The Case for MVP: it's ApPAULing

With MVP voting in full-swing and NBA-guys-who-think-they-know-a lot boldly proclaiming who the next champ is before the regular season is even over, I took a moment to stop, think, and laugh. There really is no telling who will win it this year. The so-called “clear-cut” winner of last year’s trophy, Dirk Nowitzki, the best player on a 67-win team, couldn’t even get his squad out of the first round against an eight seed. The previous two trophies went to Steve Nash, a solid choice the first year he won it since he basically improved the Suns by thirty wins single-handedly, but a joke the second year since a 22-year-old LeBron James single-handedly turned the CAVS into contenders. (Note: any time one player independently turns an Eastern Conference team legit, they have to win MVP. I insist.) Really, the recent MVP choices have been widely debated and disagreed on, without an obvious choice prevailing since, I think, Kevin Garnett, when he brought the T-Wolves to the Western Finals. And as pissed off as I was in light of their recent playoff humiliation against the Warriors, it was pretty humorous watching Dirk accept the MVP trophy one day after Stephen Jackson finished making him look like a fool for six games.

(I think David Stern is determined not to let that happen again, which is why all the noted MVP candidates are in the West this year. Really, any team prevailing in the first round in the West would not come as a surprise, so you can choose Kobe for MVP and, besides his stellar numbers, it wouldn’t look foolish if the Lakers lose to the Nuggets in the first round. If you give Kevin Garnett the MVP and then the Hawks pull a Warriors (does that make sense? Good.) and upset the one-seed, you get….well, you get Dirk and the 2007 Mavs. I will now drown myself.)

I know this will surprise you, but I don’t get an MVP vote. I know, I know. Incredulous. I’m pretty easy. I would immediately give the award to Chris Paul. No sweat. I mean, the guy is the sole reason the Hornets snagged the NUMBER TWO SEED IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE, plus he pulled a mega-HR plus for David Stern by reviving basketball in New Orleans. And there’s the little detail of him becoming the next Isiah Thomas.

But the ridiculous, overwhelming, why-is-there-even-a-discussion detail of Chris Paul’s MVP case is the strength (or weakness) of his supporting cast and how he’s managed to turn this group into contenders.

Tyson Chandler — dumped in favor of Ben Wallace, who was then traded a year later and is now the 10th-best player on the Cavs. He IS better than Eddy Curry, which is like saying regular poop is better than diarrhea. Since joining Chris Paul and the Hornets, he’s averaged over ten offensive rebounds per game and 2384972398423 alley-oop dunks.

Morris Peterson — good ol’ Mo Pete hasn’t looked this good since his days at Michigan State. Can we get Mateen Cleeves on this team, please?

Peja Stojakovic — He’s pulling an older-version of Kyle Korver 2008. In Utah, Korver stands outside the three-point line and gets wide-open looks thanks to so much attention being paid to Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. He literally is getting paid to shoot wide-open threes. It’s the exact same with Peja. He runs to the bottom corner of the three-point line and doesn’t move on offense. What a life.

David West — Paul single-handedly turned him into an All-Star. I’m not trying to take anything away from West; he’s an above-average player who has a sexy 15-foot jump shot and a respectable inside game. But no way is he a consistent 20-10 guy without Paul. In that respect, he’s a perfect fit on this Hornets’ team. I hope to God he doesn’t sign a lucrative free-agent deal somewhere else in four years. He needs to follow Paul wherever he goes.

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Past the starters, the trickle-down is pretty remarkable. Janero Pargo has turned into the Damon Jones of the Heat, getting wide-open threes to hoist a la drive-and-kicks from Paul. Rookie Julian Wright has the easiest job in sports; he put-back dunks all of Chris Paul’s missed lay-ups easily because he’s always wide open because his guy always comes over to help on Paul’s drive. And Paul even makes freaking Hilton Armstrong look good on the pick-and-roll. Please.

Now, take Paul away from the Hornets. Do they take the number 2 seed? Please. Do they even make the playoffs? I say no. Last year, the Mavs would have made the playoffs—maybe a 4 or 5 seed—without Dirk, which is another reason why the MVP was a joke. The Hornets are a 10-seed without Paul.

by Tim Glaze
Pro Basketball Fans Staff Writer

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