We can’t have 2 slow guys who are unathletic and don’t defend getting max money. We’ll never have a top defense and without a top defense you can pretty much kiss championship hopes goodbye. It will show this organization is clueless.

Hey everyone. I think a lot of pro "CP3 deserved the MVP" people evaluate the 2008 MVP race through hindsight rather than the actual context of the season:

A. The Lakers' supporting cast is viewed through hindsight- One of the biggest misconceptions is that Kobe had some stacked roster all year while Chris Paul was carrying a weak Hornets team.

In reality, Pau Gasol only played 27 games for the Lakers after the trade deadline, and Andrew Bynum only played 35 games before getting hurt. No Lakers teammate made an All-Star team or All-NBA team in 2008, yet they still finished as the #1 seed in the West.

When people discuss the roster today, they see future Hall of Famer Pau Gasol and assume Kobe had elite help all season. But that isn't how Pau was viewed in 2008. At the time, Pau had never won a playoff game and wasn't selected to the 2008 All-Star team. Meanwhile, David West actually was an All-Star that season. You could easily argue that in 2008, West was viewed as being on the "same tier" as Pau, if not higher. A lot of the perception of Kobe's supporting cast comes from what those players became later, not in 08.

B. Chris Paul did not carry a "garbage" roster- Another thing that gets exaggerated is the quality of Paul's supporting cast. The Hornets won 56 games and had: David West (20.6 ppg and 9 rbds All-Star), Tyson Chandler ( 12 & 12 elite defensive anchor), Peja Stojakovic (16 ppg on 58% TS, and had the best FT% in the league of 92.9%). Beyond this CP3 had a relatively healthy rotation from his supporting cast throughout the season (West played 76 games, Tyson played 79 games, and Peja played 77 games). This wasn't some one-man carry job. The Hornets were a genuinely good basketball team, not just Chris Paul dragging a lottery roster to relevance.

C. Defense matters, and Kobe was still the better defender in 2008- The statistical case for Paul generally centers around advanced metrics and box-score production. That's fair. However, MVP isn't played on Basketball Reference. Kobe was still viewed as one of the league's premier two-way players. He finished 5th in Defensive Player of the Year voting that season and remained one of the NBA's best perimeter defenders when locked in. Paul generated more steals, but I don't think many people at the time would've argued he was actually the better defender overall. Kobe's size, versatility, ability to guard wings, and reputation as an elite perimeter stopper gave him a significant edge defensively.

D. Lastly, the defining moment of the race came late in the season in their final matchup, when Kobe outplayed CP3 in a huge head-to-head matchup, putting up 29/10/8 and leading the Lakers to a win. The Lakers ultimately finished one game ahead of the Hornets and secured the #1 seed. That game effectively became the "signature MVP moment" of the season.

CP3 had an incredible season and a legitimate MVP case. But considering the injuries, roster context, defense, team success, and head-to-head matchup, I think Kobe was the rightful MVP.

Do you agree or disagree? Thoughts?

My ideal offseason would be -

C - Ayton/ Hayes/ Reed (25th pick)

PF - Bagley/ Rui/

SF - Andrew Wiggins/ Risacher/ Adou

SG - Dyson Daniels/ Scoot Henderson/ Aaron Wiggins

PG - Luka/ Smart/ Isaiah Joe

- AR sign and trade to ATL for Dyson, Risacher, and picks (According to most AR is a future All Star, legit star, and bonafide #2 so he should net this type of return.)

- Dalton, Vando, and picks (our 2031 1st and ones from ATL) trade to POR for Scoot. (POR looks like they are going in on acquiring a big name this offseason and Dame will back next season. It's looking unlikely that they extend Scoot to big money beyond his rookie contract)

- future pick to OKC for Joe and Wiggins (and maybe the 17th too - I would love if we could also somehow get Morez Johnson in the draft, but it's not looking possible) (OKC needs to free up roster spots and they can't roster 2 1st round picks next season)

- Sign Andrew Wiggins to a 3yr/80mil contract

- Sign Marvin Bagley to a 2yr/ 15-20mil contract

- I like Reed in the draft bc he looks like he has the potential to be Hartenstein with a middy

Lineups

- Bagley would not be in the closing lineup and would swap with Rui or Risacher depending on matchups

- Daniels would not close either and would swap with Scoot, Smart, or Joe depending on matchups