| Does Paul's Season Warrant An MVP Website? Authored by Christopher Reina - March 19, 2008 - 6:57 pm
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The Blazers handed out iRoy’s to members of the press and now the Hornets have created a Chris Paul MVP website.
I’m sure it has much to do with the fact that individual players make such a greater impact on the game than they do in baseball or football, but I’m convinced the following things contribute to the hyper-absorption:
1. The regular season is too long
2. Over half of the teams qualify for the postseason.
Both of these issues can be addressed in future articles and for every season like this one where there are 9 or 10 high-quality Western Conference teams that are virtually equal, there are too many Eastern Conference annual occurrences no different than this year’s.
But returning to Paul since I’ve been baited, how does he look as an MVP candidate?
He is third in season FIC, the truest statistical judge of contribution, trailing LeBron James (1,389) and Dwight Howard (1,345) with a total of 1,334.
But he has the high per 40 FIC in the entire NBA with 22.2, slightly edging out James.
Kobe Bryant, the other MVP candidate, is 5th in season FIC with 1,163 and has a per 40 FIC of 17.9. His per minute performance trails Amare Stoudemire, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan, but since he remains arguably the best player in the world on arguably the best team in the NBA, he deserves a place in this swift comparison.
Paul’s supporting cast
Tyson Chandler and David West are both in the season FIC top 40, but it is difficult (make that impossible) to believe they would be so successful without Paul.
This is why Bulls’ fans can’t beat themselves up too bad on Chandler and why the 12 teams (Seattle twice) that didn’t select LeBron, Bosh, Carmelo and Wade in 2003 can’t do the same on West.
Their offense is 15.4 points per 100 possessions more productive when he is on the floor and bluntly I’m surprised the gap isn’t wider. The net total (offense/defense) is +11.0 per 100 possessions.
LeBron’s supporting cast
LeBron has a less talented supporting cast, the worst since the Iverson Sixers. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is having a nice season in the top 60 with a per 40 FIC of 15.2. Daniel Gibson is next in season contributions, but he has a below NBA median 9.0 per 40 FIC.
The Cavaliers offense is 16.1 points per 100 possessions better when LeBron is on the floor and the net total is +17.6.
Kobe’s supporting cast
Kobe’s first MVP season likely will be snatched from him due to the Pau Gasol trade. Gasol has a 19.8 per 40 FIC over his first 19 games with the Lakers. Adding that to Lamar Odom’s 23rd ranked 892 (15.3 per 40) and the 21.0 per 40 from pre-injury Andrew Bynum and you get one of the best big four’s in the NBA. Even Ronny Turiaf’s 13.7 easily beats out Andy Varejao’s 11.7.
Not surprisingly, the Lakers offense is 8.1 points per 100 possessions better when Kobe is on the floor and the net total is 10.8.
The Final Verdict
Paul and Kobe make comparable statistical contributions and even though the latter has made great strides in maximizing his positive effects on teammates this season, the former elevates the game of those who surround him in immeasurable ways that must be seen to be believed/appreciated.
But at the end of the day (at least today), LeBron James is your MVP, even if CP3MVP.com is running at a close second.
- Christopher Reina is the executive editor of RealGM and the creator of The Reina Value. |
