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May 6, 2008

CP3 my MVP

My thoughts on Kobe Bryant winning the NBA MVP award over Chris Paul:
Yes, Kobe had perhaps his finest season, one in which he made his teammates better, and you could say he is deserving of the award for that reason alone.
But Paul did more for his teammates.
Give the Hornets’ Tyson Chandler credit for leading the charge neutralizing Tim Duncan of the Spurs. And David West is an improving player, even an all-star this past season. Peja Stojakovic is a terrific outside shooter. But if you take Paul away, does Chandler — who led the NBA in dunks in the regular season, usually on Paul assists — play defense and rebound with the same energy? Without Paul, does West avoid double-teams? Does Stojakovic find himself as open — sometimes startlingly so — without Paul?
You know the answer.
Granted, if you take Bryant away, the Lakers would win 20 fewer games just like the Hornets without Paul. But Bryant isn’t the setup man Paul is. For that reason, I find Paul more valuable.
(And I love Paul’s sense of humor: He compared sideline announcer Craig Sager’s latest look to that of Hugo the Hornet.)

Posted by Dave on 9:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack