Apr.19 at 4:28 pm

Steve says:
Bargnani is better than Garnet. That seems about right.

Apr.19 at 4:28 pm

Bozaframa says:
Baron was robbed.

Apr.19 at 4:34 pm

jbn74sb says:
Nice work Sam. And, don’t forget that the Player of the D.A.Y. (save one time) did not consider Friday night performances. If it had, Kobe would have won even more. The Lakers played seemingly every Friday night, and they are one of the biggest games on their opponents’ schedules. With all that said, go look at Kobe’s stats for games played on Fridays.

Apr.19 at 4:36 pm

Chris says:
chris Bosh is on for 3 and 4

Apr.19 at 4:41 pm

Sam Rubenstein says:
Oops. Bosh should be on for 4 only. Fixed. And I forgot to mention the weekend thing again, which was kind of a big deal.

Apr.19 at 4:45 pm

J says:
Steve like Sam said, it’s next to impossible to win the D.A.Y. in a losing effort and the wolves had a lot of those.

Apr.19 at 4:47 pm

jbn74sb says:
While playing 20 Friday night games, Kobe averaged 34, 5, and 5, give or take a decimal point.

Apr.19 at 5:01 pm

Paniscus says:
Zach Randolph was robbed.

Apr.19 at 5:21 pm

Reggie Evans says:
Yeah I messed up Sam, Baron only got four. I had him down twice. But maybe he gets one for last night’s perfomance? Did you give one out for last night? But I do have Kobe for eight (11/22, 12/1, 1/5, 1/18, 3/19, 3/20, 3/23, 4/16), but that doesn’t matter, he’s still first… Thanks for a great year of blogging…Can’t wait to see what award you’ll be giving out for the playoffs!

Apr.19 at 5:31 pm

Gord says:
People keep bringing up the fact that Nash is having a better year than during the last two years, but the point should whether or not he’s having a better year than every other player in the league THIS year, no?

Apr.19 at 5:39 pm

KMG says:
Kobe being player of the Y.E.A.R. is all good with me. His name should be included in the MVP discussion, but his chances for winning are most surely hurt by those losing streaks the Lakers endured prior to and after the All-Star break.

Apr.19 at 5:39 pm

Sam Rubenstein says:
Hmmm… I was thinking I had counted one LeBron one too many not one less for Kobe, but I think you are right.
Gord, your Nash argument is sound. I have no concept of what an MVP is anymore. Justin Morneau won it in baseball. I don’t get it.

Apr.19 at 6:09 pm

fabio says:
i also don’t understand anymore what an mvp is. a player who plays on a team that is slightly over 0.500??? and that could get swept in round1. by the current logic lebron had to win last year, but he didn’t. does anybody really think the lakers would be the worst team in the league without kobe? will all the current hype, they would have to be. well……….

Apr.19 at 6:14 pm

MagicChicken says:
If we had 112 Players of the D.A.Y., Kobe would be up one more. last night, he was SICK AS HELL against the Queens, and his whole team was having the most fun they’ve had all season due to the dominanace, leadership and confidence he brings that team… Also, Kobe would have more DAYs if we counted weekends. He deserves the YEAR and the MVP IMO

Apr.19 at 6:25 pm

Piedie says:
KOBE FOR MVP Dirk will get it but Kobe is the best… can anyone argue with that huh

Apr.19 at 6:25 pm

DP says:
Well, so far I am right. I knew Kobe was gonna win and he truly deserved it. It is not his fault that his team does not play up to THEIR potential. Kobe should have been the MVP last year but he will never get it because their are just too many haters out there. Since one of my predictions was right, I know Monta will win most improved for the year. play wit it.

Apr.19 at 6:27 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
Kobe wouldn’t have gotten it last night (I feel very safe to say) seeing that the Kings ceased being relevant some time in January. VC’s 24, 9 and 10 in a game that actually mattered was much bigger. And if I’m not mistaken, B Diddy had a big night, too. Hope Kobe appreciates this individual award, because it’s the only one he’s gonna get. Well, besides first team All-NBA.

