Commentary

Adande's 2008-09 MVP ballot

Updated: April 13, 2009, 4:00 PM ET

By | ESPN.com

We asked NBA writers from ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine, as well as NBA analysts from ESPN, to provide their choices for NBA Most Valuable Player, ranked from 1 to 5.

Here is J.A. Adande's ballot:

Adande's ballot

Rank	Player	Comment
		LeBron James Believe it or not, his defining moment came in a 'W' versus the Clippers. The Cavs were down 19 points in the fourth quarter and could have packed their bags for the next city, but LeBron wouldn't let them. He scored or assisted on 18 of Cleveland's next 22 points to lead them to victory. That's MVP stuff.
		Kobe Bryant Watching him this season has been like watching an ISO camera replay of the Kentucky Derby winner. He stayed back in the pack, then made his move (accelerating to 31 ppg in February after Andrew Bynum went down). The difference is Kobe will place, not win.
		Dwyane Wade He's the most outstanding player and has meant the most to his team, but that couldn't even translate into home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. MVPs should push their teams to the top tier.
		Dwight Howard Must be wondering what more he could do after leading the league in rebounds and blocks. Here's a hint from Shaq's MVP season in 2000: Average about 10 more ppg than his current 20.
		Chauncey Billups I like George Karl's analogy on what C-Bills has meant to Denver: "It was like blackjack. You have 12 and you draw a 9." Added value for how much his absence hurt Detroit.