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Can we end all this now, please?

Stop pretending, or demanding, there's some great debate here?

What there is, is a clear and obvious choice.

Kobe Bryant is your league MVP.

Got that? There is no monster controversy. No great injustice to be done, unless Kobe is inexplicably stiffed.

All these people down on Kobe have run out of excuses to turn away.

Make his teammates better - check. Have to win the division - check. Absolutely must finish with the best record in the West - check.

He is not simply the most talented player in the NBA, he is its most valuable. Not just the greatest show, the player who gives you the best chance to win.

He has enjoyed a career season. Led a Lakers team many weren't sure could make the playoffs to the best record in the most competitive conference in NBA history.

Yet every time you hear about some supposed poll, it's really, really close. Could come down to those second- and third-place votes. Might not be decided until the convention.

What a crock. His critics are searching for some justification to not give him an award he has plainly earned.

The problem is many voters - I do not have a vote - simply do not like Kobe. They think he's spoiled or a ball hog or calculating or arrogant. Hold animosity from Denver. Resent him personally.

Hey, it's not a popularity contest. It's an award for being the NBA's Most Valuable Player. You don't have to invite him to the backyard barbecue, just recognize his achievement.

Early on when the talk of Kobe and the MVP started to heat up, his detractors started championing LeBron James. James had all these gaudy numbers to support the pretext.

Of course, to truly be an MVP, you must be on an excellent team. Should be on one of the top teams.

James' Cavaliers fell 20 games back of Boston in the weak East, and there went that campaign.

Then the main challenge over the second half of the season emerged as New Orleans point guard Chris Paul.

Paul has enjoyed a truly marvelous season. He's averaged 21.1 points, and led the league in assists (11.6 per game) and steals (2.73).

And he gets all these bonus points because the Hornets went from 39 victories to this year's 50-plus.

The theory here is, Paul has less talent to work with than Kobe, which although might be true, it isn't that significant.

Peja Stojakovic, David West and Tyson Chandler aren't exactly three guys drudged up from the local playground.

It should be noted that last season Stojakovic played in only 13 games and West 52, so credit for that dramatic turnaround doesn't go solely to Paul.

And as to that unequal talent, Stojakovic has appeared in three All-Star games and West one. Kobe has a single teammate who has appeared in one All-Star game, Gasol.

Kobe's numbers need no explaining. His 28.3 points per game were second-best in the league. He added 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.9 blocks. And really, who would you most want to take the game-winning shot as time expired?

You want to hand out bonus points, Kobe deserves plenty for playing much of the second half with a finger that needs surgery. He sucked it up and kept playing. That's what MVPs do.

What we can agree on is, this is not a lifetime achievement award. This isn't John Wayne winning an Oscar for "True Grit."

Kobe remains the most talented player in the game, but has never been MVP. You don't get the award for a body of work, though it's best to have something significant to legitimize your resume. This is Paul's third year.

Kobe has enjoyed a tremendous career, but deserves the award based simply on this season.