Question of the Day: Michael Jordan has made his choice for NBA MVP; who’s yours?
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Writers from around Tribune Co. make their MVP selections following Michael Jordan saying Wednesday that Derrick Rose should receive the honor. Check back throughout the day for more responses, and feel free to leave a comment with your pick.
Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Have you seen what Dwight Howard has been surrounded by this season? Two distinct packages of second-tier riffraff.
Say what you want about Derrick Rose’s leadership and productivity this season, but it’s not as if Howard has anything close to Carlos Boozer or Joakim Noah alongside.
Instead, Howard has kept the Magic afloat while playing with some of the most erratic talent in the NBA, first Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis, and now Hedo Turkoglu and Gilbert Arenas. And it’s not as if Stan Van Gundy has been the most stabilizing of forces.
Take away any of the Heat’s Big Three and that still is a playoff team. Without Rose, the Bulls still could avoid lottery.
But the Magic without Dwight? Just the image should settle any debate about most valuable.
[Updated at 9:40 a.m.
Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel
It’s a weird year at the MVP ballot box.
There are Super Teams, whose stars tend to split votes. (See San Antonio, Boston and Miami).
There are old favorites (Kobe and Dirk). There’s the current league darling (Derrick Rose), who followed the last league darling (Kevin Durant).
And there’s always the one guy whose supporting cast hasn’t lent enough balloons and bunting to his candidacy (Dwight Howard.)
So I say it’s still a tad early to decide. What’s the rush?
I want to see the stars in the stretch run, but my leading candidates are: Rose, LeBron, Howard and Kobe.
Rose has revived the Bulls. LeBron changed the entire East. Nobody has done more with less than Howard. Voters should feel guilty Kobe has won the MVP only once.]