Top 5 MVP Hopefuls: Who Made the Cut?
by R.H Rhead on Feb 8, 2012 5:34 PM PST
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Number 5: Kevin Love.
Coming in at number five is Kevin Love. Kevin love has being playing phenomenally well this year.
With a PER of 25.87 he is not only efficient but a rebounding machine.
With statistics eye popping statistics that are grandiose enough to attract the causal viewer, Kevin Love is posting 25ppg, to go along with 13 boards while shooting 89% from the stripe and nearly forty percent from long range.
What hinders Love from rising any further on this list is the win column, while I don't exactly agree with best player from the best team always winning the award. The amount of losses are too much to just cast aside right now.
Number 4: Chris Paul.
Next on the list is Chris Paul.
Chris has been stellar both on and off the court. On the court he is posting 19 ppg, 9 assist a game and 2.5 half steals per contest. Nothing to far from his career numbers but coupled with his leadership I say its safe ot say he is having a MVP season.
Not to mention the majority of Chris Paul's points have been in clutch situations when his team desperately needing a bucket. Chris isn't piling it up when it comes to scoring or rebounding but he doesn't have to his job is to set up his teammates. He is doing his job to near perfection from my view point.
His PER average is 27.82 while leading the Clippers to a 13-6 record that is good enough for a 2 seed in the Western Conference.
Unless Chris starts piling on more stats he has pretty much ascended as far as he can go because the rest of the field are putting out pretty heavy stat lines.
Number 3 : Lebron James.
Now we have Lebron James. HIs position on this list will be refuted by many of you and for good reason. However I have some points I have to make that supercede the ESPN media mind control system.
First things first we will give credit where it is due. His PER is 33.39! No that isn't a typo, he's playing out of his mind. He's dropping 29 points a night while pulling down 8 boards which really isn't much considering he is 6'8 260 lbs. What is impressive is that he's handing out 7 dimes a game.
There's a couple of things PER doesn't take into consideration. First thing is the amount of help that you have. A player with least help has to play longer and shoot the ball more which effects his PER. A player with least help will get less assist due to blown offensive assignments which would also effect his PER.
I think its safe to say that Lebron has the most help in the league.
He has and needs the closer in Wade who is posting 20 points a game, 5 assist , 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Wade also has a PER of 23.51.
In addition to a solid bench Lebron has Chris Bosh who adds another 20ppg. 8rpg and 1 block.
To Lebron's credit he's shooting above 50% again but so is evey other 6'8 260 pounder.
The main deciding factor outside of all of that was Lebron's play when his team needed him most. He seems to break down again and again when the pressure is on. The PER doesn;t hold one accountable for that. NBA fans on another hand do.
Number 2 Kevin Durant.
Kevin Durant's typical numbers are down, However the wins are up. What else is up is Russell Westbrook's production.
Its risen so much on some nights where the consensus that Durant is by far the better player is sometimes challenged.
Durant is dropping 26ppg, along with 8 boards and 1 block and 1 steal a game.
He has a 26.54 PER and shooting 50% from the field while averaging a decent 35% from the three point line.
What has Durant so high on the list is his teams record thus far. At 17-4 Durant has his team sitting atop the Western Conference. With the older teams starting to gel now we will see how long that last.
Why isn't Durant number one? To be quite honest in a 66 game season and as athletic as OKC is they would be able to maintain without Durant come playoffs.
via api.ning.com
Derek Rose and Kobe Bryant.
I know you guys are like wait a minute a tie!
I'm sorry I just couldn't bring myself to choose between the two.
While Rose has lead the Chicago Bulls to a better record, Kobe has been keeping the Lakers afloat pretty much singled handily. I use that phrase loosely considering that that hand is attached to a wrist with damaged ligaments.
Rose has also been impressive with a 24.30 PER posting 21ppg, 7 assist, 4 rebounds and 1 steal a game.
Kobe's numbers are a surprise to everyone considering he is battling yet another injury to his shooting hand with the damaged wrist. After last year's early exit many wrote Kobe off as being washed up.
To their dismay Kobe has not only been breaking franchise records left and right, he is currently having a significantly better year then last year leading the league in scoring with 30 points a game, 5 rebounds and 6 assist a game. His PER is 26.58. If the he can get some type of consistent help where he doesn;t have to shoot some much to stay in games expect a increase in the PER stat.
Both players have proven that they have to play their best every night for their teams to be competitive.
Due to the Lakers not being able to maintain a lead to save their lives,Kobe ets the slight advantage at this juncture seeing that he is posting more minutes then players far younger then him this year.
Also for the first time in a long time the Laker's are significantly better when Kobe takes more shots which points to one thing he needs help.
Rose had a couple hiccups in the clutch but I still consider him a clutch player because unlike Lebron James, Rose's short comings is not something that hasbeen happening his whole career.
Rose's has a edge when it comes to shot selection due to his athleticsm he can get to the paint when ever he see's fit.
