Misc. Monday 05-09-11 - What does "MVP" mean to you?
But how do you think an MVP should be defined?
Should that player's team have to make the playoffs in their sport? I'd say no. There are many players in many leagues that are an amazing talent, yet they lack the other core players around them to carry them in to the playoffs.
Should that player named MVP of their league be the best statistical player? No again. Stats are just that. Mere numbers. Sure, they define what a player has accomplished over the season, but don't reflect the things that player does as a leader off the floor, in the locker room or as a role model to younger players.
Here is my made-up definition of what a MVP should be.
The MVP should be:
1) A player that who is well rounded, that adds to the team's overall improvement.
2) A player who is both a great offensive and defensive player.
3) A player who is a leader on the field/court/ice and off it.
4) A player that is "clutch" and steps up when his team needs him or her most.
A lot of questions were raised this season when the Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose won the MVP award for the Most Valuable Player of the NBA's regular season.
Miami Heat forward LeBron James was runner-up. So let's compare these two superstars to my made-up MVP criteria.
OK, so #1 - which one of these players is the most well rounded?
For the regular season, Derrick Rose averaged 25.0 ppg, 7.7 apg, 4.1 rpg and shot .445 percent from the field. While Lebron's number in the same categories were 26.7 ppg, 7.0 apg, 7.5 rpg and shot .510 percent from the field.
OK stats guys, this is your category. Lebron clearly looks like the favorite here, right? Wrong. You have to remember that the Chicago Bulls had many injury problems this season. Rose's running mate Carlos Boozer played only 59 games and Cleveland sports fans favorite Joakim Noah played only 48 games. Which left Rose to carry his team to the number one seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
LeBron, on the other hand, had superstars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to spread the floor for him as much as possible, to get more open shots that Rose would only dream about.
On to #2 – Which player is both great offensively and defensively?
Again, the nod goes to Rose. Rose averaged less steals and blocks, but again, the stats don't always matter. Lebron gets labeled a great defender because, once in a while, he decides to fly back on defense and make some ungodly block from behind, slapping the basketball off the backboard with no regard for human life. My question is, why doesn't LeBron give that effort defensively every trip down the floor? Oh, I know why, because he doesn't listen to his coach.
Rose, on the other hand, since Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has taken the reigns, has been taught to be a better defender every time down the floor. Rose is no Gary Payton, don't get me wrong, but his willingness to be coached and have a heart for "team" defense gets the vote for me rather than just a few highlights by LeBron.
Which brings us to criteria #3 - Who is the better leader on and off the court?
This one is hard to answer, because how in the heck do I know? So I will give this one to LeBron. He has the experience and has been to the NBA Finals previously in his career. So based on "knows-what-it-takes," this goes to LeBron.
And finally, criteria #4 – Clutchness (which is a made up sports term).
All Ohio fans know the answer to this one. It's not Lebron. When you think of clutch players in the NBA, you think of Kobe, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant. LeBron never finds his way into the argument, and really, neither does Derrick Rose. But when it comes down to crunch time for the Bulls, it's Rose's game to win or lose. Chances are, LeBron is not going to have the ball anymore. He has proven that he has no clutchness.
Now the argument for you LeBron lovers is that he does the right things during the duration of regulation to win the game, so he doesn't need to be clutch at the end. If he wants to move to legendary status and be mentioned with names like Jordan, Bird and Magic, then he needs to be clutch on game-winning shots… and he just isn't.
My vote goes to Rose. With him, at least you know he will get the ball and will be the one creating off the dribble, giving his team a chance to win by going to the basket strong, not taking fall away three point shots at the horn.
So Rose takes three of the four criteria that I feel you need to win the MVP. Now, I know that some of you don't agree, so let me hear your criteria and your reasoning for why someone other than Rose should win the MVP.
Bottom line though, if the Bulls do not have Derrick Rose, they are at best a six seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a first round loss, while the Heat without LeBron still have a superstar and a borderline superstar in Chris Bosh. They would still get home court in the playoffs in the first round and get to the second round.
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