MVP! MVP! MVP!
Tuesday, May 6

Finally, Kobe Wins MVP.

some exerpts from the article:

"I don't know anybody who's ever deserved this trophy more. I don't know anybody who's ever worked as hard to accomplish what he's accomplished," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who had five-time MVP Michael Jordan with Chicago and was at the Lakers' helm when Shaquille O'Neal won the award in 2000.

"I've said since two, three years ago that Kobe Bryant is the best player in the league," James said before the Cavaliers faced the Celtics in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. "He's been the best player the last five, six years. I'm glad he won it. His team had a great year, finishing first in the West."

Bryant averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.84 steals while playing all 82 games despite tearing a ligament in his right pinkie in February. He put off surgery until after the Olympics.

MVP Voting

The contenders jockeyed for the top spot all season, but Kobe Bryant came out as the winner of the NBA's MVP voting.

Pl. Player, Team 1st-pl.Votes Points
1. Kobe Bryant, LAL 82 1100
2. Chris Paul, NO 28 894
3. Kevin Garnett, BOS 15 670
4. LeBron James, CLE 1 438
5. Dwight Howard, ORL -- 60

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I am happy for Kobe, for the Lakers, and for the city of Los Angeles. I am also absolutely floored that it took this long. Here is a list of the past winners:

2006-07 - Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
2005-06 - Steve Nash, Phoenix
2004-05 - Steve Nash, Phoenix
2003-04 - Kevin Garnett, Minnesota
2002-03 - Tim Duncan, San Antonio
2001-02 - Tim Duncan, San Antonio
2000-01 - Allen Iverson, Philadelphia
1999-00 - Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers
1998-99 - Karl Malone, Utah
1997-98 - Michael Jordan, Chicago
1996-97 - Karl Malone, Utah

Several things stick out at me: First, Shaq only won ONE MVP? I mean, I'm kind of a Shaq hater, but he only dominated the league for nearly a decade. I'm looking at the list above, and to be honest, the only guys on that list that really deserve to be there are Shaq, Duncan, and Jordan. Really, AI was MVP? Karl Malone?! KG who admittedly was solid and held the fort in Minnesota for years, but never went anywhere with them? (I mean, this was his best yr, by far, but he didn't even deserve it this year)

And Steve Nash. Ok, ok. The fact that a little white guy can be fast, smart, pass, and make his teammates better is amazing. A great aberration, to be sure, and he makes basketball entertaining. But MVP? heck no! He never should of won his first one. So when he did better the next season (when he didn't deserve it, either), people gave it to him again, simply cause he won it the year before, and improved his game. Those two seasons make me furious, as it should every fan. Not only did it go to the wrong person, it completely changed the definition of what MVP means. Now, it means the guy who makes his teammates better (and Kobe amazingly won despite that faulty criteria this year, essentially becoming the most valuable player AND the best player that made his teammates better). The problem is, this immediately favors PGs, who have the ball most often, and are likely to hand out assists and put other players in scoring position. By this retarded criteria, Shaq didn't win multiple MVPs despite dominating teams, causing coaches to change the game and come up with "hack-a-shaq." For this same reason, KG will never win. Chris Paul and Lebron, both who handle the ball a lot and rack up assists, are in prime position to win this for the next 5-10 yrs.

It used to mean, THE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER. Meaning, the best player. If you had to win RIGHT NOW (not next year, not the next 5 years), which ONE player who would you want on your team? Let me tell you, if you posed that question to the league, the answer would be nearly unanimous from all the coaches and players: Kobe Bryant.

HE WORKS HARDER than anyone in the game. Harder than even Jordan (as reported by Tex Winters and Phil Jackson, ex-Bulls coaches, and MJ's ex-trainer). He spends hours studying tape of other players and other teams, while other NBA stars are partying up. In fact, that was one of the hardest knocks on him by teammates in his early years. He was so intense, so focused on being the best in the world, that he had no time for partying or chumming it up with teammates. He spent hours in the gym prefecting shots that no other player would attempt. We see a fantastic, unbelievable shot by Kobe in a game and think that it was a miracle. The thing is, he practiced those crazy "miracle" shots, over and over, until it was a regular shot for him.

EVERY year, he adds a facet to his game. One year, it was to get stronger (he was tired of being pushed around by bigger defenders), and he came out BUFF. Another year, it was to shoot 3s. (He dramatically improved his 3pt shooting %, and now the deadly 3 is just part of his arsenal). Another year, he decided to shoot banks, and he added THAT to his arsenal. Two years ago, he started shooting jumpers WITH HIS LEFT HAND. Not layups, but JUMPERS. He wasn't just screwing around. He had practiced it with regularity, and was hitting them in games, too. Now, if I was an opposing player, I might be a little pissed, that a guy was shooting with his left, as if shooting with his right might be too easy. But anyone who knows KB's drive knows that he's just loading up on his weapons.

His PASSION. The dude is FIERCE. There are only a handful of guys in the past two decades who are this passionate about bball. MJ, Sir Charles, KG, Kobe. That's it.

The result: The most talented player this game has EVER SEEN. That's right, I said it. MJ was much stronger to the basket. Dunked more, etc. But Kobe has many many more moves, many more options, and is a much better passer. (All confirmed by ex-Bulls players and coaches) Lebron is a better passer, and is definitely stronger. But his offensive moves are elementary by comparison (if not jaw-dropping for the sheer power), and his defense is pathetic compared to Kobe's. Lebron himself has said repeatedly since he came into the League that Kobe is the best in the game, but for some reason, people won't listen. Coaches say over and over that Kobe is the deadliest player, the person they fear most in the fourth quarter. I'll say it again, there is no one as balanced offensively and defensively, no one with more moves and weapons, no one who is as talented.

Look at the list of past winners again, and it is seriously laughable. AI? Seriously, who fears AI? Karl Malone? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Steve Nash? Nowitzki? Those guys are all simply contained with a good game plan. There is no stopping Kobe. Kobe should have at least 4 if not 5 MVPs by now. The only explaination for this is that people just like to hate on Kobe. They don't like his face, they don't like his aloof behavior, they don't like his smirk (that's actually his genuine smile, you jerks), they don't like his moral faults (throw that first stone, you sinner). It's crazy how active people are in hating Kobe. Stop judging and give the recognition that is due.

LONG OVERDUE. Congrats, Kobe.

yakob at 9:42 PM

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