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Top Candidates for 2008 NBA MVP

The NBA regular season may be winding down, but the argument over who should be this year's MVP is just heating up. In one of the most competitive years that the league has seen in years, many stars have upped their games this season, leading their teams in what is sure to be a tight race for this year's Larry O'Brien Trophy. But what exactly does it mean to be the Most Valuable Player in the league? The definition itself is almost as hotly contested as the players who are considered. Mention MVP, and most people think of the statistical giants who dominate highlight reels and fill up the record books. Others have made the case that the term MVP should imply that the player is the most essential key and most responsible for his team's success, thereby making him the most valuable. Some have even posed the argument that the league's most valuable player is the one most responsible for the league's success, the guy who brings the most fans to the stadiums every night and sells the most merchandise. There may be a dispute over what makes a player the Most Valuable Player, but it doesn't matter this year because the leading candidates for the MVP trophy are masters in all of those aforementioned categories. In pool of very talented contenders, three players stand out as obvious favorites. They have the stats, the wins, and the popularity to prove that they are indeed valuable, but just who is the most valuable of all?

Love him or hate him, Kobe Bryant is validating his place among the all-time greats with this season's performance. Not only has he continued to dominate the opposition with arsenal of moves, but it seems that he has finally found a balance between individual domination and team involvement. This self-reinvention has given teammates such as Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and the newly acquired Pau Gasol a chance to make significant contributions, but at the same time KB8 is ready to step up and take the reins whenever the others struggle. This successful formula has catapulted the Lakers from the middle of the crowded Western Conference to legitimate consideration as championship contenders. Kobe is playing with a level of enthusiasm that hasn't been seen since LA's title runs earlier in the decade. His average of 28.1 points per game(*) is second only to LeBron James, and his defense often leads to fast breaks and easy points for himself or his teammates. It can be argued that Kobe's revived intensity

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