Excellent news, and a QOTD

When was the last time a regular season MVP won the Championship? Was it Shaq? Anyway, seems like MVP has become a cursed award, I'd rather see it go elsewhere and win the big gold ball at the end of the year.

I don't think Kobe will mind losing MVP to LBJ if he gets his 4th ring. Don't think he'll mind a bit....

I am so amped about the game tonight! Hopefully DET and BOS don't go into overtime. And hopefully DET kicks the Celtics butts. What a great night for basketball!!!

Let's remember the whole "luck the Fakers" comment in the visitors locker room in Staples a couple of years ago. Let's remember Bell clothes lining Kobe. Let's remember how when we had basically a bunch of scrubs and Kobe in the line up we took them to seven games! Let's also remember Kobe's dunk on SNash, Trevor's dunk, and the total domination and a huge, fat L we gave them for Christmas last year. Muahahahahah!!!!!

Cue that music:

I LOVE LA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WE LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kill it tonight guys. Just kill it.

I don't care about Kobe winning the MVP. I'd rather see what happened in 2001...

The 76ers won 4 awards:
Iverson: MVP
Mutombo: DPOY
Larry Brown: Coach of the Year
Aaron McKie: 6th Man of the Year

The Lakers had no award winners but beat the 76ers 4-1 in the Finals, going 14-1 in the playoffs and undefeated on the road.

So LeBron, take your MVP. Garnett take your DPOY. We don't care. We care about the rings.

I can capture tonight's game in one sentence -- "Which team's fan base will go into defcon 3 mode." If the Lakers lose, the fan base may get their nose out of joint, but the rain on the parade will be temporary. If the Suns lose, their fan base may demand D'Antoni back with loses to NO and the Lakers too much to bear in a bad economy.

As for MVP -- I'll say it again -- Kobe will not have the opportunity to take enough shots this year to make a run. Scoring is a huge aspect of the MVP vote.

go ahead and get that MVP Lebron.

i can't wait to see that satisfied look in Mamba's face when he's holding the chip trophy.

i'd actually like it if Kobe even came like....10th place in that race.

GO Lakes!

History counts MVPs second. Championships are in the first column... for good reason. MVP is a popularity contest, decided by those that neither coached nor played, to promote the league. Nice to win for the "you like me, you really like me" but the ring is the thing.

The D,

"The question underscores the silliness of basing an MVP discussion on individual annual statistics. This is why I think maligned subjective criteria like "body of work" and "clutchness" are so important."

The point you raise is both interesting and tricky. Something like "clutchness" obviously matters, but what does that really mean? A lot of people make it about hitting game winners, but that situation doesn't come up a lot and to some degree, I think the importance can become overinflated. I don't like the idea of placing such a higher degree of importance on one shot over the multitude of others that really did more to shape a game.

And I also can have issues with "body of work," because the award should be about this season, not other ones. Particularly when you're trying to make up for past "snubs," the idea being that a player is "due." That's crap, in my opinion. It reminds me of when Al Pacino won best actor for "Scent of a Woman," which is actually among his more embarrassing performances, but people got caught up in him "deserving" to win by then, so it was as much makeup as honor. It's not only insulting to the actors who actually deserved it more that year (Downey in "Chaplin," Eastwood in "Unforgiven"), but undercuts the validity of honoring Pacino in the first place.

That's why I used hated hearing people say Kobe winning last year was as much about "lifetime achievement" as 2008. I consider that an insult to Kobe, because no "justification" or "qualifier" should be needed. That's just patronizing the guy. He either deserves it or he doesn't. I think he did, but if you don't agree, voting for him because he "should have won by now" is both pointless and disengenous.

