Kobe No MVP this 2011

Truehoop has an excellent article why LBJ won’t register a triple-double season. Made me do this post too. I have this in mind yesterday whilst watching Lakers cruised to a win over the Memphis yesterday… Kobe will retire with only one MVP trophy! One less than Nash’s.

Why Kobe Won’t Win the MVP This Year:

• Reason 1 (20%): THE KNEE - He’s opening the season coming from a knee surgery. Though he says he’s 100%, I highly doubt that. Only sheer talent allows him to go over 20 points average on limited minutes this young season.
• Reason 2 (20%): THE (mile)AGE - He is after all, 32 friggin years old with a ton of mileage.
• Reason 3 (20%): THE BENCH - Phil Jackson, the master, is putting on building blocks for a successful playoff run. He is giving more time to the relievers (Brown, Barnes, Blake) and it eats up few Kobe minutes. Though not in his DNA, Kobe too, clearly is making effort to acclimatize new players and the bench. Passing up some shots along the way.
• Reason 4 (20%): THE SPANIARD - The emergence of Pau Gasol as a prime player or focal point of the Lakers offense. Gasol is shooting 6 more shots from last year (19 FG attempts per game this year with an efficient rate of .533).
• Reason 5 (20%): THE BLOW-OUTS - They are blowing out teams! Which sends the Lakers starters straight to the bench with full quarter (and sometimes, a quarter and half) to go. Thus, Kobe averages only 31 minutes per game down from 39 a game (same reason why LBJ’s minutes and numbers are down).

If anything, the record that Lakers can shoot for is the 72-10.

72-10 - difficult and a misguided target, but this is within reach. Contrary to Jeff Van Gundy’s claim that Miami Heat is capable team to get 72-10, I say the Lakers are more likely to get to 72 than the Heat. An off-night by Kobe and Gasol, they are still capable of beating teams. That can not be said about the Heat. If LBJ and Wade take a night off, Heat are doomed. The Lakers can still win against most NBA teams with a Laker injury here and there (recovery by Bryant and Bynum/Walton absence has no effect thus far).

Current Lakers is better team than the championship teams of 2009 and 2010. They got 3 seven footers who got game (Odom, Gasol, Bynum), the best closer (Kobe), solid bench (Brown, Blake), great defense (Barnes, Artest), etc.

The Lakers are currently 4-0.

68 wins to go!

Posted last November 4 2010.