Sports Report
KG for MVP? Not in my Opinion.
by Eric Yuan
It’s still pretty early in this young NBA season, but it is never too early to start discussing the race for the MVP. This year there are a handful of early candidates that seem to have the best chances of winning. From the east coast the front-runner has got to be Boston’s Kevin Garnett, followed by Dwight Howard of Orlando, LeBron James of Cleveland, and Chauncy Billups of Detroit. From the West we have Kobe Bryant of LA, Steve Nash of Phoenix, Chris Paul of New Orleans, and of course Tim Duncan from the San Antonio Spurs.
The most popular pick to be MVP this year is Kevin Garnett. If you ask any NBA analyst or specialist, they would say that KG is a guarantee to win MVP this year. It is easy to see why he deserves the MVP award, after all he did turn around the stumbling Celtics from last year and did lead them to the best start in their franchise history (30-4). Garnett averages 19 ppg and 10 rpg and leads the team in rebounds and blocks. His number aren’t gaudy but Garnett brings more than just statistics to a team. His leadership and passion for the game can energize and galvanize his teammates, and he makes the players around him better, just as an MVP should.
Sure KG is the clear early favorite for the award and he will most likely win it at the end of the year with Dwight Howard receiving a few votes and probably Tim Duncan also getting a couple votes as well. But the player who truly deserves to win the MVP award is always mentioned as an afterthought in MVP talks. That player is Kobe Bryant. Kobe is second in the league in scoring only behind LeBron James. When you ask any NBA fan who the best player is in the NBA you will almost always hear Kobe Bryant. So why shouldn’t he win the MVP award? Kobe Bryant is often said to be the second-coming of Michael Jordan- his clutch style of play and his dominance at both the offensive and defensive end are truly comparable to Jordan. Jordan won five regular season MVP awards during his career while Kobe Bryant has none. Zero. Doesn’t it seem strange that arguable the best player in the NBA has never won an MVP award? Its appalling that Kobe never really gets true consideration as the MVP because analysts will say that Kobe is selfish and that a team can win with him as their superstar.
Well, this year Kobe has led the Lakers to one of the best records in the western conference and he has helped Andrew Bynum become the next rising superstar at center along with Dwight Howard. Kobe has played and practiced with fervor despite heavy trade rumors and tense relations with Lakers owner Jerry Buss over the past summer. Kobe’s story of the ’07-’08 season is one of true resilience and greatness. Lets all take a real look at the situation and give Kobe what he has deserved for the last ten years.
Darkhorses for MVP (deserving recognition, but not likely to win)
Caron Butler (Washington), Dwyane Wade (Miami), Allen Iverson (Denver), Yao Ming (Houston), Brandon Roy (Portland), LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland), Kevin Martin (Sacramento).
The opinions expressed in this article are those of 4-H Youth Mentor, Eric Yuan. Do you disagree or have something to add? Click here to have your message posted on our website.
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