Where I do think "body of work" does apply, however, is in using common sense to evaluate stats. For example, if Kobe's numbers are down because he's struggling, that's a legit reason to slide him down your rankings. But if he's scoring less simply because a quality supporting cast prevents the need, penalizing him is silly. Putting aside the fact that MVP's rarely get no help and you'd be punishing a guy for having a good GM, it's not like Kobe hasn't proven he can put up the numbers. That past doesn't just go out the window and to treat it as such is somewhere between dumb and lazy. If his play remains at a high level but he doesn't need to do as much because of the circumstances, is he really any less "valuable?" So along those lines, I do think "body of work" can apply.

AK

With the media having already pre-ordained LBJ to be this year's MVP and LBJ putting up ridiculous numbers, the Lakers will have to win 70+ games for Kobe to have a shot at the MVP this year. My guess is that Kobe will finish 2nd in MVP voting, which I wouldn't mind much if he got Finals MVP.

The possibility that Kobe could finish his career with only 1 MVP award to his name is ridiculous. I thought last year's MVP award was kind of like a lifetime achievement award for Kobe to make up for the past years that Kobe got jipped. Now that Kobe has a lot of talent around him, the voters will hold that against him.

Wow,

You meant to address BK, right?

AK

The MVP balloting is a JOKE.

Lebron is on a weaker team chucking in heaps of points... hello... kobe? 81?

but no... they make up all these mumblings about how "different" lebron is so they are so EAGER to annoint him...

For me kobe is still MVP... doesnt matter if he doesnt get the mvp hardware...

AK,

I think we agree on the "body of work" relevance: it provides useful context. Specifically, you get a sense of who is sacrificing numbers for the team, who is at their peak, who is drawing a lot of defense and who is just being an opportunist.

On "clutchness," I don't just mean buzzer beaters: I mean, and I know it's subjective, but those plays that "change the momentum" or "seal the coffin" or "deflate the opposition." These plays are why Magic is remembered over, say, John Stockton or Mark Jackson. We know these plays when we see them, and we should remember them come season's end. I'm pretty sure the other players do.

It's a long season and a team sport. My point is just that an MVP discussion, or any kind of "greatness" discussion requires a narrative, not just a discussion of statistics.

Good morning Laker lovers!
Game day, game day!! Hooray!!
Its a beautiful sunny day in uptown Sydney and I have a great feeling about today.

"Victory Boulevard- We love it!"

Anna

BK,

I accept your admonishment to make Penguin Awareness Day the official beginning of MVP discussion!

January 20th it is and not a day sooner!

So it is decided.

Lakers TODAY... Lakers Penguin Awareness Day... Lakers Forever.

GO LAKERS!

I want Kobe to win MVP and DPY and Finals MVP.

I want it all.

Didn't MJ win the MVP and Finals MVP the same year? Kobe should/can do the same.

Fatty, since we all know the Lakers read this blog (haha)...consider it done lol.

Fatty,

I could hear your fingers tapping while you're still weak and weary. That's the real fan.

Once you get to paradise, don't forget to post and tell what it is over there? We'll remember the eternal Laker fan.

In case you fall short, at least you had happy days in the blog.

Win one for Fatty by denying Fat Shaq the ball.

justanothermambafan,

I refuse to address "IT" directly. I count that as starving.

Still, I can't help but to throw out a little scourging towards the smelly, snivelling creature ever now and again.

Lakers TONIGHT... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.

GO LAKERS!

Justalakerfan

Thanks
-
The only shock that get my heart going again is a Laker beatdown on the Suns.

A Bynum posterizing Shaq could help too.

Justanotherfanofthemamba

Thanks as well.

Do I have to remind you how much Fatty hates the Suns and that undeserving of the MVP/conceited punk Nash?

Besides a Lakers beatdown of the Suns will propel the Lakers on the road to the Championship.

Jon K - Thanks
"Does Arizona allow inmates in psychiatric hospitals to have access to the Internet?"

Absolutely not!

But we do have a release program where they get to work for the state government managing our budget. My guess, this guy is probably part of that program, and maybe at a supervisor level.

