Per Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-kobe3-2008may03,0,6268282.story)


Kobe Bryant has been voted the NBA MVP for 2007-2008, according to the LA Times. Kobe's first MVP award will be officially presented next week.

i still say it should be chris paul. the hornets are the #2 seed and into the 2nd round of the playoffs. there's not a person on the planet who looking at their roster could have predicted that.

kobe had a great year but he also has a lot more to work with than paul IMO.

I hate kobe and the main reason why is how he acts like jordan. Couldn't he maybe develope his own personality. Chris Paul deserved it and not Kobe demand a trade the previous summer Bryant

I'm cool with that. It was a tie with Paul, and before Gasol came along Kobe was keeping that team around the 1 seed anyway. I agree Kobe is a primadonna and his attitude is that of a lil bitch, but if for nothing else he deserves the lifetime achievement nod since he doesn't have an MVP. Paul will get his.

CP3

Ya'll lames for not noticing CP3 earlier. Again Gasol is a bigger deal to the lakers success imo. Take him away and they eat a first round exit.

Chris Paul IS The Hornets.

I don't like this pick. It seems Kobe is getting it all his seasons put together... more so winning this year just because he hasn't won it before.

Pauls season was much better.

Anyone else think Kobe was robbed in 2006?

No, the Lakers weren't any good in 2006, and there's plnety of historical precedent for a high-scoring player on an average team not winning MVP.

Kobe deserved it this season. The Lakers were very good even before Pau, and Kobe's been the biggest reason by far.

I also have no problem with his career history factoring in. It would have been a black mark on the NBA for Kobe to retire without an MVP award.

Kobe earned it, I have no gripe with the selection.

Anyone else think Kobe was robbed in 2006?
I dont. I do think CP3 was robbed this year. Kobe is not even close to the one man catalyst CP3 is. But its an individual award. Not a big deal. Ask Dirk.

I dont. I do think CP3 was robbed this year. Kobe is not even close to the one man catalyst CP3 is. But its an individual award. Not a big deal. Ask Dirk.


You know who Kobe has to thank for that award is Chris Wallace the Grizzlies GM. If the Lakers don't get Gasol for three pennies and Kwame Brown, then they don't finish in the 1 seed, then he doesn't win that award...

No, the Lakers weren't any good in 2006, and there's plnety of historical precedent for a high-scoring player on an average team not winning MVP.
Yeah, but none of 'em had a megariffic 80 point game. They'll be talking about that long after they talk about the circumstances behind Steve Nash's second MVP.


Kobe deserved it this season. The Lakers were very good even before Pau, and Kobe's been the biggest reason by far.
Bynum coming into his own had a lot to do with it, too. The stretch between Bynum and Gasol wasn't all that remarkable. Projected to a 82-game season, the Lakers without Bynum or Gasol probably wouldn't have made the playoffs in the West, or it'd have been 8th seed/early exit.

Yeah, but none of 'em had a megariffic 80 point game. They'll be talking about that long after they talk about the circumstances behind Steve Nash's second MVP.


Wilt had a 100-point game. Didn't win him an MVP either.

Scoring a lot of points does not turn you into an MVP automatically. Jordan learned that too.

The fact that it takes more than one guy to make a good team doesn't make Kobe any less of an MVP.

The fact that it takes more than one guy to make a good team doesn't make Kobe any less of an MVP.

The fact that most of the same guys from his 2006 team are still there speaks volumes about how much of a shitty teammate Kobe was.

Wilt had a 100-point game. Didn't win him an MVP either.
Wilt already had an MVP, though. And, there were different rules back then. The players voted. I bet if the players voted today, Nash doesn't get it twice.


Scoring a lot of points does not turn you into an MVP automatically. Jordan learned that too.
MJ's first MVP was basically about doing that, while being an elite defensive force. The 1988 Bulls were only just beginning to start being something other than a one-person team, much like the 2006 Lakers.

The fact that most of the same guys from his 2006 team are still there speaks volumes about how much of a shitty teammate Kobe was.

That has no relevance to the current season where his team play has been at an extremely high level while still managing to throw up gaudy numbers on a regular basis.

Wilt already had an MVP, though. And, there were different rules back then. The players voted. I bet if the players voted today, Nash doesn't get it twice.

I bet if they voted, kobe doesn't get it in 2006 either.



MJ's first MVP was basically about doing that, while being an elite defensive force. The 1988 Bulls were only just beginning to start being something other than a one-person team, much like the 2006 Lakers.

Yeah, he played defense. That slight difference....

Jordan's scoring DECREASED in 1988, and the Bulls had a much better season.

He also made it past the first round.

Other than those 3 things, it was exactly like Kobe's 2006 season.

That has no relevance to the current season where his team play has been at an extremely high level while still managing to throw up gaudy numbers on a regular basis.
It has plenty relevance to 2006 though.

I bet if they voted, kobe doesn't get it in 2006 either.
Who would?


Yeah, he played defense. That slight difference....
Kobe's been All-Defensive 1st team for HOW long?