Apr.19 at 6:28 pm

elyse says:
Ok, so Nash’s numbers are better. He got back amare, did you thihnk they would get worse? It doesn’t mean he is necessarily better, and it doesn’t mean he is haveing the best season relative to his peers. Maybe it is indicative of poorer defense this year by other teams, or any number of things. This whole argument of “as long as steve’s numbers go up…how can you not vote for him” is pretty neanderthal.

Apr.19 at 6:31 pm

O'Neezy says:
It may have already been stated, but are playoff faces making a comeback?

Apr.19 at 6:40 pm

Ken says:
Baron should have one more player of the D.A.Y. for clinching the Warriors first playoff berth since 94, with a triple double no less. I dunno if 5 D.A.Ys would put him in the running, but I thought it is worth noting.

Apr.19 at 6:40 pm

itai says:
yo u have ginobili in the one award and the two award one. just saying. sorry. yea.

Apr.19 at 6:46 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
You know what? I’ll even concede Nash and Nowitzki—pretend neither of them exist. I’d still take Duncan over Kobe as MVP. And maybe Tracy McGrady too. *Waits to be called a hater*

Apr.19 at 6:48 pm

Reggie Evans says:
This only proves that Kobe is the streakiest player in the NBA. His lows are pretty low, and his highs are pretty high. Russ, you’re a hater

Apr.19 at 6:48 pm

thomas says:
it’d be interesting to see how many times people won when only two or three games were played..like on thrusday nights..is that why lebron or amare won so many times? in no way am i trying to take away from them as players…i’m just saying..it’d be interesting to have some of the d.a.y.s weighted heavier than others..

Apr.19 at 6:56 pm

Max Airington says:
HATER!!! Nah, TMac was slept on all year, but why is team performance the deciding factor for an individual award?

Apr.19 at 7:07 pm

what says:
You Earned All Respect? Sounds like a Fat Joe album with too many guest appearances.

Apr.19 at 7:07 pm

slamrules!!!! says:
KOBE SHOULD BE THE MVP!!!!!!!! FINALLY SOMEBODY IS MAKING SOME SENSE…

Apr.19 at 7:15 pm

Hersey says:
I am a Suns fan and I love Nash but I don’t get why Tracy McGrady is getting no MVP love. He had an amazing year and carried that team when Yao was hurt. He should get more votes than Kobe. Doubt it though, especially after suggesting he was getting old at the beginning of the season.

Apr.19 at 7:31 pm

spoken says:
Kobe is the greatest player in the league
and arguably the greatest of all times

Apr.19 at 7:32 pm

Max Airington says:
The Mac deserves MVP love, but more than Kobe? The argument for both players are the same, carrying depleted rosters, but isnt the difference in the rosters at their full strength? Laker fans werent waiting for Yao to come back all year.

Apr.19 at 7:39 pm

chris says:
steve u r an idiot

Apr.19 at 8:08 pm

Jonathan says:
Kobe is the most deserving MVP

Apr.19 at 8:49 pm

tedturner says:
baron davis should win it. triple double lastnight!!!

Apr.19 at 9:03 pm

peteb80 says:
Kobe for MVP is solely based on his really high scoring games, if he hadn’t dropped 50 so often nobody would mention his name. If you’re shooting as much as he is you’re gonna have some 50 point games. Yet the Lakers record with him taking 25 or more shots is 13-14 (if I counted correctly). So how much were those games worth for his TEAM? Zero. And that’s how many MVPs he should win this season. I would still pick him in that life or death pickup game scenario, though. Also, Dirk only took 25 or more shots in three games this season (2-1).

Apr.19 at 9:12 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
Tracy McGrady carried a depleted roster further in terms of wins. He single-handedly kept that team afloat when Yao went down. And how much of Kobe’s teammates failures are due to not even getting an opportunity to succeed? And I’d like to see someone explain how Kobe is more deserving than Duncan, let alone Dirk or Nash.

Apr.19 at 9:15 pm

Bryant Reeves says:
MAX - “why is team performance the deciding factor for an individual award?” Because anyone can put up huge numbers on a bad team - Example #1: Mike James on the Raps last year. Example #2: Gerald Wallace on the BETcats. There are going to be X number of points for each game and someone has to get them.

