Emeka Okafor 2007-2008 NBA MVP?

With the 2007-2008 NBA season winding down, the MVP is going to go to either Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, or Lebron James. Anybody else, and the MVP system would be corrupt.

But what about the other players?

Other NBA players can still accumulate some points in the MVP race also.  

“A panel of 127 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada vote[s] for this prestigious award. Players [are] awarded 10 points for each first-place vote, seven points for each second-place vote, five for third, three for fourth and one for each fifth-place vote received.” – NBA.com

All there needs to be is one corrupt voter to make one random NBA player feel like part of the MVP race. Just look at the players who received MVP votes for the 2004-2005 NBA season.

2004-05 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD VOTING RESULTS

http://www.nba.com/news/nash_mvp_050508.html

Player, Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	Pts
Steve Nash, Phoenix	65	54	7	1	0	1066
Shaquille O'Neal, Miami	58	61	3	3	1	1032
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas	0	4	43	30	16	349
Tim Duncan, San Antonio	1	0	40	33	19	328
Allen Iverson, Philadelphia	2	4	20	23	23	240
LeBron James, Cleveland	0	0	7	11	25	93
Tracy McGrady, Houston	0	1	1	8	8	44
Dwyane Wade, Miami	0	2	2	1	16	43
Ray Allen, Seattle	0	0	2	8	7	41
Amaré Stoudemire, Phoenix	1	1	1	5	4	41
Kevin Garnett, Minnesota	0	0	1	2	4	15
Gilbert Arenas, Washington	0	0	0	1	1	4
Vince Carter, New Jersey	0	0	0	1	0	3
Marcus Camby, Denver	0	0	0	0	1	1
P.J. Brown, New Orleans	0	0	0	0	1	1
Shawn Marion, Phoenix	0	0	0	0	1	1

Everyone on that list probably deserved some consideration. That is until you look at the bottom of the list and notice P.J. Brown.

I was curious to what Brown did that year. He did play all 82 games that year and averaged 10.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.

Maybe the voter who gave him the MVP vote thought 82 games is worth giving a MVP for because it is rare these days for a “superstar” like Brown to play all 82 games (somewhere out there, Chris Gatling is thinking why he didn’t get a MVP vote in 1999-2000 when he played 85 games).

I am not saying Brown is horrible at basketball, I actually believe he is one of the greatest role players ever in the NBA. But getting an MVP vote when you lead your team to 18 victories is ludicrous.

Stephon Marbury played all 82 games and won 33 games that year while averaging 21 points and eight assists per game, but he didn’t receive an MVP vote that year.

Can you imagine a sports writer trying to convince fans that Marbury should have received the MVP?

That one vote maybe would have gone to, I don’t know, maybe Kobe Bryant, Elton Brand, Steve Francis, Carmelo Anthony, or Lebron James, just to name a few.

So for the 2007-2008 NBA MVP voting committee, I want you to strongly consider one player for MVP.

Emeka Okafor of the Charlotte Bobcats.

With five more games to go in the season, Okafor has yet to miss a game, let alone miss a start.

He is averaging 13.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. All those statistics are higher than Mr. Brown’s.

Also, he has led his team to 29 victories! Without Okafor, I am sure the Bobcats would have lost more games and won less. He is the glue guy of the Bobcats and he deserves at least one MVP vote!