Jordan's scoring DECREASED in 1988, and the Bulls had a much better season.

He also made it past the first round.

Other than those 3 things, it was exactly like Kobe's 2006 season.
There was a weaker playoff schedule for the first round. Remember, this was before expansion and after they bumped the # of playoff teams up. You had 30-win teams making it to the playoffs during that time. MJ's Bulls squeaked by a .500 team and got destroyed by the Pistons that year -- not that much better a performance than Kobe's Lakers circa 2006.

Who would?


Nash. Many players (Chauncey included) were outspoken about Nash being deserving. Not many guys spoke up for Kobe.




Kobe's been All-Defensive 1st team for HOW long?

...and he's never come close to winning a DPOY.



There was a weaker playoff schedule for the first round. Remember, this was before expansion and after they bumped the # of playoff teams up. You had 30-win teams making it to the playoffs during that time. MJ's Bulls squeaked by a .500 team and got destroyed by the Pistons that year -- not that much better a performance than Kobe's Lakers circa 2006.

Wow, so many things wrong with that I'm not sure where to start.

1. The Bulls won 50 games in 1988, against a murderous division.

2. Making it to the 2nd round is way better than not making it.

3. Jordan scored 50+ points TWICE in the first round! And they actually WON their series.....

4. The most memorable about Kobe in that series was him quitting on the floor in game 7.

Nash. Many players (Chauncey included) were outspoken about Nash being deserving. Not many guys spoke up for Kobe.
There was much after-the-fact back-patting. Whoopy-doo.


...and he's never come close to winning a DPOY.
There's a similar dichotomy to the old MVP vs. current. DPOY voted on by sportswriters, All-D team voted on by coaches. Tim Duncan's come as close to DPOY as Kobe has, and that's a bigger crock of shit than anything. He certainly deserved it over Ben in 2006. Can you tell I was just generally unhappy with the awards in 2006? :)


Wow, so many things wrong with that I'm not sure where to start.

1. The Bulls won 50 games in 1988, against a murderous division.

2. Making it to the 2nd round is way better than not making it.
Ok, I guess I don't see 3-4 vs. a .650 team as being that different than 4-6, with most of those wins against a .500 team. At the time, those first round matchups were often a joke because so many marginal teams could make the playoffs. This wasn't far from the days when the best teams didn't even have to play in the first round.

1. The Bulls won 50 games in 1988, against a murderous division.

I don't remember him ever saying that the Bulls didn't win 50 games that season....

Yeah, and there's a reason they played a worse team than the Lakers did: the Bulls HAD A BETTER SEASON.

Sorry, losing to the #2 seed in the first round isn't mitigation in my book. It only shows how little you accomplished over 82 games.

By that token, Joe Smith should get MVP voted because the Hawks too boston to seven. Let's all forget that they didn't do shit during the regular season, where the MVP is determined.

Yeah, and there's a reason they played a worse team than the Lakers did: the Bulls HAD A BETTER SEASON.

Sorry, losing to the #2 seed in the first round isn't mitigation in my book. It only shows how little you accomplished over 82 games.

By that token, Joe Smith should get MVP voted because the Hawks too boston to seven. Let's all forget that they didn't do shit during the regular season, where the MVP is determined.
First, there's Randolph Childress, now there's Joe Smith... I'm just waiting for Marvin Gardens.

It was 3:40 in the freaking morning and I had a massive headache.

I heard that Thomas fellow was still in the league, playing for the Hawks or something like that.

just to inject my opinion for a second.......i would argue that before expansion the talent was less watered down so some of those 1st round matchups featured some teams with lesser records but very good talent.

i think the fact they were best 3 out of 5 is what made them much different.

and when did they expand to 8 playoff teams per conference? i guess my memory is shot because it's been that way for as long as i can remember.

There was less water, though. The Dream Team and the Bad Boys had a lot to do with expanding the next generation of talent here and abroad, but it didn't happen overnight. Some of the "expansion" between the 70s and the 80s was simply letting the same players play for longer by not requiring four years of college, a result of the ABA acquisition. They were just starting to get out of the age of players having "injuries" in the winter, where they'd coming back tanned like they just partied on the beach somewhere. Some teams barely made payroll, and had to sell their top lottery picks because they couldn't afford to pay them.

It was 1984 that 8 teams got in from each conference (rather than 4 teams + 2 best-of-3 "wildcards"). 8 out of the 11 EC teams made it in for a number of years. MJ was injured and missed most of his 1986 season, but the Bulls still made it to the playoffs with a mighty 30-52 record. That's the sort of stuff I remember that makes me feel a little bit dismissive of the first round playoff accomplishments of the era. I was a fan back when playing the first round was something you only did if you weren't very good. God, I'm old!

Can I have some money gramps?

Can I have some money gramps?
I'll make a deal with you. You can have my entire economic stimulus check. It's already in the mail. Trust me.

OBTW, back on topic more -- Rasheed Wallace got a 5th place MVP vote! Woohoo!