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Kobe
Bryant does not deserve the MVP award this season.
He
deserves to get it every year.
He’s the
best player in the game, and because there is no
provision for marking him down for being a baby off the
court at times, he should already have a trophy case
filled with MVP awards.
The
argument this year waged by some that he has become more
of a team player or done something different to really
earn the reward is ridiculous.
In the
past, he has had spurts where he has been the team
player, spurts where he has tried to do it all, and
spurts where he has pouted.
Same
thing happened this season, Phil Jackson maybe a little
better now on how he handles Kobe’s spurts.
Bryant
is the most valuable player in the NBA, all right, the
sport at its exciting best whenever he is on the court.
If David Stern could arrange it, he would have Bryant
playing every playoff game to the very last possible
date for the NBA this June.
The NBA
has a number of great players, such as Chris Paul, but
with Bryant, like Michael Jordan, there is always the
chance we will be watching something we might never see
again.
The
notion, though, that he wants a championship ring more
than everyone else is also ridiculous.
He’s
just better than everyone else, his competitive drive
usually resulting in success, while others who might
compete with just as much heart and soul lack the
overall Bryant talent.
That’s
what makes Bryant the obvious choice for MVP every year,
because he has such talent and delivers so often.
But as
for the MVP, or Most Valuable Performer in the NBA this
season, if there were such an honor it should go to
Jerry Buss, Mitch Kupchak and Jackson.
Bryant
called Buss an “idiot,” and once again Buss responded by
proving he is one of the best owners in sports, which
sometimes means doing nothing.
Buss has
always liked Bryant’s game, but Bryant called him out
last summer, suggesting Buss was as much an idiot as a
liar for not surrounding him with better players as
promised, giving the owner every reason to react, or
even overreact.
The
owner added a DUI to his resume, criticism mounting that
the Lakers under Buss had lost it, or so most folks were
thinking just 11 months ago.
As a
result, the pressure was really on Kupchak, most
everyone in these parts wondering why he still had a job
and looking for someone to take a fall—if only to
appease Bryant, or make room for the return of Jerry
West.
How many
folks out there thought West was the only answer to put
the Lakers back on track? Come on,
Kobe, raise your hand.
Favoring
Bynum over Kidd paid off
Instead,
Buss replied by throwing his complete support behind
Kupchak—Kupchak responding to the turmoil as he does
everything, calmly stating and restating the Lakers’
plans for long-term success. You kind of get the idea
that Kupchak’s idea of a rip-roaring time is to stand
up, but very slowly.
An
irritated Bryant, meanwhile, was caught on video saying
he couldn’t understand why Kupchak had refused to trade
Andrew Bynum for Jason Kidd when he had the chance.
How’s that working out for Dallas?
He also
didn’t seem too pleased with the idea that the Lakers
were going to go into this season with Bynum still on
the roster—when Bynum could have been used to acquire
someone so much more advanced in his career.
Kupchak,
steady as always, explored all possibilities but
remained convinced that Bynum would become a valuable
contributor to the Lakers at some point.
But
around here it really didn’t matter what Kupchak
thought, most fans treating him like a Dodgers general
manager and blaming him for trading away Shaq, getting
so little in return, and later acquiring Kwame Brown.
Kupchak
took a public beating but went to work, doing what he
said he would do all along to improve the Lakers, while
everyone else wondered whether Bryant would show up for
the opening of training camp.
Kupchak
secured the services of Derek Fisher, a lucky break, but
the good teams are lucky like that. He sent Brian Cook
and Maurice Evans to Orlando for Trevor Ariza—initially
drawing a collective yawn from Lakers fans.
He
swiped Pau Gasol from
Memphis,
and although many Bryant supporters remain convinced
none of this would have happened had Bryant not thrown
his tantrum, they haven’t been paying attention.
Kupchak
was determined to improve the Lakers before Bryant’s
outburst, but with the proviso he would do it in the
best interests of the Lakers, and not just in the best
interests of Bryant.
Classic
Zen stuff
It might
explain why Buss has never wavered in his support of
Kupchak.
Then
there’s Jackson, the Zen paying off last summer, and
Bryant finding an ally in an author who had previously
trashed him for his petulant behavior. If Phil and Kobe
can be friends, then maybe Page 2 and, well, never mind.
Jackson
was brilliant last summer, taking the edge off Bryant’s
tantrum and saying all the right things to his star
player. Can’t wait to read his next book, though.
At the
same time, whether it was Jackson, his assistant coaches
or the passage of time, Bynum and the Lakers’ supporting
cast reported to work much improved.
Forced
to compliment Bynum, it took some of the steam out of
Bryant’s argument that the Lakers were no longer
championship-worthy.
In
hindsight, every team should have an owner, general
manager and head coach responding to controversy and
franchise chaos as Buss, Kupchak and Jackson did.
And so
when Bryant is named MVP, as he should be this season
and every season, it would be nice if he thanked the
Lakers brass for hanging in there with him when he was
stomping his feet and looking to move to Chicago.
It would
also be a good time to announce publicly he no longer is
a baby, no longer wishes to be traded and has no
interest in terminating his contract a year from
now—because he just can’t imagine playing for anyone
other than Buss, Kupchak and Jackson. |
