With all the hype going on about Kobe Bryant, the Lakers, and the season they are having, I'm sure Kobe is going to win his first MVP award.
But, he doesn't deserve it.
Well, let me check that, he does deserve it, but there's someone else who deserves it more.
That someone else goes by the name of Chris Paul. The 6-foot tall point guard from the New Orleans Hornets. The best player in basketball right now.
Anybody who disagrees with that comment hasn't watched him play.
Nobody can guard him. He is too quick with the ball. He is one of the fastest men in the NBA and one of the fastest with the ball in his hands. He makes great decisions and precise passes, shoots the ball well, makes his teammates better, runs the offense, improvises when needed, and does everything else asked of him.
All the media is talking about what Kobe has done for the Lakers and how he has turned them into winners. But Andrew Bynum stepping up early in the year and Pau Gasol being "traded" to the Lakers has turned the Lakers into winners. Chris Paul has made the Hornets winners all by himself.
When Bynum started stepping up everyone started saying how Kobe Bryant made him a good player. If Kobe made Bynum a good player, why wasn't playing this way last season? Or the year before that?
It isn't Kobe Bryant lashing out on him that made Bynum a better player. It's his third season in the league and he has started to understand how to play.
I didn't hear anything about Kobe working with him during the offseason, trying to help him learn the triangle offense. I didn't hear about late-night phone conversations with Kobe boosting his confidence. I heard about how Kobe hated playing with him and wanted out.
Please, let's get it right about what Kobe Bryant is. He is an outstanding basketball player—one of the best ever to play this game—but he is not the reason for the Lakers turnaround. That distinction goes to Bynum and Gasol.
There is no doubt that the Lakers wouldn't be where they are without Kobe, but the same can be said for Bynum and Gasol. If those two hadn't been on the team this season, the Lakers would be a No. 6 seed at best.
Chris Paul is a leader. He is the reason the Hornets are what they are. The man turned David West into a star. He turned Tyson Chandler into a force. He turned Peja Stojakovic into the threat he used to be.
He is the driving force that has turned the Hornets into a winning basketball team. A team that nobody wants to play. A team that can win on any given night because of what Chris Paul can do with the basketball.
Everyone talks about the year the Lakers are having, but how about the Hornets? They sit on top of the heavyweight Western Conference, one game ahead of Kobe's Lakers. This is the same team that won 39 games last year and finished 10th in the Western Conference. The reason they only won 39 games last year had to do mostly with Chris Paul being injured at the end of the season.
How valuable does he appear now?
If you are a fan of stats and base your decision on them (which a lot of voters do), well then how can you not pick Chris Paul? I will throw the line at you.
21.6 points/game (tied 15th), 3.9 rebounds/game (8th among guards), 11.4 assists/game (League leader), 2.7 steals/game (League leader), 49.4% FG% (4th among guards), 85.5% FT% (17th), and even shoots 37% from beyond the arc (57th—respectable)
Who has had a season like that?
The man has had 15 games this season where he had 15+ assists. He has had 45 double-doubles so far. He has had eight games with five-plus steals.
Not to mention that he has been a man possessed the last 15 games, averaging 24.5 points, 13.6 assists, 2.9 steals, shooting 54 percent from the field, knocking down 48 percent of his threes, and only 2.4 turnovers a game. Not to mention he has lead his team to a 12-3 record, beating the likes of Phoenix, Utah, San Antonio, the Lakers, Houston, Boston, and Cleveland last night on a beautiful drive-and-dish from Chris Paul to David West, who hit the game-winner with less than a second remaining.
I want to reiterate that the MVP award has something to do with statistics and something to do with how valuable a player is to his team.
Nobody is more valuable to his team than Chris Paul is to his New Orleans Hornets. Not LeBron James (who should be a close second in MVP voting, based on his 31-8-7 averages, alone). Not Tim Duncan. Not Steve Nash. And not Kobe Bryant.
I know Kobe is going to win the award this year because he is out in Los Angeles in one of the biggest media-centered areas. If Chris Paul were playing in LA or New York, or even Chicago, he would be getting much more attention, which is saying something.
Kobe winning the award is akin to the saying, "He's getting that call because he's (fill in name—Kobe, LeBron, Duncan, etc)." I won't get started on that crap because that's a whole other article! The media already chose their MVP early in the season when all the hype was swirling around the Lakers and their return to the top of the Western Conference elite.
It's a shame that Chris Paul isn't getting a fair shot. He deserves the MVP award this season.
