Interesting Kobe (NBA) Article I Found! Check It Out!!

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CZAR

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Aug 25, 2003
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this is long as hell, but it's a really good read if you have time. a lot of it is about kobe making his teammates better and lebron not doing so.
I didnt even read that shit cause once u said that it was about Kobe makin his teammates better and LeBron doesnt, thats just plain idiotic!! Thats why LeBron gets so much pub is cause he makes his teammates better even though they are scrubs!! Kobe nowadays is also makin his teammates better but that is real recent feel me! And about the MVP article, thats cool I mean I said Kobe has the edge on LeBron so I agree so I dont know why folks keep comin at me like I never said that. And to kos why u keep sayin the same shit? Its not biased to say Kobe is MVP, but its when u talk about him & the lakers that make u biased! Just go back and read some of the shit u say! Theres a difference! Got Em!!
 

kos

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Sep 16, 2002
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NAW CUZ WHEN I SAID I THOUGHT KOBE WAS THE MVP AND MY REASONS WHY , PEEPS LIKE IM BIASED....I MEAN ITS GOOD...I AINT TRIPPIN JUS THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY....BUT FUCK IT , SOUNDS LIKE WE ALL IN AGREEMENT THAT KOBE IS THE MVP ANYWAY......
 

CZAR

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Yea like I said I think right now he has a edge on winning the award based on his teams record so thats why I think he will win it!! Now if I had a vote personally I would vote LeBron! Theres a difference feel me? Got Em!!
 
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Allow me remind you of his roster at that time. That team featured Smush Parker, Kwame Brown and Luke Walton as 3/5 of it's starting lineup. Kwame Brown is stinking it up on one of the leagues worst teams and Smush Parker has been on paid vacation for most of this season by the league's worst team. Luke Walton had his break out season the next year, but averaged just 5 points and 3.6 rebounds that season. To have led that team to 45 wins and the brink of an upset was truly an accomplishment for Kobe. Say what you will about the Cavaliers supporting cast this season, but they are innumerably better than Kobe's Lakers team two seasons ago.

Lets be real im sure we can all agree with this.

Yet 22 members of the media didn't even feel that Kobe was worthy of a top five vote. The 125 man panel gave him 22 first place votes, 11 second place, 18 third place, 22 fourth place and 30 fifth place votes. If cornered with the question of why Kobe Bryant failed to receive more two votes the de facto response were that his Lakers team simply wasn't good enough. The MVP usually goes to the best player on one of the best teams. Okay, I can respect that. The media backed up that notion last season by voting Dirk Nowitzki as the league's MVP.

What the fuck? 3rd?... 4th?... and omg 5th?... Lol what a joke...

What I don't understand is that many members of the same media have suddenly done a 180 on the criteria of MVP this season. Kobe has taken more of a backseat role this season. He has allowed his teammates to do more, and in the process the Lakers have become a better team. Even before the acquisition of Pau Gasol, the Lakers were the top team in the West prior to Bynum's knee injury. His 28.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.0 steals is more impressive than the 24.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 0.8 blocks that Nowitzki posted en route to the MVP last season.

Yet, there is an alarming trend in the media. Suddenly they have decided that the old criteria didn't make much sense after all. In recent weeks the Lebron for MVP talk has picked up. The Cavs are 35-27 and in 4th place in the much weaker Eastern Conference. The Lakers are 43-18 and second in the Western Conference, despite battling injuries all season. Let's put that into perspective. Despite playing in the much weaker conference, and thus having a lighter schedule, the Cavaliers current record would place them as a 10th seed in the west, or two seeds away from the last spot in the playoffs.


Not suprised.

