Is it really that hard to make a case. I mean his regular season stats were ridiculous. Bearing in mind MJs 1988 MVP season ... is it really that hard to make a case for Kobe being the MVP in the 2005/2006 season? Is the real reason Bryant did not place more than 4th in the voting because of the recent focus on team record?
I don't know what you mean by recent focus. The MVP award has always been heavily dependant on team success. I mean, you just have to look all the way back through 1980. The MVP with the lowest team record in that time was Moses Malone in 1981-82, when the Rockets were 46-36 (.561). But he had to average 31 and 14 just to overcome the fact that they weren't the best team in the division (2nd best). Meanwhile, the Lakers last year finished 3rd in the Pacific and this is with fewer teams in each division, than they had back then.
The League is messed up like that, MVP means the Most Valuable Player to the team, who contribtes the most to a team. Kobe singhle handedly got the Lakers into the playoffs, and posted amazing outings like the 62 in 3 quarters and the 81 point game. He takes on the scoring for the team. In my mind, Kobe got robbed of it last year. This year I really do not think Kobe will get MVP, because Dirk's team is the best in the NBA and Nash's team is the 2nd best. So as the leauge does evrey year, they will give it to one of those people.
It doesn't really matter, the MVP has lost credibility around the league. The sports writers who vote for the winner don't take the privelage of voting seriously, and a lot of them vote on popularity or against a player if they have an axe to grind with them.
<div class="quote_poster">Chutney Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I don't know what you mean by recent focus. The MVP award has always been heavily dependant on team success. I mean, you just have to look all the way back through 1980. The MVP with the lowest team record in that time was Moses Malone in 1981-82, when the Rockets were 46-36 (.561). But he had to average 31 and 14 just to overcome the fact that they weren't the best team in the division (2nd best). Meanwhile, the Lakers last year finished 3rd in the Pacific and this is with fewer teams in each division, than they had back then.</div> What was the record of the 1988 bulls team? where mj won the mvp
<div class="quote_poster">kobe23 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">What was the record of the 1988 bulls team? where mj won the mvp</div> The Bulls were 50-32 (.610) and tied for 2nd in their division in 87-88.
<div class="quote_poster">kobe23 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">What was the record of the 1988 bulls team? where mj won the mvp</div> They won 50 games, which was 10 more than the previous season. But Jordan's numbers in 87-88 (his first MVP year) were much better than Kobe's last year. He had a 31.7 PER, and Bird was second with a 27.8 PER. Last season, Kobe's PER was 28, with Dirk, LeBron, and Wade all within percentage points. So the disparity in numbers between Kobe and the competition last year isn't comparable to Jordan in '88.
<div class="quote_poster">durvasa Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">They won 50 games, which was 10 more than the previous season. But Jordan's numbers in 87-88 (his first MVP year) were much better than Kobe's last year. He had a 31.7 PER, and Bird was second with a 27.8 PER. Last season, Kobe's PER was 28, with Dirk, LeBron, and Wade all within percentage points. So the disparity in numbers between Kobe and the competition last year isn't comparable to Jordan in '88.</div> Not enough of a disparity to drop him down to fourth in the voting though in my opinion.
<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">It doesn't really matter, the MVP has lost credibility around the league. The sports writers who vote for the winner don't take the privelage of voting seriously, and a lot of them vote on popularity or against a player if they have an axe to grind with them.</div> Yeah, they should really change that. It would be better if it was the GM's who voted, or the players of the league. With the rule that you can't vote for someone on your own team, that is.
Kobe got robbed of an MVP. Nash has been great for the Suns. But I just don't believe that he deserved to win the award both those times. Nash is not the SUNS. Phoenix = Marion, Stoudamire, Nash and their 3 pointers. Kobe is the Lakers.
i really dont care about the MVP anymore. We all know the voting is biased. Shape's post says it all. I would really like the Lakers to dig deep down and find a way to become that cinderella team in this years playoffs. If we can knock off some elite teams, I think people will wake up and acknowledge our team as being real.
<div class="quote_poster">Fiyah Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Not enough of a disparity to drop him down to fourth in the voting though in my opinion.</div> You have to look at the disparity between Kobe and his competition last year, not the disparity between Kobe and Jordan (which I think was considerable, btw). Kobe's numbers on the season weren't clearly better than Dirk's, Wade's, LeBron's. Even if you think he was more deserving than Nash last year, you still have those other three.
Man...it is hard not to put Kobe in the MVP discussion because every years, Kobe would do something special. Last season, the 81pts, 62 in 3 quarters. This year, the 3 straight 50+ points game, the allstar mvp. it's crazy but at the end of the day, i think Dirk should be the MVP although the real mvp should be Kobe. He plays like an mvp but his team isn't.
Yeah, but the argument can be made that Kobe's team is his own doing. You can't argue that Kobe has to carry an awful team when he played a large part in making the team the way it is. All the man had to do is swallow his pride and wait for his turn to be number one, and he couldn't do that. Kobe had to have it his way. He didn't realize that sometimes it takes much more effort to be a follower than a leader. And really, how valuable are you to your team if you helped create an awful team???
<div class="quote_poster">djdiggydiggy Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah, but the argument can be made that Kobe's team is his own doing. You can't argue that Kobe has to carry an awful team when he played a large part in making the team the way it is. All the man had to do is swallow his pride and wait for his turn to be number one, and he couldn't do that. Kobe had to have it his way. He didn't realize that sometimes it takes much more effort to be a follower than a leader. And really, how valuable are you to your team if you helped create an awful team???</div> Swallow his pride??? Please explain to me how he was a large part of making it the way the team is today. When the Lakers lost to Detroit in the finals with the 4 future HOF'ers, the team just collapsed on its own. Everyone was disappointed. Phil wanted out. Shaq wanted out. (dont blame Kobe for this. Buss didn't want to pay for that huge contract extension the Diesel wanted.) Malone and Payton were disgusted. It happened. Kobe didn't play GOD and made it become that way. Create an aweful team. I really really want to know how he did this. So he decided he wanted Odom to play inconsistently? So kobe decided that Smush should be our starting point guard? He decided Kwame should not play to his abliities? He asked everyone to be injured when they were peaking earlier in the season?? Come on. You need to come up with something more REALISTIC, than pointing the finger at Kobe and telling me that he created this aweful team. Everyone comes up with so many excuses for Kobe's successes it makes me sick.
MVP really won't matter. When people look back on 2006 and this year, they aren't going to talk about Nash, they are going to be talking about Kobe's 81 point performance (2006), and Kobe's three straight games of 50+ points. I forgot who made the comment, it was a former player, but he said the MVP of the league should be someone who does something extradordinary that has everyone talking.