Comments (20) Add a comment »
from about 1 month ago
Well, thanks to another kobe hating article ! I was interested and probably agreeing with you all the way until you screwed up and named lebron second . Lebron is a tremendous player but he is having the same season kobe had three years in a row ! Actually kobe's stats were better but still he is the life of their team . To write an article starting of with sympathy of paul's chances and then dissing kobe is a political way of breaking of views and votes fans have to reconsider lebron. If kobe won that award two years ago when he lit the league on fire then lebron should win it NOW cause he is on fire. Other than that sympathise with paul and then leave everyone else out so you atleast come across descent and honest . Have a good day ! Think about what I said and start all over ,I will listen next time!
AA
from about 1 month ago
Well, you seemed to listen just fine, thanks. I'm not a Kobe hater. Well, maybe a little, but I still respect talent when I see it. And, by the way I see how the MVP voting should be voted on, Chris Paul and LeBron James are both more VALUABLE to their teams than Kobe Bryant is. Chris Paul and LeBron are doing what they're doing with minimal help, whereas Kobe has talent around him. Yes, Kobe MIGHT be a better player than the both of them, but it's not the Most Talented Player award, it's the Most Valuable Player award. If they give it to Kobe, they might as well change the name of the award, because it never seems to go to the Most Valuable Player, just the "best" player that season. They should do what college does for the tournament, and name a Most Outstanding Player of the season from now on.
from about 1 month ago
There you go , Currently they are more valuable to their teams but dont you think kobe was valuble taking a second tier team to the payoffs last couple of years ? I am just stating the facts that media cannot vote one way for the last few years and suddenly decide that stats matter. I agree with you that they should come out with some kind of definition for this award so that we dont have to rely on personal grudges of writers and experts . I do believe Chris paul and Lebron are doing a better job with their respective teams but back to the same observation that you can't change up how you have been giving this award for the last few years just for the sake of hating on Kobe. Chris paul and Kobe should be neck and neck in this race because of their wins , Lebron should be the distant third by the standards the award has been given out the last couple of years !
from about 1 month ago
the reason why bynum wasn't good was cuz he didn't put in the effort to work. he was infamous for having very poor discipline. if you don't have discipline, no matter how someone tries to help you, you can't improve. this summer bynum finally had the motivation to work after bryant's rant. i don't approve of what bryant said, but it turned out to be just what bynum needed for that extra push. once bynum had the motivation, he had the necessary foundation for kobe to help him out on the court.
and how can you say that it's pau and bynum who turned the team around, while saying that it was all chris paul who improved any of the players around him? pau is good, but he never could lead memphis in the east to any significant accomplishment. and do you think bynum could be putting up the numbers he is this season without kobe? it's all kobe feeding and finding bynum when the defense collapses on kobe. i'm not saying only kobe does this, but i'm saying this so that you realize it's not only chris paul who does this. peja was always a threat, tyson was always a decent contributor, and west was also always a decent contributor despite the fact that his game does elevate with chris paul helping him. without kobe, bynum and pau and the rest of the lakers wouldn't even be in the playoffs, and the same could be said about the hornets.
next, chris paul definitely does have great stats, but how is it even logical to use that as a measure of superiority over kobe? chris paul is a point guard so it's natural for him to have those; i'm not taking anything away from him by saying that, even for a point guard those are one of the best any point guard can do. but if i wanted to i can name all the stats kobe can do that paul can't do, but that wouldn't be fair or logical.
also, how does it even show chris is more valuable than kobe that they won 39 games last year? the lakers won 42, only 3 more games. chris paul had injuries that year, but pretty much half the lakers were also out for huge chunks of the season due to injuries.
lastly, you can't use the argument that kobe is in los angeles that he'll win the award. if that's true, he would have won 10 mvps by now already. the fact is that, despite the fact that kobe lives in a media-centered area he gets more hater treatment than not. if you say that they'll give him the mvp this year "jus cuz he's kobe", i can say right back at you that they haven't given him the mvp "just cuz he's kobe".
i'm not endorsing kobe here, but i'm trying to point out the limitedness of your argument for chris.
from about 1 month ago
Well Scott If what your saying holds water than that means that Kobe should have won MVP two years in a row for last season and the season before because he had absolutely no help in those two season and was still able to get the lakers to the playoffs. So now he has some good help and has turned the lakers into the best team in the west. Because even now there still staying at the top 3 of the west even without Bynum or Gasol.
from about 1 month ago
Lebron definitely doesn't have minimal help. He has had one of the best front courts in the nba for the last few seasons, players who play good defense, sharp shooters in gibson and wally, and an anchor in ben (although he is in the decline now). If it's anybody who doesn't make his team mates better, it's Lebron who hogs the ball all the time. And even if Lebron did have slightly less help than Kobe or Paul, he's playing in the embarrassment of the league, the eastern conference. If Kobe or Paul were on the Cavs, they would win much more than the Cavs are winning now with Lebron. Lebron's doing nothing new this season, we all saw Kobe do it before. Everyone's so in awe cuz it's "King" James, but it's all been-there-done-that for Kobe and no one notices. The race should come down to Kobe and Paul, while Lebron is not even in the discussion
from about 1 month ago
Chris Paul is 22 years old. 3 year playing in the NBA on a team that has had very little media attention. The Hornets are the most all-around team in the NBA and are my pick to win the title.
