The MVP Debate

By: David Lister

I’ve heard the NBA has an image problem . I’ve heard the Seattle SuperSonics, a team that won the 1979 NBA Championship and only three years ago won the Northwest Division with a 52-30 record, are on the verge of moving to Oklahoma City and their fans aren’t all that happy. I know one of the league’s premiere franchises, the New York Knicks, is an absolute mess.

I also know this has been the best NBA seasons in recent memory.

The trade deadline was fantastic . The Western Conference has shown us that, in fact, regular season NBA games do matter. And the Eastern Conference, which for years has been widely regarded as the inferior conference, is stacked with talent at the top. Even the All-Star game was great.

Does that justify writing a NBA MVP column on the first day of the NCAA tournament? Maybe not, but here I go anyway.

This is the perfect time to look at the MVP debate for a couple of reasons, even if this is the holiest of sports days (along with Super Bowl Sunday, the first two days of March Madness should, without a doubt, be national holidays). We’re deep enough into the season to have a good idea of what each player has to offer, as well as some idea of where their team will finish. Besides, you’re too busy watching the tournament to read an article about it.

So, without further ado, let’s look at the top contenders for the NBA’s top individual prize.

6. Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns

Ever since Shawn Marion left town, Amare Stoudemire has been incredible. While he was very good as a center, he’s clearly more comfortable at the power forward position. In addition to doing what everyone expects of him - averaging 24.4 points and 9.2 rebounds a game - he’s also averaging a career-high 2.2 blocks per game.

So Stoudemire shouldn’t be blamed for wondering aloud why he hasn’t been getting more MVP love. But he should know it’s because unlike other contenders for the award, he’s a complete and total liability on the defensive side of the ball. Don’t let the blocks fool you, he is a below-average defender who simply can’t guard the Tim Duncan’s and Carlos Boozer’s of the NBA. It’s not all that bad, few players can guard those guys, but until Amare can he is not an MVP.

5. Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets

By now you’ve probably heard the Rockets won 22 games in a row earlier this year. Only one team has ever had a longer streak, so it was a pretty impressive even without mentioning that Yao Ming suffered a season-ending injury midway through that stretch.

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, Tracy McGrady is only a MVP candidate because of the streak. He’s no longer a truly elite NBA player and the Rockets aren’t as good as the streak suggests. When Houston fails to get out of the first round of the playoffs once again, no one will feel bad about T-Mac not winning the MVP.

4. Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics

I know why Garnett won’t win the MVP. He’s only averaging 18.8 points and 9.4 rebounds a game (not to mention 3.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks), so his numbers don’t stand up to the others. He also plays with two other superstars, so he won’t get – and doesn’t deserve – sole credit for the Celtics fantastic season.

Having said that, with all apologies to Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, KG is the main reason the Celtics have the top record in the league. He’s why they are the top defensive team in the league and one of the league’s top leaders. Still, even with that impressive resume, he’s missed time due an abdominal injury and his stats don’t compare with others.

3. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

We already take James for granted. Last night in leading his Cavs to a victory over the Detroit Pistons he scored 30 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 6 assists and no one made a big deal out of it. We expect the 23-year-old to do that night in and night out.

And while Kobe may finally have a challenger for best NBA player, LeBron isn’t yet ready to be the MVP. Yes, the Cavaliers would be worthless without him, but even with him they are nothing more than a four seed in the East. Anyway, as long as it’s acceptable to take for granted a guy who averages 30.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.4 assists a game, I’d be remiss not to do so.

2. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bryant is unquestionably the best player in the league, and has been for some time now. Unfortunately for Kobe, the award is given to the most valuable player, not the best. His numbers are fantastic once again – 28.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5.3 apg and 2 steals a game. Also, for the first time since Shaq left town, the Lakers are among the league’s elite teams.

In fact, there’s really nothing negative to say about Kobe’s campaign for MVP. While Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol are All-Star players, neither is a star. The rest of the team is made up of role players and youngsters.

Remember during the All-Star break when everyone was worried about Kobe’s finger? The argument wasn’t whether the Lakers could hold on to their top spot in the Western Conference if he missed time, it was if they would make the playoffs at all. There’s no question Kobe has been infinitely valuable, he just not the most valuable…

1. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets

Anyone who would argue against Chris Paul being the MVP simply hasn’t seen him play. Last year the Hornets won 39 games with essentially the same team. This year, they are fighting for the best record in the Western Conference – and it’s not because of Tyson Chandler.

He’s 15th in the NBA in points at 21.6 per game. He’s tied for the league lead in assists with Steve Nash at 11.3 per game, and has 14 games with 15 or more assists (including a 21-assist effort earlier this year against Kobe and the Lakers). He leads the league steals by miles at 2.72 per game. Simply put, he’s always the best player on the floor.

If that’s not enough for you, there’s this. Tyson Chandler never averaged more than 9.2 ppg in a season before playing coming to New Orleans. This year he’s averaging 11.6 ppg. David West spent his first two years in the NBA on the bench, until Paul joined him in New Orleans. Since then, his scoring averages have been 17.1, 18.3 and 19.8. Chris Paul does what Michael Jordan did for the Bulls for so many years, he makes everyone he plays with better.

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David Lister is the web editor for the National Sports Review. You can reach him at chicagosportsreview@gmail.com. Go Cards.

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