I disagree with much that is said about the NBA MVP race, both in general and specifically regarding this season.
My perspective on the MVP race is simple: the award should go to the best player in the league, not the best player on the best team, not the player who supposedly has the best storyline and not the best player who has not previously received the honour.
How do we determine who is the best player in the league? If we were doing a draft of all of the NBA players right now, who would be chosen first without considering age, salary cap restrictions or any other factor other than skill set/current performance? In other words, the NBA MVP should be selected the same way that we all picked teams when we were kids on the playground.
Of course, we have a lot more tools at our disposal to evaluate NBA players than we had when we picked teams on the playground but the principle is the same: pick the best player, period.
Is there any doubt that LeBron James is the best player in the NBA, the player who would go first in any draft of all of the league’s players?
James won four MVPs in a five-year stretch before finishing second to Kevin Durant last season. This is supposedly a down season for James, but he ranks third in scoring (26.0 ppg) and seventh in assists (7.3 apg).
James is not as dominant as he has been in previous seasons – his shooting percentages from all ranges and his rebounding have declined – but he is still more dominant than any other player.
His Cleveland Cavaliers are awful when he does not play (2-9) and one of the league’s best teams when he does play (35-14). They recently won 18 out of 20 games, including a convincing 110-99 victory over the league-leading Golden State Warriors during which James contributed 42 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Yes, James started the season sluggishly by his standards. Yes, it is disconcerting when he talks about being in “chill mode.” When Michael Jordan won six titles in the 1990s he was never in “chill mode.” When Kobe Bryant won five titles in the 2000s he was never in “chill mode.”
However, the 2015 MVP race is not about comparing James to Jordan or Bryant. James is the best player in the NBA right now, even if he is sluggish at times and even if he goes into “chill mode” sometimes.
Russell Westbrook deserves some kind of honorable mention, particularly since many media members pound on him so unfairly. Westbrook’s teammate Durant missed seven games in February. In those seven games, Westbrook averaged 31.2 ppg, 11.3 apg and 10.0 rpg. Westbrook averaged 31.2 ppg, 10.3 apg and 9.1 rpg in February overall, joining Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average 30 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds in a calendar month (minimum 10 games).
According to ESPN’s Tom Haberstroh, based on some of the “advanced basketball statistics,” Westbrook is having the most dominant offensive season in basketball history. I don’t know how reliable or relevant those particular metrics are but whether one goes by the old school “eye test” or by the numbers, Westbrook is the best guard in the game today.
Westbrook is also nearly a half foot shorter and 50 pounds lighter than James. Physically, he just cannot do the things that James can do; he cannot play any position on the court, guard any player, attack the defence from any possible angle. Westbrook is tremendously gifted but he just is not as good as James.
Stephen Curry is the best player on the best team (though Atlanta, which has no legitimate MVP candidates, may pass Curry’s Golden State Warriors in the standings). Russell Westbrook is putting up insane numbers.
There are a handful of other players who are performing at an MVP level – but if the MVP award is meant to recognise the game’s best player then it is obvious that LeBron James should be the 2015 NBA MVP.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Let's face it, if the award truly went to the most dominant player in the league, the guy who would be the first player you would pick for your team every time if you were picking teams schoolyard style, LeBron would win every year, just as Jordan would have. In reality these guys get to the end of their careers with a lot of MVP awards, but you really just about always look at the years they didn't win and think that really, they were still the best player in the league that year, but I guess it would be a bit boring if they just kept giving it to the same player every single season!
Henry Smith
Guest
I'm sorry but I can't consider LeBron to be the best player right now. In fact I'd take a number of players over him at the moment. I have never understood this idea of "playing like the best" and "being the best", what's the difference? If LeBron really was the best player right now he would be showing it. Putting up above average stats and leading your team to the 4th seed in the weak Eastern conference doesn't show that he's the best.