Yes, I am a firm believer that the MVP should go to the best player on the best team. In this case it would be CP3. CP3 is amazing, and by far the best point guard in the game right now, and will go down as the best point guard in NBA history if he continues this.
Chandler averages 12 rebounds a game. Peja is shooting over 46% from downtown. David West is a 20-10 a night baller. Bonzi Wells, MoPete, and Jannero Pargo also provide solid contributions. The Hornets are way to good to name Chris Paul the NBA MVP. Without Paul, this team would still be playoff caliber. Without Kobe the Lakers would be struggling to make the playoffs.
CP3- NBA FINALS MVP
from about 1 month ago
If the Lakers don't have Pau and Gasol in the playoffs, I think the Hornets will be in the finals. Other than that, the Lakers should be in the finals against the Celts
from about 1 month ago
People who state Kobe's supporting cast is easily superior oviously havent seen an NBA game this year. Yes when the lakers are all healthy they are probably the deepest squad in the NBA but this year they have not been healthy. Before you say that Bryant has way more help than Paul dont forget that gasol and bynum have not played together yet. So lets look at from a purely technical standpoint with bryant and paul cancelling each other night.
Paul >>> Fisher
Bryant >>> Peterson
Peja >> Radmanovich
West > Odom
Gasol > Chandler
Farmar > Pargo
Vujacic = James
Wells >> Walton
from about 1 month ago
seriously, people always like to say kobe's team is better than anyone else's. up until this year, people said lebron had a worse team than kobe, which is not even close to being true. and this year with the improved lakers, people say cp3 has a worse team than the lakers, which is completely false. people will always make up reasons to not give it to kobe
from about 1 month ago
LeBron has always had a worse team then Kobe. For a post earlier, you mention Wally as a sharpshooter, but he has not been that in Cleveland even with all the open looks LeBron gives him. And how can you call LeBron a ball hog! He has over 7 assists a game. He shoots the ball a lot because his teammates can't create their own shot. he has to do it for them. He makes everyone better. People say that he has Z who was an all-star and a great froncourt. The frontcourt is good at scoring. At the defensive end, they are not that great because Z is very slow on D and Ben has not been playing as well as he could. Andy has been focusing more on offense and he has lost some of his defensive edge. I also must point out about the Z being an all-star thing, Z was never an all-star before LeBron got there. The frontcourt is good at rebounding and scoring. You also have to remember, some of the reason the frontcourts numbers are so good is because LeBron's number's are in those frontcourt numbers. I admit the team has got better, but it's still nothing compared to the other MVP candidates.
from about 1 month ago
But just for the record, I like Kobe and I like that he is finally getting some help. I just think LeBron should win the MVP.
from about 1 month ago
lebron finally has the worse team than kobe this year. but for the last 4 years, kobe's team doesn't even compare to what lebron had. consider that half the lakers were under some injury and most starters never got to play simultaneously, and look at who were starteres: smush? kwame? they can't even get bench time on the worst teams in the nba, while kobe made them look better than they really are while on the lakers.
having 7 assists doesn't exclude you from being a ballhog.
and this shows you're a biased lebron fan: z was an all star before lebron came and he was also an all star after lebron came. you can't go making up facts just to make lebron look better than he really is.
and i wonder why wally's doing worse than he was doing before coming to the cavs?
lebron's on of the top 4 or 5 players in the league, but among the elite class of players in the nba, he's over rated.
from about 1 month ago
the lakers were one of the youngest teams for the last few seasons too, players who had no experience trying to learn one of the more complicated coaching principles in phil's triangle offense.
from about 1 month ago
i wonder what will happen to the Hornets if Tyson Chandler is injured.
from about 1 month ago
first off pardon my typing. I am on vacation and this keyboard is from 1980 at best.
Paul has made his teammates better this year. Much more so than any other player on any other team,
Peja (one of the all time great 3 point shooters) is having his best year EVER from beyond the arc. Most likely because he is WIDE OPEN when paul dishes to him.
Tyson is 2nd in the league in fg%. "Paul lobs to chandler....AND AGAIN CHANDLER DUNKS IT HOME!"
Dwest is having his best season ever as well. Whedoes he give credit to? CP3
Wow...Kobe shoots a worst % from everywhere, has less assists, less steals, and his teams has a worse record. a marginal advantage in boards hardly makes upfor that. If Paul shot the ball as often as kobe does he´d have more points too! Lakers fans are so dumb it makes my head hurt. Open your eyes to reality.
from about 1 month ago
damn you're an idiot right above me.
