2008, April 14: ESPN.com - Rose's ballot: 2007-08 Most Valuable Player

April 14, 2008 - We asked our writers to provide their choices for Most Valuable Player, ranked from 1 to 5. Here is Jalen Rose's ballot: 1. Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers Shooting Guard Kobe has been acknowledged as the best player on both ends of the floor for the last couple of years. But this season, his maturity has enabled him to allow his teammates to grow. Meanwhile, he still has the ability to focus and play well through turbulence, whether it's trade rumors or several injuries to teammates. In short, Kobe is the definition of Most Valuable Player. 2. Chris Paul New Orleans Hornets Point Guard Paul led the Hornets from a team that coming into the season was predicted to finish around the eighth seed to a team that's now among the West's top three. This suprise surge was accomplished with basically the same roster as the past couple of seasons. Look for both CP3 and Kobe to make first team All-NBA and All-Defensive. 3. Kevin Garnett Boston Celtics Center Garnett was the best player on the best team and largely responsible for the biggest single-season turnaround ever in terms of wins. KG changed the culture in Beantown, molding a team that was in the lottery the last few seasons into a true championship contender. 4. LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers Small Forward Only two other guys besides Lebron have averaged 30-7-7 in a season: Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson. However, as in the NCAA tourney seedings or BCS rankings, strength of schedule counts, so the Cavs' record and placement in the East puts Bron here and not higher on the ballot. 5. Amare Stoudemire Phoenix Suns Power Forward Stoudemire, the most explosive big man in the game, has also been the most efficient. His numbers have been eye-popping since the Shaq trade. It will only get worse for his Western conference opponents.