Make Your Case: Kobe Bryant

"Kobe Bryant is the best player on the planet"—LeBron James

If you don't know how good Kobe Bryant is, let me tell you. 

He is a three-time NBA champion, two-time scoring champ, 10-time All-star starter (two-time MVP), nine-time All-NBA, and seven-time All-Defense. 

But the 2008 MVP award is not about past accolades, and it's all about the 2008 season. 

If you were paying close attention then you may have noticed that in all those listed credentials of a Hall of Fame career in the making, there is no MVP award. And yes, it is a shame. 

But for all of the Kobe supporters out there, here is his case for this year's Most Valuable Player honors.

Before the start of every season, fans of the sport all subconsciously make predictions of where their team conference will turn out. 

Where would you have had the Lakers in the Western Conference playoff picture on October 29th (the eve of the 2007-08 season)?  Sixth? Seventh?  Out of the playoffs?  Probably as high as fifth.  

"I don't want to go anywhere, this is my team"—Kobe Bryant

Turmoil was the scene in L.A. before the start of this season.  It continued through October, despite a good start to the season for the Lakers. 

Many thought it would only be a matter of time before the Lakers fell apart, or Kobe was having a photo shoot in a Chicago Bulls 24 jersey. 

However, neither of those came to pass.  The only thing that came was an 18-10 record and the emergence of Andrew Bynum as a top center in the league. 

Bynum soon went down with an injury that still has him sidelined.  There is no way the Lakers could stay in the playoff race with such strength in the West is...right?

Wrong.

"He can score, he can defend, but he cannot make his teammates better."—ESPN 

Not that it was ever not Kobe's team, but Kobe began to take over games. 

However, he did it without scoring 30 or 40 points per night. 

Sure, there were those nights when Kobe exploded, but he seemed to lead the Lakers with his presence, not his jump shot. 

It came out that Kobe was asked by the Lakers to consider getting surgery on his injured finger, a surgery that would most likely sideline him until the playoffs...if there still were playoffs. 

Kobe pretended to consider during All-Star weekend, and then he decided to put his Lakers into the top seed in the wild wild West. 

"He's untouchable."—Phil Jackson

Many say that Pau Gasol is the reason the Lakers are on top. 

Many say that Kobe should not win the MVP because the Lakers have such a good team.

But the truth is, the Lakers would not be anywhere close to where they are now without Kobe. 

Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, and Lamar Odom are not a solid enough core to get through the West.  They are all nice players, but their numbers, intensity, and knowledge are all increased by having Kobe Bryant on the floor and in the locker room. 

Pau Gasol was a nice player in Memphis.  In fact, he was too nice.  Kobe has morphed Gasol into the same intense big man he morphed Andrew Bynum into in the offseason. 

Kobe Bryant has put up the numbers, put his team in the top spot in the toughest conference, and finally made his teammates better.  Recently ranked the second best shooting guard in the history of the game by ESPN.com, he is still without an MVP award.

"I would be honored to be your 2007-2008 MVP."—Kobe Bryant