One of the best side bonuses is they opportunity for someone new to stand up and take the NBA MVP.
The history of the NBA MVP is that it only goes to the once in a generation players, the Michael Jordan's, Kobe Bryant, and more recently Lebron James.
This year the NBA MVP competition will be decided by team leadership in critical moments of the game, not by reputation. There is a real chance that a lesser star could shine for just long enough to break into the NBA MVP category.
In recent years the 'Most Valuable Player' tag has been thrown to tremendous athletes, not tremendous players. For example Lebron James won the NBA MVP ,in 09 and 2010, and yes he had great years in both seasons. But let me ask you this, does a player who plays well but doesn't take you to the championship stage deserve to be the most valuable player in the National Basketball Association?
If they were serious about giving to MVP award to the actual "Most Valuable Player" the award certainly would not have gone to Lebron James.
Kobe Bryant might have legs that are weary from beating them up and down floor for so many years. He might not have had the flash moves or the spin and fake he was famous for in his youthful days. One thing he did have over the past two years, was the guile and leadership to take his team to back to back NBA championships.
Is Kobe a more valuable NBA MVP than Lebron James? Well first you have ask the public what is the most valuable thing to achieve in the NBA? And the fans respond with a resounding answer over and over, NBA championships are the only thing at the end of the day that matters.
So did the NBA get it wrong for the past two years, or do they give their awards out based on entertainment value? Oh how the game is changing, oh how the game is changing.