Early Season MVP

[Legacy]

Who you guys got as the MVP thus far?

 

I think it's Steve Nash with Kobe and Carmelo behind him.

[The Regime]

I actually think its Melo followed by Kobe then Nash.

[Keeylay]

Right now I think the guy who deserves the MVP most has to be Carmelo Anthony. hes showing everyone how talented he really is by dominating this early season.

C. Anthony, Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant

[fish7718]

brandon jennings?

[kingfish]

Kobe.

 

Hey dont change the criteria now, his team is tied for number 1, the Celtics dont have any legitimate candidates, and Kobe has terrific numbers. Easily MVP.

[Poe]

Anthony isn't the MVP to me because although he's the best scorer on the Nuggets' team, he isn't their leader. Chauncey is. I think a true league MVP needs to be both the leader AND the best playmaker for a successful team, or just simply have the most impact on their own team than any player in the league, hence most "valuable" player.

 

To me, these players are Kobe, Nash, Wade, Dirk, and maybe even LeBron. For the very best, I'll have to go with Kobe easily. Just look at what's he's been able to do without his pinky and index finger on the same dominant hand.

 

Wade has fallen off his game a bit, but he'll bounce back quickly I think. LeBron has never been a true leader, IMO. Dirk and Nash lack all-around defense. So, again, the winner goes to Kobe so far, and maybe back to Wade later on if he ever redeems himself.

[The Artesticle]

Carmelo - Kobe - Nash

 

NBA would give it to Lebron though.

[Celtics3420]

Anthony isn't the MVP to me because although he's the best scorer on the Nuggets' team, he isn't their leader. Chauncey is. I think a true league MVP needs to be both the leader AND the best playmaker for a successful team, or just simply have the most impact on their own team than any player in the league, hence most "valuable" player.

 

To me, these players are Kobe, Nash, Wade, Dirk, and maybe even LeBron. For the very best, I'll have to go with Kobe easily. Just look at what's he's been able to do without his pinky and index finger on the same dominant hand.

 

Wade has fallen off his game a bit, but he'll bounce back quickly I think. LeBron has never been a true leader, IMO. Dirk and Nash lack all-around defense. So, again, the winner goes to Kobe so far, and maybe back to Wade later on if he ever redeems himself.

 

 

While i agree w/your statement about the MVP being the leader/most important player on a team, i don't see how you can say "Maybe" Lebron is a candidate when he also fits that criteria. He's clearly the Cavs best player, Leader, and most productive/playmaker. There aren't many, if any(too lazy to check) other than Lebron averaging 7+ assists for their team. Add to the fact that just because the player isn't the actual leader, that doesn't mean they aren't the most valuable, because i see Melo as a MUCH more valuable player for the Nuggets than Chauncy.

 

As for the MVP, I see Kobe, Nash, Wade, Lebron, Melo, and Dirk as candidates, but i don;t see anyone as a clear cut favorite yet IMO.

 

A guy that won't get consideration, but IMO is probably deserving so far is Gerald Wallace. "lol, he said Gerald Wallace". But hey, Charlotte is doing MUCH better than i expected, and im almost positive that w/out G-Wall, they'd be in a situation similar to New Jersey/Minnesota. Instead, they're in the hunt for a playoff spot. 17/12 as a wing player speaks for itself.

[bravenewworld]

Well.... Last year i thought it should have been Billups and was wrong there.

This year....

Right now.... Kobe, Pierce or Durant.

I say Durant because that OKC team is doing very well for how extremely young and inexperienced they are.

[MainEv3nt]

dirk.

 

bias approved.

[bigdog17k]

Kobe. He's had his fingerprints all over the season so far...

[Lemon]

I'd say Lebron and Kobe are tied while Dirk and Nash is also a good mvp candidate lately. Can't go wrong with Wade and Melo, but the first 4 have proven themselves better imo.

[deestillballin]

dirk.

 

bias approved.

 

 

times 2.

[Sun Tzu]

Kobe then Nash then Melo.

[Poe]

While i agree w/your statement about the MVP being the leader/most important player on a team, i don't see how you can say "Maybe" Lebron is a candidate when he also fits that criteria. He's clearly the Cavs best player, Leader, and most productive/playmaker. There aren't many, if any(too lazy to check) other than Lebron averaging 7+ assists for their team. Add to the fact that just because the player isn't the actual leader, that doesn't mean they aren't the most valuable, because i see Melo as a MUCH more valuable player for the Nuggets than Chauncy.

 

As for the MVP, I see Kobe, Nash, Wade, Lebron, Melo, and Dirk as candidates, but i don;t see anyone as a clear cut favorite yet IMO.

 

I already said that I don't think LeBron is a true leader, which is actually understandable seeing how young he still is compared to the others. Leadership shines when the teammates responds and they become better as individuals having the best player on the team. Chauncey had a clear impact on his teammates. Melo is simply a scoring and rebounding threat. Very valuable, but he isn't a leader.

 

Assists aren't necessarily what makes your teammates better. Assists are just finding your guys when they are open. Maybe you're helping them get a few baskets, but you aren't making them better individual players. I'm talking about the leader to get after their teammates when they make mistakes, praise them when they are doing it right, and give them constructive criticism when needed.

 

For example, Nash could be a big reason for Goran Dragic's improvement on the team. How often are they actually on the court together? Hardly at all.

 

The three best leaders in the NBA, IMO, are Kobe, Nash, and Chauncey, and Wade could quietly be a good leader as well. LeBron has yet to prove it to me, and again, I'm not talking about pretty passes.

