Much as the display photo suggests I’m left scratching my head at the MVP picks of sports analyst Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaq.
It never ceases to amaze me the depths the media is willing to go in order to ignore what Kobe does well while simultaneously magnifying what he could be doing better.
After a very uninspiring Lakers win over the Dallas Mavericks the question was posed, Who is the front runner for MVP after the season’s first fifteen game.
Now after watching post game recaps for so long I already predicted Charles Barkley would say anyone but Kobe Bryant. Kenny Smith being a tad bit brighter than poor Charles listed Kobe but strangely second after Durant? Shaw also followed suit naming Durant andnot mentioning Kobe at all.
While Durant is no doubt a dynamic scorer and yes his team has the best record, but is he the Most Valuable Player in the league? Does he mean more to OKC then Kobe means to the Lakers this year?
Let’s be serious so far is it even a MVP race? similar to a Muhammad Ali bout I got Kobe ahead on all score cards! So lets get this straight here, they are trying to tell us that a star who is posting career highs after sixteen years in the NBA with a damaged wrist isn’t the front runner.
A star who is accounting for almost 40% of his teams scoring while leading them in assist isn’t a MVP front runner. A star who has been carrying his team offensively since the beginning of the season due to untimely injuries and in consistent lay from his front court isn’t a front runner.
If you aren’t in the loop of Kobe’s stat line here’s a update for you. Kobe is averaging 32 points per game, 5.4 assist per game, and 6 boards to boot. He’s having the best start of his 16 year career. For a 5 time NBA champion that is saying a mouth fool.
In the last 5 games Kobe has put up 186 points that’s a 37 point a game average which is insane for a thirty three year old NBA player. What is even more insane is that this isn’t enough for a biased media to back Kobe as MVP!
Another angle to look at in losses Kobe has averaged 29 points. For most teams 29 points from their star player should be enough to push their team over the edge, unfortunately not the Lakers. For the Lakers to win Kobe has had to average at least 33 points per game.
Not to mention the Lakers being in capable of sustaining a lead without him on the court shows just how much Kobe is depended upon. Thus far the MVP front runner is without question Kobe Bryant by definition of the award. Most Valuable Player does not equate to best player on the best team. It simply is as the acronym MVP suggest the player who is the most Valuable to his teams success which is without a doubt Kobe “Bean” Bryant.