Kobe Bryant is 32 years old and about to enter his 14th NBA season. For the first time I can remember, Kobe has come into training camp not in the best of shape and not at full health. In the past, Kobe’s relentless worth ethic and obsession with being the best caused him to treat his summer like a private training session where he’d tinker on his game and re-invent himself each season. Then, armed with a new array of moves and skills, Kobe would start the season on a one-man terror, almost as if he was obsessed with showing everyone else he was the best. This year, I don’t see that.
It’s not that Kobe seems indifferent or uncaring, but Kobe seems different. It’s not that Kobe doesn’t want to win, in my opinion he’s just as obsessed with winning as before—but he’s learned to channel his fanaticism. In recent years, the media and fans have seen a different side of Kobe. We’ve seen that he’s managed to find balance in his life by becoming a family man and he’s stopped being as closed off to his teammates and the media.
Kobe Bryant understands the history of the game as much as anyone else, and he knows he has already left an indelible mark on NBA history throughout the course of his career. I hope that Kobe’s indifference at the start of this season is a sign that he’s not wasting his energy with proving that he’s the best, and I hope he’s finally committed to winning as a team. Kobe is admittedly still hobbling from his knee surgery and other injuries, but I have no doubt he’ll be ready to play when the season starts. Ironically, if he would embrace being a team player, he could win more personal accolades and extend his career.
Kobe is still chasing history and there’s no doubt he’s still hungry. I have a message for Kobe, the NBA, and all the Laker fans out there: Kobe Bryant should re-invent himself one last time this season and win the 2011 NBA MVP award.
Next: What Defines an MVP
Statistically there is no basis as to what defines an MVP. There is no prerequisite amount of points, rebounds, or assists a player must average in order to be proclaimed MVP. In fact, many players receive their MVP award in what is not considered their best statistical season. Kobe Bryant’s 2008 MVP came when he averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. By comparison, Kobe’s stats in the previous season were 31.6 / 5.7 / 5.4.*
*Kobe’s best statistical season? Not his ridiculous 35.4 / 5.3 / 4.5 he put up in 2006, but his 2003 campaign was in my opinion the most impressive. Kobe averaged a career high 6.9 rebounds per game, a career high 2.2 steals per game, and a nearly-career high 5.9 assists per game. It’s also the first season Kobe really started taking 3s, and it’s also the season he scored 40+ points in 9 consecutive games and saw him make an unheard-of-at-the-time 12 three pointers in one game including 9 of them consecutively. Check out the video before for some highlights from that season to the tune of the greatest montage song of all time.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwsUZztJuhw
Quick, name one statistical difference between Dirk Nowitzki’s past 5 NBA seasons. Exactly, there was nothing statistically outstanding about Dirk’s 2007 NBA season, however he won the MVP that season nevertheless. In fact, Amar’e Stoudemire had a season last year that was statistically very similar to Dirk’s MVP season. Steve Nash had a better statistical season last year than the first year he won an MVP in 2005. The point is, stats don’t really mean a thing when it comes to selecting the league MVP.
Most articles that include an MVP discussion elect to first define the term so we know what they’re arguing for. Essentially the NBA MVP award is defined as the best player in the league for that season. However, this can be interpreted in many ways.
Some people like to define the award as, “if you took away this player from his team, how much would the team be impacted?” In other words, how many games is this player responsible for wining for his team? One requirement for this definition is that the team have a pretty good record.
Others define the award as, “If you had to win one game of this season, regardless of the rest of your roster, who would you pick first if you had to win one game?” This is essentially a question of who was the alpha-male for the season. This is not to be confused with the, “If it’s a tie ball game with 2 minutes left, who do you want on your team?” If that was the case, Kobe would have won the MVP 9 years in a row. He has been voted by NBA GMs as the player they most want taking the last shot of a ball game for 9 consecutive years.
Most people probably define MVP as the best player on the best team in the league. Again this requires that his team be among the best in the league, but that only makes sense since great players should be able to lift their team to a good record.
