The Phantom Menace: The NBA MVP Award, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kelly Dwyer, Part II
By David Neiman | MVP, NBA, Kobe Bryant, ColumnNot long into “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” is, at least for me, arguably the most disappointing scene in all of cinema.
If you’re any sort of a fan of Star Wars — or at least, the original three Star Wars films — you know exactly the scene I’m speaking of.
In it, the Force is explained.
The Force, in case you’ve been living in a cinematic backwoods since the late 70s, was the mystical energy that gave the respective heroes and villains of the Star Wars films their power. It was what allowed Darth Vader to point his hand at your throat from across the room, and choke you to death. It was what allowed Luke Skywalker to fend off a unit of storm troopers with a series of no-look lightsaber moves, or navigate an armada of tie-fighters and destroy the Death Star, burying an impossible torpedo shot from his X-wing fighter.
It was, to paraphrase Obi-Wan Kenobi, what bound all living things together. It was mysterious, it was otherwordly and undefinable, it was the Force, and for a young kid — which is what I was when I saw the very first Star Wars film in the late 70s — it was mind-blowingly cool. And it basically stayed that way.
That is, until the aforementioned Scene of Utter Disappointment.
Thanks to the wonder that is the Internet, I can bring that scene to you, courtesy of a draft of “The Phantom Menace”:
ANAKIN: Master, sir…I’ve been wondering…what are midi-chlorians?
QUI-GON: Midi-chlorians are a microscopic lifeform that reside within all living cells and communicates with the Force.
ANAKIN: They live inside of met?
QUI-GON: In your cells. We are symbionts with the midi-chlorians.
ANAKIN: Symbionts?
QUI-GON: Life forms living together for mutual advantage. Without the midi-chlorians, life could not exist, and we would have no knowledge of the Force. They continually speak to you, telling you the will of the Force.
ANAKIN: They do?
QUI-GON: When you learn to quiet your mind, you will hear them speaking to you.
ANAKIN: I don’t understand.
Me neither. I remember sinking into my chair in the Mann Chinese theater in full-body cringe. Midi-chlorians? Symbionts? What happened to the mysticism, to the magic? A scientific explanation of the Force?
By taking something that by its very nature was inexplicable, and trying to explain and quantify it, George Lucas ruined the Force, obliterating in mere moments one of the most magnificent imaginative creations in film (and of my youth).
ENTER THE MVP DEBATE
All of which brings me to the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, and the numerous articles about it that are proliferating around the Internet.
By and large, reading MVP articles is, for me, a lot like my experience of the Scene of Utter Disappointment.
Take the three leading contenders for the award this season: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Chris Paul. (Which is not to say that other players could be deserving, but this trio is at the forefront of most conversations, so let’s stick with them.) All three of these players are astounding. Period. LeBron is a force of nature on the floor, a stunning mix of controlled power and logic-defying skill. Kobe is the embodiment of extraordinary talent, relentless determination and hard work, and killer instinct. CP3, with his preternatural court vision, offensive and defensive skills, and sheer speed leaves you shaking your head in disbelief more often than not.
In fact, all three of them do. This season, they exist on another plane of basketball reality.
Then the debates about the MVP begin, and by and large most of these arguments don’t really make all that much objective sense. What’s worse is that they shift the emphasis from the nightly hoops miracles that three very deserving players are performing to nonsensical comparisons, erroneously interpreted statistics, and emotional outbursts.
And in the end, we’re left with the sporting world’s equivalent of midi-chlorians as an explanation for greatness.
A RETHINKING OF THE QUESTION ITSELF
Giving an MVP award, of course, presumes a few things. It presumes discernible criteria for being worthy of the award, for being that year’s most valuable player.
Some years, we associate value with winning and clear-cut superiority. At certain points in the history of the game, there have been players so dominant in their prime — Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic, Bird, MJ — that the choice may have been obvious.
But let’s say that our choice isn’t between Bill Russell and the rest of the league, which he literally and figuratively towered over.
What if we’re choosing between Steve Nash and Shaquille O’Neal, as was the case in 2005-2006? Was Steve Nash ultimately more valuable because of his impact on the Phoenix Suns, who went 54-28? Or was Shaq more valuable because Miami was a .500 team without him on the floor, finished 52-30, and in the end, won the NBA title? What determines value?
