For those that are clueless about the picture above. That is an olympic photo of respectively the best 3 NBA players in the league this year. (Left->Right) Dwayne Wade(MIA) "Dwayde", LeBron James(CLE), and Kobe Bryant(LAL). I'm sorry Chris Paul(NO) "CP3", Dirk Nowitzki(DAL), Dwight Howard(ORL)... and the rest that didn't make the list. I'm sorry this is my opinion and the rest of the country and I didn't mean to offend NBA players that worked hard and didn't make the list.
The purpose of this blog today is to define whose the Most Valuable Player in the NBA.
The Most Valuable Player award si the best overall player in the NBA. This means: You are vaulable to your team in respects of making the playoffs and having a phenomenal season or an awesome year.
My objective in this blog is to teach you the difference between the words 'valuable, invaluable, and unvaluable'.....in the NBA.
First let's define the words:
Valuable:
1. Having considerable monetary or material value for use or exchange.
2. Of great importance, use, or service.
3. Having admirable or esteemed qualities or characteristics.
Invaluable:
Priceless
Unvaluable:
1. Invaluable; being beyond price.
2. Not valuable; having little value.
2. Not valuable; having little value.
Let's take the players and define them with these terms.
All of these players are 'valuable' to not only the team, but the NBA. They all have qualities and characteristics that are needed to make their team better and have the skills of getting their team to the playoff.
Also, they're contracts respectively:
Dwayne Wade: 14.4 million dollars.
Lebron James: 14.4 million dollars.
Kobe Bryant: 21.2 million dollars.
So they're definitely valuable to not only their clubs, but in general, in pawn shops.
It's pointless to say that they're unvaluable or invaluable. You can ask yourself if they're priceless. or being beyond in price. Honestly, I don't believe they're worth that much. But you can make your own opinion.
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Let's take an alternative route.
No we know their actual value, we can find whose more valuable to their team and the league.
1. Kobe Bryant(SG) of the Los Angeles Lakers:
He is currently the reinging MVP of 2007-2008 season. Also, arguably the best player of the NBA. He is in his 12th year of his career with the Lakers. He has a career average of 25 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists(pts,reb,ast) a year. He's current average this year is 27pts, 5 reb, 4ast. Kobe is a very consistent guy. His devine right as a LA Laker is to bring people in the building, win a championship and give the fans a show. He'[s done it for 12 years and he will do it for about 5-7 more. The past couple of years the front office of the Lakers have been trying to find the key ingredients(players) to fit and work around Kobe in bringing a championship back to LA. Yes, I said back because those who are reading that don't know Kobe; he has already won 3. Getting back to my point..... He has value. He is worth a lot of money, he's very consistent, and his current players bring enough to his team where Kobe Bryant can relax. He's playing 36 minutes a game and he's turning into a bland player. They have the tools in winning a championship...whereas last year they really worked on bringing in components to work around the system that coach Phil Jackson has influenced. They brought in a great forward/center from Memphis/Spain(lol), Pau Gasol, to definitely helped Kobe to win the MVP award last year. Not only that, they made the NBA Finals. This year, they have 5 players in double figures(pts). Pau Gasol is averaging 18pts, 9reb, and the rest of their supporting cast of Lamar Odom(PF), Derek Fisher(PG), and Andrew Bynum(C) helps out a ton with 35 pts, 18reb, and 6 assists. With the Lakers bench supporting Kobe, with 40 points a game.... it sounds like not only Kobe is vaulable, but the team is working together to collectively bring in a title.
Another fun fact: They have the best record in the Western Conference. I guess what I'm trying to say is he's not winning another MVP award....well this year. If he didn't have those players and the best record in the west. I would make a case. Not happening. OK great.
2. Lebron James(SF) of the Cleveland Cavaliers:
Lebron will be one of the greatest basketball players of all-time. He brings a fire to the NBA like no other. He leads most of his categories on his team. His work ethic is beyond any man I have ever seen. If you look at any Lebron James highlight he is defying the evolution of man.
