Why Kobe Truly Deserves the MVP More Than LeBron, Durant

One of the biggest honors a player in any sport can receive is the Most Valuable Player award. By showing that they are not only the most important player on their team but also, quite possibly, in the entire league, they place themselves in a class so exclusive that not even the cast of Jersey Shore could get in.

In the NBA, this year's MVP race is tighter than one may think. At this point, I'd say it's going to be one of three players: LeBron James, Kevin Durant or Kobe Bryant. Each player is valuable in his own way and is a legitimate candidate for the award. Yet, picking just one is harder than it looks.

Let's start with James. He has been named MVP of the league twice in the past three years, and this year has been a great one for him. The one-time No. 1 pick is averaging 26.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game while making an astounding 53 percent of his shots from the floor. Adding some sweetness to his case are his 1.9 steals per game, as James has been a pest on defense all season.

The numbers are certainly there for James, but he still doesn't deserve the MVP award. The two times he did win, he was playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and without him, the team would have been sunk, case in point last season. He now plays for the Miami Heat and has two stars in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh playing with him. Even if he's not playing, there's still a good chance that the team will win.

In Durant's case, he has played a huge role in turning the Oklahoma City Thunder from pretenders into serious contenders for an NBA championship. He's currently second in the league in scoring, with an average of 27.8 points per game, and he's also pulling down eight boards a contest. From beyond the arc, he's shooting an incredible 38 percent.

Though the former Texas Longhorn is a great leader on his team and is their greatest contributor, it's still a bit hard for me to say he's the hands-down MVP. The Thunder also have talented players like Russell Westbrook, James Harden and a defensive beast in Serge Ibaka. Yes, Durant would be a huge loss for them, but they still would have a good enough roster to field a mid-to-low seeded playoff team.

That brings us to Bryant—the lifetime Laker and five-time champion who took home the NBA MVP Award in 2008. He's the oldest of this trio at 33 years old, and despite that, he's leading the league in scoring with 28.1 points per game.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that Bryant is far from a perfect player. He takes way too many shots per game, and he's always having to carry the team, keeping other talented Lakers players from shining.  Yet, take a look at who else the Lakers have on the team.

Without Bryant, the stars of the team become the all-too-soft Pau Gasol and the all-too-unpredictable Andrew Bynum. Simply put, the man does a great job of keeping these two in check when he's on the floor. Despite his questionable slot selection, Bryant is capable of tossing these guys an assist here and there.

More importantly, Kobe Bryant has done a great job of keeping the Lakers in the hunt for both the Pacific Division crown and maybe another championship. Keep in mind, they've been going toe to toe with the much-improved rival Los Angeles Clippers all year long and were the playoffs to start tomorrow, Kobe and Company would win the division by a mere game-and-a-half. 

The fact that the aging Lakers have kept younger talent in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin at bay this deep into the season is just plain impressive.

All that being said, despite his flaws, Kobe Bryant is more than deserving of MVP. If you ask me, he's entitled to it. James and Durant are good, but their teams wouldn't exactly be lost without them.

Bryant, on the other hand, is the heart and soul of the Lakers, and the day he retires will be a sad one for the fans. With the way he has helped the team this season, he's the truest MVP out of all the candidates.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1139124-why-kobe-truly-deserves-the-mvp-more-than-lebron-durant

Bruno Gervais Dustin Kohn Andrew McDonald Matt Martin Frans Nielsen Dwayne Roloson