Let me just start out by saying that I have a biased opinion.
I have been a die-hard L.A. Lakers fan since I was 9 years old, and when it comes to who should receive the 2009 NBA MVP award, my initial instinct is to give it to Kobe Bryant – no questions asked.
Kobe has the ability to instill fear in his opponents like no one else in professional sports because when he gets the ball, he can do absolutely anything with grace and ease. The man averaged 26.8 points per game in a season where he spent almost every fourth quarter on the bench because the game was already well under control.
He helped lead the best team in the Western Conference to a 65-17 record, winning the Pacific division by nearly 20 games. This included two big wins over LeBron James and the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers. Both games were won by 10 points or more.
He is the best player in the game, hands down. There is no player I would rather have take the last shot with the game on the line than Kobe.
But, with that being said, I don’t think Kobe will get the MVP this year. That’s not to say he still won’t get the NBA Finals MVP award after the Lakers win the title.
This year’s MVP race comes back to the 2003 NBA draft class between James and Dwyane Wade.
James, standing 6-foot-8, 260 pounds, had the best year of his already impressive young career, averaging 28.4 points, 7.6 boards and 7.2 assists per game while playing almost 38 minutes per contest.
He has completely changed the face of the Cavaliers organization in the last few seasons, and led the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals during his 2008-09 campaign. He helped Cleveland to the best record in the NBA at 66-16, 25 games ahead of Chicago in the Central division.
While James has taken a solid supporting cast to the No. 1 seed in the increasingly tough Eastern Conference, I don’t think he should get the MVP award this year, either.
For me, the choice is simple, really.
Dwyane Wade has been nothing short of amazing in the second half of the season. He averaged more than 30 points, 7.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game this year, while throwing a subpar Miami team on his back the entire season. He led the Heat in scoring in 72 games, including three 50-point performances.
But I am not trying to focus solely on statistics for the choice of MVP. Wade helped a team of young, inexperienced players to a third-place finish in the Southeast division, as well as a No. 5 seed in the playoffs.
Simply put, the man is a winner. He already has one NBA championship ring – something LeBron can’t say just yet – though this year’s team doesn’t have the post-season experience that he had with Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning in the 2006 playoffs.
There is no question that Wade has had the least amount of talent to work with this season, and he was still able to take the Heat to the playoffs single-handedly. The way I usually look at the MVP race is by how much success each player’s team would have if they were not on the court. The Lakers would still be a playoff team without Kobe, as would the Cavaliers without LeBron. But the Heat would not have a prayer without D-Wade.
He is a leader in every aspect of the word. He plays exceptionally strongly on the defensive end while still managing to lead the NBA in scoring. His ability to take over a game and create for his teammates has been remarkable. He can bring the ball up the court, knock down threes, finish at the rim and lock down the other team’s leading scorer. Wade has been a superstar in a league filled with amazing players.
Dwyane Wade is the MVP – no matter how much it hurts the Laker side of me to say it.
[email protected]
Yes, LeBron is that good, but Wade is the MVP
Daily Emerald
April 22, 2009
More to Discover