LeBron has highest Bird value
April 12, 2009 by James Edwards
Filed under Awards, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James
NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.
MVP time is this week Thursday and the choice is a tough one. LeBron James or Kobe Bryant? It really is down to the two of them as Dwyane Wade as had a drop-off recently and that remains in the voters’ minds.
Kobe Bryant is hardly fifth best?
One way to look at a player’s production is the Bird value.
As always, I am informed, but not driven, by the formula three-time MVP Larry Bird devised to quantify any player’s true value: points, rebounds, assists, steal and blocks, minus missed shots, missed free throws and turnovers. The sum is divided by games played. It’s a great jumping-off point for careful consideration.
LeBron James, Cavaliers
Bird average: 32.15
Case for MVP: He has the highest Bird value. Additionally, he’s nearly as good a closer as Bryant, still the player every coach would want taking a deciding shot in Game 7 of an NBA Finals. He’s worthy of consideration for the All-Defensive team, too. Simply, he gets the vote because he’s the reason Cavaliers have the best record.
Kobe Bryant, Lakers
Bird average: 24.26
Case for MVP: No player in the league is more reliable when the ball is in his hands and the game is on the line, or more focused on getting a stop in the same circumstance. Plus, he understands, more than at any time in his career, how to make his teammates better.
In case you were wondering:
Chris Paul 30.3
Dwyane Wade 28.98
Dwight Howard 27.32
My personal consideration of this matter reveals that stats are stats and don’t always tell the story. While LeBron is certainly deserving, you can’t put Kobe 5th in this group. Kobe or LeBron will likely win the award.
Photo source Newscom
As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.
More blogs about basketball.