ESPN's John Hollinger answered some questions on his choice of Lebron James, followed by Chris Paul as his MVP candidates earlier this week. He began by explaining that 58 of the 82 games are identical between the two conferences and that it shouldn't make a large difference in the win/loss column. I'm sorry John, but that just won't fly. That leaves a whopping 30% of the season where western conference teams are battling it out with much stiffer competition. Mr. Hollinger knows this well, as his power rankings are determined by a statistical analysis which calculates the Strength of Schedule. According to his own power rankings the Cavs would place as the 15th best team. The Cavs have faced the 18th most difficult schedule in the league this season. The Lakers meanwhile are even with the Mavericks for the 7th most difficult. Of the ten most difficult schedules to date, only three of those teams were in the eastern conference, topped by the Knicks at #4. If the strength of schedule means so little, then why does he weight it so heavily in his standings? In the end he would explain that he felt that Lebron was head and shoulders above the rest of the league right now, and for that reason he would get his vote. If that were the case then why didn't he vote for Kobe two seasons ago?

I wonder why lol.

Kelly Dwyer shared his sentiments in a recent article at Yahoo Sports. He would say in that article that Kobe probably should have been the MVP in the 2005-2006 MVP race, and not have been punished for playing on an otherwise poor team. He would then explain his thoughts of why Lebron has been a better player this season and deserves the award this season. The problem here is that Kelly Dwyer wrote an article two years ago at when he picked Lebron James as his MVP then. Why the change of heart now? Does anyone honestly believe that the Cavs supporting cast is weaker right now than the Lakers was two seasons ago? If next season Kobe averaged 50 points a game beause the rest of his team died in a plane crash but the Lakers struggled, would the criteria change yet again?

Damn this shit is fucked up. I cant help but to laugh.

Has Lebron really surpassed Kobe as the games best player? If you look at statistics, then a strong case can be made. Lebron outdoes Kobe in just about every statistical ranking at a glance. Lebron averages 2.3 more points, 2 more rebounds and 2.3 more assists per game than Kobe. He also shoots a better field goal percentage and has more blocks. Kobe has a higher free throw and three point percentage, as well as averaging more steals. He does play a couple more minutes per game than Kobe. On the surface it seems like an easy choice if the criteria is purely on who is the better player. Numbers can be deceiving though.

I agree people belive that Lebron is a better player based on stats. Which I always explain is because Kobe has a better team and then the room goes quiet. The stats arent even a big gap.

The most important difference is defense. You know, the activity that occurs during the other half of the game. Kobe has been on the all-defensive team seven times in the past eight seasons, including five first team appearances. Lebron meanwhile is an average defender. The interesting thing is that some members of the media have attempted to do the jedi mind trick on us, and convince us that Lebron has turned into a good defensive player. While I agree that his defense has definitely improved, to call him a good defender would be a stretch. Effective Field Goal Percentage is a representation which takes three point baskets into the equation of field goal percentage. Opposing small forwards have shot a 50% eFG against Lebron this season. Meanwhile, Kobe has held opposing shooting guards to a mere 44.1% eFG against him. That's a huge difference.

This is the main stat you should look at on defense not steals or blocks... This or points against.

Next up is rebounding. Both players are good rebounders at their positions. The difference is the positions they play. Kobe plays 77% of his minutes as a shooting guard, and the remaining 23% as a small forward. Meanwhile Lebron plays 73% of his minutes as a small forward, and the remaining 27% as a power forward. Rebounding is primarily a responsibility of forwards, and not guards.

Logic and I hope peole are throwing this out the window because Kobes still hangimg with Lebron in this category even though.

Assists is a no brainer. Lebron is a better passer and more willing passer than Kobe. Kobe leads his team in assists year in and year out though. Over the past seven years Kobe has averaged 5.4 assists per game. His primary role though, is as a scorer. As a scorer, Kobe is second to none. Despite chasing Lebron for the scoring lead this season, Kobe is still the better scorer. His field goal percentage as a result of 74% of his shots being outside shots, as compared ot 61% of Lebron's shots. Kobe shoots 45.8% efG on his jump shots though, as compared to James' 39.3%, that's the difference of 6.5%. The big difference difference here is that Lebron is taking 22.3 shots per game, as compared to just 20.4 by Bryant. That is nearly 7 shots less per game than Bryant took two seasons ago.

Like Ive said Kobe has a better team which is why. I also agree that Lebron is a better and willing passer.