Like Tiger, He is also a robot. Something we haven't seen in sports, but in basketball something we haven't seen, since umm.......Jordan.
Here's what we know. We know how much he's worth to his team. Not to count the 10 year, 100 million dollar deal with NIKE®. We don't know the player.
He's in his 6th year in the league, He averages 27 points in both his career and in this year season. I said earlier he leads his 'team' in some other categories. Rebounds with 7 and Assists with 7. These are his career averages also.
So, I know Kobe fans are guessin'. What's the difference?
The difference is what you bring to your team which makes you "Valuable". Basically, if your team does not have this player....Does that team win or make the playoffs.
With Kobe that team kmakes the playoffs. They have the best record in the Western conference. If they didn't have Kobe. I guess they would be in 8th fighting for a playoff spot. But they make the playoffs. Because they are playing amazing team ball.
With Lebron, His team currently has the best record in the league..................WAIT. The Cavaliers do not have 5 players in double figures. They have 4. So Lebron has to work a touch harder. What they Cavaliers do have an amazing bench.
Breakdown:
The Cavaliers starting '4'. (bare with me) of Lebron James, Mo Williams(PG), Zydrunas Ilgauskas(C), and Delonte West(SG). They average 70 points, 20 rebounds and 15 assists a game.
Their bench racks up between 30-36 points depending on whether they are playing a western conference team or not. It doesn't matter how much they score because they have the best team in the league.
So let's add it up. Kobe and Lebron both are very vaulable to their respective teams. Lebron works harder but Kobe doesn't have to play as much. Both of their teams are first place in their conferences. I point out these facts about both because when the committee sits down at the end of the year. They first look at these stats to figure out how valuable a player is to his team. If they make the playoffs. Then they do not win MVP awards. The Cavaliers and the Lakers make the playoffs without Lebron and Kobe.
The formula to winning an MVP award is to have one of the 3 highest scoring averages in the league, but you also have to be valuable enough that your team doesn't not make the playoffs.
Meet.....
3. Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat:
Wade is known for his amazing scoring ability. His nickname is "Flash". There is a great reason why he's called that because it's impressive how he can work a ball in the lane to create a score.
Wade scores 30 points agame. He also averages 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and he plays 38 minutes a game. If he averaged 3 more rebounds he would lead all categories on his team. It's unquestionable how he is the Most Valuable player. Let me give you a breakdown and make my case.
Breakdown:
The Miami Heat have 4 other players averaging in double figures, but they just acquired one of those players*. Jermaine O'Neal(C), Michael Beasley(PF), Udonis Haslem(PF), and Mario Chalmers(PF) average 46 points, 20 rebounds and 7 assists. There is something wrong with that picture. That is not their starting lineup with Dwayne Wade. Because you would definitely need 2 guards in the Eastern Conference. The Heat's bench players don't score much. And again the Heat don't play defense. The Heat scores 98 points a game.....they also give up 98 points a game. They are 6th in their conference and barely holding on to a playoff spot right now.
With Wade's 30 points per game this Miami Heat club is barely making the playoffs. What if they took this valuable player off the team? They wouldn't be in the playoffs.
That's what a Most Valuable Player award winner is. They have to take a monkey and put it on his shoulders and play to win basketball games. The monkey is the team.
And that's ridiculous. But you can't give it to a player that is amazing and put him on a team that's going to get in the playoffs regardless of the ability.
Kobe last year had the deal with injured players on his team and without the addition to Pau Gasol they don't get into the playoffs last year. That's why he won.
Steve Nash won it back to back before that. Because he averaged a 10+ points and 10+ assists per game. The assists are points. If you take the points off assists which are between 20-30 points a game on top of the 10 points he's averaging. The Suns don't get into the playoffs because Steve Nash is generating 30-40 points a game.
Wade's points plus points off assist contribute almost 50% of the team's total points per game and that is most valuable not only to the team but in the NBA.
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