Fans get's a chance to vote for MVP

Nobody denies the possibility that the problem is that players play better with more time and better teammates. Playing next to a great player and a couple good players will make you play better even if they have nothing to do with you simply because of how possessions are used and distributed.

LeBron DOES make his teammates better because everyone is afraid he'll just storm to the hoop for 40 points. Kobe absorbs all the shitty possessions and jacks them up himself, allowing the rest of the team to not make mistakes.

Iverson's value came out of playing on a team full of worthless players so somebody had to shoot.

The problem with the Kobe MVP myth that started when the Lakers got good again is that Kobe didn't change his game at all, he just played with better players. The "selfish" Kobe was the one that pushed his team beyond where it should have been, like Wade, and LeBron before he had a real team. He does the same thing along side two "stars" (Gasol and Bynum, plus Odom) and suddenly he's "unselfish" and "making his teammates better." It's like Stackhouse in 2001-02 when he played worse but people considered him to be playing better.

Chandler's superior shooing came from him being put in a more proper role, West created the low post shots, Chandler hit the boards and scored on put backs. And then also focused on playing defense. Did Chris Paul set up shots for him? Yeah, but without West drawing attention it would not have happened. This range is the important stuff.

Good analysis benjo. Not a single stuff I can't agree with.

Anyways, back to the Wade talk which I always enjoy... I don't really think Wade does make others around him that much better, but I do believe that he can be a focal point on championship caliber team. He'll always be an underdog in the talks of Lebron and Kobe though.

Wade and Melo are overshadowed by Kobe and LeBron.

If Kevin Durant doesn't get into the top 3 of the MVP voting, I would consider the MVP selection retarded (the same as some people see it).

KD becoming MVP candidate this soon in his career. Just great for the Sonics, I mean Thunders... Hope this motivates Oden and we'll see the best of him next year.

Oden has been fantastic in both of his abbreviated seasons. If he makes jumps like Durant did, he'll be the best center in the NBA and on his way to the Hall of Fame.

A healthy Oden would make Portland a perennial title contender. He's a franchise big. (Even though Oden has played 82 games the past three seasons, I'd still say he's the right pick - Durant would be a glorified Ra$hard Lewis in Nate's system)

I would say Portland would be somewhere from 3rd or 4th seed, maybe higher, if Oden would've been able to play the whole season.

It's refreshing to see people not say Oden is a bust here, the tools at GameFAQ's NBA board are some of the most annoying idiots I've ever seen; not to mention they assume everyone not named Durant, Kobe, LeBron are busts.


I agree with Lamrock on Durant in Portland, I don't think he and Brandon Roy would be a cohesive duo due to the sheer amount of time both guys have to have the ball in their hands. Ra$hard Lewis is a bit harsh of a comparison, but he would be relegated to shooting a lot of three pointers rather then scoring in any/every way possible.

It's not surprising given Portland's bad luck with centres, Oden's own misfortune with injuries and the fact he's not averaging 20-10 - never mind that his numbers from earlier this season were impressive for the amount of minutes he was playing - which gives people all the ammunition they need to cry bust, premature as it may be. Mind you, most people seem to derive more enjoyment from predicting doom, gloom and failure (be it a professional athlete, TV show or video game) than taking a more optimistic or balanced point of view.

Let's just hope their luck with Camby isn't the same.

The reputation is mostly concerned with young centres that they draft, though Camby's got his own history of injury problems.

I hate this idea because of the popularity factor; at lease 75% of NBA fans are player fans, not actual fans of the game. They're just going to go with their favorites and no one else.

That really sucks, but I'm glad I'm in the other 25%. I always watch whatever basketball games are on TV, even if it's the Nets.