Just from the comparing those two facts — which aren’t really even comparisons of the same thing (regular season success versus postseason success) or necessarily relevant, since the MVP award is based on regular season performance — you start to see how dicey this ground is to tread. How can you really compare a lightning-quick point guard with the most dominant center in the recent history of the league, both playing their best?
For that matter, how do you compare the current candidates — LeBron (a 6′8″ forward), Kobe (a 6′6″ shooting guard), and Paul (a 6′0″ point guard) — all of whom have totally different skills and an incalculable impact in every game they play?
I would argue that not only can’t you compare them, you shouldn’t. It’s in the comparisons that these MVP discussions go awry. I’ll explain.
KELLY DWYER AND LBJ: A CASE IN POINT
In his recent post on Yahoo! Sports “Ball Don’t Lie” blog, Kelly Dwyer made an argument for why LeBron James, and not Kobe Bryant, should be the MVP. It’s a perfect example of how well-intentioned research and thought, in an inherently limiting context, can lead one astray.
As he made his argument, he was forced to make several logical reaches to substantiate it. I’ll focus solely on the statistics Dwyer cites, which form the basis of his post, and ignore some of the other logical inconsistencies. He wrote:
It’s not a huge edge, but it’s decisive enough: James has Bryant licked in scoring per game (30.3 to 28.2), assists (7.5 to 5.4), rebounds (8.1 to 6.0) and shooting percentage (48.6 to 46.6). Bryant shoots better from long range (35 percent to 30), and has James’ number from the line, but so does Kyle Korver. Otherwise, they’re even on steals and turnovers, and James blocks nearly twice as many shots.
James may play two more minutes per game, but he still owns a decisive edge in the per-minute numbers, and has to do his damage on a slow-down team (20th in the NBA in possessions). Kobe has a chance to pad his stats (not that he is, kindly read that carefully) with about five more possessions per game on the Lakers. That’s significant.
With very little effort, it’s easy to see how someone could draw different or completely opposite conclusions from these statistics. For example:
- James has arguably only one other person on his team that can score consistently; Kobe had several even before the arrival of Pau Gasol, yet he still nearly outscores LeBron.
- LeBron handles the ball more, which could easily account for the differential in assists. (I wonder, on a side note, how Kobe compares to other shooting guards when it comes to dishing the rock.)
- LeBron (6′8″, 250 pounds) is significantly taller and bigger than Kobe (6′6″, 205 pounds), which alone would give him a rebounding advantage. Yet Kobe manages to grab six rebounds a game while playing all season with two seven-foot double-double machines (Bynum/Odom, now Gasol/Odom).
- As Dwyer notes, Bryant shoots significantly better from long range. That’s not trivial, particularly when Dwyer tries to suggest that LeBron is a better overall shooter. Through Tuesday, Kobe had taken 42 more three pointers than LeBron (292 for Kobe, 250 for LBJ) and made 27 more of them (102 for Kobe, 75 for LBJ), so when you factor that into their overall shooting percentages, Kobe’s is pretty impressive. (I also wonder how many of LeBron’s shots come on dunks or layups. And if a significant number do, is that a strike against him, or a fact in his favor?)
- I would suggest that superior free throw shooting is not something to breeze by. Particularly with the game on the line.
- Given his size advantage, LeBron should have more blocks than Kobe, so that’s neither here nor there.
- Regarding all of the above, it makes sense that LeBron would have better per minute numbers.
To be clear: I’m not even saying that I agree with the points I’m making here. But most of the conclusions I reach are just as sound — at least to me — as any Dwyer makes, for whatever that’s worth. What I’m getting at is that basing your entire argument on a comparison as Dwyer has — between elite players such as these, playing at the top of their game — diminishes the chance of making a compelling case for LeBron or anyone. Everything becomes relative, which is particularly problematic if the two players you’re comparing are actually quite different. You’re reduced to statements like this:
His defense isn’t on par with Kobe’s, but it’s not far off, and it’s still pretty damn good. Certainly not bad enough for Bryant to overcome being outscored, outassisted and outrebounded by LBJ. And while both are studs in the clutch, LeBron is better. He significantly outscores, outassists and outrebounds Kobe when it matters.