 

Also, a leader has to lead by example. LeBron impacts his teammates the wrong way, making the mood too light in my taste throughout the season. He acts like a kid, and his teammates follow.

 

 

One more thing, the reason I think about the leadership as part of my criteria for season MVP is because I find a player's impact on his tammates just as important as their own impact from their own performance. Melo is just a tremendous shooter and 1on1 player to me. If you can mold Chauncey and Melo into one player, then THAT would be a true MVP to me.

Edited December 18, 2009 by Poe

[Real Deal]

By my definition (best overall, and most valuable to the league), it's Kobe.

 

By others' definitions (most valuable to their team), it's probably Durant.

 

By the NBA's definition (best overall stats, one of the best teams), it's LeBron.

 

I can't say it's Melo. Denver is on pace to win 60 games, but so are the Mavericks, Lakers, Celtics, Magic, Hawks and Cavaliers. He's a candidate, but I still don't like his defense, and I'm not a big fan of his assumed leadership skills. I don't even think Steve Nash should've won it because of his horrible, horrible defense, arguably the worst starting defensive point in the NBA.

 

So, as an overall player (offense and defense) and on a potential 60-win team, you get Kobe, LeBron, and you have to throw Dwight's name in there as well. Wade is shooting poorly from the field (compared to his usual), and the Heat are looking more like a 44-win team right now than the 55+ win team they were weeks ago.

 

Kobe is a better offensive player than both LeBron and Dwight, and he's a better defensive player than both, and the Lakers have the best record among their teams, so I'm taking Bryant.

 

But we know he won't get it.

[Poe]

Kobe is not a better defensive player that Dwight. Perhaps fundamentally and better at sticking to his man, but he doesn't impact the game the way Dwight does.

 

When Dwight's on the floor, it affects the way the whole team plays defense. The perimeter players are able to stick into their man because they feel more secure that if they get beat, Dwight's got their back. Opposing players feel more intimidated going to the basket because they feel that Dwight may block their shot, and even if he misses the block or doesn't even contest, his presence alone will affect the shots taken by the opponent.

 

If Dwight ever gets MVP, it will be for his impact on both ends. His defense is completely game changing, and his offense is growing as well. He's becoming a more reliable post threat, and he's always affected the offense with his pick-n-roll game.

[Real Deal]

Kobe is not a better defensive player that Dwight. Perhaps fundamentally and better at sticking to his man, but he doesn't impact the game the way Dwight does.

 

When Dwight's on the floor, it affects the way the whole team plays defense. The perimeter players are able to stick into their man because they feel more secure that if they get beat, Dwight's got their back. Opposing players feel more intimidated going to the basket because they feel that Dwight may block their shot, and even if he misses the block or doesn't even contest, his presence alone will affect the shots taken by the opponent.

 

If Dwight ever gets MVP, it will be for his impact on both ends. His defense is completely game changing, and his offense is growing as well. He's becoming a more reliable post threat, and he's always affected the offense with his pick-n-roll game.

Marcin Gortat is a better one-on-one defender than Dwight. Just because Howard goes after every single players' shots doesn't make him a better overall defender than Bryant, who can actually lock his man up on the perimeter. Yao Ming has his way with Dwight, and it's even difficult for Howard to contain Shaq.

 

He changes his entire team's defense because, quite frankly, he's one of the only players on the team that plays defense. Having him in the game is like Garnett in Boston, when Allen lets his man blow by him. But put Garnett on Gasol and watch Pau go to work, much like Yao does Dwight, and you'll see the holes in their defensive games.

[Force]

Marcin Gortat is a better one-on-one defender than Dwight. Just because Howard goes after every single players' shots doesn't make him a better overall defender than Bryant, who can actually lock his man up on the perimeter. Yao Ming has his way with Dwight, and it's even difficult for Howard to contain Shaq.

 

He changes his entire team's defense because, quite frankly, he's one of the only players on the team that plays defense. Having him in the game is like Garnett in Boston, when Allen lets his man blow by him. But put Garnett on Gasol and watch Pau go to work, much like Yao does Dwight, and you'll see the holes in their defensive games.

I think what he was trying to say is that while Kobe might be the better defender when actually sticking to his man and locking him down...Dwight has a much bigger impact, in which he's right.

[Poe]

There are plenty of players in the league that are better man defenders than Dwight, but not many that change the game by their presence alone. Kobe can't change the whole team's defensive scheme the way Dwight does.

 

Kobe is a great defender in his position, but in Kobe's case, he just fills in for one part of the defense. Although his ability to guard the best perimeter player IS valuable, overall he's just one out of five defenders, whereas Dwight guards anything that comes into the paint. Am I making sense? Kobe guards one guy when Dwight has a the most important section on the court. That's what I mean by Dwight being a better defender. Not that he is better fundamentally, guarding his man, or anything like that. He just has more overall impact.

[Flash]

Kobe by a mile.

[Real Deal]

In that case, all big men defensive players are more important than guard defenders, because teams use them as anchors.

 

Doesn't make Howard the better defender, though, which I'm talking about. In a way, the Cavaliers anchor their defense around LeBron and his ability to block shots from the weak side, but that doesn't make him a better defender than Bryant, just a more important one to his team. With Artest and two bigs blocking shots and grabbing boards, the Lakers aren't depending on Bryant's perimeter defense as much as they did a few years ago...but that doesn't make him less of a defender.