Chris Paul Should Be the NBA MVP
By whatever measure you want to use, it ought to be him. The funny part is listening to folks who don't follow the NBA all that closely slowly come to that realization. Like, say, Mike Golic, who stumbled this morning as I watched Mike & Mike around the concept that Paul is just that good. He launched into the awkward it-depends-what-your-definition-of-MVP-is thing, you know, most outstanding player overall or most valuable player on a team. He then said that if it is outstanding player overall it would have to Kobe. And he said it like it was completely factual, no further discussion needed. A sun comes up in the east sorta statement.
But, here's the thing. Newsflash to Golic, Chris Paul is absolutely right there with Kobe Bryant, and Lebron James, and whoever else you want to argue into that group, as the best player in the league. In fact, for my money, he's the best player in the league. Yes. Chris Paul is the best player in the NBA. Right now.
New Orleans won 39 games last year. They currently are just ahead of the vicious pack in the Western Conference for best record. That is largely because Chris Paul has put that team on his back and carried them there.
He is almost unguardable at this point. He scores at will - when he wants to. He involves teammates constantly. He controls games. He is simply the best point guard I have seen in terms of impact in a game (with a slight apology to Steve Nash) since Isiah Thomas in his heyday. Paul will someday soon lead his team to an NBA title. Watch and see. Probably not this year, in the stacked Western Conference, but the Hornets have as good a shot as any team there. And it is because of Chris Paul.
Last night, in a 100-99 win over Lebron's Cavs in Cleveland, Paul put up this line:
15 points 20 assists 1 turnover
Good lord. A 20:1 assist to turnover ratio is pretty, um, "good".
It was New Orleans' 5th win a row, and 10th in their last 12. For the year Paul is averaging:
21.6 ppg 11.4 apg 2.71 spg .494 fg% and only 2.51 turnovers a game
MVP.
Again, as I have done throughout this year, if you have not had a chance to do so already, I implore you to linger on a Hornets game if you run across them while channel surfing. And, come playoff time, try and catch a game or two of theirs. He is THAT good.
ETA: Swamp all-star govtchedda is quite right to point out that stumbling across a Hornets game is awfully hard with as little love as they have gotten from the nat'l telecasts this year. True. So, definitely take an opportunity to watch him come playoff time. And hope that the nat'l networks rectify the situation for next season.