Apr.19 at 9:17 pm

Bryant Reeves says:
RUSS - “I’d like to see someone explain how Kobe is more deserving than Duncan, let alone Dirk or Nash”. Nash has matrix and amare; Dirk has JET, J-Ho and Harris; Duncan has Parker and GINO!; Kobe has Odum and…. and…. oh yeah, nobody. Chris Bosh for MVP.

Apr.19 at 9:23 pm

The Real Mongoose says:
I am a Laker fan, and Kobe is my favorite player, and I think he is the best player in the league. Even I know Kobe doesn’t deserve MVP this year, but please anybody but Nash. Don’t give him 3 consecutive MVPs without a Finals appearance!

Apr.19 at 9:25 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
The MVP award has nothing to do with the postseason. It never has.

Apr.19 at 10:01 pm

The Real Mongoose says:
I know it has nothing to do with the postseason, but just because a team is fun to watch and puts up great stats doesn’t make them the best team. The same thing happens every playoffs, we talk ourselves into phoenix (or other offensive juggernaut team) but we know that they can’t win it all. I know it should be judged season by season, and I would be fine with Nash winning this year, IF he didn’t win it the last two years. We should have given it to Kobe or Lebron last year, or Shaq the first year so we wouldn’t be giving him awards 3 years in a row. I know I sound like I am just hating, and I like Nash, but I know Nash is not a top 10 all time player, and that is what 3 consecutive MVPs should mean

Apr.19 at 10:07 pm

Max Airington says:
This is one of the youngest teams in the league and that assembly line of stories on how Kobe is sharing the ball lasted thru Janmuary and the team was competing for home court advantage until that rash of injuries. Kobe was taking seven less shots per game til then. Phil openly told Kobe to do all of that scoring because the roster inconsistencies were f’in with the team chemistry. Remember what all of LB’s roster tinkering did to the Knicks? How do you have any team synergy when theres different guys out there every night? Thats why it was just best to get the ball to Kobe and build off of the shots he could create for everyone else. And for a while it worked. The Lakers are 13-5 when Kobe scores 40 or more, and he had eight or more assists in four of those games. He had fifteen games total of 8 or more assists and half of them were double digit asssit games. What more do people want from a SHOOTING guard? Every other player in MVP consideration had an All star teammate. Nash had TWO, who would be bonafide All Stars with or without him. In fact every other team in front of the Lakers in the conference have All Star teammates. Only three guys in the West repped their team alone this year and only one of them is making the playoffs. Seriously, how many opportunities does Smush Parker need to succeed? His backup has logged minutes in multiple NBDL games this year. Lamar could be AWOL for a number of reasons, and I wish I could see Nash’s demeanor if he spent the last two seasons bouncing balls off of Kwames chest and forehead. His spirit was broken a long time ago and he may never get it back. Ronny Turiaf is a year off of heart surgery and Andrew Bynum still isnt twenty. The Lakers third best player is Luke Walton. Luke Walton! This is a team of marginal talent and zero experience, and if the starters hadnt missed more than a combined eighty games, does ANYONE doubt that a 42 win team would have 50 dubs? He built something out of nothing and when it fell apart he picked up the pieces and carried them into the playoffs. Again.

Apr.19 at 10:19 pm

Michael says:
It;s funny how a month can completley erase an entire season. His teamates we’rent given the oppertunity to suceed? Bullshit. He was sharing the ball until damn near the entire team got injured. The fact that the Lakers made the playoffs is a miracle in itself. Saying that he’s not the MVP.
1.Dirk
2.Nash
3.Duncan
4.Kobe
5.Lebron No way in hell T-mac can get MVP. His numbers don’t hold up, his assists are impressive but he only averages 24.5 pts on 43% shooting. How

Apr.19 at 10:48 pm

VT says:
Did Manu win one or two?

Apr.19 at 11:05 pm

Drolfe says:
Max. Preach.

Apr.19 at 11:41 pm

Max Airington says:
Everyone talks about how the Suns are worse without Steve Nash. Dallas is better without him. Phoenix plays that uptempo style of basketball, partially to compensate for Nash’s defensive deficiencies, no? The man is a sieve and allows constant penetration that gets their bigs in foul trouble. How can a team with Raja Bell, Shawn Marion and STAT have defensive problems? Hmm…. When Nash was in Dallas he had the same problem. Anyone who calls Dallas’ rise to prominence through establishing themselves as a defensive squad and Phoenix’s subsequent defensive troubles a coincidence is being dishonest. The common thread is Nash. And for that reason alone this guy should not be working on three straight MVPs.

