Think LeBron is the MVP? Bill Reiter Says Not So Fast
Should LeBron James be the MVP this season? Dwayne Wade thinks so. “I feel like this is the best LeBron I’ve ever seen,” he told Gilbert Arenas on the No Chill podcast, according to Heavy.com. Vegas also thinks LeBron is the odds on favorite, writes Gilbert Gallant. The Ringer’s Dan Devine described him as “the best player in the world, still, and maybe a better bet to snag that fifth MVP trophy than we might’ve thought before the start of the season.” The Athletic’s Jovan Buha makes a strong argument: “He hasn’t missed much of a beat, if one at all, from last season, when he was the MVP runner-up. He’s averaging more points and rebounds on a per-possession basis. His 3-point percentage has jumped up to a career-best mark on a career high in attempts. He appears to mostly be as engaged defensively as he was last season. Overall, it seems reasonable to suggest he’s the early MVP front-runner, or a top-three candidate at least, especially if the Lakers eventually regain their footing with the best record in the West.”
Sounds good to us! Especially when you consider years like 2011, when he lost to D-Rose; 2008, when Kobe beat him out; and even last season, when Giannis won his second in a row — cases could be made in each of those seasons that The King deserved the win. The guy’s won four MVPs, a case could be made he should’ve won six in a row, and not a season passes when he shouldn’t be in the conversation (2019 excepted). We’ll always root for the biggest of big men.
But here’s the thing, says Bill Reiter of CBS Sports — even though LBJ deserved more MVP consideration in seasons past, don’t use it as a reason to deny, say, The Joker or Joel Embiid.
LeBron's stats this season are, as always, otherworldly, and his impact -- the "value" he brings to his team -- cannot be argued. He's averaging 25.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.5 assists while shooting 49 percent from the field and making almost 41 percent of his 3-point shots.
It's the "most" in MVP that should still very much be up for debate this year. The present makes a strong case for guys like Embiid or Jokic, at least so far. It's the past that's the problem. ...
There's a domino effect of past regrets causing new mistakes, and then those mistakes cascading forward, right here into 2021. Michael Jordan should have won many more MVPs than he did. Perhaps, knowing that, some voters didn't want to rush to crown LeBron too soon. Then Curry arrived. Then Giannis arrived. And suddenly, here we are, LeBron James again the best player on Earth, and many NBA writers -- and, one could argue, a particular network -- are already ramping up the "LeBron for MVP!" hype machine 20-some games into the season.
It feels a lot like a make-good for past regrets. It's an understandable sentiment, but it's not worthy of the award itself, nor what's actually happening so far this season.
This is a very interesting way of explaining how good someone is.
Let's slow that down. LeBron may win this award come the season's end. He may deserve it. And there have certainly been past mistakes, as happens, that have shorted LeBron in the past. But there's no going back, and no correcting what we got wrong (Westbrook!) way back before. All that does is compound the problem, and push it down the line.
I see what he’s saying here, but — well, maybe I don’t. Is he saying LeBron may deserve to be MVP, but shouldn’t win, because it would be seen as a make-up MVP?
Embiid's 28.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game are remarkable. He and Jokic have nearly historic player efficiency ratings. And most telling -- most "valuable" -- the 76ers are 0-4 without their big man and 15-2 with him. He's the reason they lead the Eastern Conference.
Judging someone’s MVP candidacy based on the games they don’t play is pretty dumb. Should Steph Curry have won the MVP last year, then? The Warriors sucked without him.
Speaking of Jokic, the Nuggets big man is putting up 26.8/11.8/8.6, while playing markedly improved defense and helping Denver keep pace in a crowded Western Conference.
Kevin Durant is on fire. And with so much time left, guys from Kawhi Leonard to Damian Lillard to Curry could very, very easily push their way into real contention.
This year's MVP race is going to be close, competitive and come down to the wire. Things can, and almost surely will change. But let's stop with the this-is-LeBron's-award-to-lose-and-all-other-possible-challengers-are-futile silliness.
Is anyone saying that? We’re here for the big men, not the straw men, Bill. Let’s not find reasons to besmirch the GOAT’s hypothetical MVP before the season is, you know, even half over.