By Craig Neslage

Editor's Note: This article is from a contributing writer. To see the official InsideHoops.com opinion on MVP candidates, check our NBA Awards Watch page.

Ponder these point totals: 40, 38, 42, 35, 46, 42, 51, 44, 40, 52, and 40.

Kobe’s point totals in an 11 game tear from Jan. 29 to Feb. 19 should tell you all you need to know about how good a player he is. Bryant may be the league’s most unstoppable player one-on-one, and his play has started talks fitting him for an MVP award. Who can argue that? Well…

During these 11 games, he had Shaq with him for all but three of them. In those three, the Lakers went 2-1. In the other 8, they went 7-1. The question arises: How can Kobe be the MVP of a league when he is not the MVP of his team?

MVP stands for Most Valuable Player. The key word is valuable. Take Kobe away from this team, are they as good? No way. Take Shaq away are they as good? No way. So, who can they stand to lose, if they must lose one: the most dominant player in the league and the three-time NBA Finals MVP, or the most dominant one-on-one player in the league?

Baseball had a similar case this season. Alex Rodriguez is commonly referred to as the league’s best player. His numbers were the best in the American League for both home runs and RBIs. Did he win MVP? No. It went to a player in Miguel Tejada who played great in a 20-game win streak that propelled his team into the playoffs. The same playoffs A-Rod’s team did not make.

There’s that all important buzz word: playoffs. As of Feb. 20, are the Lakers in them? No. Shaq has played 38 of 53 games, and the Lakers are 23-15 with him. Without him, they are 5-10. Who did they fall to in those ten loses without the Daddy? Some of the teams include extra-stellar clubs like Cleveland, Washington, Atlanta, and the Knicks. These facts should eradicate Kobe’s name from the MVP voting.

On the subject of MVP, who should win it? Kevin Garnett. All Kevin Garnett has to help him is Kevin Garnett. Wally Szczerbiak is OK, but no coach in the league will ever claim: ‘Let’s back off of Garnett. We have got to stop Wally.’ Garnett leads his team in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals. He has done that while leading his team to a 34-21 record. Wally’s been good, averaging nearly 16 points. He has missed 30 of the team’s 55 games, and Garnett has carried the load. In games where KG leads the team in scoring, rebounding and assists, the T‘Wolves are 10-2. When Kobe leads his team in all three, they are 4-2. True, he does not grab so many rebounds when Shaq is playing, but that’s the point. KG does everything with little help; Kobe does a lot with a lot of help.

Kobe puts up great numbers which get his name in MVP conversations. A player does not have to score 50 to be MVP though. KG’s season high is 37. However, in that game he had 22 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks. Kobe scored 51, along with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Which game would you rather have?

Finally, Kobe Bryant is an unbelievable player, for a team ninth in the western conference. Kevin Garnett is an MVP on a five seed in the same conference. Period.


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