Apr.20 at 12:14 am

achilles_Q006 says:
yes, Max, do preach…

Apr.20 at 1:46 am

Hector Art says:
It bothers me how everyone that doesn’t watch the Lakers, has become a great critic of Kobe Bryant. He is by far, the best player in the NBA. Even Michael Jordan has said it. Kobe Bryant is the MVP people. You can’t tell people that Nash or anyone is better, it’s just not being smart. Most Valuable Player is just that. Kobe is simply the NBA’s most valuable. Sorry LeBron.

Apr.20 at 2:17 am

Billy Blanks says:
Max Airington for MVP

Apr.20 at 2:18 am

Sesa says:
Yo Sam, I think it’s fair to say Dirk against Wade and everyone against Dirk.

Apr.20 at 5:23 am

Slobodan Chutzpah says:
Then again, by the criteria used here, you almost certainly have to give the D.A.Y. award to a player who has 40+ points, even though someone else may have had a better all-around game, playing within the team concept - as all players should be doing - and not alienating his teammates. How many guys have the license to take that many shots anyway? The bottom line with Kob’ is this: he doesn’t care whether his team succeeds or not, he cares whether HE succeeds or not.

Apr.20 at 5:32 am

FLUXLAND says:
Bargnani 2 Roy 1 yet Roy will win the ROY based on games played. Plus look at the company Bargnani shares at 2. Whatever.
-
Max, you should be running a cult.
I am betting on the Lakers in the first round.

Apr.20 at 5:50 am

fabio says:
basketball is a teamsport. so if you are the most valuable player, you are valuable to your team and make it better (thus making others better). MJ excelled at it - ok, he had one of the best ever at his side - but all the role players got so much better because he made them feel important (he tamed rodman btw). i am sure there are a few players who’d turn the lakers into a team at least equally strong as this one with kobe (lebron comes to mind). but anyway, SLAM lost some respect in my eyes. they really were about fundamentals, i don’t understand this extreme kobe hyping of late. nobody takes doubts that he is a great player and one of the best ever when he retires, but come on, this game is about winning. maybe he is the one player you’d give the ball to to score the decisive bucket, but is that everything. there are players who make teams so good that no last minute shot is needed

Apr.20 at 5:52 am

Russ Bengtson says:
I’m with the Yiddictator.

Apr.20 at 7:14 am

Andrew says:
Kobe is the man he had some off games (recent one against phx comes to mind) but over 82 not many did much better. He is da MVP if the award is for the most valuable player but as its for the best player on a winning team it goes to steve nash, hez got a better skill set than dirk and makes his team better moreso than dirk makes his team better. That said I’m really looking forward to an angry german in the playoffs!

Apr.20 at 9:27 am

Sam Rubenstein says:
The NBA MVP debate gets people almost as fired up as trying to get Patrick Patterson to go to their college.

Apr.20 at 10:10 am

Max Airington says:
Im just hoping that if I ever convince Russ then I might be able to talk him and Ryan into taking that “Kobe” picture. Happy juvenile(and adult) delinquent holiday everyone.

Apr.20 at 10:47 am

Max Airington says:
And a question for the Yiddictator, and his loyal following. Its true, no other player has the license to take that many shots on a consistent basis, but I ask of you, how many other players have the requisite skill and conditioning to sustain such an effort? If it were that easy as just chucking it up there, dont you think another coach would have tried it? There are plenty of other superstars in this league and plenty of sh*t teams to beat up on, but this is the fourth time that Kobe has averaged 40 for a month. No one else on that list currently. It must be beacuse Kobe is the only selfish player in a league of primadonnas. Sorry, answered my own question.

Apr.20 at 11:01 am

Daniel Opoku says:
I’m not saying Kobe is the MVP, but Max did open my eyes somewhat. Luke Walton the 3rd best player on a playoff team. Whaaaaa? Oh man that makes me want to cry. The ridiculous thing is this team seems to be put together all wrong. Replace Smush with a robot who can avoid turnovers and shoot open 3’s. Grab a banger for some compotent rebounding and easy 2nd chance points and dunks and boom, this team doesn’t look too bad. I say we give the lakers luthar head and chris wilcox and see what happens.

