<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The Most Valuable Player ballots are due at the NBA office in New York by Thursday afternoon. LeBron James doesn't have an official vote, but he's got a pretty strong opinion. He is in the mix and one of his best friends in the league, Chris Paul, has an excellent chance of winning it in what is expected to be a very close race. Yet James, as he has done numerous times in his career, is deferring to Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant. He didn't take long to think about it, either. ''I'd give it to Kobe,'' James said. ''What he's done this whole year, to carry that team to the No. 1 team in the West right now. He's playing his best basketball all around. I've watched him the whole year. I saw it last summer when I played with him with USA Basketball and the sacrifices he's made for the team and he's done that with the Lakers.'' Various polls done around the country have Bryant and Paul in a dead heat for the award with James coming in third or fourth. Two years ago, James finished second in the voting. Last year, he finished fifth. Bryant hasn't won the award in his 12 years in the league, but this appears to be his best shot. ''I've been quoted millions of times saying Kobe is the best player in our league for the last five years,'' James said. ''He hasn't received the MVP. This is his year I think.''</div> http://www.ohio.com/sports/17718089.html The media will have a very tough time explaining what happens if they rob Kobe of the MVP this season. It's pretty obvious who deserves this award
Because he is the best player in the league, and pretty much all players agree with that statement. Not taking anything away from Chris Paul, but when he had a chance to secure the #1 seed for the Hornets, he choked. Twice. Once against the Lakers, and once against the Kings. Now, maybe "obvious" is a bit too dramatic of a statement for now. But if we beat the Kings tonight (which we most likely will), and get the #1 seed in the west, then yes, Kobe is the obvious choice and if he doesn't get it this year, then it's pretty obvious the MVP award is nothing more than a popularity contest for the media
