Kobe Bryant: Lakers Star Proves He Is Legitimate MVP Candidate
Kobe Bryant put on a vintage display of his scoring prowess last night against the Phoenix Suns and proved he is still one of the best players in the NBA.
No. 24 dropped 48 points in 39 minutes to go along with his five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
More impressively? He did not make use of the three-pointer, going 0-3 from beyond the arc.
That offensive explosion cemented his status as a leading MVP candidate for the 2011-12 campaign and he just may end up capturing the award for the first time since 2008 (the second time in his illustrious career).
Bryant has consistently been on the radar for the award since that season, finishing fourth last year, third before that and second the year after he won it.
If he continues the pace he is on, there is no reason to think he won’t capture the honor once more.
Kobe is averaging 29.5 points, 5.8 assists and 5.7 rebounds so far, which is comparable to the 28.3 points, 5.4 assists and 6.3 rebounds he put up with a Los Angeles Lakers team that finished first place in the Western Conference team that year with 57 wins.
The superstar shooting guard has his squad at 7-4 right now, with a roster that has limited additional talent outside of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. They also have a new coach in Mike Brown after Hall of Famer Phil Jackson called it quits in the offseason.
If the franchise continues on their current pace, they will finish at a respectable 42-24, which equates to a .636 winning percentage, mere percentage points below the .695 the 07-08 Lakers ended up at.
Don’t discount the notion that the sportswriters who vote are very aware of the circumstances surrounding Kobe’s team and the fact that he has been taking painkilling injections before every game for an injured wrist.
Should Kobe finish with the highest scoring average in the league (he is only .2 per game behind LeBron James right now) and lead his team to one of the top records in the West, there is no doubting that he will be a favorite to be acknowledged as the best player of the regular season.
He’s had a phenomenal run in the league, so a second MVP award at this juncture would be well deserved and a fitting way for him to begin fading into the twilight of his career.