Both players are having a fantastic year and while it clear that their teams need them the most. Its almost certain that the Media will chose the sexiest story or the player on the team with the most wins.
I'm looking foward to see what list's you guys come up with.
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MVP should go to the best player from the best team.
Therefore, my list is this:
1. Durant
2. Lebron
3. Kobe
4. Rose (he’s missed several games this season, otherwise I’d have him at 2)
5. Paul
"If you have a debate with a scholar, you can win. If you have a debate with an ignorant person, you will definitely lose."
"You're welcome." -Kobe
Kobe
Kobe
Durrant
Rose
Kobe
"Hardwork beats talent when talent fails to work hard"-Norm Nixon
There are basic Fundamentals that are needed to move forward in this game. Always keep your guard up at all times to avoid being caught in a trap. Overcome the fouls that will be committed against you REBOUND AND PRESS ON. ADJUST to the Limelight: ALL-STAR PLAYERS ARE ALWAYS THE CENTER OF ATTENTION. Know what your role is and play your position. Find a game plan and execute it. REMEMBER YOU ONLY GET OUT OF THE GAME WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT.
I'm on it so let's tweet: @B_M_Bizness
by BrittneyM on Feb 8, 2012 8:52 PM PST via mobile reply actions 1 recs
I still feel sore
Why why did Stern and his cronies have to veto the CP3 trade to us. Coupled with our gaping weakness at PG, and watching him make plays for the Clippers that our PGs can never do. It hurts :(
Right now it's probably LeBron, although you could argue Durant.
That Rose’s numbers are better this year than last just show how ridiculous his MVP campaign last year was.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu
Last year was actually the best since Kobe got it, It wasn’t measured on stats alone but actual clutch an dhow much a team needed you as a player and last year no team needed their player more than the Bulls except the lakers but the bulls went farther
That's such complete nonsense.
Rose won because he had a nice narrative. That’s it. The Bulls were relevant, Rose had added a jump shot (!!!), and they were the league’s best team because a certain Tom Thibodeau organized a soul-crushing defense that had way more to do with Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, and Omer Asik than Rose, who you could argue is still average at that end. Howard was unquestionably the better two-way player, as he dragged the carcass of a terrible Orlando team basically on his lonesome on both ends. “Clutch” is an insanely stupid subjective measure that doesn’t really mean anything. If you want “important to his team,” then Howard wins that one by a huge landslide as well.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu
And without Howard, the Magic are picking in the top five.
Without Rose, the Bulls could scrape out a low playoff seed based on the strength of their defense. That notwithstanding, it doesn’t invalidate LeBron’s candidacy. Being a better overall player should be a better determining factor.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu
I love Magic as much as the next Lakers fan but he was not a better overall player than Jordan.
The massive difference on the defensive end for starters is a rather glaring difference. Really, the only thing you could say that Magic had that was clearly better than MJ was passing and court vision.
And besides, irrelevant much? Has no bearing on this discussion.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu
What is your fucking problem? Get the goddamned chip off your shoulder and have an intelligent conversation without insults, alright?
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. - Albert Einstein
Captain Obvious, er, MagicJohnson: Kobe, Bynum & Gasol all must step up big to beat the @Knicks.
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I am not offended by good humor.
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. - Albert Einstein
Captain Obvious, er, MagicJohnson: Kobe, Bynum & Gasol all must step up big to beat the @Knicks.
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It doesn't mean anything in discussions of who is the MVP because it's stupidly subjective.
There is a long list of factors we can go through before reducing the MVP to a contest of who is the more “clutch.” Like being a better player for one, which was pretty blatantly ignored last year.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu
You can't possibly know how good the Heat are without LeBron because it hasn't happened.
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. - Albert Einstein
Captain Obvious, er, MagicJohnson: Kobe, Bynum & Gasol all must step up big to beat the @Knicks.
Tweetness
He was not the best player, that's the point.
He wasn’t as good of an offensive threat as LeBron, as masterful defensively as Howard was, and the fact that he handled the ball a lot and handled a huge usage rate with middling efficiency doesn’t mean that we should hand him the MVP. And for that matter, nor was he most valuable to his team, as that distinction belongs to Howard. As I’ve said multiple times, Howard was the most deserving candidate that year, and LeBron had a better argument for MVP than Rose did since he was simply better that year. Conflating team success with individual success is a rather glaring problem that you’re having here.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu
There is basically no measure by which Rose did more for his team than Howard,
and, while I agree the Bulls’ offense was really dependent on Rose, the Magic’s Defense without Dwight is terrible. With Dwight, it’s one of the best in the league.
Their defense got them that record.
The fact that they arguably had the league’s best bench unit led them to that record. Rose was a big part, no doubt, but giving him basically all of the credit for that team’s success is frankly wrong.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu
Like I said, he was a big piece, but that defense was way more important for their overall success.
