This is an article that was posted on www.edthesportsfan.com by Eddie Maisonet. He has allowed Talkhoops.net to post this article as an introduction to the recent hiring of Eddie to this website. Enjoy learning a little about Eddie and reading his first post to Talkhoops.net

Ed does not like Kobe Bryant. You don't say? Really? I never would've thunk it.

Ok, I haven't liked Kobe since he shot those 2 airballs against the Utah Jazz in the 1997 NBA Playoffs. I really didn't like him when he snitched on Shaq. And I almost hated him when he went off on Bynum. But momma told me not to hate folks, so I just really, really, really, really really really did not like Kobe Bryant. However, I'm a grown man and I can do this. I'm going to write an article on why Kobe Dean Bryant aka "The Black Mamba" should win MVP. Ugh, here goes.

Reasons why Kobe Bryant SHOULD NOT be MVP:

1. He wanted to be traded from L.A. at least 57 times.
2. He wanted to bring in Jason Kidd, Jermaine O'Neal, and roughly 22 other players.
3. He snitched on Shaq. What did Ed and Rummy say, "Thank You For Not Snitching!" (Go watch the Boondocks if your unfamiliar)
4. He ripped Bynum about 206 new ones, for what?
5. L.A. isn't the powerhouse it is without Gasol, Bynum, Odom, and Phil Jackson. Take any one of the 4 away and they aren't contending for the #1 seed.
6. L.A. is 6-7 without Bynum or Gasol. Without Kobe in 2006-07, the Lakers were 6-2.
7. He's a selfish, prima-donna, wannabe MJ, who wore #24 just so he could feel he is one better than Jordan. (And I'm not a Jordan fan at all...)

Well, what the hell are you writing a story about Kobe 4 MVP for?

1. Because my boy Jarrell would appreciate it.
2. I take it as a personal challenge.
3. He's got a 50/50 chance to win it
4. The media is trying to give him the "lifetime achievement award" MVP because he hasn't won one yet. (Perfect example, ESPN compared Kobe and CP3 on a side-by-side. CP3 stats said, "#1 in assists per game (11.6 apg), #1 in steals per game (2.73 spg)." Kobe's said, "21,795 career points, #2 in points per game (28.4 ppg)." Which one of these don't fit? Why would you include Kobe's career points? That's not relevant to the 2007-08 season. So stop talking about it, and oh well he's never won the thing. WE DON'T CARE ITS NOT RELEVANT!) Ok, so my point is that I think I can tell the story by not doing that.

You ready? Ok, let's go.

Reason #1 - Kobe can take over the game on both sides of the court

Kobe has the ability and has shown us that he can and will lock down the best defender on the opposing team. He plays the lanes very well, and is always a threat to be an additional weakside shot blocker. Chris Paul can't do that, LeBron definitely can't do that. KG can, but his issue is that he's never taken over the game offensively, something that Kobe thrives on playing in clutch moments.

Kobe will D you up, then dunk on you. Its a real problem.

Reason #2 - Kobe improves everyone on the roster 2-12

I think that all of the MVP candidates do this well, so this somewhat of a cancellation. However, I would contend that this has been a consistent focus of his for the entire season. I can remember in years past that Kobe would say, "I'm not shooting for the entire half." Then, the Lakers would be down 20 and he'd wear a smirk like, "See, that's why you need me." No, fool. They need you to be a teammate and score." Then there would be the games were he'd go off and take 30, 40 shots, get 40-50 points (maybe even 81) and we'd be in sheer amazement. But L.A. would win about half of those games. Now, you see Kobe recognizing when to facilitate, and when to dominate, and that's when L.A. is scary.

Reason #3 - If you did a re-draft of all players in the league, who would you draft 1st?

Remember, this is not a fantasy draft. That honor would go to Bron Bron. Dwight Howard would get major consideration but D-Ho is only as good as his surroundings. Kobe gets you to .500 by himself. You see LeBron struggling to keep his team above .500 in the East. And as good as Chris Paul is at the point guard, some pundits would counter that the 1st point guard you'd choose isn't CP3, but rather Deron Williams. If you give me the 2007-08 Kobe, your chances are pretty darn good.

Reason #4 - Who takes the last shot of the game?

Okay, lets break this down. CP3 first, he probably could take the last shot of the game, but his value leans more toward getting someone else an open shot by penetration. So, the best player isn't take the best shot for the Hornets, but he's probably gonna get those players open and that has considerable value. Now, Garnett. This is easy, he's not going to take the last shot of the game. Not now on the C's, that honor still belongs to Paul Pierce. LeBron, well...he's definitely going to take the last shot of the game. But have we seen him do it enough in the playoffs? Granted he's only 23, and his run against the Pistons gives him a lot of cred, but lets look at Kobe. First off, every time I realize how long he's been in the league and how old he is...he's 29! With 11 years of NBA experience! Also armed with 3 NBA titles, he's loaded with experience, and he's hit a ton of game-winners already. Kobe gets the nod.

I think the point is to be made is that we look at Kobe and we know he's the best player in the NBA. For that, it seems that he should just win the MVP just because. However, you must weight that against how bad the Hornets would be without Chris Paul (my vote). However, for the life of this article (or until I write another article) I will push Kobe for the award.

Ugh...

Kobe's 81, I even enjoyed it...

- Ed.


Eddie Maisonet is the writer for www.edthesportsfan.com and the newest member of the Talkhoops.net team of writers.

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