And that’s really little more than subjective opinion laid atop statistical conclusions that, in my view, aren’t that strong.
MAKING A LEGIT CASE FOR YOUR GUY
Once, when asked how he prepared to play other teams, John Wooden replied that for the most part, he didn’t.
“I felt we were better off letting our opponents try to figure us out than spending time trying to figure them out. We focused on preparing for any eventuality rather than a particular style of play from a particular team. What if we prepared for something specific and our opponent changed? Uh-oh.”
“Perhaps we gained an advantage by having so much confidence in our own ability to play near our potential (because of our detailed and disciplined preparation) that it kept us from becoming fearful of another team.”
“It goes back to focusing on what you can control. We had no control over the many possible variations an opponent might use in a game. We did have control, total control, over preparing to execute our game.”
The same general principle holds true here. If you’re going to make a case for LeBron James, focus on LeBron James and his virtues. Emphasize why he is the league’s most valuable player. Why bother trying to disparage Kobe (or Chris Paul, for that matter) when what both are doing is amazing in its own right? It’s totally unnecessary, and more than anything, detracts from any compelling argument instead of advancing it. In fact, aside from mentioning that Kobe and Chris Paul are viable MVP candidates, there really is no other reason to mention them at all.
Take into account that LeBron has no scoring help, that he’s leading the league in scoring, is shooting 49 percent from the field, and that he’s essentially defeated some of the best teams in the West this season by himself — nearly all of which are points made by Dwyer — and you’ve got yourself an argument that stands on its own.
Is it convincing? Is anything going to convince a die-hard Bryant supporter that his guy isn’t deserving? Probably not, though I would contend that a column emphasizing what LeBron has done — rather than what Kobe has not, or has not done as well — has a lot better chance of making a Kobe Bryant fan pause, if only for a moment.
In the end, the reality is that there is no objective way to decide the MVP, regardless of what statistics you use, unless the choice is obvious. It’s an inherently subjective award. Personally, I think Kobe is deserving at this point — not because of his statistics, skills, clutch shooting and so forth, but because to me, this season really represents a quantum leap for him as a player, teammate and leader.
But if LBJ or Chris Paul won it, would I be up in arms?
Not really. The Force is strong in both of them.
David Neiman is a freelance sportswriter who has worked for the Washington Post, Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times, Lakers Magazine, and other award-winning publications. He is also the president of Athlete Interactive, a web development company for professional athletes.
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45 Responses to “The Phantom Menace: The NBA MVP Award, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kelly Dwyer, Part II”
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Nicely done. I’m a Kobe guy and Dwyer annoyed me — but it’s certainly possible to argue a case for a given player without having to disparage someone else, and more people should try. The problem (I think) … is that half the impetus for these arguments, this year and in recent years, has been the pull to disparage Kobe. There are surely people out there as bright as you, who know that yours would have been a good approach … and couldn’t help themselves, or, likelier, didn’t want to.
There’s a stat that takes into account free throws and three-pointers to come up with “True Shooting,” which can be found on basketball-reference.com and on Hollinger’s stats for ESPN, and Kobe Bryant does in fact lead LeBron 58.0% to 56.6%, although LeBron’s actually a little better than that would indicate because it equalizes the value of “and-1″ plays for everyone in the league (actually, it underrates both of them, as they’re top-5 in and-1 plays, but LeBron is generally the far and away leader in and-1s, and the last season they were measured he got 41 more “free” free throws than Bryant did, so it’s unbelievably close if you were to do the math. So that’s one question cleared up.
LeBron went from 31,7,7, to 27,6,6, last year and everyone said he had digressed. Kobe does it and everyone says he has finally gotten it and trusts his team mates. It is a double standard. This chorus of people stepping forward to say Kobe is the hands down MVP when there are several players, namely LeBron and CP3 who are both having a better year statistically,cheapens the award.
Isn’t this just an attempt to get Kobe the award based on his body of work? His game has not changed over the years, yet Steve Nash won the award twice, one deservingly, but the second was the biggest joke in history. Then Dirk got it last year. Over the past three years Kobe’s name was not even mentioned and Dirk and Nash were considered the favorites from midseason on. Now that LeBron is once again putting himself in elite company, as he did two years ago, we dismiss those stats. Only 3 people have accomplished these types of stats Larry, MJ and the Big O yet we dismiss them as unworthy of a debate. Last I checked he led the league in scoring, was 8th in assists and a leader in steals, 9th I believe.
