DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Bryant named MVP

I know Kobe was mentioned as MVP last week, so that isn't new news.

LeBron 4th in MVP voting? Doesn't make sense to me. Hopefully, he takes it out on the Celtics tonight.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080506/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_mvp_bryant_8


LOS ANGELES - Finally, an MVP award for Kobe Bryant. Regarded as the NBA's best player for several years but never its most valuable, Bryant earned the honor at last on Tuesday after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference.

He entered the season as the league's two-time defending scoring champion. He had finished as high as third in the MVP voting twice — after the 2002-03 season, when he averaged 30 points for the first time, and last year when Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki won.

Bryant received 82-first-place votes and 1,105 points in the media vote. He was followed by New Orleans' Chris Paul (28 and 889), Boston's Kevin Garnett (15 and 670) and Cleveland's LeBron James (1 and 438).

Bryant will receive the trophy Wednesday night from commissioner David Stern before the Lakers face Utah in Game 2 of their conference semifinal. The Lakers won the opener 109-98.

This season there was no denying the Lakers' 6-foot-6 star. Los Angeles rose to the top of the West despite key injuries and following Bryant's trade demands last spring when his team was eliminated in the first round by Phoenix for the second straight year.

Bryant averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.84 steals while playing all 82 games despite tearing a ligament in his right pinkie in February. He put off surgery until after the Olympics.

The knock on the 29-year-old Bryant had been that he didn't make those around him better — not anymore.

"He's deserving in this particular season with all of the question marks and everything going on coming into the season and the uncertainty," teammate Derek Fisher said. "Not only did he statistically have an MVP type of season, everybody can reasonably say they were better this year because of what he did. He met the so-called criteria, elevating his teammates' games."

Word leaked last Friday night that Bryant had won the award.

"I didn't know if it was going to come in my career, but to have the moment come now is special, especially to share it with the group of guys we have here," he said the following day.

Bryant, second in the NBA in scoring behind James, is the first Laker to win the MVP award since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000. Other Lakers to win since the award was first presented in 1956 were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson — each times. Abdul-Jabbar also won three with Milwaukee.

Bryant and O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive championships, from 2000-02, and a berth in the finals in 2004. The Lakers hadn't won a playoff series since until sweeping Denver in the first round last month.

Bryant and O'Neal were often at odds during their eight years together. Assistant coach Brian Shaw, who played for the Lakers from 1999-03, has noticed a big difference in Bryant.

"He's a much better teammate now than he was in the championship days. That's a credit to his maturation. There were definitely times when he was not a good teammate. No one worked harder than he did. The same is true today," Shaw said.

"In terms of connecting with his teammates off the court, he didn't do that very much. Now, from what I hear, he goes out to dinner with them all the time. Who knows? Maybe he likes these teammates better than us," Shaw added with a laugh.

Bryant has said this was his best regular season and his most enjoyable — a far cry from his feelings last spring. First, he challenged the Lakers to upgrade their roster, then demanded a trade.

Things quieted down and Bryant said all the right things during training camp until Lakers owner Jerry Buss said he would listen to trade offers. That upset Bryant again, but he promised he would focus on basketball once the season began.

And so he did.

After a 9-8 start, the Lakers put it together. The most obvious upgrades were Fisher and Pau Gasol, acquired Feb. 1 from Memphis. The Lakers already had Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic — all former first-round draft choices — when Bryant had his tirade last spring. All three, especially the 20-year-old Bynum, showed great improvement, but the 7-footer hasn't played since injuring his left knee Jan. 13.

Another talented newcomer, Trevor Ariza, has been sidelined since breaking his right foot Jan. 20. Gasol missed nine games late in the season because of a sprained ankle.

Through it all, led by their MVP, the Lakers kept winning. And now they appear to have as good a chance as any team to win another NBA championship.

What a crock. Just goes to show, once again, the bias in the national media against our teams and their players.

I think Bryant should of won ... but 2 or 3 years ago. Sadly, the MVP award has turned into "pick the best guy on the best team" award. That's why Nash won twice, and why Dirk won last year. I thought Kobe should of won in the year he scored 80 points. Chris Paul should of probably won this year.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO KOBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

I LOVE THIS..bout freakin' time

This the same cat who wanted out of LA......AND PUT DOWN HIS TEAMMATES?????????


Get real....................

30/7/7 w/out a single all-star on the team!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not sure he deserved it this year, but it's hard to argue against the best player in the NBA winning the MVP, especially when he hasn't won it when he really did deserve it. He had a great year, but I'm not sure if he was better than Paul or LeBron, but Paul and LeBron will get their chances later just like Kobe now. It's how the MVP award works.

Once again number two finishes at number 1

Kobe had a great year... but LeBron getting ZERO first place votes?

I think this vote had a little bit of... "well Kobe has had a fantastic career and has never won it, he may never have another year like this on a team that good, we should give it to him"... in it.

LeBron will get his and he probably won't have to wait 12 years like Kobe did...

This was nothing more than a lifetime achievement award.

It's sad really.

Paul and Garnett were more deserving, IMO. Look at the impact they had on their respective teams. And the Celtics were 21-5 against the West so the 'weak' Eastern Conference should not be used against him.

Kobe did deserve it more than LeBron. Your MVP cannot come from a team that doesn't crack the 50-win mark. However, LeBron is and always has been a much better ALL-AROUND player than Bryant. But he didn't have the impact on his team that Bryant had on his. But Paul and Garnett were better.

Don't get me wrong, Kobe is a great player. I just don't think he's deserving of the MVP, and I don't think he ever has been. He's an elite scorer scorer who gets way too much credit for the other things. Way too much.

LeBron will get his. When you look at Kobe's age and number of years in the league, think about how good LeBron will be at that point in his career. I've always loved Kobe's game so I don't begrudge him winning it, but I'll be thrilled when LBJ gets the honor along with a couple championships.

go cavs!

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It's sad really.

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Him being the best player on the best in the best conference probably had nothing to do with it. Such a travesty that Kobe that won it.

Its hilarious.

Well, at least LeBron took it out on the Celtics.

I don't agree that Paul had more of an impact on the success on the team. Kobe didn't have the help he has now until the season was almost over. Before that he had Odom and Bynum - not exactly a bunch of all-stars. They played well, but without Kobe they would have been a .500 team at best. Then Bynum got hurt so all he had was Odom.

Kobe is as deserving as anyone because he had great stats, but he also carried a team that wasn't extrememly talented until the addition of Gasol which happened with half the season already over.