Kobe Bryant for MVP

There are some things that are best left said by others. Sports criticism just isn't one of my writing specialties. I don't know, something about my overusage of "OMG I KNOW RIGHT" and "SO SUPER" and "CUTESY" just doesn't make a good sports statement. So rather than write a cutesy little blog about vote for kobe, I will leave it up to my long time friend and poignant writer, Eric. Meanwhile, I will buy some purple and gold paint and work on some homemade MVP posters. Moses had Aaron, and I have Eric. so enjoy, and YAY KOBE! - sosupersam

GUESTBLOGGED BY, ERIC

Kobe Bryant. Most ____________ Player.


Now fill in the blank.

It seems simple enough, but for the past 12 years, the blank has remained… well, blank. Year after year passes, and the best player in the game according to most players, coaches, and executives has yet to be crowned with the league’s highest individual honor.

But if it happens this year, Kobe can now take his pick of that V that he so wants to insert in that blank. Validated… Vindicated… Valuable.

Validation for Kobe now becomes the trickiest part. In the upcoming days, you will hear more reasons why Kobe SHOULD NOT win the MVP award, again.

They’ll try giving to Garnett and Paul this year because it looked like they would have the best record. The “best player on the best team” argument which has been the the most consistent criteria for the award. But nevermind that this year, the western conference is only 7 games apart between team #1 to team #8. – But guess what, it’s the last day of the season and look who’s on top of the toughest conference race ever. I’ll give you one hint… they wear purple and gold.

They’ll try giving it to Lebron this year saying that he had the best individual stats. Again, ignoring the fact that Kobe had at one point in the last two seasons, a average of 35.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.5 assists and 1.8 steals. I’m pretty sure he averaged over 40 points one of those months, and on one of those days- scored 81 friggin points. Oh, and don’t forget that he once outscored an entire Maverick team for 3 quarters. And still had no MVP award to show for it.

They’ll try giving it to Chris Paul saying that he had much less talent around him. Nevermind that he had a healthy team all season while the Lakers were in first place even before Pau came to town and even then the Lakers had to play over 15 games without either Bynum or Gasol. Even better is that whole “Kobe can’t make his teammates better” bullshit. When I could have sworn these were the same sorry bunch that couldn’t hack it last year, right? Let’s go down the list, Bynum, check. Lamar, check. Sasha, Luke, Vlad, Ronny, Farmar, Mihm. CHECK. Looks like almost the exact same team to me. But somehow, Kobe’s team is better but he sure as hell doesn’t get any credit for making it that way. I see. That makes sense. Oh, and meanwhile, Lebron’s Cavs wouldn’t even make it in the playoffs in the west, yet no one accusses him of not making teammates better.

Reasons have turned to excuses.

Vindication for Kobe has come much harder than validation. While his scoring titles and the admiration from his peers were enough to keep him semi-validated for awhile, Kobe still (aside from Barry Bonds), is the most polarizing figure in all of sports. I don’t know one player that illicits either genuine love and adoration or utter hatred and disgust with as much consistency as Kobe. It’s either one or the other. No one gets cheered or booed louder in any arena.

The reasons for this is deeper than any one blog entry can explain. Personally, I think it’s the fact that he’s the only one that’s ever come close to the legacy of the much beloved Michael Jordan. And people don’t like it when someone else reaches their hero’s seemingly unreachable plateau of greatness. The same attributes that people found irressistable in Jordan, the cockiness, the drive to win, and his kill or be killed attitude, these are the same things to turn people off from Bryant.

Just this past September, Bryant was a man apart. Driven to solitude by his comments about his teammates, his team owner, general manager, and entire Laker organization, Kobe’s vindication seemed unattainable. Destined he seemed to leave Los Angeles as its prodigal son, and never to return. People didn’t seem to understand that his anger stemmed only from his desire to win. And now, 7 months later, he is seen as the leader of a tight-knit ball club, on the brink of greatness.

The MVP trophy finally puts Kobe in a company kept by very few, not the least of which is the one person that Kobe wants to be better than. After all, 24 is greater than 23 right?

Valuable. There is only one thing you need to know about Kobe Bryant’s value. I would say that if you ask 10 impartial people… 9 of them would answer “Kobe” to the following question. If the other team had the ball down by 1, and you knew who was taking the final shot… who would you have guard him? Or more importantly, if someone were to take the last shot for the win, in whose hands would you entrust that basketball?

Voters… fans… players, and coaches.. don’t lie to yourselves any longer. There’s only one man that deserves that award. If not the last two years, then certainly this year. He’s the best player on the best team. He has elevated not only his own play but also the play of his teammates. And while his stats are SLIGHTLY down, they are still one of the best in the league, even as he has played the best team ball of his life, on both sides of the court. No more excuses. It’s time.

Kobe Bryant. The most.. validated. vindicated. valuable.




ABOUT THE SO SUPER GUESTBLOGGER
NAME . eric
HQ . thisistheericshow.blogspot.com
ALMA MATER . ucla
DRINK OF CHOICE . adios mutherfluffer
SPORTS BETTING SPOT . sportsbook at the venetian, las vegas
VIDEO GAME OF ALL TIME . smash bros
RELATION TO THE SOSUPERSAM . birthday broham, elementary school cohort, 8th grade english award marauder