Spring Break
Paul, Not Bryant Deserves MVP
NBA
Joe Colombo
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: Sports
This is why you can make the same case for Paul right now, or even LeBron James. Without James, the Cleveland Cavaliers are maybe a 25-win team. With him, they won 45 games and are the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. James averaged 30 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists - nearly Oscar Robertson-like numbers.
Paul led the New Orleans Hornets to a No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and 56 wins. They were considered a lottery-bound team before the season began. His averages of 21.1 points, 11.6 assists and 4 rebounds were the best of any point guard in the league.
One thing that's important to examine when trying to select an MVP winner is how that candidate's team's offense flows. Obviously, the Lakers focus their offense around Bryant. But who has the ball when he doesn't? Is it Jordan Farmar or Derek Fisher bringing the ball up the floor? Bryant isn't starting the offensive set all the time. Does Bryant create baskets though for other players? This is where he differs from James and Paul. Bryant isn't a point guard, yet Paul and James are known to bring the ball up the floor at times, if not always.
When you watch Paul or James play, we see that they are scoring or creating much more than Bryant. And this is something so valuable to their offensive schemes. If you replaced Bryant with an average shooting guard, the Lakers are still going to score points, especially with Gasol on the floor. But if you replace Paul or James with just an average point guard (or in James' case, an average point guard, shooting guard, or small forward), it's a guarantee their offenses wouldn't be as productive. This is a huge factor to consider, and through that we can see that both Paul and James are more valuable to their teams than Bryant is to the Lakers.
This season, the NBA is going to look at what Bryant has done in his career. And when they see that Bryant doesn't have that MVP trophy in his case, they are going to make sure one will be there before he puts his career on the shelf. That is why Bryant will be able to add the trophy to his case come next month.
Paul is going to have to wait his turn. He isn't quite Bryant "great" yet, but he's going to be as great as Frosted Flakes. You can bet the house on that.
Joe Colombo's NBA
column runs every Thursday.
He can be contacted at
Jospeh.Colombo@UConn.edu.
Paul led the New Orleans Hornets to a No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and 56 wins. They were considered a lottery-bound team before the season began. His averages of 21.1 points, 11.6 assists and 4 rebounds were the best of any point guard in the league.
One thing that's important to examine when trying to select an MVP winner is how that candidate's team's offense flows. Obviously, the Lakers focus their offense around Bryant. But who has the ball when he doesn't? Is it Jordan Farmar or Derek Fisher bringing the ball up the floor? Bryant isn't starting the offensive set all the time. Does Bryant create baskets though for other players? This is where he differs from James and Paul. Bryant isn't a point guard, yet Paul and James are known to bring the ball up the floor at times, if not always.
When you watch Paul or James play, we see that they are scoring or creating much more than Bryant. And this is something so valuable to their offensive schemes. If you replaced Bryant with an average shooting guard, the Lakers are still going to score points, especially with Gasol on the floor. But if you replace Paul or James with just an average point guard (or in James' case, an average point guard, shooting guard, or small forward), it's a guarantee their offenses wouldn't be as productive. This is a huge factor to consider, and through that we can see that both Paul and James are more valuable to their teams than Bryant is to the Lakers.
This season, the NBA is going to look at what Bryant has done in his career. And when they see that Bryant doesn't have that MVP trophy in his case, they are going to make sure one will be there before he puts his career on the shelf. That is why Bryant will be able to add the trophy to his case come next month.
Paul is going to have to wait his turn. He isn't quite Bryant "great" yet, but he's going to be as great as Frosted Flakes. You can bet the house on that.
Joe Colombo's NBA
column runs every Thursday.
He can be contacted at
Jospeh.Colombo@UConn.edu.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 18
Bro
posted 4/24/08 @ 11:34 AM EST
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRReat Beers beers beers whos drinkin beers? Im drinking beers
dude
posted 4/24/08 @ 12:51 PM EST
your an idiot for writing this article. kobe avg 35 points in a season and didnt get MVP . hes the best thing sense MJ in the nba, and the closest to him. (Continued…)
mandude
posted 4/24/08 @ 1:12 PM EST
kobe is a great player, an excellent player but he takes more shots than anyone else in the NBA... i dont think he deserves it... sometime later in his career but not this year. (Continued…)
brodude
posted 4/24/08 @ 1:55 PM EST
Only the 8th player in the history of the NBA to average 20+ points 10+ assists in a season. First player since 91-92 to lead the league in both assists and steals. (Continued…)
EE
posted 4/24/08 @ 3:09 PM EST
This article relies heavily on the insinuation that statistics should decide the MVP award and that being the case, Chris Paul or Lebron are the more worthy candidates. (Continued…)
nba
posted 4/24/08 @ 5:21 PM EST
after reading this i'm convinced that you know nothing of basketball, nor do you know how to think.
"This is why you can make the same case for Paul right now, or even LeBron James. (Continued…)
nba
posted 4/24/08 @ 5:36 PM EST
mandude said " kobe is a great player, an excellent player but he takes more shots than anyone else in the NBA"
for your information, lebron james shot the most this season, and i suspect if gilbert arenas played he would have averaged more than kobe, too. (Continued…)
phil
posted 4/24/08 @ 5:56 PM EST
Just because Kobe doesn't bring the ball up the court, doesn't mean he can't. The Lakers--unlike the Cavs--have an excellent starting PG.
If Kobe did bring the ball up the court he'd have more assists for sure. (Continued…)
tony
posted 4/24/08 @ 5:57 PM EST
The only reason Kobe did not get the MVP last year was because Dallas was the number one seed last year Kobe had great number but this year the MVP is Kobe with his unselfish play this year and the number one seed in the west. (Continued…)
guilt
posted 4/24/08 @ 6:27 PM EST
Hey dummy that posted the long paragraph. MVP is most valuable Player or Most Valuable Paul. Worse off team without kobe and paul is obviosly the hornets. (Continued…)
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