Dwight Howard is an amazing athlete and physical specimen. But, is he an MVP candidate?
Is he even the MVP of the Orlando Magic? Certainly, he is the most physically gifted, and physically talented player on the Magic. However, at the end of games, do the Magic go to him? They may involve him in some pick-and-rolls, but they certainly hope that nobody fouls him, as he shoots 58% from the FT line with his stiff form.
At the end of games, the Magic use the pick-and-roll as an entry in their offense, but they really want to get Jameer Nelson, Hedo Turkuglo or Rashard Lewis an open shot.
Can the league MVP really be a decoy in the final minutes of important games?
Howard certainly is a defensive presence and he can dominate the backboard when he wants. But, outside of five-feet, he has virtually no offensive game.
So far, LeBron James, to me, is clear and away the league MVP. If the Hornets earn a 1st Round play-off series, Chris Paul is my second choice. Heck, if Miami keeps winning Dwayne Wade might be my MVP - he has a rookie coach, a rookie PG and tree undersized power forwards! Kobe Bryant is great, but the Lakers have many weapons and, while they have an outstanding record, they are not dominating teams.
I have always favored Kobe Bryant to James. Heck, early on, I favored Wade to James because James settled for too many bad shots and played occasional defense. Now, with the way Cleveland is dominating teams and James is attacking the basket, playing away from the ball and defending, I think James is the best player in the game and this year's MVP to date.
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One player that you failed to mention that also deserves some mention is Chauncey Billups. If Denver ends up as the 2 seed in the west, he cannot be overlooked. Although he will not have the amazing stats of the other players, he is the reason that Denver is playing as well as they have this season. He is Mr. Clutch as well.
Hey Brian,
I agree with your contention that Dwight Howard doesn't have enough range on the offensive end of the floor to be considered an MVP candidate, his skill set is still limited compared to the other prime candidates. In my personal opinion, although he has a significant presence on the defensive end, the improvement of the Magic's defense as a team is due to the impressive defense of Lewis, Turkoglu and Nelson. For example, in last night's Lakers game, both Turkoglu and Lewis were great in getting into the passing lanes and stripping Gasol. They have both been much more active on pick and roll defense as well.
However, I do disagree with your second claim that Lebron James is the best player in the NBA. Although I do think he deserves the MVP for this year, as of now, that does not make him the best player in the NBA. If that is the criterion to receive the MVP award, then Michael Jordan would have received it many more times than he actually did. In my opinion, to evaluate a player's strenghts and weaknesses, one has to look at the overall skill set of the player. If you look at Lebron James' skill set, he still has some deficiencies in his game, namely his mid range jump shot, his limited shooting range, and mediocre free throw percentage. Two years ago, I would have said his defense, but it is fair to say that he has improved this year to such an extent, that he should be considered for the All NBA defensive first team. Similarly, Dwyane Wade also has limited shooting range, which can be seen by his poor 3 pt shooting percentages. On the other hand, Kobe Bryant, has no apparent weaknesses in his game. He can pass well, he can drive left and right, he can pull up with the midrange jumper, he has great shooting range and technique, he has the ability to finish in traffic, he is a good rebounder at his position, and from his many selections in the All NBA defensive teams, it is evident that he is one of the premier perimeter defenders in the NBA.
Billy: My bad. I almost wrote a blog earlier in the week touting Billups as the MVP. I was mainly writing about Howard based on the headline on espn touting howard vs bryant and james vs paul as a battle of the four mvp candidates on the same night. but, as long as i was going to throw wade into the mix, i should have expanded and added billups, who truthfully is my choice this year.
everyone always says that the cavs would be nothing without james. but, billups replaced an all-star and has taken a team that i did not expect to be in the play-offs to the #3 seed and anthony has been injured. plus, he saved george karl's job...
as for james vs bryant, this summer, i said the olympic team would win provided bryant played, so i guess i probably agree. however, i don't think a player has to be great at everything to be the best player in the game. for instance, i don't think howard needs to be a 3-pt threat to develop into the best player. if he can dominate the paint and make his free throws, it'd be fair to say he is the best player in the nba. i just don't think he does that yet.
as for james, i don't think he needs to be a great 3-pt shooter to be the best in the league. i just think he needs to play to his strengths. as skilled (and clutch) as bryant is, i think james is the toughest player to defend - the lakers just do a better job getting bryant the ball inside the 3-pt line while james often has to beat 5 defenders from 40-feet out. james is an outstanding rebounder and a better passer than bryant. i think bryant hurts the lakers some times because he takes bad shots and freezes out his teammates for stretches of the game. there have been games this year where they played better with him on the bench. it's for these small reasons that i'd now take james. i don't think there is a big edge to either, and i'd agree that bryant is more skilled than james and the best clutch player, but i think that is often overrated. we remember the game winner that bryant hit earlier this week, but we forget the two that he missed.
Kobe vs LeBron:
http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/01/16/kobe-and-lebron-on-the-path-toward-jordan/
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