Mar

16

Kobe Should Be NBA MVP

Posted by Kyle Stack under Main 

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(Editor’s Note: On Sunday March?9, ?Kyle Stack and myself had a debate on the NBA MVP Race?Point: It?s Finally Kobe?s Year To Shine As NBA MVP??Counter Point: The Cavaliers Are No Where Without LBJ. Since I got the last word Kyle has asked for a chance for a rebuttal. I will allow my initial argument to stand)

To: Jeff Sack

From: Kyle Stack

Re: MVP Debate Rebuttal
Well, first, I never claimed it was a two-man race. I stated in my initial article that there were three, possibly four, candidates. Granted, if Houston keeps its winning streak going, Tracy McGrady will become a viable fifth candidate.

With that said, Kobe is still my pick. You watch as much as NBA as anyone I know, so I don?t know how you can claim that the Lakers would make the playoffs sans Kobe . The margin for error in the West is so small. Denver is 39-26, 13 games over .500, which is good for ninth place in the West. A Lakers squad without Kobe does not make the playoffs. It?s not enough to say they could roll along with Bynum and Gasol, because those two haven?t even played together! And part of Lamar Odom?s effectiveness right now is that he can perform with the spotlight shining slightly more away from him. Without Kobe , the Lakers would rely much more on Odom and with his track record, his play would become more inconsistent.

Bynum was a very effective player this year, but part of his effectiveness was having Kobe on the perimeter. The same can be said for Gasol right now. Kobe is masterful at working the pick-and-roll with Gasol and the amount of defensive attention he receives on the perimeter ? and when he drives to the hoop ? takes a great amount of focus off his post players. Neither Bynum or Gasol could have made as much of an impact as they have without Kobe . Kobe-Bynum and Kobe-Gasol are symbiotic relationships.

This battle between Kobe and LeBron is further separated by their teams? positions in each conference. Kobe has his Lakers at the top of an incredibly high-powered West. LeBron has done an excellent job guiding Cleveland to the number four spot in the East but the night-in, night-out competition is much tougher in the West.

Kobe and LeBron are the two greatest offensive players in the game today, but Kobe also contributes an immense amount of value to his team with his defense. His intensity has carried over from his time with the Olympic qualifying squad and has had a profound effect on the way the Lakers have played.

What makes Kobe the most valuable player is the example he has set for his team. He has let his teammates know that nothing less than a league championship is acceptable. The team has become tougher and more fixated on playing championship-level basketball. This is Kobe ?s team.



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