, he wants his old number back, but the league (being the racist group of jerks it is) wont let him.

2.  his request to put the words "And One" on the back was also turned down.....i guess david stern has no love for the xfl/wwe style of expression.

3.  since the league turned down the "And One" request, obviously they wouldnt go for the phrase "My Flailing Arm Follow Thru Is Natural" either.

4.  a source within the organization ratted him out as the person responsible for shaq being shipped out of town. (like any of us needed confirmation from a source inside the lakers camp....and isnt it ironic that now kobe is accusing someone of something?)

5.  even jerry west knows jerry west cant fix the lakers roster right now, without having to use the isiah thomas guide to spending money.

6.  management told kobe they'd rebuild NOW, and told phil jackson a different story.  i got $5 that says they told someone else another version of their future plans too....should that guy (or those guys) be demanding a trade now too?

7.  he wants to be reunited with shaq in miami, and play (not 2nd) third fiddle to the shaq/d-wade show.

8.  the lakers will be able to find so many takers who can give back more than enough talent, draft picks, salary cap relief or some combination to create a bidding war for kobe's services.  and with kobe being such a huge laker fan at heart, he'll want them to become instant contenders even if he's no longer part of the team.

9.  he's just plain tired of being in the spotlight, that he'd rather play for a more low-key team like the grizzlies or jazz.

would he really rather play on pluto than with the lakers right now?

i'm guessing no.  based on him backing off his trade demand (again), i'd put my money on him being a laker at least until he can opt out of his contract in 2 years (probably about the time the lakers are serious contenders again, meaning kobe will just want more money to stick around).

where should kobe be traded then?

i bet fans from every team have been crunching the numbers trying to figure out how to get the great one on their favorite team's roster.  me, i'm just praying the bucks are smart enough to stay out of the bidding.

but just for kicks, lets throw out some teams, and the players it would take in trade to land him.

how about....Vince Carter (assuming he's open to a sign-and-trade if he opts out), and antoine wright?  kobe wants to play with jason kidd...or so we've been led to believe anyway.

or....quentin richardson, jamal crawford and channing frye?  i'm sure isiah would love to have kobe on his squad of overpaid shoot-first point guards.

or...larry hughes, damon jones and ira newble?  (i stopped short of swapping lebron and jones for him...what's the point in that?)  think kobe and lebron could share the ball like 'melo and AI?  if they can share with each other, does it matter if the cavs have 3 other players on the floor with them?

or....marquis daniels, jamaal tinsley, ike diogu and danny granger?  like the pacers really need any other perimeter players with kobe on the team...besides, they'll still have troy murphy and mike dunleavy to spot up for open 3's.....when kobe feels like passing the ball to them.

or....pau gasol, rudy #### and dahntay jones?  if the grizz had anyone else, it wouldnt have to be these 3.  too bad they dont.  trading 3 players for 1 when you only really have 9 under contract for next year probably isnt a real good idea.  then again, will it matter who else is on the team if there's noone to pass them the ball?

or...rashard lewis (sign-and-trade, 5 years, $55 mil), earl watson and damien wilkins?  lewis apparently wants out of seattle (or ______insert city name here) and would probably love going to la la land.  and if kobe really can become more of a passer, ray allen could find himself the recipient of plenty of open 3's.

.....that's all i got for now, and no, these arent to be taken seriously.  it's like me using "Cuziffer Sports Inter Network" and "CSIN" as categories....why get all bent out of shape over it?  more importantly, why try to convince me to not use those as categories by using "This Means You Cuzzifer" (note the name is spelled wrong?) or "Categories Only Please" in your own list of categories?

all that does is give me free publicity.  not that i give a ####.

(i'm guessing my 'stuff and junk', 'randomnessicity' and other cool category names arent acceptable either....not that i give a #### about that either)

In blogville, everyone has their favorite teams, players, and sport(s), as well as their least favorites.

here are some things that have remained constant in my 14+ months frequenting this site.

- barry bonds will be defended by people pointing out that, even if he did cheat, use illegal substances, and act like a complete ####, it's ok because mike schmidt, hank aaron, and babe ruth cheated too.

- steve nash will be disrespected because he "plays no defense", is a white guy, and shoots a "####, underhand layup." 

- people will always point out that nash has no nba title, and hasnt even reached the nba finals, therefore he shouldnt even be eligible for the mvp award, even though the award is for regular season performance only.

- kobe lovers will use every stat they can find to make their case as to why he should be mvp, but will claim stats dont matter if you point out that someone else has better stats than kobe.

- SEC fans will claim their conference is the best....at everything.  lucky fo them, right now there isnt much debate, at least in football and basketball.

- the cubs spend more money than the U.S. spends to fund the war in Iraq, and just like george bush, they still cant win.

- the knicks spend more money than the U.S. spends to fund the war in Iraq + the cubs, and they cant win either.

- Nick Saban is planning where he'll be coaching next year.

- Roger Clemens is still prostituting himself in an attempt to make more money this season than the entire payroll of the cubs and knicks, plus what the U.S. has budgeted to fund the war in Iraq.

- Brett Favre is still mulling over retirement.  but after crunching the numbers, he realizes the endorsement money from prilosec, sensodyne, and billy bob's bait shop in Kiln, Mississippi isnt enough to support his lifestyle.

- whoever is on the cover of the Madden video game (vince young this year) will miss at least 3 games due to a completely unexplained injury.

- at least 12 red sox/yankees games will be televised nationally, even though almost noone west of ohio gives a ####.

- FSN-Wisconsin will televise 120 brewer games, (roughly 3/4 of the full schedule) yet only manage to air about 30 bucks games (less than half).  to make matters worse, they'll throw in another 8 to ten spring training games, just to pi$$ me off at how great the weather is in arizona, while i'm freezing my twins off shoveling snow.

- ShooterB will read this post and leave a comment or two.  he's the most loyal visitor to my blog, and for that he has informed me i now owe him 40 paris hilton jokes.

- Dudski will #### out a solid, well written, informative post about something sports related, and give it a catchy title almost every day.  i may not always read them, and if i do, i might not always respond, but i do give credit to good writers.  and Dudski is a good writer.

- a bunch of people will make wild predictions about this, that, and the other, and try and pass it off as informative, logic-based, and certain to come true...unless it doesnt, in which case the stars werent aligned right or something.

- officials will get blamed for __________(insert team here) losing the big game, or ________(insert favorite player here) getting called for a foul, violation, or techincal.

- ricky williams will get reinstated by the nfl, play for 1 season, decide he'd rather get high, fail a drug test, get suspended for a year, decide he wants to play afterall, apply for reinstatement, get denied, go play in the CFL, and become the first (that i know of) professional athlete to celebrate on the field by lighting up a huge joint.

- paris hilton will be "romantically" linked to at least two dozen pro athletes, all of which will deny having anything to do with her.  later, their denials will be disproved when their medical reports are obtained by the media, showing treatments for every known sexually transmitted disease, and some that arent known yet.

- the pittsburgh pirates will be officially eliminated from playoff contention before may 15.

- some people who read this post will get a good laugh, while others will be upset that i mentioned a player or team they like in a negative way.

- i'll continue my attitude made famous by the avatar i used to share with everyone here.....i dont give a ####....i miss my 'give-a-####-o-meter.'

i dont know if anyone noticed, but some dude named kobe bryant had a streak of 4 games in which he scored 50 points or more (the streak is currently on the line against golden state).

that takes alot of effort, talent, and of course, some luck as well.  while i think it's an incredible accomplishment, we must realize that means the old kobe is back, and the rest of the lakers will be standing around watching him hoist up shots over double and triple teams from everywhere on the court, call for the ball even when a teammate has an open lane to the basket, and jack up 3's from about 30 feet away.

again, this is a great accomplishment.  there are only a couple minor details we need to remember.  1.  he's done this against pretty weak competition.  none of the teams he has put up 50+ against are very good.  2. from the time the streak started, until tonight's game, he had at least 1 day off between contests to rest his shooting hand.  3.  in the 4 games, he took 140 shots, and the rest of the TEAM took 189.  that means the top priority here is no longer winning, it's getting kobe his points, and if that happens to translate to a win, great.  if the game is close late in the 4th quarter, it just means they have to put the ball in his hands, which only means more shots, and probably more points.

i give him credit though, at least he has been shooting the ball well over the 4 game stretch.   over 50% in each, except for 1, where he was 17-35.

he has even been hitting free throws like nobody's business.

still, i think he's an arrogant #### and a ball hog.  what's worse is that all his fans are using this to annoint him the greatest player in the history of the game....well, the 2 fans of his who hadnt already done so anyway.

they throw out his stats and while they may show he's 1 of the greatest individual talents the game has ever seen, they completely disregard the fact that, without shaq, he has never won a championship.  some of those same fans, however, will come right back and say that steve nash doesnt deserve the nba regular season mvp award because he has never even reached the finals.

i dont get it.  how is kobe mvp-worthy when he hasnt reached the finals in 5 years, but nash should be automatically disqualified?  they all seem to forget that the award is for REGULAR SEASON accomplishments only.

***this post, while completely in line with what i have always thought, and will always think about kobe, was only written to see how furious kobe fans who read it will be.***