NBA MVP Pick

Since this has been the best MVP race in recent memory, and we should actually get a deserving winner (no offense Steve Nash), it's time to weigh in. Basically everyone's top 4 is the same in some order: Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul. I'm not going to deviate from that formula, so I will just give my top 4. In reverse order.

4. Kobe Bryant - A lot of the talk lately seems to take it for granted that either Kobe or Chris Paul will be MVP, but in my book Kobe is 4th. Yes, he's been real good on a great team. He's a great player, but that doesn't mean that others haven't been a little greater. He is still a great scorer (even with the hurt finger), scoring over 28 PPG while shooting a respectable 46%. He's a solid rebounder and passer, but LeBron (comparing him since they play similar positions) is better in both areas. He's very good defensively, but not the consistently great like Kevin Garnett, and his defensive numbers don't match Chris Paul. Add it all up, and a great season for Kobe Bryant, but still only enough to merit 4th place.

3. Kevin Garnett - He has played less minutes this year so the numbers are down a bit, but it's impossible to deny his impact on the Celtics. He's the best defensive player in the game, and he has backed it up with wild efficiency on the offensive end. His shooting is up at 54%, highest in his career. He is the ultimate team player, sacrificing his numbers and shots for the greater good of the team. He is still a great rebounder and an excellent passer for his size. How the Celtics do in the postseason will determine whether this season was a success, but there is no denying that KG has been great in his first year for Boston.

2. Chris Paul - I put him just a tiny smidgen below LeBron, but he's certainly a great MVP choice. John Hollinger actually had him as his MVP and Most Improved Player, and that's a pretty good thought. In the blink of an eye Chris Paul has surpassed Steve Nash as the best PG in the NBA, and has become one of the best players. He's become a better shooter, upping his % to above 48% on the season. He's averaging over 21 PPG, and also finding time to dole out 11.6 APG and steal 2.7 balls per game. All while leading the most surprise team in the NBA to one of the top seeds in the West. What a player.

1. LeBron James - Today I was watching Sportscenter top plays with some friends, and LeBron James was #2 with some ridiculous coast-to-coast move followed by a thunderous dunk in traffic. Someone else said something about how that wasn't even that good. But then we realized, LeBron is just so good, so talented, so athletic, that he makes it all look easy. I mean, look at his numbers... 30 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 7.2 APG, plus a more consistent defensive effort this season. No, his team's record is not as good as the other candidates, but that's so much his fault as it is that his teammates are simply not as good. But LeBron has been fantastic, and he gets my MVP vote. Once again, he's simply the best, most talented player in the NBA.

Who does your vote go too?