That gasp you just heard is from Darth Kobe fans all around the world whom I just shocked with my proclamation that Chris Paul not Bean is my 2007-08 NBA MVP. This is a decision that I have been struggling with for the past couple of months, so let me explain how I have come to this conclusion.
At the All-Star break it seem like a no brainer that the MVP would be going to Kobe Bryant who is still in my opinion the best pure player in the game. The knock that he isn't a "team player" and "doesn't make his teammates better" has always been the cliché that the media and people who dislike Kobe the personally would say when trying to minimize his tremendous talent.
They said the same thing about Michael Jordan until he got some talented players then he was the "ultimate competitor." Hence, I always found that critisms about Kobe comical. Magically, once he got some better teammates his team became one of the best teams in the West and a West that is stacked from top to bottom. Kobe of 2008 isn't that much different from Kobe of 2007 or 2006. What is different is that the players around him are allowing him to show that it is a lot easier to play a "team" game when you have teammates that you can trust.
The fact that he has kept his team together through a lot of injuries, not just to the team but also to himself. Does anyone remember that he is dealing with a broken pinky that the team wanted him to get surgery on. The reason you don't remember is because he has still been deadly efficient while keeping the Lakers right at the top of the Western Conference even after losing Andrew Bynum for the majority of the year and Pau Gasol for a couple of weeks.
Kobe Bryant should already have an MVP trophy, but circumstances and bias have prevented that from happening. If he is named NBA MVP you won't get any complaints from me. However, in the end I think CP3 was just a little bit better and I will tell you why.
Once again going back to the All-Star break, I think everyone was surprised the New Orleans Hornets team was playing as well as it was especially considering they are in the Western Conference. Since they were rarely on TV, I will be honest that I was curious about this team and more specifically Chris Paul. Just like everyone else, I simply assumed they would "Fade To Bolivia" (thanks Mike Tyson). But as I watched more and more of their games, I became more and more of a fan of the team and specifically Chris Paul. I knew Paul was a good point guard, but I didn't know how good until I started to watch him play on a nightly basis.
The best way to explain Chris Paul's game is like this. Imagine if the best traits of Allen Iverson and Steve Nash were blended into one player. That is Chris Paul. A scorer like Iverson (with better touch) with the passing vision of Steve Nash would be pretty scary, wouldn't it? It was eye-opening to me as I watched this point guard, who is no bigger than I, get his shot at-will and then like a light-switch dish out Stockton-like assists. I started to believe. I started to take the Hornets seriously.
Then on February 20th, it happened. This was the day I thought to myself this kid could be the MVP. Jason Kidd had just been traded to the Mavericks and there was a lot of hype surrounding his arrival. That night Kidd had the unfortunate luck of running into CP3 and the destruction that followed almost left Kidd in tears.
31 Points 11 Assists 9 Steals 5 Rebounds and 1 turnover.
If it was a fight, they would have stopped it after the 1st round. As the days went by, there were more and more of these destructions.
Paul is on schedule to have a better statistical season than Steve Nash ever did in his two MVP seasons. He is on schedule to have more steals than turnovers. Just think about that for a minute. Look at his raw numbers.
21 points 11 assists 4 rebounds 2 steals
They compare favorably to some of the greatest Point Guards of all time.
Going away from basketball just for a second, you can not understate the significance of the Hornets helping in the restoration of New Orleans. This is a franchise that played the majority of their games in Oklahoma City last year and there was talk that would be a permanent situation if things didn't improve in New Orleans. This was a franchise that needed a face, that needed someone they can look to take them to that next level. Paul is that leader. Paul is that face and he is taking on a greater responsibility than any other player in the league.
This was like Obama vs. Clinton, Bird vs. Magic and there was no wrong answer. If there was ever a time for Co-MVPs, this would be the year. But, in the end, a decision had to made. For Darth, there is only one trophy he really wants. But this is the year of CP3.
All I can say is wow
How could you do this to me?
Kevin Garnett is the MVP but since there is an east coast bias that is why he won't win
Actually I rather see CP3 get it because I don't have an issue with him winning it. Plus the MVP is a vastly overrated award the fact that people still are finding ways to make sure Kobe doesn't get it(even though he has done everything you asked) is just not worth it. I rather see a spurned Kobe lead the Lakers to a title and then shut the haters up.
If Lebron had the teammates that Kobe, Chris Paul or Kevin Garnett had his team would be 82-0
I am the MVP
We are the mvp for trading gasol to the lakers
Dude.. last year David West and Peja were both hurt and unable to play. Each of them missed a lot of games.
This year David West (an all-star) is healthy as well as Peja. Both are very good shooters from the 3 point line in.
CP is just passing them the ball and they're hitting the shots they're supposed to be hitting.
Nothing major. Had both those players been fully healthy last year CP would have had a good year last season; to go along with this one.
CP3 is the MVP bottom line... he controls the game like no other player in the league and has the ball in his 99% of the time through a 82 game season... and his 2nd best player is David West. Wow!
Nuff Said
No love for tmac?
We will destroy New Orleans in round 1