NBA Playoffs Thread

You shouldn't have to be a champ to win the MVP, but you should be on a legit contender. If Kobe was the most valuable player in the NBA, his team would be better than it is.

 

Never said anything about being the best player on the best team. Said the player probably ought to come from a legit contender for the NBA title, which includes players like Nash, Nowitzki, James, etc. Billups is a ridiculous argument.

 

No one, I repeat no one, would have this team any better than it is right now. Not Steve, not Dirk, not LeBron, not Shaq, not DWade, not Jesus(Phil said so ).
If it wasn't for that month in which he averaged 40 ppg, they wouldn't even be in the playoffs. Think about that guys. The guy had to average 40 ppg for 30 days, to keep this team in the playoffs. That's unbelievable.

Billups is not a ridiculous argument. He was a legit MVP contender last year.

 

Well, me being the Kobe apologist, I have to bring up Shaq's history ... before teaming with Bryant, every playoff series Shaq lost was by way of a sweep. So, sometimes even MVPs get swept.

 

Oops. Guess I should clarify there ... lose in a first-round sweep that particular season.

 

Actually, and Bryant repeatedly said this late in his feud with Shaq ... all he wanted was for Shaq to treat him as an equal on the team. I read Mark Heisler's book on the Shaq-Kobe Lakers and he intimates strongly that Shaq's treatment of Bryant came more out of jealousy that here was this flashy, spectacular and gifted player coming in to steal his spotlight and he was going to have none of it.
I can't blame Bryant for wanting to be treated as a superstar, along with Shaq, especially when he worked a lot harder to be the best, while Shaq admitted to having surgeries "on company time."

While I'm not gonna sit here and claim Bryant was an alter boy in all this, neither was Shaq. From watching the Lakers as long as I have, I've come to realize that no matter what Bryant does as a player, he's not going to please his critics. So, I agree with you ... he needs to quit listening to them and do what he does best: score and score often, until Kupchak pulls his head out of his ass and realizes that Odom is more of a solid No. 3 option than a strong No. 2 behind Bryant.

 

I do agree with you, though. Bryant is not the MVP this season. I'm not sure how this whole thread turned into a Nash vs. Kobe for MVP. There's no way Bryant should win the MVP (maybe the first half of the season, before all the injuries hit, you could've made the case, but not now). I think what Chuck and I are trying to say is Bryant doesn't deserve the bashing he takes as a player. Personally, I've never seen a player as talented as Bryant take the criticism he does. I think most of his critics have a personal dislike of Bryant and use it to fuel their bashing of him as a player. I'm not saying that's the case with Oz or Hammer Pants, but I think it applies to a lot of his critics.

 

Chuck, Kobe had a great season individually. I can't argue that. He's a great player. I can't argue that.

But his team was 7th in the West. I can't argue for him being the MVP. The league MVP should not come from a 7th-place team, in my opinion. Nothing will change my opinion on that, and it has nothing to do with Kobe. It's just the way I believe MVP voting should be in any sport.

I guess this is an agree to disagree moment.

 

I think this discussion is more of a "what is an mvp?" type of a discussion.
I think the MVP is what it is. Most Valuable Player.

EDIT: That's why I'm kind of siding with Shaq. I think the MVP has been a little tainted for the couple of years.

 

Kobe made this bed and made so many people not like him by not deferring to the most valuable player in the league. He didn't want to be a second banana, and the Lakers could have kept on cruising if not for his selfishness. If you're the second-best player in the league, and you just so happen to be the second-best player on your own team, who would fuck with that? Only a very selfish person would, because any team player would keep on stockpiling rings with a smile on his face.

Again, that's just my opinion, and it has nothing to do with the rape case. The law said he was innocent. But I can't speak for anyone else. I just think Kobe took a stand, and it's all blown up in his face. His team is not very good, and he can't make it a competitor.

I have a long drive ahead of me, so I can't reply for a while. But I'm probably done with this, anyhoo.

 

Oh he defered HP. He didn't want to, but he did. That's why they ended up getting 3 rings.

 

Bingo