{mosimage}All I hear about when the NBA MVP race is brought up is the greatness of Kobe Bryant and how he is the undisputed MVP for the 2007-2008 season.

But let's take a closer look. It's always interesting to me to see the thousands of people in the sports media come to a consensus for no discernable reason, annointing certain players or teams with a label that comes to be accepted by the general public. Kobe is the NBA's media darling thanks to his part in rejuvenating a team that he attempted to abandon prior to the start of the season. Lost in the media's slobbering on Kobe's "vastly superior" game are the superlative seasons of two of the league's brightest young stars: LeBron James and Chris Paul. So I decided to break down this season's top three players and their standing in the MVP race with about 15 games left in the regular season.

Kobe Bryant

PPG: 28.2 (2nd)
APG: 5.2 (21st)
RPG: 6.2 (44th)
SPG: 2.0 (7th)
FG %: .462

The Truth: Kobe is the league's best overall player. He displays a killer instinct that is Jordan-esque, he is a plus defender, an excellent free throw shooter, and despite past claims to the contrary, is unselfish with the ball. But being the best player does not make one MVP. He is the media's pick for the honor, seemingly based on the logic that the Lakers are among the best in the tough Western Conference, he is their best player, and he hasn't won the award before despite a Hall of Fame worthy career. Andrew Bynum's emergence as an elite post player and Lamar Odom's underrated game were integral in the Lakers' solid play in the first part of the season. When Bynum went down, the Lakers thieved Pau Gasol, an All Star caliber big man, without giving up any of their top ten rotation players. So they replaced one All Star with another, and figure to be even stronger when Bynum returns. Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton, and Derek Fisher are all solid contributors to one of the league's strongest teams top to bottom, but they hurt Kobe's case as MVP because they are capable of playing with the league's best even if Kobe is having an off night.

LeBron James

The Truth: LeBron James is one of the most beloved players in the NBA, but he is also one of the most underrated. I know it sounds like a contradiction, but King James' natural ability leaves so many fans in awe that they don't always appreciate how good he is and how much he does for his team. If you listen to Skip Bayless, LeBron belongs in the D league. But look at the numbers: 30, 8, and 7. Every game. Every time he hits the floor. Notice that he trails Kobe Bryant by just .1 steals per game despite Kobe's well-deserved reputation as an elite defender. James has stepped his defensive game up in a big way this year. He is consistently focused on the defensive end every night for the first time in his career, and his almost unfair physical gifts (rumor has it that he has grown an inch and put on 20 pounds, making him 6'9, 260) allow him to lock down just about any player in the league who isn't a center. He leads the NBA in fourth quarter points, averaging almost 10 a game. The next best on the list isn't even in the same ZIP code. Though it's a small sample size, here's how Kobe and LeBron's numbers bear out in the Cavs' two head to head matchups with the Lakers:

LeBron: 37 ppg, 9.5 rbg, 4.5 apg
Kobe: 27 ppg, 8.5 ppg, 7.5 apg

LeBron's slight edge on the stat sheet is widened by the fact that the Cavs won both of those games against their "superior" Western Conference opponent. Keep in mind that the Cavs' second best player is Zydrunas Ilgauskus (who can't play D) and their third best at this time was Larry Hughes (hampered by being Larry Hughes).

Chris Paul

PPG: 21.6 (16th)
APG: 11.3 (2nd)
RPG: 4.0 (110th)
SPG: 2.7 (1st)
FG %: .456

Why Chris Paul is getting so little love for MVP, I don't really know. He is Steve Nash with elite defense. He's the reason anybody is aware Tyson Chandler is still in the league or that David West exists. He is the single driving force behind a team with the same record as the Lakers, and about 1/10th the publicity. He leads the league in steals by a wide margin, can shoot, penetrate, and create with the best in the game. He's the best pure point guard in the league and, barring some unforeseen circumstances, has the ability to go down as one of the greatest point men of all time. With elite guard play driving the league thanks to the implementation of the no hand checking rule a few years back, Paul is invaluable. He's the best offensive and best defensive player at the league's most important and influential position. He's a superior shooter to James. He's a superior defender to both James and Bryant. Few people know his team exists, yet they are one game back of the Western Conference's top spot. Simply said, he's the man.

The Verdict

To create any order when dealing with the three best players in the league is difficult, but that's what they don't pay me for, so here it is. Take into account the fact that I am a Clevelander, and thus I have seen a lot more of LeBron this season than I have of Kobe and Chris Paul. That said, I have seen the vast improvement in LBJ's game this season. He has always been the Cavaliers' top offensive player, but this year he has also been the Cavs' best defender. Take into account the fact that his supporting cast pales in comparison to Kobe's (Joe Smith has been the best player in the "blockbuster" deal the Cavs made a few weeks back) and that he has had the advantage in their head to head meetings, and it's LeBron over Kobe. When Kobe leaves the floor, the Lakers are still an NBA quality team. When LeBron leaves the floor, the team implodes. I've seen it time and time again.

Chris Paul is ridiculous. There aren't really any weaknesses in his game. He went from really good to great very quickly, and he has already supplanted two-time MVP Steve Nash as the games' best point guard. He put New Orleans on the basketball map, and people around the country will finally get to appreciate his skill on a national stage in the postseason. To me, it's a two man race between Paul and James because they are the best players in the league statistically and they have done more with less than Kobe. In the end, the MVP still stands for Most Valuable Player, and these two have that category on lock. Even my love of King James can't make me say that he is the clear cut MVP. It's basically a coin flip between him and Paul, even though neither of them will win it because of the media's infatuation with Kobe. In the end, it's James by a nose, though that is subject to change in the season's final weeks.

