Lucy Nicholson / Reuters file

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, right, and Suns guard Steve Nash battle for a rebound. Both are leading contenders for the MVP award.

The facilitator vs. scorer argument isn’t so cut and dried with some of the other candidates, but it’s still worth considering.

Like Nash, Billups is a facilitator first, but he can also score. He averages 17 points and seven assists per contest. But Arenas averages six assists a game, yet scores 28. His facilitator chops are present, he scores but he also makes his teammates better, and therefore Arenas might be more valuable than someone like Nowitzki or Anthony whose contributions are mighty but whose games are relatively one-dimensional.

The MVP argument isn’t always so simple. Other factors come into play as well, mainly in the area of intangibles and sometimes in the category of “The man has paid his dues.”

It’s hard to argue against Bryant’s ability to inspire his team with his incredible feats. In any team sport, when players observe a teammate taking charge and exhibiting a passion to win, it rubs off on everyone else. This season has been a disappointment in a lot of ways for the Lakers, but when Bryant is cooking, he lifts his team and everybody else in the organization and everybody rooting for the club, for that matter.

But frankly, that’s a given. Lifting spirits is expected from star players. Does anyone think LeBron’s teammates and fans are any less thrilled by his exploits than Laker fans are by Bryant’s?

Also, if all other things are equal, should a candidate like Nowitzki or Garnett get the nod because they’ve toiled valiantly for years and have suffered long enough without the MVP trophy? The Martin Scorsese Oscar argument? Maybe, but only in a season in which there is virtually no separation between candidates. This may not be that year.

The MVP schools of thought are in session on Sunday, as Kobe tries to pour in 60 to help his team triumph while Nash performs surgery with a group of eager assistants. It’s a microcosm of a greater debate that figures to continue long after the final buzzer from this one regular-season game has sounded.

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Jesse D. Garrabrant / Getty Images Contributor

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