Author: Henry Meier
In a year that has seen blockbuster trades, the rise and fall of traditional powers and a conference that has all eight of its playoff teams winning at least 50 games, it is fitting that the debate about who should be the MVP of the NBA is just as spirited. Depending on who you ask, there seem to be five or six candidates that have reared their heads at one point or another during the season. Some have fallen by the wayside due to injuries or because their teams are less competitive than those of other candidates, but even this late in the season there still appears to be at least four players-Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James and Chris Paul-who have a legit shot at taking home some individual hardware. Determining which of these four really is the MVP requires some serious soul and stat searching.
LeBron James has put up freakish numbers all season. He clinched the scoring title, even while sitting out the last game of the year. He also became the third player in the history of the NBA to average at least 30 points, seven rebounds per game (RPG) and seven assists per game (APG) in a season (Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson being the other two). He has carried the Cleveland Cavs on his back-a team that has been nearly consumed by holdouts, injuries and questionable mid-season trades-guiding them to a fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. In any other year, he might be an easy lock-in for MVP, but unfortunately for Bron Bron, this is very likely the most competitive MVP race the NBA has seen in years. Unless there is some sort of miracle, I don’t see King James taking home the crown this year.
In similar fashion to James, Chris Paul has also been putting up ridiculous stat lines all season. This third-year point guard out of Wake Forest is averaging 21.1 points per game (PPG), along with league leading numbers in both assists (11.6) and steals (2.7 SPG). His New Orleans Hornets find themselves in second place in the brutal Western Conference after winning 56 games-up from 39 just a year ago. Paul is the undisputed leader of his team and is quickly becoming the heir apparent to the title of “league’s best point guard.” If he had been able to guide his team to that first seed in the West, the crown almost certainly would have been his, but after faltering during the homestretch, he may finish just out of the running in the MVP race as well.
In stark contrast to James and Paul, Kevin Garnett’s statistical output has been somewhat diminished in his first year in Boston. Don’t let the numbers fool you, though-Garnett is the emotional and defensive foundation for the Celtics, a team that won an NBA best of 65 regular season games. Also, while the improvement of Paul’s Hornets has been impressive, the Celtics’ turnaround from last year was the best in NBA history. After a 2006-07 campaign that saw the team finish 24-58, the acquisition of Garnett (and, to a lesser degree, Ray Allen) set them to win a ludicrous 41 more games than they did the previous year. This improvement alone puts Garnett near the forefront of the MVP debate. However, the fact that he is teammates with two other prodigious talents-Paul Pierce and Ray Allen-has hurt his candidacy in the eyes of some.
The last member of the MVP race is Kobe Bryant, who has-for several years-been recognized as the most skilled player in the league, but for one reason or another has never actually taken home the award. This year, however, he has managed to blend that individual skill with a “team first” attitude that helped the Los Angeles Lakers win the insanely competitive Western Conference. In addition, he still put up ridiculous stats, scoring 28.3 PPG (2nd in the NBA), dishing out 5.4 APG and pulling down 6.3 RPG. He also routinely defends the best perimeter player on the opposing team. If this isn’t enough, he is the most feared individual player in the league-especially during the waning minutes of the game. Time and time again, he carries his team when it matters most.
In my opinion, this combination of a new “team first” attitude, unbelievable offensive talent, defensive prowess and the mentality of an assassin in the closing minutes of the game should vault Bryant above the rest of the players in the MVP race.
Henry Meier is a senior Philosophy major. He can be reached at hmeier@oxy.edu.
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