CP3-MVP: Chris Paul Worthy of Accolades

Other candidates for the MVP are Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and with a very slim shot at it, Dwight Howard.  Howard is not going to win it, but is worth mentioning with his great play in the post this season.  Lebron James has crazy good stats for the year, but his team is currently 40-32, so in my mind he won't get any consideration for that reason along with one other.  Lebron is only 23 years of age, so the voters will figure he will get another shot at it down the road. 

The only other player I believe that has a real shot at winning the MVP for this season is Kobe Bryant.  In his 11 year career, Kobe has (surprisingly) never won an MVP award.  That certainly works in Kobe's favor, as does his usual outstanding season.  Averaging 30+ points, Kobe has had to carry a heavier load due to injuries to Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.  My only objection is this...  Kobe always puts up great numbers and has great seasons, but since Pau Gasol is there that means Kobe should get the award now?  That is the only difference between now and when Kobe was a great player before.  He has more help than before.  Does that mean he should win the MVP?  I just don't think so.  The fact that Kobe has not won an MVP award yet in his career makes him a stronger consideration for it this year, maybe even a frontrunner,  which is a sad thought because there are players who are going to get overlooked for their seasons just because of Kobe's MVP status, or should I say, lack there of.

The MVP voting has never made sense to me, mainly because there is no consistent model in which the voting for the award is based.  Most Valuable Player to me means the player who means the most to his team, and without that player the team is significantly affected for the worse.  A player that greatly improves the production and effectiveness of his teammates and works within the framework of winning basketball is the guy I want to win MVP.  To me, what Chris Paul has done as the leader of the New Orleans Hornets is truly remarkable.  For that team to make a jump that big and that fast, you got to look at the trigger of such a turnaround.  For the Celtics, who have had an incredible turnaround themsleves, it is KG, but not just KG.  Ray Allen, Eddie House, James Posey, Sam Cassell, Tom Thibodeau, and Glen Davis are all new players and/or coaches on that Celtics team that have contributed to the Celtics winning cause.  For the Hornets, it's Chris Paul, and Chris Paul only.  His maturity as a player from last year to this year is the difference between a team that didn't make the playoffs a year ago, to a team that is at the top of one of the most competitive conference races in the history of the NBA.  So with all that said, my final judgement: CP3-MVP.

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