Listen I wanted Darren McFadden to win the Heisman, but had he won it, I would have felt deep down he wasn’t deserving, the same thing for Kobe this year, we cannot make up for the years Kobe was despised by the media, and degraded by the league last year with suspensions for flagrant fouls, at the expense of more deserving players.
The point is LeBron has God awful teammates and yet he has a pretty good record against West Coast teams.
Lebron does not have “God Awful teammates” if he did, the Cavs would be having a “God awful Season” see DWade if you need an example. Lebron is like Iverson, somewhat of a stat hog, he dominates the ball every trip down, his teammates are reduced to catch and shoot (this could also be an indictment on his coach). His game completely wrecked Larry Hughes, and will do the same to any teammate that is not a shooter. Like AI, it is impossible to build around Lebron because of his style of play, he does not play well without the ball and is useless in the post. If Kobe did not win the MVP when he averaged 35/5/5 because his team was mediocre, then why should Lebron be considered with an equally mediocre record?
Well done, David. Really, it’s a very intelligent position. It’s amazing how passionate people become about the MVP debate (myself included). But most of us are reasonable people who believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. This is why your suggestion makes so much sense. I react negatively to the comparisons because you have to put down one guy to uplift another. I’m squarely in the Kobe Bryant camp. And I’ve been disappointed in years past when his phenomenal play was not recognized because the planets were not aligned for him to win it. But that’s not why I believe he deserves it this year. He’s my MVP because he takes my breath away every night he plays. He finds a way to give his team what they need every night. Whether it was scoring in years past, or being an offensive threat to give others offensive opportunities this season, he seems to have no limitations. When the teams shots aren’t falling, he still finds a way to lift them up. He seems to take it personally and has an undeniable effect on any game he plays in. And I applaud him. I appreciate that he gives 150% every game, because I’m a basketball fan and I feel like he honors me every time he does it.
I must admit, though, that I don’t watch the other MVP candidates. Maybe they’d similarly take my breath away. And even for those who watch all the players, we all have our personal biases. So why pretend to be objective? Chamnpion your guy. It’s your right! And I’ll chamnpion mine.
Kobe Bryant for MVP!
Great post, as a Kobe supporter Dwyer’s article had me up in arms, especially with his asinine point that somehow Lebron is truly better in the clutch than Kobe. Outscoring, outassisting, and outrebouding are not the most important things at the end of the game, winning is. Kobe is simply the best at making sure his team wins.
You gotta check this article out, it really explains why Kobe should win the MVP, all things considered.
http://www.respectkobe.com/?p=17
Let me add my comment to your blog….The MVP is a trophy give it to the player that throughout the season contributes to make his team and his teammates better,is not about points scored,minutes played or any stats…is about winning games and how that player contributes to accomplish those goals(for your info,read this article form a true sports writer:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/11121-NBA-Cleveland_Cavaliers-Los_Angeles_Lakers-Lebron_or_Kobe_for_MVP-260208
the MVP is awarded to that player that in critical situations,with the game on the line,that’s the player that coach,players and even fans are looking up to….with that said,you ask around the NBA to all the players or coaches and they will agree that Lebron has improved a lot and that he is really strong and dominant and they will tell you that CP3 is an awesome,fast and talented player that also deserves to be consider an MVP candidate…but when they talk about who is the most feared player,able to change the score,the momentum and the outcome of the game with his PRESENCE and his GAME and everybody will say one name:Kobe. (herlink:http://fannation.com/blogs/post/153977
Lebron deserves to win the MVP. Its obvious. The Cavs have nobody. nobody. He WILL win, and these articles are funny, since lebron is clearly better than Kobe now.
Guys. Lebron is a much better player than bryant or paul. Have you seen Lebron lately? Unbelievable. He will win the MVP. Easy.
I love how Dwyer mentions how Kobe’s better than LBJ from the line but then says that so is Kyle Korver. Okay? Please explain how taking another player who isn’t even close to either of the MVP candidates in overall game and then using him to diminish the importance of free throw shooting (in the overall context of being well-rounded enough to win the MVP awars). It’s logic like this that makes reading national NBA writers akin to explaining physics to a three-year old.
