It is the time of the year when the NBA’s Most Valuable Player is voted for. This means 125 voters among who you can find media people that devote their entire professional careers to go across the country analyzing every move every game and sharing with the readers and viewers. It is comforting to have people of this knowledge on the sport voting for the best player in the NBA.
If you remember the 2005 MVP for the NBA was expected to be between Shaquille O’Neil and Steve Nash. Nash ended up winning by very little difference. That year the voting was so stretch that people ended up thinking if the race between them affected the voters. I personally do not think that was the case.
For the 2006 Season a similar thing is expected to happen. The reality is that MVP voters usually are reluctant to recognize young players or those from teams not considered cream of the crop. With the exception of the 1998-99 season, there hasn’t been an MVP winner from a team that won fewer than 50 games since 1982. That is not to say that 50 wins is a pre-qualifier, but it illustrates that voters tend to reward the best teams.
The playoffs are about a month away and there is plenty of suspense surrounding the final weeks of the season and the candidates to the MVP. Is it Kobe Bryant keeping the Lakers in the playoffs? Maybe Chauncey Billups get it thanks to his clear display of guidance in Detroit? What about LeBron James, who took the Cavaliers to a higher level? We will certainly find out sooner than you think.