Picking the NBA MVP this year reminds me of my eighth birthday. My mom took me to this street vendor selling single Pokemon cards and told me I could pick any one I wanted.
This man had everything. In fact, his collection was so sweet, I'd say he was something more than a man. He had Charizard, Blastoise, Zaptos and Mewtwo! For those who don't know, Mewtwo was kind of a big deal.
So, like my eighth birthday, I feel like I really can't go wrong here. The number of MVP candidates this year is staggering, but after some thought, it really comes down to just four guys:
4. Kobe Bryant. He's like the Martin Scorsese of the NBA, except Scorsese finally got over the Oscar hump last year. The Lakers are back where they belong in basketball, at the top of the Western Conference, and no one is more responsible for this than number 24. And this means Kobe's happy. He's high-fiving, slapping sweaty asses and showing his pearly whites.
Kobe might be the best player in the league today. He might be the best player of our generation. But can his 28 points, six rebounds and five assists per game merit an MVP award when he didn't establish a career high in any major category? If he didn't win it when he averaged 35.4 a game in '06, Kobe just can't win it this season.
3. LeBron James. LeBron James is to basketball what Alex Rodriguez is to baseball. These two guys have what I like to call "the eight-year-old with a mustache" ability. Remember in Little League when you stepped up to the plate against the kid who hit puberty way before you? He's rocking a dirty Sanchez mustache, stinks like a Turkish bathhouse and probably has hair "down there" while your testicles are still searching for daylight. You don't have a shot at hitting this guy because he's just a physical specimen.
That's LeBron. More than anyone in the league, you get the feeling that LeBron may be a man playing with boys. He can will buckets with his raw size, speed and strength. But despite his weak supporting cast, he's third on my list. I don't really have a reason why he shouldn't be MVP other than this was the most incredible season of basketball since the good ol' days.
2. Kevin Garnett. Bill Simmons of ESPN says that an MVP should be the guy that 10 years from now, pops into his head when he tries to remember the 2007-2008 NBA season. Without a doubt, that guy is Garnett. Sure, he has a fantastic supporting staff, and he is in no way the most talented player in the game, but the Celtics' revitalization has been truly magical.
But what makes Garnett my number two is his character. Last Sunday, Garnett, Pierce and Allen were featured in ESPN's "Sunday Conversation," and you could absolutely feel the love in the room. Garnett has transformed a team and a city in six months.
1. Chris Paul. He won't win it, and that's a shame. But what this 22-year-old kid has done this year is incredible. He's put a city in need of distraction into a basketball frenzy and turned a mediocre Hornets team into an NBA powerhouse. He's the little engine that could with serious talent. But what makes Paul deserve the award is the fact that his 2007-2008 season has left a mark on the game in that he has changed the way we think of the modern point guard position. His well-rounded game, leadership qualities and flat-out likeability have made him my favorite player in basketball today and my pick for this year's NBA MVP.
Gideon Jacobs is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at Gideon.Jacobs@tufts.edu.
