KOBE BRYANT IS THE MVP FOR 2008

I haven't watched basketball for a while.

Last I saw, Kobe had plenty of skills but was a whiny, selfish player.

Has he matured finally?

he stopped being a ball-hog and the wins increased...

In his defense, he pretty much had to be a ball-hog for a long time.

He's still a cocky bastard, but the moves this guy has...unbelievable.

Kobe MVP
I think that kobe was a clear candidate for the mvp award. But. Kevin Garnett undeniably should have been MVP this year. Have you ever really watched him play, watched his interviews and documentaries. I would say that he is the only other player to have to absolute drive and passion for that game of basketball as Jordan himself. Kobe is a great player, one of the best ever, but if there was ever a time he should have been the mvp it was during his run with shaq for the championships. Kevin Garnett displays a drive and determination that no one else in the league can compare to, and has for a long time. There isnt anything he cant do, shoot three's, handle the ball, block shots, great rebounding, passing , shooting, everything. You name it he does it. Althought kobe scores more points in some games he also has games he just cant make a shot, but keeps shooting anyways. In early season games that teamates are wide open but kobe keeps trying the three and missing. Garnett is the most consistent player in the NBA. HE COMES TO PLAY EVERY GAME. He never gives up, you can count on him having a double double every night. He uses his skills and ability to direct the players around him as if he were a coach in the game, kobe does do the same but to an extent, and he just started doing that. Garnett has been a team leader for years. If I had to choose someone to lead my team to a championship, Without doubt Kevin Garnett would be my choice.

garnett has something kobe really wants, but will never have --
defensive player of the year award.

seems like kg is the ultimate team player.
he's in it for the rings, not the gaudy stats...

Without doubt just as you put it, it takes a player with true drive to not just put up huge points, but to lead the nba in defense as the defensive player of the year while being one of the mvp candidates of the league. Garnett is in it to win rings, no self awards, points or stats. He simply wants to win. If you have seen any of his interviews they all try to get him to say he's carrying the team and that he alone is making them win. But being unselfish as he is never takes credit for that and gives all the credit to the team as a whole, which he is leading. He is a very nobel player and well deserved the MVP award this year. He will prove that when he single handedly takes out the lakers in the finals, you watch, and mark my words!!

Re: Kobe MVP
Well, Johnmg, you've made some very cogent points, and I can definitely understand your perspective on it. First of all, welcome to A2K. And now, my rebuttal.

I think you're letting your personal feelings about Garnett get in the way of your powers of rational analysis. There is no doubt that Garnett seems to be a true team player, and a wonderful person, and he and Kobe are both incredibly great players. But as for Garnett's ability to do everything, and how he comes to play every night...so does Kobe. As for your statement that Garnett can be counted on for a double-double every night while Kobe sometimes does nothing, all I can say to that is BULLSHIT. Garnett has off nights just like any other player.

I was just listening to a little conversation the announcers were having during the last Lakers game and they were talking about Phil Jackson and the Lakers during the early 2000 seasons. He said that sometimes he'd be yelling at players to play harder and always be in attack mode, and one of his players asked, "Why are you always yelling at us about this stuff, and you never talk to Kobe about it?" He said that Kobe was ALWAYS in attack mode. And he is. So when you say that Garnett is always playing hard...so is Kobe. He's a bad mother--shut my mouth!

Kobe can do it all, and often does, just like Garnett, but we've seen Kobe take over a game time and time again to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat, and the more the pressure is on, the more he comes through. He's a four-time champion. Garnett hasn't ever gotten his teams out of the first round of the playoffs until this year. Kobe not only wants the rings, he already HAS a few.

You may say, but Kicky, he didn't have the players around him! Kobe hasn't had the players around him either for the past several years and the Lakers still consistently went further into the playoffs than any team Garnett has been on.

Kobe is a winner, he can do it all, he's been the guy who put the dagger through the heart of opposing teams time and time again, he has moves that Garnett couldn't even imagine, let alone try, and besides all that, he can trash talk opponents in Italian. Let's see Garnett do THAT.

As for immaturity, I remember that Kobe was one of the earlier players to start in pro ball at a young age, so he's been doing his maturing on stage.

Re: Kobe MVP


Yeah but Garnett was on the TIMBERWOLVES until this year! Even the best player can't do it without at least a little support. Kobe's had way more support than Garnett.



Yes, I do say that (I also start to respond to posts before I've read the whole thing).



I haven't been watching the last several years but the whole "c'mon, Garnett was on the TIMBERWOLVES!" thing still seems to apply.

(Can you tell I don't like Kobe? I lived in L.A. during their championship run, I'm predisposed, but I just don't like him.)

Garnett did too... (start early, straight out of HS.)

Yeh, he was the first guard to be drafted out of high school.

As far as liking, I still like Kareem, but of course he was a center.

You do make great points kickycan but as he says^ Garnett was on the Timberwolves, no man himself can take a team with little to no support past the first round of the playoffs against teams like pheonix, or the spurs or heat, not Garnett, not kobe, not jordan himself in his day could do that. It doesnt necessarily take a bunch of excellent players, tho that does help out without doubt. It takes chemistry, a team that plays team ball, they all have the same goal, and that is to win rings. Garnett was held back with players like sprewell, who wanted to show to be his. Quoting,"I need to feed my family, im not making enough money" when he was demanding a 40 million dollar contract from the wolves. At the time he was making 17 mill, who the hell cant afford to feed their family on 17 million a year? Sam cassel as well, although he is a good player and has experience has too big of a temper, he let other teams get the best of him and instead of just all out performing he retaliated and was thrown out of half the games, leaving garnett left with a bunch of no name rookies for the 2nd half to pull something together to beat teams like detroit, spurs, phoenix, it just couldnt be done. Kobe does have alot of moves that garnett cant pull off, kobe also happens to be 6'6''. garnett is 7 ft, and he still drains threes and all of his shots consistently just as kobe does. And your right, Garnett does have his off games just as any other player, that may have been a little bit of me being bias. This is touchy subject because besides garnett i feel that kobe, Now, has the next biggest drive and love for the game of basketball compared to garnett. In the end it usually just goes to the statistic winner, but if it was 50/50 statistic/love for the game and desire to win, Garnett would be the 2nd time MVP of the league

Soz, in many ways, not counting Garnett or Kobe, one could easily argue that the Lakers over the past few years have been the younger and possibly even less talented of the two teams. I think you just have a crush on KG. Take your personal feelings out of the equation, and you will see the truth. It's close, I give you that, but Kobe is simply the best.

So there.

Well maybe you and Kobe, and me and Garnett can double date some time and discuss this over some dinner and drinks. sound good ??

lol

Another great point. A lot of this is political. Garnett has an MVP already, and since Kobe inexplicably hasn't gotten one yet, they probably felt that this is the year to rectify that.

For the record, I too love Garnett as a player, and he has the extra appeal of being an exceptional person as well.

By the way, Sprewell was great! I loved him when he was on the Knicks!

Great idea! Maybe we can play a little b-ball afterwards too. Me and Kobe against you and KG. We'll see who's the best then!!!

garnett is the better man hands-down bcos kobe might of raped that girl 5 years ago...

He didn't do it!!

How do you add friends on here, or people to associate with , to send messages if you want? can you do that on here?