Posted on
3/27/2008 2:18:26 PM
The Furious NBA MVP Debate – Kobe? Seriously?
By Tim Furious
I hate the MVP award. I’m saying that right now. There’s no reason that Tim Duncan shouldn’t be winning it every year. He’s consistently playing at such an elite level that the voters cast him aside as if to say, “Yeah we know he’s good. But who’s really been outstanding?” And that’s what the MVP vote is. We’re voting for a guy who’s having a career season (read: David Robinson) or simply playing beyond the low expectations we set out for them.
The other thing I hate about the MVP race is the inevitable drunken rant you get from some idiot friend that thinks he knows what he’s talking about. You know what I mean. The whole, “Well if Team X didn’t have Player A then they would be nothing!!!” screaming match you get from guys.
I despise this argument. Actually, “despise” isn’t strong enough of a word. I loathe this way of thinking. It grinds my gears. It gets me more fired up Najeh Davenport doing his girlfriend’s laundry. Why? Because half the teams in the NBA would be nothing if you stripped them of their star player. Are the Spurs the Spurs without Duncan? Or can the Magic even win a game if they don’t have Dwight Howard? No! Anytime that argument is brought up, Captain Obvious needs to be put on a talking timeout for at least 45 minutes. It’s obvious he brings nothing to the conversation in the first place, so why not remove him from the picture?
Which brings me to the point of the day. There are at least four players who deserve to be in the debate, and one who deserves a little bit of credit because of how amazing his season has been. Then there are a bunch of players that at the very least deserve a quick shout out. So here goes.
SHOUTOUT GUYS
Tracy McGrady – 22 Wins means nothing if you can’t win a playoff series
Marcus Camby – 13 rebounds, 3+ blocks per game. Only Kareem has been better.
Andre Miller – Not getting nearly enough credit for what he’s doing in Philly
Dwight Howard – You have some serious balls if you can take the “Superman” nickname from Shaq, and get his stamp of approval while doing so.
Tim Duncan – Just because.
DESERVES A MENTION – Manu Ginobli (San Antonio Spurs)
Andrew, a guy I work with here at BetUS.com, had to remind me of just how brilliant his season has been. So I looked it up. The line: 20.1 ppg, 4.8 assists and 4.8 rebounds a game. That’s ridiculous for a guy that is universally hated around NBA fan bases. Sure he looks like he’s dripping motor oil no matter when we see him, and yes we hate the flopping. But you can’t discard what Manu did after the All-Star break and how important he’s become to the Spurs since we’ve all come to realize that Tony Parker doesn’t deserve the life he has (seriously, I don’t know if I hate him or Tom Brady more), or the credit he gets. Either way Manu deserves his own little blurb. So now that that’s over, let’s get to…
THE OUTSIDE SHOT – Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics)
The Big Ticket is by and large my favorite player in the league, so I make no bones about my preference to him. He’s the reason Boston is the best defensive unit in the league, and a serious bet in the UNDER every game. He’s only played with one All-Star in his entire career, and now that he has two, we’re seeing exactly what he’s capable of. From his intense passion for winning, to his tearful, “I just wanna win” interview and his ability to cover nearly anyone on the floor, there’s a lot to love about KG.
Except one thing.
Last night against Phoenix he took over the game. But that was the first time we’ve seen him do that this season. And he still has a tendency to disappear when the game is on the line. You can see it in him. He panics when the game is on the wire. And that’s why he’s an outside shot. Paul and Ray Ray being on Team Green doesn’t help his chances either.
WHO SHOULD WIN – Chris Paul
Best. Point Guard. Season. Ever.
He has 21.6 points per game and 11.4 helpers per game. Not only that, he has 3.9 rebounds per game as a flipping point-guard. A lot of writers have beaten this dead horse with a stick, but if Steve Nash can win the award twice, Paul should definitely win it this season. He’s impossible to defend. He’s the best point guard in the entire league and without him, there’s no way the Hornets reward their betting faithful by going 44-25-1 ATS this season. If the voters have any backbone, they’ll reward CP3 this season. Do the right thing, voters. Vote for New Orleans. Vote for justice. Vote for Paul in ’08!
WHO COULD WIN – Lebron James
I’m not going to get in to this whole thing about Vogue and reenacting a King-Kong poster. I’m just not. What I am going to get in to is the fact that King James has been a class act this entire season, not to mention an absolutely terrifying force whenever he wants to be. Remember when Chris Bosh’s girlfriend pissed Lebron off when she berated him from the stands? The King responded by dropping 39-11-8 on the Raptors in a victory while screaming, “this is all your fault” to Bosh’s idiot girlfriend. Frankly, he should win on this feat alone. Is Chris Bosh even with this girl anymore? Can someone find this out for me and call me at 1-888-51-BETUS x2305 and tell me please? I need to know these things.
King James leads the league with 30.9 points per game but that’s besides the point. He has been the ideal superstar this season. He never threw anyone under the bus. Not Larry Hughes, even when he deserved to be thrown under a semi-truck. Lebron was never shy about wanting help, but he never threw a temper tantrum. When the Cavs missed out on Kidd, and then Bibby, LBJ didn’t even seem fazed. He didn’t pull a Vince and demand to be traded. He didn’t pull a Kobe and brutalize his team, or management. He simply played the lights out night in and night out. You can see it in his numbers. You can see it in the way he dominates the vaunted Pistons. He deserves this award much more than they guy who’s actually going to win it…
WHO WILL WIN – Kobe F’n Bryant
I don’t have a hate on for Kobe on a personal level. I love the fact that he cheated on his wife, then bought his way out of it. It told me everything I need to know about women: if you have enough money, they won’t give a damn what you do.
I don’t even have a hate on for Kobe for trying to destroy Andrew Bynum’s confidence. It made me invest in a camera phone “just in case”. And Bynum responded by becoming a dominant inside player before his knee injury. It told me everything I need to know about being a teammate: if you don’t like someone, let everyone in the world know, and it’ll turn their life around. Negative reinforcement apparently works. I knew those crazy Chinese parents were on to something!
I hate Kobe because he’s getting this award despite being an absolute douchebag last summer and for the first third of the season. He pouted, and stomped his feet and nearly took his ball out of LA because he was so upset. Yes, he’s come out since and rewarded the Lakers betting faithful. And yes he got Pau Gasol. The Lakers look the team to beat now and that is largely due to Kobe.
But I can’t get over the fact that he whined for six straight months till he got what he wanted, while Lebron kept his mouth shut, went to work with what he had and still put up better numbers. I just can’t. Kobe will win this award because of his career achievement. CP3 and LBJ are having bigger impacts and more outstanding seasons.
This is the one argument I have against Kobe: would the Lakers be this good without Gasol? And if not, would Kobe be in this discussion? The answer to both questions is “no”. While he’s the favorite to win it, and deserving of your betting consideration in our NBA futures, he doesn’t deserve it. He simply doesn’t. This isn’t a life time achievement award, yet that’s what the voters will treat it like.
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