Kobe and Lebron are/were two legit contenders for MVP.
I would say Chris Paul too but he is still young and has not proven that he can be dominant year after year. This is only his first season where he was dominant and on top of his game.
Kobe and Lebron and especially Kobe have shown year after year that they can be dominant.
As much as I dislike Kobe for personal reasons, it would be kind of unfair to not give him because he has been in the league long time and he has won 3 titles, was a scoring champion, all defensive team and stuff. But he has never won the MVP so he kind of deserves more than anything.
Yeah, too bad the MVP isn't a lifetime achievement award and Kobe wasn't the best player on his team when he got his rings.
Lebron
Kobe
CP3
KG
Those were the contenders.
Lebron? His team won less games this year than it did last year in a conference that's gotten weaker.
Kobe's team won 15 more games this year than it did last year in a conference that's gotten stronger. Of course, they did this with Andrew Bynum having a breakout season until he got injured, purging Kwame Brown, the addition of Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom stepping his game up since he no longer has the stress of being the #2 game.
The Hornets won 17 more games than they did last year in a conference that's gotten tougher and the major difference between last year's team and this year's is CP3.
Lebron's averages this season:
30 points on 48.4% shooting (31.5% 3-pt)
7.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.1 blocks, 3.4 turnovers
This year he's become a better shooter, has slightly more blocks, has slightly more assists (if he had better teammmates this number would've been much higher, bet) and has ramped up the offensive rebounds (because his teammates are worse). Overall, I'd say Lebron hasn't changed much as a player but is just carrying more weight on his shoulders. But if your team goes from Eastern Conference champs to winning less games the following season before and having to grind out a six-game series against a team you swept the past two years... that ain't MVP.
Kobe:
28.3 points on 45.9% shooting (36.1% 3-pt)
6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.5 blocks, 3.1 turnovers
Last year he took more shots and made a higher percentage of them than last year. This year's Kobe is a slightly better defender and that's about it. If Kobe did worse this year than last year, and his team won more games by one young player maturing (until he got injured), picking up a great player and dumping a garbage one, and letting a slightly bitchmade guy perform better by being the #3 or #4 option and not #2... how's that MVP?
CP3:
21.1 points on 48.8% shooting (36.9% 3-pt)
4.0 rebounds, 11.6 assists, 2.71 steals, 0.05 blocks, 2.51 turnovers
Compared to last year that's more points per game on better shooting overall and behind the arc, more offensive and defensive rebounds, more assists, and more steals. He's gotten better as a player while playing a hell of a lot more than he did last year and his team's gone from scrubs to studs.
KG:
I'm not gonna bother comparing his stats to how he did before since he was on a different team (ftr, they've gone down but if you look at his playing time you'll see that on a per-game basis he's gotten better). Sorry, now he actually plays ON a team instead of with an entourage (side note: if I was a pro ball player, I'd go to one of them Euro leagues before I played for the Wolves, straight up). But every player on his team has suddenly gotten better this year and we know he's fucking insane and there's all the off-the-court shit intangibles bdsjkfhdsfkjdshf, etc. He's definitely the best player on probably the best team in the league... which was one of the worst last year. The only thing I can knock KG about is that he always seems a little scared late in the fourth quarter in close games. I think it might be psychological - those years with the Timberwolves must've left some scars. But it definitely is not G. His teammates look at him like he's the Messiah, and when shit gets close he doesn't really choke, but he doesn't Turn.It.On. either, just kinda goes bananas on some father-please-don't-forsake-me shit.
"MVP nowadays is not an individual award. You really have to make your teammates better and elevate your ballclub. For me to be nominated in that race is a tremendous honor because that's really been one of the criticisms that people have had of me, is how well do I make my teammates better. From that standpoint, I feel like I've already won."
^^ That's what Kobe said. It's a valid argument for MVP, and it definitely helps the case for KG (Not Kobe - we know he's kinda a little bitch who no one likes as a person and has no friends so he has to hire a mascot to give him a high-five for his fake YouTube video promoting his ugly ass shoes... come on, he isn't making his teammates better or elevating anyone. He shit on everyone during the off-season. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol made this year's Lakers. Without them at best they would've gone to the playoffs and saved Avery Johnson's job or T-Mac's sanity.).
The MVP this year was Lebron, KG, or Chris Paul. It can't be Lebron if he won less games this year. So it comes down to how strongly you agree with Kobe Theory. I'd vote for CP3 because NOLA-loyalty and fuck-other-Eastern-Conference-teams-ism aside, he did what he did with a weaker supporting cast and in a tougher environment.
