In A World of Sports

NHL - I’m getting tired of the big push for Evgeni Malkin to earn the Hart Trophy this year.  No doubt the man deserves some consideration, but I would not place him as the front runner.  I simply can’t hand out an important trophy like that based on 21 games of an 82 game schedule.  No doubt he has played some amazing hockey in the absence of Sidney Crosby, but I still don’t think he deserves the MVP trophy. 

Through the first 45 or so games that Crosby was in the lineup, the Penguins were still a contender in the East and Malkin was a great player, but he wasn’t even considered an all-star.  Then Crosby got hurt and the Penguins didn’t miss a beat.  A lot of that is due to Malkin, I will concede that fact.  However, this was also a case of everyone stepping up, especially Ty Conklin who has played by far the best hockey of his career since taking over for the injured Marc Andre Fleury.  Now that Crosby is back, Malkin is still playing really good hockey, but he hasn’t been the same as he was in the 21 games without Crosby.  Malkin showed great leadership and his true potential by rising to the occasion and assuming Crosby’s as the #1 guy, but that was for only a 21 game window of the regular season. 

My MVP candidate is still Ovechkin.  Sure his team might not make the playoffs but Washington is right there and they still have a shot.  He has been arguably the best player all season, not just over a 21 game stretch, and he brings so much to the table.  You can see his Capitals following his lead, hitting, blocking shots, playing hard to make the post-season.  And yes, there is the fact that they likely will not make the playoffs, but Mario Lemieux won the Hart for the Pens in 1988 and they were last in their division. 

My top 5 Hart Candidates are:

1. Alexander Ovechkin – Going to lead in goals and points this season on a team battling for its playoff life.
2. Martin Brodeur – The only goalie that gets real consideration in my mind. He is the best goalie in the league (Luongo had a couple major stretches of inconsistency).
3. Evgeni Malkin – Played the best hockey of any player over a 21 game stretch this season, just needed to see more of that play all season for me to grant the second Penguin in two years the award.
4. Jarome Iginla – Does it all for the Flames. Scores, hits, fights, blocks shots.  Whatever it takes to win, Iggy will do it.
5. Alexei Kovalev – Not talked about enough.  He doesn’t have as many points as the others on this board but Montreal is fighting for first in the East despite many pundits saying they wouldn’t make the playoffs this year and it’s in a big way because of this guy.  The line he leads has been the best in the East for most of the season and he is mentoring many of the young players on this team. 

NBA – The NBA most valuable player talks seems to be boiling itself down to a two horse race: Kobe Bryant or Lebron James.  Both of these guys are deserving of the accolade to be honest, you can’t go wrong with either pick.  The injury to Kevin Garnett (and Boston’s success in his absence) ruled him out after he was widely considered by many to be inline to notch his second trophy.  So then there were two, in the minds of many. 

I feel like it going to be Kobe Bryant.  The Lakers should have the best record in the West by season’s end (and should be the entire NBA if Boston and Detroit didn’t have the benefit of beating up on the East far more often than the Lakers and other Western powers) and Kobe is the catalyst to that fact.  Sure he has arguably the best supporting cast in the entire Association, but Kobe Bryant is still the greatest singular talent in the league, though James is closing that gap with each passing year. 

I just wanted to pipe up a bit and throw out two other names that I feel deserve to finish in the top 5 of the MVP talks:  Chris Paul and Chris Bosh.  Paul is without a doubt the best point guard in the game right now and has his team fighting for a high seed, if not the 1^st seed in the West.  And Chris Bosh, well the Raptors sans Chris don’t make the playoffs in the East.  I didn’t feel that way a couple of weeks ago, but he not only is their best scorer and rebounder, but I am really beginning to appreciate the leadership qualities and confidence that Chris brings when he’s in the lineup.  You’re seeing what he means to them right now with him out.  Bosh played only 10 minutes in the loss to the Pacers, and since then the Raps are 2-5 without him and the only wins came against the Sonics and the Heat.  I expect Kobe to win it, but these two have to get consideration.

My top 5 MVP candidates are:

1. Kobe Bryant – Still the best player in the game, and he’ll get it this year partially based on the fact that he hasn’t won an MVP yet.  Consider it a lifetime achievement MVP.
2. Chris Paul – Best PG in the game has his team playing well above their heads.  CP3 would be my first choice but this year is simply Kobe’s year.
3. Lebron James – The King is almost an unstoppable force and he alone still has a chance to get Cleveland to the finals despite Boston and Detroit sporting better records.  He is really starting to develop that mean, killer instinct too that he lacked early in his career.
4. Chris Bosh – If it weren’t for his injury the Raps would have pushed for the 3^rd seed in the East.  With him hurt I’d rather see them fall a spot to avoid Cleveland and face Orlando in the first round…maybe that’s the idea.
5. Kevin Garnett – Has Boston with the best record in the Association but they played well without him (9-2) and they would still be a playoff team if he wasn’t a Celtic.