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Yes, I know Kobe is arguably the most talented player in the game, but easy with all of the trashing of Gilbert Arenas. In the latest edition of the Race to the MVP player rankings, I had the Wizards star ranked third with the Lakers superstar one place behind him.

Judging by the flood of e-mails I received, you would have thought I did something outlandish like ranking Bryant behind Minnesota's Mark Madsen (sorry Mad Dog).

How can you pick Gilbert over Kobe this year when he is having a year comparable (not really) to the one Kobe had last year when he was not in the running at all? Just wondering what you based your decision on this year vs. last year when Kobe was clearly having a better year that Gilbert this year.
-- Neal

Neal, I didn't write Race to the MVP last year when Kobe had his career year but if I did, he would have received my vote as the game's most valuable player.

You have got to be the stupidest person to ever live when it comes to basketball. How did you get your job? Kobe at No. 4, behind Arenas? Are you nuts?
-- Patrick in Michigan

Hey Pat, I may be stupid but you're ugly. Seriously, let's grow up and stop the name calling. As I point out a little further down in the article, having Bryant behind Arenas really isn't that much of a stretch at all.

How in the world does Gilbert Arenas not only make the list, but rank above Kobe who did last season exactly what Arenas is doing this year but way better? So I guess it's all right for Gilbert to be a selfish, score-first player, but when Kobe did it he was told to share the ball and make his teammates better. Gilbert is a poor-mans Kobe. By ranking zero above 24, it not only shows your poor math skills, but shows you know nothing about basketball as well.
-- Kevin in Los Angeles

Kevin, the whole numbers/math thing is cute. Anyway, how can I take you seriously when you question how Gilbert is even included in the rankings?

Biggest problem, why is Gilbert ahead of Kobe? That is foolish, and I can't stop laughing.
-- Kim in Florida

Do me a solid and next time share the joke with the rest of us.

Kobe should not be fourth on your list, he should be first. The last couple of years the excuse for not giving him MVP was that he wasn't a team player. Now he makes everyone better so what's the excuse?
-- Haik in Los Angeles

Phoenix's Steve Nash and Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki.

How can you continue to have Arenas ahead of Kobe? This is just baffling. The Lakers have less talent than the Wizards and the West is much better than the East. Have you seen the way Kobe comes up big in the fourth quarter?
-- Praveen in San Francisco

Hey Praveen, do me a favor and watch this.

Why are you such a Kobe hater? Stop rating Gilbert ahead of him every week.
-- Nathan in New York

I used to have some respect for you, but after Week 14's Race to the MVP came out, I lost all respect. How can you put Gilbert at No. 3 and Kobe at No. 4?
-- Eric in California

Why is Gilbert ahead of Kobe? I love Gil, but the Lakers have a better record in the Western Conference. And the stats are almost the same. I think Gil is one of the best in the game and is having a great season, but everyone knows that Nash, Nowitzki and Bryant are on a different level this season.
-- Kyle in Oklahoma

In the past you've said you love Kobe to death, but let's be honest, you really don't. You have to be a hater to put Kobe behind Gilbert.
-- Surik in California

Here at NBA.com, we've already made a case as to why Gilbert and Kobe could both be MVPs this season.

Bottom line is this: At this point, the Race to the MVP committee (me) gives Arenas a slight edge over Kobe.

Both players come up money when the game is on the line.

Both players have done a good job of making their teammates better. They are the primary passers on their squads and the fact that they command a double team creates more room to operate for everyone else. They are both realizing that they need to trust their teammates more.

The records for their teams are just about equal (Wizards are 28-20 and in first place in the Southeast, while the Lakers are 30-21 and in second in the Pacific).

Their stats are close, although Arenas' are a little bit better:
Arenas: 29.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game on 42 percent shooting.
Bryant: 28.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game on 47 percent shooting.

Next topic.

Apparently every basketball fan in Canada and at least one in South Carolina knew this was the Year of the Raptors.

I have been a Raptors fan since their inception and I am thrilled about them this year. You mention they started 2-8. Well, after 21 games they were 7-14. This means in their last 28, they're 19-9! If they finish in the top three, they could possibly win a playoff series with the way they’ve been playing at home.
-- Colin in Winnipeg

Hi Maurice. I just wanted to say for the record that I picked the Raptors to finish as high as fourth in the East playoff race. Keep up the good work.
--Tice in Toronto

Hey, I don't think your jumping on the wrong bandwagon. This team is for real, and Bosh has been playing out of his mind. I see this team in the playoffs and possibly sneaking into the second round. Don't worry, Bosh won't be in "no cigar" category next week. Ha.
--Shyam in Ontario

I’m very pleased to find that you're finally recognizing the talent of Chris Bosh and the Toronto Raptors! Oh and by the way, if you would've asked me at the beginning of the season who would win the Atlantic Division, I would've told you that the Raptors were gonna take it!
--Seth in South Carolina

The only reason that none of the "experts" thought the Raptors would win the division is because none of the experts keep an eye on this team up here. It wouldn't take a real genius to figure out that this year's Raptors were going to make huge improvements. You listed all the reasons in your column yet nobody paid any attention to this before the season. I can tell you there were a lot of people thinking this team was going to be at least a .500 team which many people also know is good enough in the Atlantic Division.
-- Zach in Alberta

Did you ask anyone from Canada if they thought the Raptors would be leading the Atlantic Division? To anyone who does follow the team closely it was obvious from the beginning of the season that this would happen. Look at the lineup, it is tough to beat on any given night.
--Thomas in Nova Scotia

Right guys, I believe you. Since you guys are so good at predicting, you should all rush out and play some form of lottery right now before your forecasting powers wear off.

On a positive note, it appears that the Toronto fans have accepted my invitation to be a one-season member of the Raptors bandwagon.

Thanks for giving some appreciation to the Raptors. They are an amazing team and there's plenty of room on the Raptors bandwagon!! Go Raps!!
--Tina in Canada

I saw you were "jumping on the Raptors bandwagon" and I gotta say it’s good for this team to finally get some recognition. By the way, I’ve believed since the draft that the Raps could win the Atlantic Division. And by the way, watch out for this team next season, you haven’t seen anything yet.
--Sean in Canada

Welcome aboard! As a Raps fan I have been through a lot of bad the past few seasons, but this year's squad has been refreshing and entertaining to watch. It's also great to see the Raps finally getting some love from the American media, and Canadian at that. It was a great article. The Raps are legit, and are on the way to providing some respectability to the Atlantic.
-- Liam in Ontario