The program name is the "Funny Cactus Farm"

Let's win this one guys, especially for Fatty and Pig (AZ Top Lakers Fans)

Hey Charles Thanks a lot

I had a minor outpatient procedure this morning and 'slightly' over dramatized my experience by my post.

I do have Doctors orders to take easy for the next few days. How and the Heck do you take it easy with the Lakers PLAYING the Suns tonight!!!????

Thank God for percaset and muscle relaxers.

A little bit of Laker Tom's stuff wouldn't hurt either. But that is still illegal in Az and I think it carries the Death sentence if caught?

Arizona - Home of the biggest losers this side of Manhatten and when it comes to Capitol Punishment, "we may be #2 behind Texas, but we try harder"

BK

How is defense measured into the MVP? Kobe has been excellent!

>>>I want Kobe to win MVP and DPY and Finals MVP.
>>>
>>>I want it all.

Okay, here's the way it's going to go down.

For the first half of the year, PJ will work out his player rotations,
Drew will work on getting his timing back, and Kobe will play in the low
30's minutes.

Around the all-star break, Drew will have his timing back and
will be averaging 17 and 12, the rotation kinks will be mostly
worked out and the Lakers will be a well oiled winning machine.
Lamar will fully embrace his role as leader of the Minute Men, and
as usual will get better and better as the year goes on.

Kobe, realizing that they actually have a chance to challenge
that 72-10 record, will kick it up a notch and start pushing himself
and his teammates up a notch. By that point Bynum will be like
a black hole on defense. Don't take your shot in there or it's gone.
And Trevor will start clicking on all cylinders - 3's, blocks, spectacular
dunks on fast breaks, and lockdown defense on the wings.

Bronnie, KG, and AI will all be duking it out with each other,
and their teams will also be taking hits from the newly resurrected
Hawks, Raptors, Magic, Heat, and Knicks (who will shock people by
getting a 6 seed).

With the Lakers finishing with around 70 wins, and the top teams
in the East only getting about 50-55, the award voters will give the
awards to the team where they belong...

MVP = Kobe Bean Bryant
DPOY = Andrew Bynum
Most Improved = Trevor Ariza
Sixth Man = Lamar Odom
COY = Phil "soon to be ten rings" Jackson

After that, the Lakers will wipe up the floor with every team in
the West before beating Cleveland 4-2 in the finals. Kobe will get
Finals MVP.

And then Mike T, Gunner, KL, Let's Go C's, et al can shut
their collective pie-holes.

LTLF,

Oh happy day.

Edwin -

That is a nice thought about Paradise.

I hope my version of Paradise comes true.

When I arrive at the Pearly Gates, I hope to see St Peter opening the Gates with Chick by his side saying, "Welcome to Lakers Paradise Fatty"

As I pass through the gates, I hear wailing off in the distance. So I ask Chick "what's that?"

And Chick responds, "Fatty, don't you know? That's a place reserved for all the BAD NBA teams, coaches and owners that wronged us. Oh, and few LA Times writers as well"

I asked Chick, "Are they in there forever?"

And he responded. "They are there until they swear on a stack of Bibles. The Lakers are the Best Franchise EVER, one million times, two million times for the Celtics"

I asked another question, "Chick will I have super powers so I can do Slam Dunks just like Kobe?!"

Chick replied, "Fatty, I can only help you play the game, I can't do miracles. What do you think this is Heaven?!"

He then said, "Common Fatty, Let's go play some ball with George Mikan. You'll like him, he's really gotten good since Pete has been coaching him"

Fatty's last thought as the anesthesia took effect:

Is it Tuesday or Thursday when I'm supposed to change my thong?

Kobe got his MVP. He wants the bigger trophy now. Simple as that. The fact that Kobe isn't leading the race shows that we're playing better as a team anyway. Keep his minutes down for now Phil, it's a long season.

Is it game time yet?

I WILL be in my lucky bar stool tonight! You can bet on that!

What do we play for? RINGS!!!

Lakers TONIGHT... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.

GO LAKERS!