Charu Robinson is a sports enthusiast who has been following sports for the last 23 years. His favorites are baseball, basketball, football and chess, if chess can be considered a sport. He has also recently taken an interest in European soccer. For the last 10 years, he has been a successful chess coach and player. In addition, he played varsity baseball and basketball in high school, and currently plays in New York City rec leagues. Chris Paul has helped put a real sting in the New Orleans Hornets this season, and has the team flying high in the Western Conference.
If, at the beginning of the season, someone had said that the Hornets would win the West, you would have had them admitted to a psychiatric ward. But, that scenario just might play out that way.
The 2007-2008 NBA regular season has been one of the most exciting in recent memory, which can be solely attributed to the extremely high level of competition taking place in the Western Conference.
Six teams have 50-plus wins, and at the end of the season there could be as many as nine. The first six spots, with roughly seven games left, are separated by three games. In addition, there is an intriguing MVP race. Since the East has clearly been the inferior conference, the MVP should be the most valuable player from the best team in the West.
Leading candidates at the moment are Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James. All are worthy. However, my previous statement eliminates Garnett and James, leaving the battle between Bryant and Paul.
Paul is averaging 21 points, a league-leading 11.5 assists, 2.7 steals and four rebounds a game. He deserves to be the winner because he has done more with less, and right now his team is on top of one of the toughest play-off races ever.
Bryant is averaging 28.6 points, six rebounds and five assists, and he has a better supporting cast. Bryant is surrounded by two solid veterans, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, and a secondary star in Paul Gasol.
Paul has a former all-star in Peja Stojakovic, but Morris Peterson has been an average NBA player, and Tyson Chandler has never really been mentioned until he started playing with Paul. David West looks like a rising star, but right now he's no Gasol. Oh, and Bryant also has a Hall of Fame coach in Phil Jackson.
Another reason why Paul is more valuable is because he has put the Hornets on the map. All the Los Angeles Lakers know is winning, with stars like Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. Paul has resurrected an entire franchise and city with his stellar play and leadership on the court.
Many say Kobe is the favorite because he has paid his "dues" in the league with a Hall of Fame caliber 12-year career. This is only Paul's third year. The MVP voters tend to go for veterans, so I guess Kobe might get it. But if you look at it strictly on a "what you have done for your team in this 2007-2008 season," then Paul, in my opinion, is the most valuable player.