NBA Match-Ups

Kobe vs Lebron:

Just like the assist is foregoing your own scoring option to enable a teammate, Kobe this season has been doing what needs doing to win games, whilst foregoing playing time so the team can develope. Kobe's game is complete, in other words. Hard to defend, scores well anywhere on the floor. Can pass, can rebound, can steal. Plays both ends and has the Jordan like will to win, or nearest to in any player on the boards today.
Lebron has not fully developed, he still has his own path to travel before the diminishing returns mean he can make the 'developmental assist' to his team mates. Coach Brown is benching him, but the team still depends on him. Lakers may have lost (1) more game than Cleveland, but Lakers bench is deep... really deep.
Whilst I personally don't like Lebron, because he is a fan and friend of Jay-z, wears another man's number and is celebrated before he achieved anything, there's still something intuitive that puts Kobe above him. People say Kobe shouldn't be MVP because he has more support than Lebron and he can't help that, Lebron has more physical support from his own body, he is probably the scariest man to play on in the league next to Shaq. And Ben Wallace is on Lebron's team removing the only player in the league couragous enough to body up on Lebron. But really I'm thinking that MVP question just doesn't really involve these two this season at all. (but out of the two, I go Kobe).

Billups vs Wade

This in my mind is the real MVP debate. If it was this season alone, Jordan's air would have to be Wade. Wade does what needs to be done to win. Billups on the other hand is similarly dedicated to winning. It is no coincidence then that the East's second best team record plummeted when Iverson was swapped for Billups, and the West's second best team record blossomed in Denver when they lost Iverson for Billups. Iverson is old, Billups is older. In fact if you ever wanted to isolate a players value to a team, there's never been a clearer cut case than Billups. Statistically he is not impressive, but the team goes 14-1 the moment Billups joined them. The moment Billups joined them, its just plain hard to deny. Billups is pretty much the captain/coach or a second coach. He does what is needed for the team. It doesn't mean he racks up huge assist numbers, it doesn't mean he drops points left right and center... he is a true floor general, he simply seizes control the moment any opponent give him quarter. Dwayne Wade on the other hand is a young agile Jordan/Kobe dropping points, dishing assists, grabbing rebounds, and BLOCKING shots. He does everything, a complete game and if Lebron edges out Kobe on the basis of support, Wade edges out Lebron for the same reaso and you can even disregard physical advantage too. Wade has been battered and broken the past seasons. It's these reasons, that MVP in my mind is betwixt Billups and Wade. Even though that's defying every expert opinion out there. MVP is an individual award, it's a matter of looking at what happens to a team when you isolate out the player (and perhaps isolate out the Coach, since Phil Jackson is the best team builder in the league). All this team record discussion is way overemphasised. Put Lebron or Kobe on their own like Wade, what do they look like. Switch the players and what does the team record count for?

Joe Johnson vs T-Mac

AT one point Phil Jackson proposed swapping Kobe for T-mac because he thought lakers would keep Shaq over the arrogant childish KB8. T-Mac was at one point the poor man's Kobe then. He has totally been surpassed by Atlanta Hawk's Joe Johnson. A weak team, Joe Johnson is kind of like looking at Kobe's past, but minus the Shaq assisted triple championship. Someone made a good analysis that even while Joe Johnson has a similar (albeit statistically weaker) game to Kobe, psychologically he lacks the edge, that Kobe has authority because of the three rings, the scoring titles, the MVP and so fourth that Joe Johnson just doesn't have.
T-mac has the scoring titles, the talent, the physical strength, everything. But as Phil Jackson also put it 'every time that boy's told to get back on defence his back starts hurting' T-mac left Toronto raptors to get out (rightfully) from Vince Carter's shadow (he casts a long Shadow). But T-mac career wise will probably stay eclipsed by VC, whom with NJ nets is now the assured leader, and has actually managed to make it past the first round of the playoffs more times than T-mac and Yao ever have. Joe Johnson is a trade or teammate away from greatness. For what its worth he is the leagues new 'Poor-man's Kobe' (that should actually be an award. I'd love that).

Brandon Roy vs Lebron/Wade/Melo

Okay I'm a Lebron hater. But I've also read Jordan's 'Driven from Within' and was deeply effected by his 'earned not entitled' mentality, pointing out that when he arrived in the league, converse was the sponsor everyone wanted to be on, and Nike was nobody. He got his shoe contract late, and his reputation was bestowed on him after he started racking the scoring titles, championships, MVP, ROY, conference titles, Slam Dunk Champs etc. Jordan made himself through his play in the league, the most explosive play in the league.
Sure, Reebok, Adidas, Converse and subsequently Nike weren't going to let another Jordan slip through their fingers. (Reebok let Kobe slip to Nike though) and the League, publications like Slam and the Shoe companies started looking to the next Jordan. But they also wanted to take no chances, thus Lebron was 'The Chosen One' and 'King James' and 'Heir Jordan' before he'd even played a game in the NBA. Wade was annointed in his white hot run to the first championship, and Melo also had his shoe deal on the brand Jordan (which presumably Jordan has to take some responsibility for) before he'd also stepped onto the court. Sure each of them had their achievements in high-school and the NCAA tournaments, but the fact was they carried in huge expectations.
Then there's Brandon Roy. An old school shooting guard, NBA star. Nothing flashy, just a big strong guard with Jordan's work ethic. When Oden went down the world started waking up and paying attention to the player who's marketing budget was a drop in the bucket to the 'three kings' (of which only Wade has achieved anything, carrying Shaq to his 4th championship). Roy had no sophomore slip, and this is based on a hunch more than anything else...I think Roy will eventually outshine the three of them, Melo has been redundified by Iverson and emasculated by Billups. Lebron is still a juvenile in the mind, he's never looked like Jordan to me. Wade has the talent and drive and will push Roy, but Roy does it all unsung. He is walking the path of self reliance, but leads his team as well. And I mean leadership, not carrying.

Paul vs Deron

Is actually an interesting prospect, Paul vs Stockton would be even more interesting. Chris Paul is different though to Stockton, he's more balanced to Stockton's offensive point guard mastery. This battle though right now deserves to outshine any Lebron vs Kobe, Lebron vs Wade debate, it's closer and more exciting. Plus people seem to forget just how intense the Paul vs Kobe debate was this time last year.
I think Paul has it inhand right now, but these classmates can't rest. Point Guard of this era is on the line. Deron has better support, but also momentum on his side. Paul has the heart and soul.

Mayo vs Rose

Rose has more support. Though Rudy Gay I will concede has had a better season than Ben Johnson. Plus a point guard is probably easier to be good at game in game out than it is to be a shooting guard. I like Mayo's beard better. But I like both these guys, and Beasley too. And Kevin Love, Brook Lopez etc. It's been a better rookie draft than any in the past ten years.
It's the poor man's Jordan, Hakeem, Stockton, Barkley etc draft.