This is the best post yet on SportshubLA. Nice work. Really, really nice work.
Stats alone do not MVP make.
Last year, for the third year in a row, Kobe proved that.
This year, Kobe will prove that the best player on the best team in the best conference will not win it either.
Next year, Kobe may prove that even the best player on a 70-win team won’t win it (they have a shot if they keep the roster and have everyone healthy…).
Or he’ll just prove that some voters let their bias influence their vote, changing criterion year after year just to have Kobe not win it.
No matter, I’m sure Kobe prefers 1 championship over 3 MVPs, and a championship isn’t something that the writers can rig.
If LeBron played in a really tough conference, he wouldn’t even make the playoffs… That alone should kill any talks of him being this season’s MVP… LeBron’s numbers this season are close to Kobe’s two seasons ago, and Nash got the MVP then, only because his team finished higher in the standings… Really, it’s that simple… It shouldn’t even be a topic, but since Kobe has more detractors than any other player this side of Terrell Owens, LeBron apparently has a shot at being MVP… Come on, Kobe didn’t win it when he averaged FIVE more points per game than James is now!!! His team is going to finish in the first or second in one of the toughest Western Conferences EVER… The Lakers are TWENTY TWO GAMES ABOVE .500, for crying out loud… Just read the link posted by Carlos…
I love the idea in theory in the same way I love the idea of politicians not “going negative.” But the only problem is that it’s impossible to make these sorts of decisions without the sort of relativism that comes with it. I can’t say Kobe is more worthy than LeBron or Paul without looking at them, and then saying what Bryant is doing that the others aren’t. Or what Paul is doing, or whatever. At some point, someone has to have an ingredient lacking in another candidate, or I can’t decide.
One issue is that often people take their choice of candidate very personally, and very seriously. Especially fans, and in the bloggy, 24 hour news, Internet, etc. world we live in, the voice of fans is much louder and more expressive. The response to posts like this are instant and the debates can get heated… even more so when Bryant is involved in the conversation, who I think has fans with the deepest emotional investment in him, because, let’s be honest, over the last three or so years, he’s often made it tough to be a fan of his. They’ve stuck with him through a lot, and take it personally, when they feel he’s been slighted.
I’d love to see the anger leave the MVP debate. It is, as you say, totally subjective, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. It would help if all votes had to be public, so writers would have to defend their choices. But the best we can probably ask for is that individual voters stay consistent in the criteria they use to determine a winner.
BK,
I agree with you completely — you do need some standards with which to make a decision. There needs to be some relativism.
However, I don’t think that standard should necessarily be based players’ stats alone — and the comparison of them — which unforunately, is where the majority of writers, bloggers, etc. seem to stake their unconvincing and often unsatisfying claims. Great stats should be part of selecting the MVP, but I don’t think it matters that much if LeBron or Kobe or Paul is the better shooter, rebounder, etc. when all three players’ stats are off the charts. (That said, stats could tell the whole story if a player is having a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-type year, and you have an obvious MVP. But that isn’t what’s happening this season.)
I do like the idea of having some pre-existing, consistent criteria in choosing an MVP — being on a winning (and perhaps contending) team, having a dominant year statistically, and so on. Then, instead of disproving Kobe’s achievements, say, with LBJ’s, you could measure the achievement of all MVP candidates against the existing criteria. Eventually, as we both agree, subjectivity does come into play, particularly with regard to the intangibles — who is a better leader, a better teammate, or a better clutch shooter, who plays against better competition — but at least with some standards to start from, we’d be comparing apples with apples. Sort of.
I actually disagree with the idea of establishing pre-existing consistent criteria for choosing an MVP. From a fan’s point of view, these debates are as good as it gets for the NBA. There hasn’t been a debate of this calibur since the Bird-Magic-MJ years. And, I think that’s a great sign. Especially in regard to Kobe and LeBron, we could be watching the true beginning of one of the highest skilled one on one rivalries in the history of sports. For Kobe, a hotly contested MVP win or loss could be the best thing that happened to him from a likeability standpoint. Fans are now forced to take sides. Are you a LeBron fan or a Kobe fan? Stats are irrelevant. It’s a win either way because one group of fans will feel slighted and the best basketball may be ahead of us.