Apr.20 at 11:11 am

Max Airington says:
Chris Wilcox gave us 32 & 18 two weeks ago, when we were longing for Kwame Brown to come back. I really never thought Id say that about either of them.

Apr.20 at 12:00 pm

albie1kenobi says:
i honestly feel bad about kwame. he was destroyed by the MJ/collins tag team. anyone remember Slam actually did a story on him?

Apr.20 at 1:00 pm

J3K says:
Slam did a story on Ndudi Ebi too. He was amazing in NBA 2K4!

Apr.20 at 1:39 pm

Reggie Evans says:
Kobe is awesome, one of the best in the league. He could be waaaay better, if he played the “right way” (the John Wooden way, not Larry Brown). Now, how many NBA players can you say that about?

Apr.20 at 3:28 pm

fabio says:
if you put tim duncan on the lakers (and replaced kobe with an average SG) they’d win 50

Apr.20 at 5:35 pm

Darksaber says:
Still a Mambiatch.

Apr.20 at 5:51 pm

Hersey says:
Max,
The Suns don’t play uptempo to cover up Nash’s defense. They play uptempo because that’s the style the Coach wants and the style that best suits their personnel. Nobody is really saying Kobe isn’t the best player. But he isn’t the MVP this season. There are two MVP arguments here. Best players on best teams: that’s Nash or Dirk. Superstar carrying a team: that’s T-Mac or Kobe. T-Mac did a better job of that this season. The Rockets have homecourt advantage because T-Mac wouldn’t let that team fold without Yao. If Kobe’s teammates suck that doesn’t diminish his skill but it doesn’t make the MVP. The award celebrates individual excellence as a component of team success. Like it’s been said, anyone can put huge numbers on a bad team. Kobe had to put up huge number for his team to squeak into the playoffs. Two more losses and they’re in the lottery. T-Mac did a better job of carrying his team. To me he should get more MVP votes.

Apr.20 at 8:26 pm

allenp says:
Max’s post detailing exactly what Kobe has done this year was amazing. I didn’t appreciate Kobe when he was winning rings, but I appreciate his basketball genius now. He doesn’t get enough credit for just how well he understands basketball.

Apr.20 at 8:33 pm

allenp says:
The Lakers suck because they don’t play D. The Rockets play D. That’s the biggest difference between Kobe and T-Mac’s teams. That’s a coaching issue.

Apr.20 at 9:00 pm

Max Airington says:
Hersey, I dont think that Phoenix plays uptempo SOLELY to cover up Nash’s defense, but that style suits their personnel for a good reason. Id imagine that we both agree Nash is a sh*t defender who allows constant penetration which breaks down the team D. And Id imagine that wed also agree that he is an ambidextrous nightmare with uncanny vision and an ability to create his own shot-or anyone elses- from almost anywhere. The Suns just try to outscore everyone, they dont try to control a game like San An, cause they cant make those kind of consistent defensive stops. Nash is a big part of that. They couldnt play uptempo without him, but they also wouldnt have to as much if they had better team D, which he definitely doesnt contribute to. Thats all Im sayin.

Apr.21 at 2:58 am

BUM says:
Okay, fucking haters, you can’t give Steve Nash a fucking MVP because he got better numbers than on his 2 previos MVP seasons. Theres to reasons for that #1) his numbers from his previous seasons where not all that great. #2) The award is called MVP not Most Improved Player. If you are going to give out and MVP award to the player with the most amazing stats, then Kobe would be winning his secons straight MVP, but that ain’t happening because Steve Nash is gonna jack Kobe’s award for the second straingt year. What does a nigga have to do to win Most Valueable Playa

Apr.21 at 3:16 pm

1hush D says:
Dirk will get the MVP, Nash is second in line. “Donnie, you are like a child who wanders aimlessly into a conversation”…….that is what you BM jockriders sound like. I am not giving it any more energy. You Kobe lovers just watch the Lakers ride out of the playoffs on Kobe’s play.

Apr.21 at 3:27 pm

L.4.D.G (a.k.a Love4DaGame) says:
David West for MVP!