Small Surprise for NBA MVP?
There are many candidates for Most Valuable Player (MVP) this year in the NBA. Right now Stephen A. Smith is saying Kobe Bryant and Bill Walton is saying Kevin Garnett for MVP. Others are saying LeBron James, but I think they are all wrong.
I have to admit these candidates' numbers are impressive, but my prediction for the MVP is a six foot, 175 pound point guard on the New Orleans Hornets a.k.a. Chris Paul(CP). CP is my pick for a few reasons. One reason is the numbers: 21 points, 11 assists and 2 steals a game. He may be small but this 22 year old is a BEAST! The second reason why Chris Paul should be MVP this year is that he has taken a team (almost single handedly) that didn’t make the playoffs last year and as of this posting (3/25/08) has them tied for first place in the West. That is nothing short of completely impressive.
People say that since Lebron is the best player in the NBA, he should be MVP. Well, he has amazing numbers (30 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists per game). However, one problem is that LeBron in the East. Put CP in the East he will put up 30 points 14 assists, and five rebounds guaranteed. The East in the NBA is like the National League in the MLB (not as good as the AL/West).
Then there are the Garnett fans who say KG turned a team with the worst record last year into a team with the best record this year. My response is three-fold. First, again is geographic--he too is in the East. Second, look at the extent of KG’s support staff: Ray Allen(18 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists); Paul Pierce( 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists); Raja Rondo (10 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists); and Kendrick Perkins (7 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist). Honestly, you if you can’t win MVP with that line-up you shouldn't even be talked about for MVP. Third, KG’s numbers aren’t that impressive. He is only averaging 18 points 9 rebounds and 3 assists per game in the eastern conference (East).
You also have the Lakers back in the spotlight with their MVP candidate, Kobe Bryant. Kobe (28 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) is a solid number two MVP candidate, behind Chris Paul. The reason Chris Paul is MVP and Kobe is runner-up is because of the comparatively weaker supporting staff behind Paul compared to the supporting staff of Kobe. Kobe has Pau Gasol who is averaging 18 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists (better numbers than KG) for the Lakers. Kobe also had Bynum early in the season who was looking Shaq-esque until the injury. Kobe also has Lamar Odom who averages 14, 10, and 3, plus Kobe has 2 key role players (Derek Fisher and Luke Walton). By contrast, who does CP have in his squad? David West, (19 points, 9 rebs, and 2 assists), a player that is breaking out this year, but isn’t always confident with his shot, Peja (16 points, 4 rebs, and 1 assist), a streaky shooter who is either on or way off, and two mediocre players at best in Tyson Chandler and Bonzi Wells. My second reason for ranking Kobe as the runner-up is that he brought a team to vie for first in the West from the number 8 slot last year. Chris Paul brought a team that is now tied for first from number 10 in the West last year.
My final reason why Chris Paul is the MVP this year is that CP leads a team that is tied for first at the age of 22. Kobe is doing the same at 29. When Kobe was 22, he wasn’t even mentioned as an MVP candidate.
For all these reasons, Chris Paul is my pick for the small surprise 2007-2008 NBA MVP...
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3 comments:
CP is impressive, but Kobe is the man. Lately the Lakers have lost a couple they should have won, so maybe he won't deserve it in the end, but nobody moves like Kobe when he is on fire.
Chris paul may be good, but I am going with Kobe too. First of all, you can't say Tyson Chandler is mediocre at best. He is averaging 12 pts 12 rbs. and 1 blk. How is that mediocre???? That is a double double a game! With that said, Paul has three impressive supporting players who are, David West, who is not an up and comer he averaged the same numbers last year, Peja, who always can shoot the ball, and Chandler who is one of the best centers in the league. Second of all, David West has better stats that Gasol this year! And Luke and Fisher are not good role players. Fish only makes shots on some nights, and Luke is terrible. HE can't make a shot! His FG% is 44%! Also, with Pau and Bynum and Ariza(a key role player who really helps with Perimeter Defense) down, the Lakers have still managed to win with Kobe leading the team each night. With all of the injuries, the Lakers have beat Dallas, Utah, and Golden State, three playoff contenders. Lastly, you can't give someone the MVP award because of their age. If they did it like that, you would have to give it to LeBron because he is only 1 year older than Chris Paul and he has much better stats. Kobe definately deserves MVP.
I'm going with the south. North Carolina will win it all!
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