express34texas
Guest
Nope, don't really like Harden, and don't believe in him yet as the true best player in the league. But, I think he has been for the reg. season through 60 games and appreciate his game. He is a great athlete, but not James/Westbrook athletic. He realizes this and has bought in to Morey's schemes. If everyone knows certain shots are more valuable than others, then why aren't all the teams playing like HOU? I don't necessarily entirely agree if you need or should play like HOU, but you need to coach to the strengths of your teams, and try to maximize your team's potential. Harden is able to play extremely well this way, and that's why there's a lot of buzz about him. Very few players could excel as well as he does this way, probably none, maybe Durant only. James shoots a better FG %, but worse 3 pt and FT %, and is less efficient. Their #'s are very close all-around, but Harden is slightly better overall with raw stats and much better with advanced stats. Not sure how you can say James is a better rebounder when he averages 5.7rpg compared to 5.8rpg for Harden. And James should get more rebounds, he plays SF/PF while Harden plays PG/SG. Forwards are closer to the basket a lot more than guards, so even if they are equal in terms of rebounding, the forward would still have more, which isn't the case here. And I would say Harden is the better ball-handler. Harden has also been more durable this year. I know you and others are getting caught up from James' mostly brilliant past, and still present. The facts remain that he's missed more games than Harden, doesn't always play hard,, he's less efficient, less productive, his #2 hasn't missed anywhere near as many as games as Howard, and his team is several games worse in a much worse conference. While I'd take James for the playoffs, which might be wrong as it would've been for the regular season, he hasn't been better than Harden so far. Let's just say James is more skilled. Skills aren't everything, and obviously this hasn't resulted in better individual or team play for James.
David Friedman
Expert
Express34texas: I think that I detect just a hint of Houston bias in your screen name! Seriously, though, Harden is having a very good year but I would not take him over James even just for this season. Forget the numbers for just a second. Other than free throw shooting, Harden is not better than James in any skill set area. James posts up better, handles the ball better, defends much better, rebounds better, passes the ball better, etc. Durant won the scoring title and the MVP last year but prior to that the last scoring champion to win the MVP was Iverson in 2001. Add in the fact that Harden is on pace to have the lowest ppg average for a scoring champion since the lockout-shortened 1999 season and I don't think that Harden's scoring is reason enough to give him the MVP. It will be interesting to see how Cleveland and Houston finish. James switched teams and has a rookie coach, so there has been a feeling out process for the Cavaliers. In general, I think that the media and the fans look for reasons to not vote for the best player and instead crown someone new. There is a lot of media buzz about Harden because he is the darling of the fans of "advanced basketball statistics" and supposedly the harbinger of a new way to play basketball, though I think that Houston is not the first team to figure out that layups and corner three pointers are good shots. The corner three pointer is almost two feet closer than the top of the key three pointer, so one does not need an MIT degree to figure out that there is some value there. Anyway, this is a fun debate and it will be entertaining to watch these players/teams down the stretch!
David Friedman
Expert
Mikeysoundtrack: I am glad that you enjoyed the article! The vast majority of the article focused on LeBron James, explaining why I think that he is the best player and why I think that the best player should win the MVP. I didn't do a 1-5 list of my top candidates but just devoted most of the space to making a case for the guy I think should be the top candidate. Before the season ends I might do a 1-5 style MVP article. I thought that if anyone else "had" to be mentioned it was Westbrook, not just because of his historic month but because of his great numbers throughout this season (26.5 ppg, 8.1 apg, 6.8 rpg). I'd take Westbrook over any guard. My point with Curry, who I only mentioned in passing, is that he would get the MVP right now based on the "best player on the best team" standard but what if Atlanta passes Golden State in the standings? Would that disqualify Curry and elevate one of the Hawks? Team record should of course be a consideration but I consider the MVP to be an individual award, not a team award. Obviously, not everyone agrees with me, including the official voters (based on some of the previous winners)!