And as I’ve said above, the “how would their team look without them” argument is ridiculous, especially since you continue to parade it even though Howard is the one that emphatically wins that argument. Team success isn’t a perfect reflection of individual success, and it’s simply a bad argument to conflate the two for the purposes of picking the MVP. But in any case, since you enjoy your tangents so much, you think Nash deserved that MVP over Kobe in ‘05-’06? Your line of argument here supports that notion.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu
You're not getting the point.
The Bulls had the league’s best defensive efficiency mark last season, and it was emphatically not because of Rose, who is still average at that end at best. Luol Deng is a solid wing defender, Joakim Noah a terrific P&R and interior one, and Taj Gibson and Omer Asik might be the league’s best backup frontcourt defenders. Keith Bogans and Ronnie Brewer were above average defenders as well. Combine that with Tom Thibodeau’s system and you get a soul-crushing defensive force. The fact that three of the players I mentioned play on the Bulls’ bench is testament to how absurdly good that unit was. That’s the biggest reason for their success and you could argue that Rose wasn’t a part of it. It would be entirely different if he was their defensive linchpin, and Garnett earned a fair number of MVP votes for that when he went to Boston in ‘08, but that’s not the case.
Meanwhile, the Bulls were 11th in offensive efficiency, and while Rose definitely was the reason it wasn’t below average, he wasn’t such a dominating offensive force that it meant that he deserved the MVP since he wasn’t the primary reason for the Bulls’ success. An integral part, no doubt, but not the principal one. I disagree with your notion that the Bulls miss the playoffs without Rose since they probably still put up a top five defensive mark, and that can get you into the playoffs in the East. Meanwhile, you have Howard, who anchored Orlando on both ends of the court, and was the league’s best defensive player at that. I wouldn’t consider Rose the best offensive player in the league since that’s essentially what you have to do in order to build a case that he deserves it as much as Howard, and frankly, he doesn’t.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu
Sorry for butting in but your the one not getting it.
Ben R gave you valid reasons/facts to support that the Bulls will still make the playoffs last season because their defense is that good/great. Especially in the East where sometimes below or just above .500 team makes the playoffs.
While Howard made Orlando a great defensive team despite being the only one who really is a great or above average defender. Dwight is the anchor both on defense AND offense not just on one end of the court. I’m just reiterating what he said.
Maybe if you present facts that can support what you claim then your just stating an opinion.
by BoneCruncher24 on Feb 13, 2012 8:27 AM PST up reply actions 3 recs
Listen, you're perfectly entitled to your own opinion..
but if somebody you’re debating with provides a full paragraph of reasoning to support his side, it’s downright disrespectful and just plain annoying if all you respond with is your same original claim.
"If you have a debate with a scholar, you can win. If you have a debate with an ignorant person, you will definitely lose."
"You're welcome." -Kobe
by LakerAce on Feb 13, 2012 9:28 AM PST up reply actions 3 recs
I hate these baseless claims people make;
Player X on Team Y would win!
Team Y without player X isn’t even in the playoffs!
There is no way for any one to possibly support these claims, and yet people still make them all the time.
For what it’s worth, I think you’re drastically underrating the incredible good supporting cast Rose has. People discount the shit out of defense, despite the fact it’s every bit as important as offense. While Rose may not have a dynamic or effective offensive unit around him, everybody else on that team that isn’t named Korver is a good to incredible defender.
everybody else on that team that isn’t named Korver is a good to incredible defender.
Carlos Boozer says hi.
/nitpicking
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu
Hi, R.H
Player X on Team Y would win!
Team Y without player X isn’t even in the playoffs!
There is no way for any one to possibly support these claims, and yet people still make them all the time.
Couple posts up. You can’t prove or even support the claim that a specific team with or without a specific player would have any specific amount of success. You can theorize, I guess, but it’s a baseless claim, and there’s so much more available information to be analyzed than that.
actually I can if you take away Rose
s 26 points 7 assist a game that season and they would have struggled. When Lebron was at cleveland they won games because of defense not offense doesn;t mean Lebron didn’t deserve the media’s support when he got his MVP Rose more than deserved it he lead his bulls to a better record then the Heat and the heat has three superstars. No going around that but whats your top 5 for MVP
Because no player would be able to take Rose's shots, right?
The Lebron comparison is iffy, because Lebron had much better seasons than Rose had. As for last year, Dwight did a lot more, lifted his team higher on defense than rose did on offense, dominated the defensive side more than rose dominated the offensive side, and did more for his team offensively than rose did for his team defensively. I don’t see any way in which what Rose did for his team>what Dwight did.
And I dunno about MVPs this year. I haven’t had the time or interest to pay attention to the entire league this year.
You finally got one thing right.
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. - Albert Einstein
Captain Obvious, er, MagicJohnson: Kobe, Bynum & Gasol all must step up big to beat the @Knicks.
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