At the end of the day you can make a strong argument for either player as the games best. Do you value Lebron's passing or Kobe's defense? What you can not argue though is that Lebron makes his teammates better and that Kobe does not. This is an argument that gets used seemingly any time the two are compared. Apparently averaging more assists equals out to making your teammates better. Nevermind the fact that the triangle is not an assist-friendly offense. Let's just stick to the undeniable facts and compare the teammates of both players. The only player who has shown any significant improvement prior to being traded to play with Lebron are Drew Gooden and Carlos Boozer. Boozer was a rookie the year before Lebron came, and had a decent year with him before heading to Utah. His field goal percentage dropped with Lebron but his scoring average went from 10 to 15.5. They only played together one season. Drew Gooden saw his field goal percentage leap by 4.7% in his first season with Lebron, and his scoring average jumped by 2.8. His scoring would drop back down in later seasons.

Ilgauskus was an all-star before playing with Lebron. He has not shown any improvement. In fact the only career high he can boast since the arrival of Lebron is in blocked shots. What has been most confusing about Lebron's game though is that they have brought in a number of guys who have played absolutely terribly with him. One would have to wonder why Kevin Ollie saw his shooting percentage drop from 45.1% the season before playing with Lebron to 37% in the season playing alongside of him. He was only 31 years of age. Ricky Davis was traded mid-season in Lebron's rookie season. He responded by lifting his shooting percentage by 5.7% and his three point percentage by 2.6%. Eric Snow had averaged 12.1, 12.9 and 10.3 points in his three previous seasons, while shooting 44..2%, 45.2% and 41.3%. He joined Lebron at age 31 and plummeting to 4 points per game on 38.2% shooting, despite playing a 22.8 minutes per game.

The next season they made the moves that were supposed to move them into contention. They brought in Donyell Marshall, who had long been a deadly shooter. He had averaged 11.5 points on 41.6% from beyond the arc the season before, and had shot 40% or better from that range for the past two seasons and routinely averaged in the low teens. Yet in three seasons with the Cavs he never shot better than 35.1% from that range or averaged more than 9.3 points. Damon Jones was also brought in to space the floor. The 29 year old averaged 11.6 points on 43.2% shooting from beyond the arc and 45.6% from the field the season before in Miami. Those numebrs dropped to 37.7% shooting and 6.7 points playing under Lebron, however. The largest disappointment though was Larry Hughes. Hughes was an all-defensive player who was coming off a year in which he averaged 22 points on 43% shooting. He had averaged 18.8 points the season prior to that. Yet he never averaged more than 15.5 points or 40.9% shooting in three seasons with Lebron. He was recently traded to the Chicago Bulls and saw a 4.1 point and a 4% leap in his field goal percentage in the seven games since the trade. It's way too early too make any determination on the impact of his latest shooter, Wally Szczerbiak, but it should be noted that in the six games since joining the Cavs he has seen his fielg goal percentage plummet by 13.6% and his three point percentage drop by 4.9%.

I don't want to hear how Lebron makes his teammates better ever again. There simply is no statistical analysis to support this. In fact, he seems to destroy the shooting stroke of the guys brought in to spread the floor for him. Oddly enough, the guy who for years the media has said does not make his teammates better, has indeed done a much better job.

