You know it’s March when people start throwing around those three pretty letters.
M-V-P.
The key to winning the MVP isn’t just to have an amazing season…you gotta win. There are 15 teams in the NBA with winning records. The MVP discussion only has 6 players.
That’s right, there are six legitimate people who could win the MVP. Not the Fab 4 like ESPN and everyone else would want you to think. Before I get to who I think could win it, let me tell you who can’t. The following guys are having great seasons but are on the outside looking in.
- Chris Bosh can’t win it: you need more than 22 and 9 if you’re gonna be on the 5th best team in the East
- Detroit is too much of a unit for any of those guys to win an individual award. Besides, Chauncey already ruined the lineage of the NBA Finals MVP now didn’t he.
- Brandon Roy can’t win it because Portland isn’t going to make the playoffs.
- AI and Melo kind of cancel each other out. Both areputting up great years statistically but seeing as how they are surrounded by a poo-poo platter it kind of takes away.
- Dirk won his and even though he’s putting up the same numbers as last year he’s not even in the discussion. More proof that we won more because of their record and the fact that people didn’t want to give Nash three in a row than anything else.
- Nash is putting up better numbers than his initial MVP season (17.5 pts, 11.5 assists compared to 15.5 pts, 11.5 assists) but because the Suns are in 6th right now and he’s won two times in a row he also is out of the discussion. I think people take advantage of how good he is.
- Can’t put D-Williams up there. Williams isn’t even the best PG in the league let alone the best player. His tag team partner, Mr. Boozer won’t get any sort of consideration either despite his 21 and 11. He’s the type of player whose team has to have the best record in the league to win the title. Who knows…maybe they will.
Also let me get this out of the way before I get ridiculed…Stephen Jackson and Tracy McGrady should be the darkest of darkhorses. There’s no chance they will win it and more than likely they shouldn’t be considered, but hear me out. They are both extremely valuable to their teams. Ever since I was little I’ve always taken the Most Valuable part literally. I think every year AI was with the Sixers I said he’s the MVP because they would more than likely die without him. Ditto for T-Mac with the Magic. So these two would fit that Devil’s Advocate argument if I ever wanted to use it. Jackson is the engine and pulse of that Warriors team and if McGrady can carry the Rockets to the playoffs he should get mention. Again, the Rockets won’t make any noise in the playoffs but I would tip my hat to him if he could keep them winning enough games to make it in a conference where 11 games over .500 has you smelling lottery.
But ladies and gents, here are (in no particular order after #1) the six people who are in the MVP discussion. No more, no less.
LeBron James. This is a no-brainer people. First off the man is having a career year. 30.3 points per game leads the league, 7.5 assists is 8th in the league and he throws in 8 rebounds a game. All of those stats are career highs. He’s a threat for a triple-double every night of the week. Not only that but he has carried this Cleveland team to a 34-26 record. Off the top of my head there has to be at least 10+ games that LeBron has won them just because he went into ‘I’m LeBron James and we’re not losing this game’ mode. It’s like THAT game in Detroit last spring opened up a new LeBron. While he may not have Kobe’s killer instinct (which no one will have) he no longer sleepwalks his way through the season. And even on the occasion when he does chill, usually someone or something ticks him off and he ends up going off in the 4th quarter. Did I mention he has to carry the sorry Cavs on his back?
Chris Paul: 20 points, 10 assists. Off the top of my head I can only think of three other players who have done that…Magic, Isiah and Oscar Robertson. If I miss one let me know. That’s a heck of an achievement. Added onto that is the fact that he has led this team to more wins this year (40) than last year (39). And that the Hornets are doing it in one of the toughest Western Conference’s in recent memory (I’m not ESPN, I won’t say in the history of the game. I know better). Paul has just been shredding people left in right..Nash, Kidd, Williams and others have all been outplayed by CP3. He’s emerged and is carrying the Hornets with him.
Kobe Bryant: He may not be THE best player on the planet right now, but he’s definitely 1b. There’s no denying how great Mamba is, ask Coup…but for some odd reason I don’t buy him as an MVP over those two. Especially considering the fact that those two are absolutely carrying their teams night-in and night-out. We all know that the Lakers would be devastated by the loss of Mamba, but riddle me this..who would fare worse: a Cleveland team without LeBron, a New Orleans team without Paul or a Laker team without Kobe. We all know the answer isn’t that Laker team. However Mamba does have a few things swinging his way. The Lakers are winning (percentage points behind the Spurs for best in the West) and he’s playing at a ridiculously high level injured. I’m not sure there are too many other people on earth who would keep playing on that injury let alone playing as well as he has. That being said, I can’t credit Kobe for all of the Lakers turn-around. For one Bynum and the bench emerged early and secondly they absolutely stole Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies. Think about it…it isn’t like Kobe is just putting up crazy, career numbers to carry the Lakers to this season. His supporting cast just got a lot better…that being said, Kobe is still great and if the Lakers keep winning it will be hard to argue against him.
Kevin Garnett: In the beginning of the year KG was the hands-down pick for MVP. He wasn’t putting up mind-blowing numbers, it was more the mindset that he brought to Boston. When they came out like gangbusters it was easy to tell why. He had completely energized them, brought his work ethic and competitveness and revamped the Celtics team himself. He even introduced them to a friend of his called defense. He is a big reason why the Celtics have the best record in the NBA at 46-12. So he has that working in his favor. Working against him…his injury. Not the fact that he got hurt but the fact that the Celtics didn’t completely fall apart without him. Usually when your MVP goes out you go down with them. Ask Golden State and Portland how much fun it was playing without Stephen Jackson and B-Roy. However the Celtics had the gall to go 7-2 which punctured some holes in that ‘KG for MVP’ argument. That being said, to DQ him would be wrong, after all he is the best player on the best team and is damn near averaging 20 and 10.
Dwight Howard: He’s officially put his stamp as being this generation’s Moses Malone. In 82-83, Moses averaged 24.5 points and 15.3 rebounds per game for the Sixers. Right now Dwight is averaging 21.7 points, 14.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. Those are BEASTLY numbers that people don’t even realize because they’re too busy picturing him in a Superman cape. He leads the league in rebounds, is 4th in blocks and 3rd in field goal percentage. Is he the reason for all of the Magic’s success? There is a major argument that no. One could credit their good road record, Hedo Turkoglu playing games like he’s in Turkey playing pickup and Rashard Lewis. But you can’t deny that Dwight is the centerpiece. Look at the numbers, now imagine that Magic team with Adonal Foyle or Tony Battie in the middle. I’ll wait for you to stop dry heaving.
……
Alright. Last but not least…you’d be silly if you thought he wasn’t getting on this list.
Tim Duncan: Come on now…Timmy is in the discussion pu
rely because he’s the best player on the best team in the Western Conference. Yes Boozer is having a better year statistically, but you and I both know who you’d pick between those two. The man is averaging almost 20 and 12 that cannot be ignored. A lot of people are showing Manu love but there is no way a guy whose only started 16 of his teams 53 games can get that kind of consideration. Especially when he wasn’t even an All-Star. What’s working against Duncan besides the five people ahead of him? The fact that the Spurs are viewed as a unit. They’ve shown they can find ways to win when their stars are hurt. He’s a darkhorse that’s for sure but his season can’t be ignored.
And that’s the MVP discussion. No more, no less, those are the guys in the race.