Post by nets on Jun 13, 2008 15:42:11 GMT -5
Here are my candidates for MVP.
I will say that I kind of have two philosophies when picking MVPs that not all may agree with but its my article.
1 - You need to bring more then scoring to the table otherwise we could just search for the top scorer. So SGs and SFs have a tough time winning unless they are shut down defenders or are top 10 in scoring.
2 - I won't nominate two guys from a team. If you are not even your team MVP then how are you league MVP?
My method was pull a certain calibar of player based on some stats and then eliminate doubles from each team. For example Portland had 3 guys make my initial screening but based on rule 2 I ended up with one. Next I sorted by position to eliminate some guys that may be great but for that position there were too many guys that are better. This was mainly SG where I initially had 9 guys so I took the top 5.
[glow=red,2,300]Centers[/glow]
C Dwight Howard, Heat - as usual is dominant. Scores 21 and grabs almost 13 boards. Add in his presence on defense with 3.5 blocks and you have the beast that is the man child.
[glow=red,2,300]Power Forward[/glow]
PF Amare Stoudemire, Knicks - nicest stat is he shoots over 50%. But he does other things above average. 25 points and 10 boards. He also blocks 1.8 shots which is not amazing but Amare does play defense here and there.
PF Chris Bosh, Wizards - 27 points paces the PFs on this list and his 13 boards is also good. 2.7 blocks basically makes him like having a second center on the floor.
PF Greg Oden, Trail Blazers - enough guys can score on the Blazers but I think Oden is still the key piece. His 14 boards and 3 blocks make the inside impossible for opponents. He scores 20 a game but like I said his inside game is what I like.
[glow=red,2,300]Small Forward[/glow]
SF Al-Farouq Aminu, Pistons - may be the best player in the league which is why is on the list. Totally versatile, 28.6 points, 10 boards and 3 assists. Add in 2.2 steals and you basically are filling the stat sheet each night.
SF Carmelo Anthony, Kings - the dude can score. Only guy scoring over 30 on my list. He also boards and passes, a total offensive nightmare.
SF Kevin Durant, Sonics - Aminu used to be baby Durant now Durant may be looking up to Aminu but they are very similar. Subtract a bit from Aminu's stats and you get Durant's.
SF LeBron James, Cavaliers - another all around guy at SF. Almost scores 30, grabs 7 boards and dishes 4. Oh yea, he shoots 49%.
[glow=red,2,300]Shooting Guards[/glow]
SG Andre Iguodala, Jazz - lock down defender getting 2.2 steals and 1.4 blocks. One of only two guys on my list averaging over 2 steals and along with Oden the only guy averaging over 1 steal and 1 block. He tosses in 25 points and 7.5 boards.
SG Chris Lofton, Timberwolves - he basically just scores but boy does he score. 28.9 points a game shooting 48% from the field, 95% from the line and 46% from the outside. He does play great defense but offense is his true art.
SG Derrick Rose, Bobcats - it was tough to pick which Bobcat to take but I took Rose as I think he is the most dominant. He scores the most on the Cats by about 8 points and has the best shooting percent from the big 3.
SG Dwyane Wade, Lakers - what interested me was how he was dishing 9 assists and still finding time to score 27 points. Not sure if he is set as the PG or what but it was a nice combination. He grabs more boards and has a lot more assists then Kobe plus more steals which is why Kobe did not make my list.
SG Josh Howard, Mavericks - not a huge name in the league but considering the Mavs only muster 95 points a night it is amazing that he scores 27 which probably is the highest percentage of points one guy scores for his team.
[glow=red,2,300]Point Guards[/glow]
PG Chris Warren, Bulls - 20 points and 10 assists is tough to do but Chris does just that. Not much on the defensive end but this combo intrigued me.
PG Jerryd Bayless, Pacers - 8.7 assists to just 1.7 turnovers is very good but now add in 27 points and you have a legit MVP candidate. He also shoots 46% from the field.
PG Marcus Williams, Suns - last but not least Marcus scores 20 and also dishes 10 assists which is rare. Add in 2 steals and you have a unique player. Oh did I mentioned 6.8 boards? Why is this guy already on his 3rd team?
