Period. Yes, there are other guys that are qualified, but this is the league's most valuable player.
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A guy who hates every sport except professional basketball.
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- Fickle but obsessive, bored but inquisitive, and principled but corruptible.
I agree that Wade's having a ridiculous season and merits MVP consideration.
ReplyDeleteBut if Wade wins MVP this year (with a mediocre team), what about Kobe in 2006? He dragged the Lakers to the playoffs with Kwame Brown and Smuch Parker as starters.
The problem is that the definition of MVP is not exact. Is it the player with the best stats? The best player on the team with the best record? The most important player to a team?
I really don't know.
But it looks like it's going to be LeBron's award to win this year.
Hey, Steve! I fully believe that Kobe deserved the MVP award that year, and perhaps in '07 as well. It's funny, that MVP award. When Kobe did get it, I thought it should have gone to James!
ReplyDeleteI'm on board with you - I think it would be a huge shock if LeBron didn't get it this year. He's earned it. But I was thinking about it last night and here are my thoughts:
Wade and LeBron are putting up stat lines that are close enough to one another that a case could be made either way.
Both the Heat and the Cavs absolutely NEED their star players in order to succeed, but I think it's more so for the Heat. The Cavs wouldn't have nearly as good of a record without LeBron, but Miami without Wade would probably have a worse record than the Wizards right now.
If the game is on the line and I have my choice of either player, I choose Wade. If I'm building a franchise around a player and I'm thinking long-term, I pick LeBron, because his body is more likely to hold up over the years. But right now, in 2009, if I just need the one guy that I think will help me get past any other team out there, I think it's Wade.
Kobe and LeBron are both right there. Chris Paul makes a lot of sense as an MVP candidate also. I'd be happy to have any of those guys on my team. I'd think it was fair if any of them are named MVP. But with a handful of rookies and some rag-tag vets, Wade is forcing Miami into the play-offs and demonstrating that he's an all-time great.
I like David Friedman of 20 Second Timeout take on Steve Nash's two MVP awards. He says something to the effect of that when we look back 20 years from now, are we really going to think that Nash was the most valuable player in the NBA two years in a row? To think that Nash has the same number of MVP awards as Kobe and Shaq combined.....
ReplyDeleteNo doubt Wade is carrying this Heat team by himself at the moment (Will Jermaine O'Neal ever come back around?), but LeBron knows what that feels like when he carried an awful Cavs team with Larry Hughes and Eric Snow as starters to the NBA Finals.
But as far as Miami needing Wade more, that's true. That's because Cleveland was able to acquire Mo Williams (for practically nothing by the way) to give LeBron his best teammate ever. Williams can pass, shoot, and is a legitimate sidekick to James. That shouldn't count against LeBron just because management finally brought in someone actually good.
Wade's team's lack of wins is what's going to cost him the award. The MVP award has gone to a player on the 1st or 2nd best team in a conference for a long time now. The Heat are currently in 5th place right now (just in the East) while the Cavs are #2 in the entire NBA.
"To me,the way you judge an MVP is if you take a guy off their team, who struggles the most? Like last year. If you took Kobe off the Lakers or Chris Paul off the Hornets, who's struggling the most? It's the Hornets, right? But everyone has their own set of rules. Other people look at it as an individual thing. They go for numbers. Now, if you were looking at strictly the team last year, then that means either Paul Pierce or Kevin Garnett should have won it. So I don't know what the [MVP] voters want. But whatever they're looking for, I'm pretty sure D-Wade has it.'' -LeBron James
ReplyDelete"I'd make the same case for Dwyane that people used to make for me when I was on a team that didn't have a lot of talent and we still managed to get to the playoffs. People don't realize how difficult it is to do literally everything to get your team in.'' -Kobe Bryant
Steve, I completely agree that the Heat's record will cost Wade the trophy. Unless they go on an insane tear and win all of the rest of their games! Not likely. But I still say that in this season, at this point in time, if I have to choose one guy that's going to get me the W, I'm choosing D-Wade. LeBron is awesome, and if the Cavs make the Finals, I think he's got his first ring. That's the reward for having a good team. I've just never bought into the MVP award being dependent on the team's record.
I've only been watching the game for a few years, but I don't think the award has gone to the right person in any year that I've watched. It usually goes to someone who was previously passed over. So LeBron should have won it last year, but Kobe got it because Kobe should have had it the year before, and probably the one before that. LeBron will get it this year. Wade or Paul will get it next year even though someone will be playing better. Just seems to be how it goes.
How 'bout those Pistons lately?
Yeah, I just read that article on ESPN today as well. Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteI agree that team record shouldn't have that much of an influence on the MVP vote (although it is still somewhat important).
But that's just the way it works. So for Kobe 05-06 to not win the award and for Wade 08-09 to win the award, despite Kobe putting up better stats, would be ridiculous.
And you are right about it never going to the right person. It's a little odd.
Ahh, the Pistons. They seem to be thriving w/o Iverson right now. Rip looks like a man on a mission. If Iverson can come back and give them 15-17 ppg in 24-30 mpg (big "ifs"), then this could be a very good team come May.
How bout them Spurs? Are they the definition of the word "consistent" or what?
Wade is the MVP. There will be no discussion.
ReplyDeleteI think there is no way that Wade can win this award...no doubt he is having an unbelievable year! But what about LeBron. He puts up better numbers and has a way better record. When u compare the teammates of Wade and LeBron, they are pretty much the same. Okay the Cavs might look a bit better, but that's only because of LeBron James. He makes them better.
ReplyDeleteSide by side, Wade leads in almost every category:
ReplyDeleteLeBron: FG% .488 3PT% .331 FT%.768 PPG 28.6 Rebounds 7.6 Assists 7.3 Steals 1.79 Blocks 1.26 Turnovers 3.01
Wade: FG% .493 3PT% .305 FT%.763 PPG 29.9 Rebounds 5.1 Assists 7.6 Steals 2.23 Blocks 1.43 Turnovers 3.49
So, LeBron doesn't really put up better numbers. The better record is a result of having a great team. The award for having a great team is a championship. The award for being the Most Valuable Player should go to Wade.