Do fans chant MVP for Lebron outside Cleveland? Of course not. Do fans chant MVP for Kobe outside LA? of course yes. Even teams that hate the Lakers chant for Kobe MVP. Another reason Kobe is the MVP is that he brings the most revenue for the league. He is the best show and fills every arena he goes to. Kobe has been and continues to be the number one attraction for the NBA. Love him or hate him you want to watch him play.
Your analogy of unnecessarily trying to define ‘the Force’ … in comparison to ‘defining’ what criteria SHOULD be used to determine the League’s MVP Award … is brilliant.
No doubt … there are certain Mysteries in Life (Art & Sports) which should NOT ever be explained.
It is what it is … It ain’t over til it’s over … Basketball is a Brotherhood … We not me … You’re not done until you’re done … If you build it, they will come … May the Force be with you … Choose Wisely … Never, Ever Give Up …
Neiman goes yard, again.
if thats the case..y does steve nash won the mvp….or dirk nowitzki…if the standard of measurement is the way you measure lebronze (a.k.a. cant win a gold medal ,a.k.a. cant make a nba finals game watchable ,a.k.a. can make the nba finals boring)….
give the mvp to lebonze…mvp is just something what we call in life like the things the we cant control…we just hope….whats important is the championship…because thats the kind of thing that we can control…we can manage….we can handdle ..same thing in life….give the mvp to lebron….who cares…
ive seen m.j. …and m.j. is not like this…not like lebron…lebron will definitely make a great play but will not make a greatness out of it…
wilt is great but …he has no greatness the bill russel has…or jordan has…those guys make greatness by collecting rings…kobe has threee and this year he is looking for number four…………..scary…?dont be…
You offer an interesting take on a subject that often inspires a lot more heat than light. I did a series of five articles about the greatest basketball players of all-time that was inspired by a comment Walter Payton made once to the effect that instead of ranking the greatest running backs of all-time we should appreciate what made each one special.
That said, since the NBA is going to hand out an MVP award that means that a ranking is going to take place whether we like it or not, so anyone who can contribute something intelligent to the process should speak up. Here are a couple posts that I have made regarding Kobe, LeBron and this year’s MVP race:
http://20secondtimeout.blogspot.com/2008/03/nba-coast-to-coast-crews-mvp-choice.html
http://20secondtimeout.blogspot.com/2008/01/best-game-offers-kobe-versus-lebron.html
Let me clear up a few points for you guys after reading a lot of replies.
1. In the garden when Lebron tossed up 51pts 11r and 9 assists the fans at the garden were cheering MVP. So lebron gets the MVP nod from other places as well. Not to mention during several clutch shots the crowd doesn’t boo. More or less it is a “wow” heard.
2. I noticed a lot of Kobe camp people are using the arguement of Kobe’s previous accomplishments and treating his MVP nomination as a sort of Life Time Achievement award. That is simply a bad arguement to make. Kobe is playing very well right now, but if Kobe was to miss a game. Gasol could easily pull in around 22 points and the lakers would win. When Lebron misses a game the cavs lose straight up.
3. The Conferance differential arguement has pros and cons to it. Despite Lebron playing in the east, he still faced much of the Western conferance and the cavs won those games. The cavs are 2nd in the East for a record against the West(which is a winning one). Yet also much of his schedule is dominated by East teams.
4. You can say stats don’t mean anything, but if Lebron is putting up those numbers with often double,triple, or quad teams on him. It is simply unreal. Kobe does get the double team a lot, but most defenses don’t force it as much because there are other capable scorers on the lakers.
Overall, they are both amazing candidates for MVP. It will be a close race, but if the view of the game is solely on stats, leadership, and teams need of a certain player. Lebron earns it. I truely feel bad for Kobe, but I feel the media may give it to him because he hasn’t had one. Either way. Kobe or Lebron someone will get cheated when a winner is crowned.
are u guys crazyyyy itss lebronn. have u seen his team lately hes been carrying an injured team it has to be lebron. what kobe lebron has improved all his skill and has been influenced by noone kbe had shaq and others. Lebron iss more clutch and he averages better stats even tho his stats are underrated. its not his fault kobe hasnt won yet. its his year ask any1 who wud you choose at this time in their carrier and who would they sayy.. LEBRONN and why are we forgetting kg or cp3 they deserve more kg, the best player of the best team, even tmac the leader of the 2nd greatest run in history, cp3 also carried a sick team but no1 compares to lebron, you can’t stop him.