1. LeBron James
2. Chris Paul
3. Kobe Bryant

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Bugeatersteve said:

OAB, Nice article and great argument. I pose this question, I know for a fact that Kobe usually "D's up" on the other teams stud (unless he is a power forward or center) every single game. I was there in person on Sunday when the Rockets took down the Lakers and Kobe had McGrady the entire game (McGrady did not however) and T-Mac was held to 12 points. I have seen other games when he take on Paul Pierce, David West, Kevin Durant. Does Lebron take on the same challenge night after night, or is he more like Larry Bird was and lurkes in the background? I do believe/agree that the MVP is between Kobe and Lebron, Paul, while arguably more important to the Hornets than the other 2, just doesn't get the "national pub" to make it a 3 man race.

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March 20, 2008
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onearmedbandit said:

Bugeater, The Cavs play a decent amount of zone, but when the game is on the line LeBron is often matched up on their best player. He and Kobe had a couple of good battles this year in which they guarded each other frequently, but as you can see, LeBron got the best of that. I am incredibly impressed by his improvement defensively. He's heard the knocks on his game and has fixed two of the three (defense, becoming a 4th game killer) while still needing vast improvment in the consistency of his outside shot. He is so close to Kobe in terms of earning the "best player" moniker. Really, you could go either way, but I would say Kobe is slightly better right now. Don't expect that to last long.

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March 20, 2008
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Lloyds Apple said:

I heard Scottie Pippen say that Kobe is by far the best player in the league. I think Kobe wins the award this year, while I also think LeBron is the most dominant player in the NBA with the highest ceiling. The Lakers turnaround, and the fact that they are the Lakers and he is Kobe, wins him the MVP award. Great breakdown though. I love Chris Paul's game. He simply makes everyone better. When Mike Conley Jr. came out of HS and college comparison were made to Chris Paul. While he also has great potential, I'm not sure if he'll ever be able to hold Paul's jock strap.

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March 21, 2008
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Bugeatersteve said:

	Lloyd's writes "I heard Scottie Pippen say that Kobe is by far the best player in the league.". To me that "seals it then!" If Scottie says so, it must be so! Dude rode MJ's coat-tail's so long and well, he conned people into believing he was one of the "all-time greats". BULLSHIT! Pippen was one of the biggest babies I ever saw in the NBA and owes everything he ever did in the league to Jordan.
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March 23, 2008
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fullhandedbandit said:

	hahahhaha!!!! it seems that onearmedbandit here knows very little of basketball, nba for that matter ahhahahhaa!!!! shame, shame, shame......
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April 13, 2008
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stevEater said:

	yo Bugeatersteve! damn! ask MJ what he'll be without scottie! ahhahaha damn! how foolish of you to say such a thing!
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April 13, 2008
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Bugeatersteve said:

This years MVP I b lieve will go to Keven Garnett of the Celtics. Remember that it is for the regular season, and while he might not have the "stats" to blow you over, he is arguably the best player on the team with the best record and when he did miss some action right before the all star break, the Celtic had their worst stretch of the season when he was out. The award isn't for the NBA's "Best player", it is for the player who make's his team the best, and by that definitation, Garnett gets the nod from this writer. Hey "Steveater" hate to SMACK back at you, but fact is scottie "not 2 hottie" failed to do anything the 1.5 seasons that MJ was playing minor league baseball with the Bulls and in fact had one of his "epsiodes" when he refused to go into the game at the end when the play wasn't called for him. Remember that?

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April 14, 2008
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steveater said:

ahahah yeah... i remeber that! and i also remembered scottie leading the bulls in scoring, asist and steals, during the time mj was out. hmm... also remebered that year 94-95 bulls finished with 55 wins. hmmm... if i remembered it correctly bulls had 57 wins a season before, a championship season with mj.... that they did. so without mj they finished 2 games less. heheh. too bad... but hey i aint got nuthin against mj! he's the man!..... oh right! i remebered scottie "not 2 hottie for stevie" ended up winning all-star mvp that same year too. and by the way i also remebered scottie asked for an aplogy from his team after that incident! happy!?? oh! if ya can try to ask mj who he thinks the best player is in the league right now.... ya can also ask.. magic, kareem, barkley, and all of the other living 50 gratest nba player of all time... oh scottie pippen he's a part of that 50, but dont bother asking. coz you know the answer, ya just have to stop denying. dont hate its the nba! ya suppose to love the game! ahahahahha peace!!!

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April 14, 2008
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Bugeatersteve said:

Just remember this my friend, without the Lone Ranger, Tonto was just another Indian. You can decide who was who on that analogy. If you don't know who I am referring to ask your dad or grandpa. Anyway compare these numbers for a second. Player 1 17 years- 18,940 points, 47% field goal %, 70% free throw %, 7494 rebounds, 6135 assists, 2307 steals. Player 2 17 years- 21,813 points, 46% field goal %, 73% free throw %, 5269 rebounds, 8964 assists, 2445 steals. Player 3 15 years- 22,195 points, 47% field goal %, 79% free throw %, 6677 rebounds, 6125 assists, 2207 steals Which one should be one of the 50 greats or should all? Once you answer that I will tell you who all three are.

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April 15, 2008
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