The NBA MVP is selected by a panel of voters who are chosen from the media (sportswriters and broadcasters). Voting is not made public, and each voter casts a vote for a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner. When it comes down to it, the player who wins the MVP is the player that the media deserves to win it. The MVP Award, is quite literally, a popularity contest.
Remember back in the day when Kobe was #8 and when he was still sponsored by Adidas? Check out this video for some bad muthaf’in dunks.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wByQYPrRmI
The way the media and the public view each NBA season determines who will win the MVP. When Steve Nash won his back-to-back MVPs in 2005 and 2006, everybody was on the bandwagon. The “7 Seconds or Less” D’antoni Suns were fun, popular, and extremely entertaining to watch. They were a great regular season team, and they revolutionized the NBA with their fast-break style of play.
Take a look at the past two seasons: Lebron James won the previous two NBA MVPs by a landslide. Now that the media has given Lebron his due, I think it’s safe to say there’s almost no chance he’s going to win the MVP for a third consecutive year (a ridiculous NBA season record and individual achievements would give him a chance, but the presence of teammates Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade would still probably dilute his voter share too much.)
Now the media is looking for someone new to award the MVP. With Kevin Durant’s stellar play last season followed by his performance in the FIBA World Championships, the media has already essentially anointed Durant as the favorite for the MVP award this season.
For Kobe Bryant to win the award this season, as ridiculous at this sounds, he’s going to have to win it from Kevin Durant.
Next: One is Not Enough
Take a look at these three groups of players:
Group A: Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, and Julius Erving.
Group B: Lebron James, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Karl Malone
Group C: Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Moses Malone, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
What’s the difference between these groups? Players in Group A have each won one MVP award since 1980. The players in Group B all won two MVPs, and the players in group C won three MVPs or more. The players in the third group are considered the best players in the history of the league. If Kobe Bryant wants to be remembered as the greatest player to ever play the game, he needs to win two more MVPs before such an argument could be warranted.
Kobe’s tumultuous career has been widely documented and criticized. His playing style is considered selfish and his personality has been called abrasive, cocky, and egotistical. The media has perceived him as cold, awkward, and even aloof.
Kobe’s image hit an all-time low in 2004 as his sexual assault case was brought to the public and teammate Shaquille O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat. Kobe continued to be criticized for his selfish style, poor shot selection, and inability to lead his team far into the playoffs. In 2007, Kobe’s image reached another low. Kobe, growing ever frustrated with his team and lack of playoff success, criticized teammate Andrew Bynum and eventually demanded a trade in the off-season.
For the first 3/4th of his career, Kobe had his reputation tarnished by teammates, rape allegations, high school coaches, and sportswriters across the country. The 2008 season was the beginning of Kobe’s rehabilitation. His team played above expectations (Andrew Bynum was responsible for much of their success), and Kobe resumed his play as a devastating combo guard. The Lakers eventually traded for Pau Gasol, went to the NBA Finals, and Kobe won his first and only MVP award of his career. The following summer, Kobe led the Men’s Olympic Basketball Team to the gold medal. Kobe played as a perfect teammate and saved his best performances for the most critical junctures of the tournament.
Videos like the following one were also responsible for showing Kobe as a cooler, more likable athlete.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIWeEFV59d4
With all of the criticism Kobe has faced throughout his career, it’s no surprise he has only won one MVP. The MVP award is highly subjective and is dependent on the NBA landscape.
Kobe has won 1 League MVP, 2 Finals MVPs, and 2 All-Star MVPs during his career. For comparison, Michael Jordan has won 5 League MVPs, 6 Finals MVPs, and 3 All-Star MVPs. Magic Johnson has won 3 League MVPs, 3 Finals MVPs, and 2 All-Star MVPs. Tim Duncan has won 2 League MVPs, 3 Finals MVPs, and 1 All-Star MVP.
As highly decorated as Kobe has been in his career, he’s come short of winning as many MVP awards as some of his peers. Kobe’s won 5 total MVP awards to Tim Duncan’s 6, Magic Johnson’s 8, and Michael Jordan’s ridiculous 14. If Kobe wants to be mentioned in the same breath as these great players, he should push towards winning another MVP award in addition to his ultimate goal of winning more championships.