Perhaps the best indication is Smush Parker. Smush bounced around from team to team for a couple of years, never having averaged more than 6.2 points or shot better than 41.9%. The previous season he averaged 3 points per game. Yet he averaged 11.5 and 11.1 in two years with Kobe, having career best numbers in both shooting and three point shooting in each of those seasons. He left to the Miami Heat thsi season, where he saw his average drop by 6.3 points, his shooting percentage by 12.1% and his three point shooting by 11.5%. Chris Mihm was a 45% shooter on his career, with a career high 48.8% from the field. Not only did he have career highs in scoring average during each of his first two seasons with the Lakers but he also shot above 50% in each of those seasons prior to his injury. Kwame Brown had never shot above 49% in his career, yet he shot 52.6% and 59.1% as a Laker. He was traded mid-season this year and since that trade he has seen his field goal percentage drop from 50.3% to 35.3%. The other big man in that trade, Pau Gasol has seen his field goal percentage raise from 50.1% in Memphis to a whopping 59% alongside of Kobe, as well as raising his scoring average by 1.8 per game. Gasol is a 51.1% career shooter who had never shot better than 53.8%. The third piece of that trade, Javaris Crittenton, has sene his shooting percentage drop from 49.1% to 38% since it was made. Another mid-season acquisition in Didier Ilunga-Mbenga has seen a similar rise. He shot 31.3% from the field last season, and 39.1% in 16 games with Golden State this year. He has shot 45.5% in 14 games with the Lakers. Derek Fisher's three years away from L.A. saw him shoot 39.3%, 41% and 38.2% from the floor. Since returning to the Lakers he has shot 44%. Laron Profit suffered a career ending injury in his first season as a Laker. In the 25 games prior to his injury though he shot 47.6%, his previous career high was 43.8% with two seasons under 40%. Jumaine Jones shot 39.1% from beyond the arc and 43.2% from teh floor playing alongside Kobe, after shooting 34.4% from teh floor and 29.5% from beyond the arc the season before. Since leaving he has never shot better than 40.5% from teh floor or 34.3% from long range. Chucky Atkins also had arguably his best season alongside of Kobe, scoring 13.6 per game while shooting 38.7% from beyond the arc. He hasn't matched either number since.

Lamar Odom has in the eyes of some struggled to co-exist with Kobe. In many ways this is true, as both guys like to have the ball in their hands. In reality though he had shot under 43.9% in each of his three previous seasons before joining Bryant, and never above 46% in his career. He has shot 47.3%, 48.1%, 46.8% and 50.4% in his four seasons with the Lakers. His scoring has dropped slightly, by a couple of points a game. The other odd case is Caron Butler. Caron became an all-star after being traded from the Lakers, and some might use that as justification that Kobe held him back. The reality though is that Caron averaged a career high in both points per game and in field goal percentage in his season with Kobe. His field goal percentage jumped 6.5% from the season before and was 2.9% higher than his previous career best.


Well how do you explain this? How does he make his teammates better? Huh?


In the end, there is plenty of evidence to support Kobe making his teammates better, but not much at all to support Lebron doing so. In fact the evidence would seem to point the opposite way. You can read into that what you will. But at the end of the day members of the media will soon determine who is the NBA's next MVP. It's a reasonably safe bet that the name on that trophy will be Lebron James and not Kobe Bryant. In the aftermath of that you will hear a lot of rhetoric and hyperbole about why they gave him the award. What I would like to see from those very same writers though is to address the things written here. Kobe has been among the best, if not the best player in the NBA for a very long time. Yet he has never won the trophy. At just 23 years of age, Lebron is going to have many chances to hang that trophy. Kobe Bryant is not. He has earned it by the very criteria that they set out. In a perfect world he would be the 2007-2008 MVP. In reality though, that is not likely to happen. Not because he hasn't earned it, but because too many of the people who have earned a vote simply do not like him.

Sad but probably true. He has said most of the things I have been lazy to look up and some I have already said.

What is their to argue about now?
 

Tony

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May 15, 2002
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That article nailed it....

All these people who vote for MVP always find some reason not to vote Kobe as MVP. Contradictions all over the place.

You know what would be funny is if LeBron ends up winning the MVP and the Lakers and Cavs meet in the NBA Finals.

Look out if that happens!!
 

CZAR

Sicc OG
Aug 25, 2003
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Damn bay that is way to much homie! I cant go through all of that. Its a good thing I watch alot of basketball so that I know whats goin on! And thizz I aint sayin that Kobe hasnt matured and is now playin team ball, but I was sayin that LeBron is the ultimate team player so if the article is sayin he isnt thats what is idiotic feel me!! Anyway I dont know about each individual, but its tru that usually the MVP is on one of the best teams (recordwise) so thats why I give Kobe the edge over LeBron. However I still would vote for LeBron cause I see what he does and its rediculous but whatever way it goes u cant be mad if either if them win it. Now if someone else wins it then we have a problem!! Got Em!!
 
