Ric Bucher has been known as the guy to make completely random statements that are simply ground breaking and that never come true. Los Angeles Lakers fans don’t need to be reminded that Ric Bucher was the man that came out on ESPN and said, “Kobe will never wear a Lakers jersey again.” This was his guarantee, but then again, it wasn’t his first lie.

With this year’s MVP race becoming one of the most controversial and highly anticipated events in basketball history (at least the last few years), Mr. Bucher has finally published his insight on the matter. You may never hear me say this again, but I agree with Ric Bucher 100%.

In Monday’s Daily Dime, Ric Bucher wrote Abbreviation Nation: MVP Credentials Defined. His article was about the MVP race of the 2007-2008 season and it broke down the individual accomplishments of all the potential MVP candidates. MVP stands for Most Valuable Player. Bucher nicely broke down each player and allowed them their own category, with simple logic, because MVP still means so many different things.

Kobe Bryant: The MVP can be classified as the best player in the league, which Kobe has been for the last four years and he still hasn’t finished in the top three in voting. This year, people are quite possibly going to vote for Kobe because the race is so tight that they feel giving the vote to a guy out of sympathy for the last few years would make the most sense. There are a few great reasons that Bucher pointed out though. The main reason that hit me was one of the reason that Chris Paul has gotten so much attention this season. The common argument is that if the New Orleans Hornets finish 1st in the Western Conference, then Paul deserves the award. With the records being so close, wouldn’t this argument actually serve more beneficial for Kobe Bryant. Considering the ridiculous amounts of injuries the Lakers have overcome this season, isn’t Kobe worthy of all the credit for guiding this team to where it is today. To be in the running for the #1 record in the conference while missing you 2nd offensive option for more than half the season and then missing your newly acquired 2nd option for 10 games is simply an amazing accomplishment.

Chris Paul: Paul has been absolutely incredible this season and has really become a hell of a player. He has shown that his game is fully developed and yet he is still so young. He can shoot, he can drive to the basket, he can pass (like no other) and he is already making his teammates better. With the #1 record in the Western Conference, at the moment, Chris Paul is the center piece of the team and is responsible for all the teams success. Paul however, unlike Kobe (due to all the injuries), has had plenty of help. Former all star Peja Stojakovic, and this year’s all star David West accompany Paul, along with a potential all star in Tyson Chandler. Paul has become an excellent defender and has truly shown that age doesn’t matter and development can occur at anytime. He is simply the future of the game. With all the greatness he has produced he is yet to prove he can do it on his own. Due to the fact that his team hasn’t had any injuries this season, Paul hasn’t had the chance to show how important he really is.

Lebron James: Lebron has truly been a difficult argument for me. The competition always seems to be extreme between Kobe and Lebron but that is only between the two personally, not their teams. We have learned over the last few seasons that personal stats don’t mean very much and the MVP race heavily relies on a team’s record. Kobe approached and passed every possible historic record in recent years but his team’s record, just over .500, wasn’t good enough. Lebron has had simply amazing stats this season, approaching triple double averages. Unfortunately, Lebron’s Cleveland Cavaliers sit barely over .500 and aren’t considered to be all that competitive at this point of the season. If the Cavs were in the Western Conference, they wouldn’t even be in the playoffs let alone in the race for the best record, so I don’t feel that Lebron should even be considered for this award this year.

Tim Duncan: The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the top teams in the NBA for years now. They have won four titles since 1999 and are the newest dynasty. The main ingredient in the team’s success has been Tim Duncan. Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker have really developed in the last few years but the team’s defense and even the offense truly flow through Duncan. The Spurs play very simple and conventional basketball, and that is in fact the reason that they are not an exciting team to watch. The basics however are obviously what wins championships and the Spurs will remain competitive for as long as Tim Duncan is a member of this team. This year unfortunately, Duncan has not produced enough, in comparison to the other candidates, to earn the award.

Kevin Garnett: KG has been superb in every game he has played in the NBA. It makes no difference where he plays or what uniform he is wearing, he gives it his all and is prepared for the battle. The Boston Celtics are the proud owners of the NBA’s best record and are well ahead of the rest of the league. The Celtics have had a tremendous advantage over many other competitors however. The fact that their roster, the core at least, was established during the summer is key to their success. The team has had plenty of time to bond and learn each others strong points in order to succeed. The MVP argument against Kevin Garnett is that he plays on a team that has so many other options. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen have both been just as important to the team’s success. The award can be given to the best player on the best team, but in this case, I’m not sure who the best and most important player on this team really is.

The bottom line of the MVP race is that this season has been magical. There have been plenty of superb performances and more than one man has proven that he is worthy of the top honor. Ric Bucher has listed his candidates in the order that I have mentioned them and I must agree. Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul are truly my only legitimate candidates for the award and the last few games could make a big enough difference. The Lakers definitely have the easiest remaining schedule but they are still lacking so many parts of their team. If they can manage to get healthy soon enough and stay at about the level of the New Orleans Hornets than KOBE BRYANT will be the 2007-2008 season Most Valuable Player!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 at 2:31 am and is filed under NBA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.