I will say that I kind of have two philosophies when picking MVPs that not all may agree with but its my article.
1 - You need to bring more then scoring to the table otherwise we could just search for the top scorer. So SGs and SFs have a tough time winning unless they are shut down defenders or are top 10 in scoring.
2 - I won't nominate two guys from a team. If you are not even your team MVP then how are you league MVP?
My method was pull a certain calibar of player based on some stats and then eliminate doubles from each team. For example Portland had 3 guys make my initial screening but based on rule 2 I ended up with one. Next I sorted by position to eliminate some guys that may be great but for that position there were too many guys that are better. This was mainly SG where I initially had 9 guys so I took the top 5.
[glow=red,2,300]Centers[/glow]
C Dwight Howard, Heat - as usual is dominant. Scores 21 and grabs almost 13 boards. Add in his presence on defense with 3.5 blocks and you have the beast that is the man child.
[glow=red,2,300]Power Forward[/glow]
PF Amare Stoudemire, Knicks - nicest stat is he shoots over 50%. But he does other things above average. 25 points and 10 boards. He also blocks 1.8 shots which is not amazing but Amare does play defense here and there.
PF Chris Bosh, Wizards - 27 points paces the PFs on this list and his 13 boards is also good. 2.7 blocks basically makes him like having a second center on the floor.
PF Greg Oden, Trail Blazers - enough guys can score on the Blazers but I think Oden is still the key piece. His 14 boards and 3 blocks make the inside impossible for opponents. He scores 20 a game but like I said his inside game is what I like.
[glow=red,2,300]Small Forward[/glow]
SF Al-Farouq Aminu, Pistons - may be the best player in the league which is why is on the list. Totally versatile, 28.6 points, 10 boards and 3 assists. Add in 2.2 steals and you basically are filling the stat sheet each night.
SF Carmelo Anthony, Kings - the dude can score. Only guy scoring over 30 on my list. He also boards and passes, a total offensive nightmare.
SF Kevin Durant, Sonics - Aminu used to be baby Durant now Durant may be looking up to Aminu but they are very similar. Subtract a bit from Aminu's stats and you get Durant's.
SF LeBron James, Cavaliers - another all around guy at SF. Almost scores 30, grabs 7 boards and dishes 4. Oh yea, he shoots 49%.
[glow=red,2,300]Shooting Guards[/glow]
SG Andre Iguodala, Jazz - lock down defender getting 2.2 steals and 1.4 blocks. One of only two guys on my list averaging over 2 steals and along with Oden the only guy averaging over 1 steal and 1 block. He tosses in 25 points and 7.5 boards.
SG Chris Lofton, Timberwolves - he basically just scores but boy does he score. 28.9 points a game shooting 48% from the field, 95% from the line and 46% from the outside. He does play great defense but offense is his true art.
SG Derrick Rose, Bobcats - it was tough to pick which Bobcat to take but I took Rose as I think he is the most dominant. He scores the most on the Cats by about 8 points and has the best shooting percent from the big 3.
SG Dwyane Wade, Lakers - what interested me was how he was dishing 9 assists and still finding time to score 27 points. Not sure if he is set as the PG or what but it was a nice combination. He grabs more boards and has a lot more assists then Kobe plus more steals which is why Kobe did not make my list.
SG Josh Howard, Mavericks - not a huge name in the league but considering the Mavs only muster 95 points a night it is amazing that he scores 27 which probably is the highest percentage of points one guy scores for his team.
[glow=red,2,300]Point Guards[/glow]
PG Chris Warren, Bulls - 20 points and 10 assists is tough to do but Chris does just that. Not much on the defensive end but this combo intrigued me.
PG Jerryd Bayless, Pacers - 8.7 assists to just 1.7 turnovers is very good but now add in 27 points and you have a legit MVP candidate. He also shoots 46% from the field.
PG Marcus Williams, Suns - last but not least Marcus scores 20 and also dishes 10 assists which is rare. Add in 2 steals and you have a unique player. Oh did I mentioned 6.8 boards? Why is this guy already on his 3rd team?