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i didn't say the article said lebron isn't a team player...

what it says is that the players around lebron have NOT recorded better stats playing with him as opposed to when they played on other teams, while the players around kobe HAVE seen an increase in FG% and/or scoring with him as opposed to other teams...
 

CZAR

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Aug 25, 2003
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Well Im sure playin without LeBron they probably had bigger roles on their respective teams so they may have had more production, but its pretty simple if u watch Cav's games and u will see how he makes them better. he is very unselfish, but even makin players better u still need talent around u and he doesnt have much!! Got Em!!
 
Feb 12, 2008
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Well Im sure playin without LeBron they probably had bigger roles on their respective teams so they may have had more production, but its pretty simple if u watch Cav's games and u will see how he makes them better. he is very unselfish, but even makin players better u still need talent around u and he doesnt have much!! Got Em!!
Neither did Kobe two years ago, but he still didnt win it. Although averaging about 36 points 5 rebounds 5 assists and two steals. Now hes taking 7 less shots per game still has the numbers and people are saying Lebron deserves it more(not reffering to you czar)?

You should read the article eveything is backed by facts.
 
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lol. u say this now? shoulda watched last game where he ripped shit up but yeah lebron averages 2 steals and a block this year which is more than ur Horse Kobe got so if he dont get it done neither does kobe and they should both be eliminated from the MVP race right? c'mon man, dont clown the dude on a stat he has better than the person u feel deserves it. and dont clown him for one bad game when he just came off a crazy game the night before, ur just trying to find reasons to hate
LMAO... you guys are fuckin crazy. Nobody is clownin Lebrons D hes just not on Kobes level. Steals and Blocks arent everything (by the way lebron avg .03 more steals a game and .10 less per 48 mins). You have to look at fg percentage and points against.


Kobe guarded the best player every game in the USA qualifyers and shut them all down. Stas are not everything and can sometimes be decieving... how many times do I have to say that?
 
Nov 7, 2006
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LMAO... you guys are fuckin crazy. Nobody is clownin Lebrons D hes just not on Kobes level. Steals and Blocks arent everything (by the way lebron avg .03 more steals a game and .10 less per 48 mins). You have to look at fg percentage and points against.


Kobe guarded the best player every game in the USA qualifyers and shut them all down. Stas are not everything and can sometimes be decieving... how many times do I have to say that?
once again i am talking to kos and no1 else. i feel kobe has the better d but LeBron gets the job done with the defense he has aswell. that was the whole point that kos said he didnt have d and i was just trying to show him he does and by watching him u can tell he does anyway. calm down i aint directing this towards anyone else and if u read my otgher posts u would know ths MMAAAANN
 
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You guys cant read or something? He saying that he scores all those fourth quarter points in games that has already been won or when it doesnt matter. WHAT IS UP WITH ALL YOU LEBRON LOVERS ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT STATS? KOBE CAN PUT UP NUMBERS BETTER THAN ANYONE HANDS DOWN BUT HE HAS A GOOD TEAM THIS YEAR FINALLY SO HE DOESNT NEED TO GO OUT AND SCORE 40+ POINTS A GAME ALTHOUGH HE VERY WELL CAN.

Lebron avg.'s what two more points? WTF is that?

Defense isnt all steals and blocks.
how do u know? i've watched games where LeBron takes over the 4th when it's a close game just to shut it down or i seen him with some comebacks as well. and everything ur saying is the reason why i feel LeBron should be MVP. when it'sm as close a race between the 2 u gotta check stats and right now LeBron has got that edge. then u gotta look at the supporting cast and everybody that starts for the lakers are very good players and the best player LeBron got to play with is a washed up Ben Wallace who cant even score for shit. i dont see why laker/kobe fans are taking shit so personal calling me a lebron lover n shit with the truth is i like kobe more but just happen to realize when a player deserves MVP over another thats all.

and about the defense thing, sorry that those are the only defense stats that yahoo puts up but all that is a lil proof that he has good d and i know that by watching the kid play
 