Next: How Kobe Bryant Can Re-Invent His Career and Win More MVPs
In a recent interview Kobe Bryant is quoted as saying he could beat Lebron 1 on 1 “in his sleep.” When asked why, Kobe points out that as a 1 on 1 player he’s unmatchable, but Lebron is better at being a team player.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnDrm8YPSBE
Throughout Kobe’s career he has been known as an amazing one-on-one player who is sometimes a triple-double threat and sometimes a team player. Often times people question Kobe’s shot selection and criticize his penchant for hogging the ball.
Kobe is 32 years old and about to enter his 15th NBA season. He’s played in over 1000 regular season games (of all active players, Kobe has played the 9th most regular season games and he is easily the youngest player in the top 10). That’s a lot of miles on his legs.
One of the biggest criticisms of Kobe Bryant is his inability to play within the flow of the offense. Kobe often dominates the ball, and he still hoists up 2 or 3 poor shots per game. Kobe has to exert so much energy to score each of his points, and sometimes it seems like he’s making the game too hard. Kobe expends too much time trying to break down his defender and often sometimes takes on multiple defenders.
Check out this INTENSE video about Kobe :
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dad-qK5IygI
We’ve seen Kobe play efficient, cerebral basketball where he scores without taking bad shots and he makes the right play. The problem is, we often times see him force up bad shots or, as if to overcompensate, force passes when he has good scoring opportunities. Sometimes it almost seems like he’s gone into “pass mode” or “shoot mode”, instead of reacting to the flow of the game.
In order for Kobe to remain productive as he reaches his mid-30s, he’s going to need to ease off the gas pedal and conserve some of his energy. Instead of controlling the ball and shooting it each time he has an opportunity, Kobe should start to react to the defense. See what the defense is giving him, and instead of starting and finishing each play, how about just finishing the play or just setting it up for a teammate?
Remember in Michael Jordan’s later seasons when he acted like Neo from The Matrix? He would score in such an efficient manner, picking apart defenses as if he knew exactly where to be at exactly the right time. He would score without wasting energy on pointless moves, he literally played like he could feel everything in The Force.
That’s the level of play Kobe needs to adapt as he reaches his final seasons. More importantly, I think he should embrace the challenge of being a more team-oriented player. Quantitatively, I think his goal should be to average a triple double for an entire NBA season.
I know realistically, this is an impossible challenge. Kobe’s too old to grab 10 rebounds a game and we hope he doesn’t need to continue to play 40 minutes a game. However, Kobe can be a good passer and he’s a great rebounder. It’s not unrealistic to hope that Kobe could average 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists per game.
If Kobe accomplished this goal, he would win the MVP. Since Kobe has been labeled a selfish player for pretty much throughout his career, his image would benefit if he has appeared to truly embrace the team game. People would take notice of the “new” Kobe, and MVP voters would certainly reward his newfound dedication to the team. Of course, Kobe would still provide some late game heroics and take over games when he’s hot.
By coming close to averaging a triple double, he would also end the Lebron/Kobe debate by showing he can pretty much do anything Lebron can do. By playing a more cerebral, efficient game, Kobe could extend his career and save his body from wear and tear by not having to score so much and waste energy.
Michael Jordan won his last two MVPs when he was 33 and 35 years old, Kobe’s 32. Kobe is still in the prime of his career, but his playing style and work ethic (as well as luck) will determine how much longer his prime lasts. Kobe should continue to tinker with his game and I hope he comes out next year with a team-focused, more efficient, and practical playing style.
Kobe Bryant has had one of the most storied, epic, and best NBA careers of all time. Kobe has reached the level where he’s universally acclaimed as the world’s greatest, and he’s not done yet. Let’s start the movement, let’s get the word out. Kobe Bryant for 2011 NBA MVP.
Here’s one final video to remind us why Kobe Bryant is Simply the Best
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IfIOswZa1o