Here's my take on who should take home the Podoloff Trophy. Hard to argue with anyone else's choices. This year's race is tighter than a...never mind, I've been reading the GF novel for the first time recently, forgive me.
It has certainly been a great NBA season.
1-Kobe (AKA "Black Mamba"): Nobody is more important to his team than Bryant, if that's the qualification you wish to use for determining MVP. Bill Simmons said it best, if you were picking teams for a pick-up game, there is no doubt that based on this NBA season, the first guy you'd pick would be Kobe. Can shutdown anyone, anywhere, anytime.
2-Lebron: An all around talent. Triple double threat every single time he steps out on the court. Has made 18 of 28 shots in the last 2 minutes of close games(3 points or less) despite rep for not delivering in clutch. In 13 games against the top 5 teams in the league recordwise, Lebron topped 40 points an incredible 7 times! Team success is always important in MVP voting and Lebron's Cavs have the fewest wins out of the main competitors, which hurts.
3-Wade: Easy for detractors to claim anyone would look good playing with Shaq, but Shaq obviously isn't what he used to be. Plus, consider this if you really take the definition of valuable literally. The Heat outscore their opponents by 8.2 points every 48 minutes with Wade on the court. When he's on the bench, they get outscored by 8.6 points. That's nearly a 17 point differential each night!
4-Nowitski: Besides Kobe, no one has less help from his teammates than Dirk. Incredible shooter. Averaging a ridiculous 29 and 10 since the all-star break.
5-Billups: Leads the league with a 4.04 assist to turnover ratio. Obviously gets the most help out of anyone on this list, so case can be made that Pistons would be fine without him. The last spot was a toss-up between Billups and Nash. In their two head-to-head meetings this season, Billups scored 27 and 35, while Nash scored 18 and 13, while the assists were a wash.
Honorable mention:
Nash: Obviously had a great year keeping the Suns rolling without Stoudamire. Increased his scoring almost 4 points a game from last year's MVP season. Fantasic leader who makes his teammates better(Boris Diaw has played well for christsakes
) Stats clearly don't tell the whole story with all players and Nash is one of them. In a lot of ways played better than last year. So why is he not even in the top 5? Cannot guard an NBA point guard's grandmother, much less the actual player. I think he deserved the MVP last season when there really was no clear cut choice. This season, his utter atrociousness on D knocks him off the list. Has been absolutely torched by below average point guards this season, not to mention what guys like Billups and Kidd have done to him. Maybe it's the basketball coach in me rearing its ugly head, but defense is just as important as offense.
Paul: Can't believe there is actually another thread on this board debating who should be Rookie of the Year!
The only guards in NBA history to have better rookie seasons, according to their PERs(Player Efficiency Rating) are Jordan and the Big O. The Hornets should be a disaster this season and the only reason they aren't is CP3.
Melo: Clutch, clutch, clutch. Did I mention clutch? That alone gets him on this list. Did lead the Nuggest to a division title, but obviously his team accomplishments pale in comparison to other contenders. Probably needs to rebound a little better for his position.
