The NBA season is in its waning moments and the debate for MVP has long been underway.
Every year, fans are treated to players stepping up with incredible performances all season long.
This year, like many in the past, a host of players have been on a higher level than the rest. Names like Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets, Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers come immediately to mind.
The arguments for all three are solid: Paul is blowing away all expectations of his talent level and development, Pierce is showing himself a complete player and Bryant, well, he’s been good for so long that it’s only fair he wins it.
Granted, that is not a strong argument to make for Bryant but the truth is he has been one of the best for a long time. Kobe is in his 12th season with the Lakers. He’s won 3 titles and two scoring titles, all within the last eight years.
To be frank, Kobe should have won the NBA MVP in at least one out of those eight years. I don’t debate Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki deserving to win. But I question how Nash is able to claim two MVPs in that span of time while Kobe is left with nothing.
Don’t get me wrong because Nash is a one-of-a-kind player. His shot selection is wacky and his passes are marvellous. Averaging over 14 points and 10 assists a game is excellent. But when a guy goes for 81 points in a game in one season and scores over 50 points in a game ten times in another, how can people not say he was the NBA’s best player?
With all due respect to Nash, his Phoenix Suns are a good team with or without him. They light up the scoreboard every night and can blow out teams in nothing more than a track meet. With Kobe, if he’s not in the picture then where would the Lakers be? Fighting the Seattle Sonics for the cellar?
Kobe has been leading a mediocre club to the playoffs for the past two seasons. One year he has a squad with names like Smush Parker and Andrew Bynum and the other his most skilled team-mate was Lamar Odom.
For me, Nash could easily win the award again in another three years. He’s at the peak of his career and he’s got a lot of great passes and circus shots left in him. Then again, the same can be said of Kobe.
The man is just 29 years old. It is sometimes hard to believe a grizzled veteran like him hasn’t reached 30 yet. Though he has faced some injuries through his career, Kobe doesn’t look like he will be stopping his attack on the rim in the near future.
Maybe that’s what the fans, coaches, sportswriters and the other voters are thinking. If he’s so good and he doesn’t look to be peaking, why not hold off on him until later? Also it doesn’t help matters that everyone hasn’t forgotten about his Colorado folly.
I’m not sure if character should play a role in the voting process. My first impulse is for the award to be based strictly on performance on the court. Then again, how would the NBA feel if say Stephen Jackson is MVP the same year he starts another brawl in the stands?
All of that leads me back to this year’s MVP race. Paul and Pierce (for the most part) have what Kobe doesn’t: a squeaky clean image. They help out in the community, they keep low profiles and they do well on the court. To be fair, Kobe now does all of that too. However, Paul and Pierce have yet to duplicate a scandal as big as what Kobe created in Colorado.
If I had to pick a winner I would go with Paul as his numbers are on a par with Nash. This season so far Paul has averaged roughly 21 points, 11 assists, four rebounds and three steals. Bear in mind, Nash averaged over 15 points, 10 assists, three rebounds and a steal in his MVP seasons.
Pierce is in exceptional form averaging some 20 points and five rebounds and assists a game. Plus his team has the best record in the NBA and have orchestrated the biggest turnout in history. However, his success is in large part due to Garnett and Ray Allen being around.
In Kobe’s case, it looks as if he’ll once again be on the outside looking in. This will be in spite of actually having a decent team, with Paul Gasol in tow, that’s in the middle of a fierce battle for first place in the West.
One final point to think about in the MVP discussion is its impact on the playoffs. The last MVP to win a title was Duncan back in the 2003 season with the Spurs. It’s almost as if the award puts a big target on your back and is a heavy burden. We all saw what happened to Nowitzki and Dallas last year.
Ultimately, the NBA MVP award is essentially a popularity contest. It’s not so much about who deserves it as much as who everyone else thinks should get it. Until Kobe gets in everyone’s collective good graces over time, I don’t see him winning the MVP award. And that’s a shame.
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