Well between all of these ppl it has to be lbj, zach is write, so what that kobes never won with his same stats, it’s lebrons season, and u keep saying if cleveland was in the west they wudnt make the payoffs. Well face it their not, if they were wudnt u think they wud do better, u no that if kobe was on cleveland he wud want to be traded righhht away. But lebron carries his team no complaints. PERIOD. Its lebrons season. Even kg, tmac, dwight, and cp3 have done better it’s not about history its about this year , and this year is deffinately lebrons.
LLLLLLLLLBBBBBBBBJJJJJJJJJJJJ ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL DAAAAAAAAAAA WAYYYYYYYYYYYY
im sure lebron deserves the mvp as a better player than kobe but kobe should get one mvp in his carrer. basicaly lebron deserves it but kobe will win it
Lebron shud win bc he is an all around better player carrying definately the least stacked team in the nba. Ppl want to give it to kobe bc history stats he deserves one. Shut up he deserves it. its not our fault he cudnt ever win. This is basically a popularity compitition and lebron hhas done so much better so just face it kobe fans its lebrons season and btw i like kobe more.
u fucking retartds lebron is better all da wayy pce out fellow lebron homies fuck kobe
well i think lebron is def it but not good language bob excuse u
Kobe Bryant isn’t close to being a legit MVP candidate.
I’d like to know how people counter the points made at lakersfiction.blogspot.com
Kevin Garnett will get mvp hes the fuxckin best
lbj not kobe
lebronnn hes an ill beastie boy
lebron well everone who likes lebron say i and then hoever likes lebron vote for him
*looks at last few posts, then out the window*
Welp, there goes the intelligence quotient in this blog.
lebron is my idol!!!!!!!
lebron is my idol
dobar si igrac i javi mi se na msn
I am glad Kobe won MVP, because he is deserving of it in his career.
BUT
the way i see it, is that the MVP really is the most VALUABLE player to a team. With that said, you have to ask:
Could the Cavaliers have made it as far as they have the past few years without LeBron? If you think they could have made the final last year without him, I am surprised. The Lakers however, could have starred with Odom, Gasol, Bynum, Radmanovic and not needed Kobe to get into the Finals.
It does not matter if a player is taller or heavier, because all that matters is they are more valuable. Yes, that means it favours taller players who can rebound. But if you could chose a guy who could rebound because he was tall or a short guy who couldn’t rebound, all other skills the same, who would you choose?
The point is I think LeBron is deserving of the MVP soon to come, because when it comes down to it he is more valuable to his or any team that kobe. He is simply blessed for being born bigger than Kobe!
Here’s the betting odds for this year’s MVP if anyone is interested. Kobe paying $8.40 stands out to me, Lebron will probably end up winning it though barring an injury or meltdown.
NBA - MVP 2008/09
Lebron James 1.76
Chris Paul 6.20
Kobe Bryant 8.40
Dwyane Wade 12.00
Dwight Howard 15.00
Chris Bosh 30.00
Brandon Roy 80.00
Paul Pierce 60.00
Amare Stoudemire 90.00
Dirk Nowitzki 90.00
Chauncey Billups 90.00
Kevin Garnett 160.00
Deron Williams 180.00
Steve Nash 180.00
Tim Duncan 130.00
Yao Ming 120.00
Any Other 60.00
http://www.wbx.com/m.ashx/496e5/ptr001
this is awesome
that was the most rediculous and pathetic excuses ive ever heard in my life…its obvious lebron is better, more talented, higher basketball iq, more exciting to watch, and most of all unselfish…where does that come into play in your analysis…kobe only now has one mvp…lebron will have many..and without the help of shaq…i guess analyzing bullshit makes the kobe fans feel better about kobe not being better than lebron…makes sense…
OI, NERDY LOSER, you forgot one thing (and this is why I’m being harsh to you). DWYANE WADE is MVP, and THATS IT!!! because you neglected to even mention him, you and everybody else that read this shit after not even realising is a true WANKER! Just playing
but seriously