NBA MVP Race

Bill Simmons does a better job than I could handicapping the NBA MVP race, but here are my thoughts with my top 3, which is similar to the Sports Guys picks.

4. Chris Paul -- What an awesome season (see the link above) and he's probably the best point guard of my lifetime. Not the MVP to me though. Maybe in another season, but not with the three below.

3. Kobe Bryant -- Kobe is tremendous on both ends of the floor, but as the Celtics proved last spring, you can shut this guy down with a concerted team defensive effort. But he makes his teammates better, and he's leading the best team in the West. In another season, he might be a clear MVP choice.

2. Dwayne Wade -- He is so much fun to watch. He is a complete offensive monster, and I would not want to face him in the playoffs. The Miami roster does not scream 5th seed, but there they are, likely to bounce the young, talented Hawks in the first round and battle the LeBrons in the second round. I don't know how long Wade's peak is going to last, but we're witnessing one of the greatest peaks in NBA history. Sit back and enjoy.

1. LeBron James -- This is a no brainer to me. Simmons details the stats above (and others have talked about the historic nature of his season), but here's a few points:

• The Cavs are 66-15 (39-1 at home!) with Mo Williams as the second best player. Think about that for a moment. Mo Williams? He's a good player, but not even a second-level elite NBA player. Has any player carried their team to such a lofty level with such a non-descript supporting cast? Jordan had Pippen. Bird had a bunch of great Hall of Fame type teammates, as did Magic. Kobe has played with Shaq and now Gasol. You could easily argue, using both qualitative and quantitative analysis, that this is the best season of any NBA player in the history of the league.
• His defense, though not reaching his offensive output, has reached an elite level. He used to be a liability, and now he might be all-NBA defense. He has asserted himself in a way that makes me think the Lakers will be much better off facing Boston or Orlando in the Finals, because LeBron's physical defense on Kobe would be a series difference-maker.

A few other random NBA thoughts:

• Isiah Thomas is being hired as a coach, and he's going to redonate his salary. How about donating that salary to the Knicks, or your CBA investors. I can't imagine this marriage with FIU will end well.
• I think Jerry Sloan might be the best NBA coach of my lifetime. Yes, Phil Jackson's success is undeniable. But he has cherry-picked good situations since landing the great Chicago job with Jordan, and Sloan has built three separate NBA contenders (two with the Stockton-to-Malone formula) and has adjusted to three different NBA eras almost seamlessly. Congrats to him and John Stockton both. Oh yeah, and that Jordan guy.