The MVP Trophy
This years MVP race has become one of the most exciting races in a while. If you look at the leading candidates, Dwayne Wade is the one that isn’t on a great team. Howard, Bryant, and LeBron all are on top 5 teams but wade is on a team floating just above .500 with their record. MVP stands for “Most Valuable Player” but the debate surrounding this is, what that really means. here are some popular theories.
“Best Player on the Best Team”
This is a very popular theory. Kobe Bryant and LeBron seem to be the two leaders in this category. Their teams are playing for the best record in the league. If this were the case, then why didn’t a Celtic win last year? This does seem to be a huge advantage in voters minds though. Remember Dirk’s MVP season? It was so close between him and Nash but Dirk came away with it. Why? The Obvious reason was the 67 wins. This puts Mr Wade at a big disadvantage. Should he be put at a disadvantage because he has worse teammates? Should Kobe and Howard be rewarded for having good teammates? Then again why should the MVP be on a mediocre team? Here how the race would play out based mostly on record:
- LeBron James
- Kobe Bryant
- Dwight Howard
- Chris Paul
- Dwayne Wade
“Most Valuable to His Team”
This is another big theory on who should be the MVP. It makes a lot of sense but again the award is Most Valuable Player, not to his team. This is where Wade will get his votes. It’s pretty obvious that his team would self-destruct without him. There’s always faults though. If this case was the best, LeBron or Chris Paul would have won last year, most likely Paul. You could make a case that Kevin Durant, or Al Jefferson is most valuable player to his team. Is this just a case of a great player on a bad team? This does make the most sense in my opinion, however. If you going by only one theory. Heres how the MVP would look.
- Dwayne Wade
- Al Jefferson
- LeBron James
- Kevin Durant
- Kevin Martin
“Best Stats”
Obviously stats make a huge impact on MVP voting. If you have good stats on a good team, your a candidate. If you have the best stats, regardless of your team your a top 5 guy. This is probably the least used out of the 3 I have stated. If this were the case, Steve Nash would have 0 MVP’s and LeBron would have 3 or 4. Stats almost completely wipes out defensive play. There are two big things that support this thoery though. 1, it gives you the most fan attention. You saw how much attention Wade got with that 2 week span. 2, it combines with most valuable player to his team. Here’s how that would look.
- Lebron James
- Dwayne Wade
- Dwight Howard
- Chris Paul
- Kobe Bryant
Media
Obviously voters don’t just soely base their vote on one thing. But you can see that some areas mean more than others. LeBron James is most likely the MVP but watch out for wild cards in Dwight Howard and Dwayne Wade. The overlooked factor is media. Whoever the press thinks is the MVP is who will most likely win the MVP. If you look at it closely, Dwight Howard could be the MVP. However, the media loves Kobe, LeBron, and Wade more. I’m not saying it should go to him, but he needs more attention.
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April 5th, 2009 at 3:35 am
“why didn’t a Celtic win last year?”
Because their was no defined leader on the court, off the court, or on the stat sheet
Al Jefferson (surely you can’t mean this year because he isn’t playing.)
April 5th, 2009 at 9:00 am
I think its a combination of the Best Team, Stats, and Leadership. You see this year Kobe doesn’t have the stats he did last year but his team is excelling and he is the obvious leader on the Court. LeBron has stats but he is also a Leader and has a Good Team. Kevin Durant and Al Jeff have leadership and stats but not on a good team. And I solely believe that Thompson and Hawes are more valuable then Martin
April 5th, 2009 at 9:15 am
They were both sarcastic remarks
The Celtics were the best team but certainly it was only Chris Paul and Kobe at the end.
Al Jefferson was just a silly put in. Along with Kevin Martin and Durant.
April 7th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Good evening…Dwayne Wade was a no-show the last time the Celtics played the Heat and they took the Cs down to the wire (my memory is failing me right now but I even believe that was an overtime game). The criteria is very subjective but I do lean towards the most valuable to his team, I certainly would never have considered giving the MVP to a Celtic last season, and even though Kobe Bryant did many things to help his team become a contender last season I did not believe he was the MVP; as horrible as the Cavaliers were in 2007 (meaning after the NBA finals sweep) I don’t see how they could have even made the 2008 playoffs without LeBron James.
April 13th, 2009 at 11:09 am
I believe that M.V.P. should be Lebron James. He is a leader on and off the court. He does everything Kobe Bryant does, and even with less talent on his team. There not number one for nothing in the standings. He is a walking triple-double machine and should be rewarded for his dedication to the Clevaland Cavaliers. Not only can the man score but also plays defense. He rebounds, blocks shots, gets assits, scores, and most important leads his team everynight to victory. If any play is deserving of an M.V.P in any category it is Lebron James.