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how do u know? i've watched games where LeBron takes over the 4th when it's a close game just to shut it down or i seen him with some comebacks as well. and everything ur saying is the reason why i feel LeBron should be MVP. when it'sm as close a race between the 2 u gotta check stats and right now LeBron has got that edge. then u gotta look at the supporting cast and everybody that starts for the lakers are very good players and the best player LeBron got to play with is a washed up Ben Wallace who cant even score for shit. i dont see why laker/kobe fans are taking shit so personal calling me a lebron lover n shit with the truth is i like kobe more but just happen to realize when a player deserves MVP over another thats all.

and about the defense thing, sorry that those are the only defense stats that yahoo puts up but all that is a lil proof that he has good d and i know that by watching the kid play

The thing is I dont even think iits close. We shouldnt be arguing at all. Kobe has his team prepared for a championship run. Lebron might make a push in the east with his mediocre team that light years better than Kobes team of two years ago.

What happened two years ago when Kobe was putting up great numbers then Steve Nash won. Now everyone wants to go with the guy on the okay team because Kobe finally has a squad. How bout last year too Kobe put up way better numbers then Dirk.

Its pretty annoying hearing you guys say how great a closer Lebron is acting like you dont know that Kobe is the best closer in the league. Kobe can do pretty much anything a much younger Lebron can do and most things better except kiss the rim.


Like i have said already Kobe is a champ and I know that being a CHAMP is the first thing on Kobes and true Laker fans minds.
 

CZAR

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Aug 25, 2003
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Man its a cool debate but the shit that kills me is mufuckas keep bringing old shit!! Who cares what happened to years ago!! LeBron should have won it two years ago actually!! he finished 2nd to Nash, Kobe was 4th!! U dont here me cryin about that cause its old and has no barring on the current matter!! Let that shit go cause different years is diff shit!! So usin that 2 year ago argument is wack cause again LeBron finished higher anyway!! Just discuss current shit and make it a cool thread and a good debate feel me!! Got Em!!
 
Feb 12, 2008
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Man its a cool debate but the shit that kills me is mufuckas keep bringing old shit!! Who cares what happened to years ago!! LeBron should have won it two years ago actually!! he finished 2nd to Nash, Kobe was 4th!! U dont here me cryin about that cause its old and has no barring on the current matter!! Let that shit go cause different years is diff shit!! So usin that 2 year ago argument is wack cause again LeBron finished higher anyway!! Just discuss current shit and make it a cool thread and a good debate feel me!! Got Em!!

Your not even good at being an idiot lol... dont talk to me untill you read the article. No one said anything about voting because if I did why would I say Kobe should have won? If you think Lebron deserved it more two years ago then Kobe then your a fukin knock.


I was talking about the criteria that the media uses to vote on shit they change it everytime so whoever is contesting Kobe for MVP has an upper hand. Get on with that bullshit.
 

corinthian

Just Win Baby!!!
Feb 23, 2006
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Your not even good at being an idiot lol... dont talk to me untill you read the article. No one said anything about voting because if I did why would I say Kobe should have won? If you think Lebron deserved it more two years ago then Kobe then your a fukin knock.


I was talking about the criteria that the media uses to vote on shit they change it everytime so whoever is contesting Kobe for MVP has an upper hand. Get on with that bullshit.


let me respond for czar:



*insert bunch of unintelligible bullshit here* Got Em!!
 

CZAR

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Aug 25, 2003
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Your not even good at being an idiot lol... dont talk to me untill you read the article. No one said anything about voting because if I did why would I say Kobe should have won? If you think Lebron deserved it more two years ago then Kobe then your a fukin knock.


I was talking about the criteria that the media uses to vote on shit they change it everytime so whoever is contesting Kobe for MVP has an upper hand. Get on with that bullshit.

LeBron should win MVP every year!! he is the most important player to his team and he carries the biggest load! He is also the best player so I dont know what u talkin about!! Fuck readin a article homie, i form my own opinion!! So u can go ahead and read that shit if thats what your decision is based on!! Dont bother me none potna!! Now learn about it!! Got Em!!