"Peja (one of the all time great 3 point shooters) is having his best year EVER from beyond the arc. Most likely because he is WIDE OPEN when paul dishes to him."
vujacic, radmanovic, farmar and fisher are also having career years in shooting because they're open when kobe dishes to them.
"Tyson is 2nd in the league in fg%. "Paul lobs to chandler....AND AGAIN CHANDLER DUNKS IT HOME!""
bynum has his stats because kobe gives him lobs too (and before bynum went out, he was leading the league in fg%). pau, even though he's better than bynum right now, also has a much easier time playing with kobe and more efficiently gets the ball in with kobe feeding him the ball.
"Dwest is having his best season ever as well. Whedoes he give credit to? CP3"
Minus the injuries, almost everyone on the lakers are having their best or really good seasons? and who do they credit? both kobe's motivation and discipline during practice, and him finding guys in the triangle offense.
Wow, cp3 can't even make half the type of shots kobe makes, would have more assists if he were a true point guard and not playing the triangle offense, has a negligible difference in steals, and the team record is essentially the SAME (damn, you make it sound like the lakers are 10 games behind. every top 5 team in the west right now are practically even). if paul tried to attempt the type of shots kobe regularly makes, he would never make them, hence wouldn't even have a good fg% or a high scoring average. kobe can create any shot from anywhere on the court.
i love cp3, but you're so dumb that my head hurts. you have some learning to do about real basketball. open your eyes to some basketball knowledge.
from about 1 month ago
it's retarded how so many people make out cp3's team situation as being worse than kobe's, and how much more of a turnaround from last year the hornets have been than the lakers.
it's pretty much the SAME for both cases people! neither team had any expectations from last season! (i give a slight advantage to kobe's team mates though when everyone's healthy, but the difference isn't considerably huge)
from about 1 month ago
This is directed at the guy 3 posts above me. Seriously does everyone forget that Kobe is playing with a TORN UP FINGER on his SHOOOTING HAND. Seriously if any of you bloody armchair fans have ever played the roundball game then you'll appreciate how hard it is to shoot with an injured finger. Having had a similar injury (but far less serious) myself i can safely state that shooting percentage will drop considerably as your shooting will feel unatural and the rotation put on the ball will also be affected, so the fact that Kobe is still shooting a decent clip while being constantly doubled really says something.
As for the assists numbers, have a damn look at the structure of the lakers offense and maybe you'll appreciate the fact that 5ish assists in the triangle are equal to around 7-8 assists in another offense. Of course CP3 deserves his props because even in the triangle he would get more assists than Kobe because he is a better passer, all im trying to say is that Bryant isn't as far behind as most people put him, as for Lebron Bryant is on par if not better than him in this department.
In agreement with the guy posting earlier people seem to forget that KObe does make players around him better, itns of no coincidence that nearly everyone is having a career year in some respect as a result of playing with Kobe.
The steals comment makes me laugh, i mean who can disagree that Kobe is one of the best if not the best perimeter defender in the league atm. I'm very sure that every single coach would take kobe on the defensive end over cp3 or any other guard for that matter based on this and past seasons. He is a lockdown defender period.
from about 1 month ago
Kobe fears LeBron.
LeBron owns Kobe.
Kobe won't surpass MJ but LeBron has now surpassed Kobe.
KOBE BRYANT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DERON WILLIAMS IS BETTER THAN CHRIS PAUL.
Kobe fears LeBron.
LeBron owns Kobe.
Kobe won't surpass MJ but LeBron has now surpassed Kobe.
KOBE BRYANT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DERON WILLIAMS IS BETTER THAN CHRIS PAUL.
Kobe fears LeBron.
LeBron owns Kobe.
Kobe won't surpass MJ but LeBron has now surpassed Kobe.
KOBE BRYANT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DERON WILLIAMS IS BETTER THAN CHRIS PAUL.
Kobe fears LeBron.
LeBron owns Kobe.
Kobe won't surpass MJ but LeBron has now surpassed Kobe.
KOBE BRYANT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DERON WILLIAMS IS BETTER THAN CHRIS PAUL.
Kobe fears LeBron.
LeBron owns Kobe.
Kobe won't surpass MJ but LeBron has now surpassed Kobe.
KOBE BRYANT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DERON WILLIAMS IS BETTER THAN CHRIS PAUL.
Kobe fears LeBron.
LeBron owns Kobe.
Kobe won't surpass MJ but LeBron has now surpassed Kobe.
KOBE BRYANT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DERON WILLIAMS IS BETTER THAN CHRIS PAUL.
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