Many have been debating whether Chris Paul, LeBron James or Kobe Bryant deserve the 2007-08 NBA MVP award, but not only am I here to declare the winner, I'm here to say there really shouldn't even be a debate to begin with.
When all is said and done, LeBron James will be viewed as one of the two or three best players in the history of the league. His line this season – 30.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 7.3 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.0 bpg, 48.4 FG% - is downright fantastic and would be worthy of MVP honors in most other NBA seasons. However, his team currently sits 17.5 games out of first place in an inferior Eastern Conference, good for fourth place. He also commits 3.4 turnovers per game and shoots just 71 percent from the line.
If my life depended on someone scoring during one final possession, Kobe Bryant would be my choice with the ball in his hands. The fact he's yet to win a single MVP award is nothing short of a travesty, and his 2007-08 campaign has been one of his most impressive yet. Still, take him away from this current Lakers squad, and they're still a playoff team, likely in the top-4 in the East.
Paul, meanwhile, is simply having the best season at his position in the history of the NBA. His 4.56/1 assist/turnover ratio is flat-out amazing. To put that in perspective, during John Stockton's NBA-record 1989-90 season in which he handed out 14.5 assists per game, his ratio was 4.15/1. Paul's not just the best passer in the league, but he's also the game's best perimeter defender, evidenced by his league-leading 2.7 steals per game. Here are Paul's averages from 15 games in the month of March: 24.0 points, 13.3 assists, 2.7 steals, 1.5 3-pointers on 55.3 percent shooting from the field. The guy made 46.0 percent of his three-point attempts!
David West is a good player, but with Morris Peterson, Peja Stojakovic and Tyson Chandler rounding out the starting five, it's simply incredible Paul has the Hornets currently leading the Western Conference. In the history of the league, only one team won 44 games and failed to make the playoffs; the current Western Conference features a Denver Nugget team that is on pace to finish with 50 wins and yet out of the postseason. In short, during the most competitive season in NBA history, Paul's efficiency, defense and ability to take control of a game has led an otherwise moribund franchise to the top of the standings. Paul has been the NBA's most valuable player this season.