CP3 for MVP

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By James Moroney

With only a little more than 10 games left in the NBA regular season, MVP talk is starting to reach a feverish chatter. Okay, feverish might be too strong a word considering that it’s the NBA, but there’s definitely an above-average buzz.

I usually don’t invest too much emotion in the award, but this year was different. One article on ESPN.com decided to make an MVP list without including Chris Paul. In fact, he wasn’t even mentioned. Well, in protest of this egregious omission, here is my list of MVP candidates.

Super-sleeper: Andre Iguodala – Since February 5, guess which team not named Houston has the best record in the NBA. If you guessed the 76ers then you are right. Philadelphia is 17-5 since February 5 with wins over San Antonio, Dallas, Detroit and Phoenix. This is in large part to Iguodala averaging just under 21 points, five assists and two steals per game. His play should help Philly get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2004 - 2005.

Sleeper: Amare Stoudemire – After Shaq joined the Suns, you might say that Amare Stoudemire went Beast-Mode. Stoudemire is only averaging a meager 29 points and 10 boards since O’Neal arrived in Phoenix, and this streak that Phoenix is on is mostly due to the fact that it’s impossible to contain him offensively. Just watch the Suns after one of his dunks; he completely energizes them on both ends of the floor.

Just Missed: Tracy McGrady – The 22-game win streak should probably put him higher, but I think that Houston’s success came more from their team play than from McGrady’s individual play.

Top 5:

Kevin Garnett – It’s hard to place Garnett because the Celtics are 35 games better than they were this time last season, and he’s the best player on the best team. However, every time I watch the Celtics play, I can’t shake the feeling that Ray Allen is the catalyst for the team. He always seems to hit the big three that starts a run, and Allen always seems to be the one to take the game winning shot. Garnett undoubtedly brings a championship energy and leadership to the team, but I just cannot say that he is more valuable to his team than either Pierce or Allen.

LeBron James – You probably think I’m crazy for putting him this low. After all, James is averaging 31 points, eight boards, and 7.4 assists per game. A couple things really stand out to me, though. Last year, his team had 41 wins at this time; this year, his team has 40 wins. Cleveland needs to win 10 of their last 11 games to get to 50 wins this year. In fact, if you put Cleveland in the West, they wouldn’t even be in the playoffs. Another thing that really stands out is the fact that the other players on Cleveland are suffering a decrease in productivity this year. The only player who has really shown significant improvement is Daniel Gibson. You can definitely argue that LeBron is important to Cleveland, but one big aspect of the MVP is making your teammates better.

Dwight Howard – I think Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic are really flying under the radar this year. Orlando is 15 games better than they were last season at this time, and you can blame Dwight Howard for that. He has really taken his game to the elite level, averaging career highs in points, rebounds and blocked shots. You won’t necessarily see him dropping 40 points in a game, but he brings an inside presence that makes everyone on the floor better on both ends of the court. He averages more points, rebounds and blocks than Garnett, and he doesn’t play with two other all-stars.

Kobe Bryant – He is going to win the award, partly because he should have won two years ago. He is still the best player in the NBA and absolutely unguardable at times. He still isn’t the MVP, though. Here’s why: The Lakers were the fourth best team in the West before the Gasol trade. Only after that did the Lakers jump up to the front. With Gasol in the lineup they are 15-3. When Gasol went out with an injury, the Lakers are now 3-2 without him. When I watched the Hornets-Lakers game the other night, I expected Kobe to take over the game like he usually does, and he would have (He scored 22 points in the second half) except that he was overshadowed by …

Chris Paul – Yeah, I’m a homer. What up? When you think about it, though, there isn’t anyone else more deserving. In that Lakers game, Paul scored 17 points and had nine assists in the second half to help the Hornets come back from a half-time deficit and win by 10. Over the last couple of weeks, Chris Paul has been unstoppable, and I mean unstoppable. He leads the league in steals AND assists. That means that not only is he one of the best defensive players in the game, but he is also one of the best offensive players. If you replace him with any other point guard in the league the Hornets might not even be a play-off team. If you consider the fact that the Hornets are now 16 games better than they were at this point last season and the fact that Tyson Chandler and David West are averaging career highs in points per game, Chris Paul is the most valuable player in the league.

Originally Published: Issue 601 - March 26, 2008

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