express34texas
Guest
Harden's actually 1st in assists for SGs. But, you're right, he does it all. His defense used to be bad, but is now actually a strength. David, the 2015 MVP award isn't about past seasons, it isn't about past postseasons, and it isn't about the 2015 postseason or beyond that. It's about the 2015 regular season. No, the Cavs wouldn't have traded James straight up for Harden. But, in hindsight, for the regular season alone at the very least, yes, they would've. Harden leads the league in MP and scoring, 2 very important stats most people now minimize. He has also been much more efficient than James this year. His production is at least equal with James at worst. Harden has played better than James this season so far, that's the bottomline. James has missed several games. James has a better cast, plays in a much weaker conf., and his #2 hasn't missed anywhere near as many games as Harden's #2, Howard. And HOU has a better record. Plus, Harden just outplayed James on Sunday head-to-head. This isn't about storylines or some other bizarre MVP voting thing. Harden has just been better throughout the regular season than James. Come playoff time, sure, I'd probably take James, but that's different and irrelevant to the 2015 MVP voting. But, then again, I'd take James for the 2015 regular season MVP over Harden before the season began, and I would've been wrong. James won the 2009/2010 MVPs. I thought Kobe should've won, but regardless, it was close, and you could make an argument for James deserving both. However, come playoff time both of those years, Kobe was still clearly the true king of the league. He was the best player in the game still, yet he didn't have any regular season MVPs to show for it, and that could've been right. I agree that the best player should win the MVP normally, but there's other factors involved. James has missed several games and his team should have a much record than they do if he truly is as great as most make him out to be. They're only 4th in the East. With the team he has around him, he's lucky to even be considered. I actually think his past is helping him more than anything to put him in the MVP conversation. Lowry doesn't have the cast James does, and Derozan has missed a lot of games, and you don't hear a peep about him for MVP. If he actually won 1-2 previously, you would hear MVP talk about him.
mikeysoundtrack
Guest
I think you've misunderstood the premise of my argument. I'm not saying that James Harden deserves the MVP this season. If I had a vote, I'd probably choose LeBron with Harden 2nd. My point is that you took 15 paragraphs to discuss the MVP for this season, went out of your way to mention LeBron and 3 other great players, and neglected to even mention Harden in the discussion. I don't think this an objective analysis of the the league and Harden's place among those those players. Harden is the league scoring leader, 2nd in assists among shooting guards, 1st in rebounds among shooting guards, 85% free throw shooter, 38% 3 point shooter. Harden has greatly improved his defense: 1st in steals and 4th in blocks among shooting guards (although I agree he's still not a defensive juggernaut). Plus, Harden always has the ball in his hands with the game on the line and ends up winning the close games more times than not. Furthermore, Harden has been carrying the Rockets to the 3rd best record in the most powerful conference without Dwight Howard who accounts for a large portion of the team's total salary spending and about 15 points and 12 rebounds every game. I think Harden deserves to be mentioned by name, even if it's in that last paragraph. But it's your article and I enjoyed reading it nonetheless. :)
Jamie
Guest
I agree with the points saying it should not be the best player on the best team, nor the best story. But I do not agree with your definition either. It should be more like the traditional "Player of the Year" type title from other sports. Who was the best player in the league THAT season. Doesn't matter if you were drafting for next year or whatever. It cannot be Lebron. He hasn't been playing as well as normal, and he admits he has been coasting.
David Friedman
Expert
Why does James Harden have to be mentioned? My thesis is that the MVP should go to the best player, not the best player on the best team (which Harden is not, anyway), not the best story, not the best player who has not won the award. Faulty reasoning led to MVPs for Nash (over Shaq, Kobe, etc.) and Dirk (team had best record, then lost in first round) and for Barkley and Malone when voters supposedly got tired of giving the honor to Jordan every year. LeBron James is the best player in the NBA. Everyone realizes this, yet there is some kind of bizarre debate about which other guy should get the award. Other than free throw shooting percentage, what does Harden do better than James? Harden is smaller, cannot play as many positions and is a below average defender. Do you think that the Cavs would trade James for Harden straight up? What about the Rockets? Do you think the Rockets would keep Harden over James if they could make that choice? The lovers of "advanced basketball statistics" push the Harden storyline, even though it has taken years for Daryl Morey to build a good team--and that team has still yet to advance past the first round in Harden's tenure in Houston. If someone really wants to push for the MVP being the best player on the best team then Curry is the choice but what if Atlanta passes Golden State on the last day of the season? Would that mean that the MVP instantly switches from Curry to Teague or Horford or someone else? The most logical method is to choose the best player.
mikeysoundtrack
Guest
While your analysis is compelling, I simply cannot take seriously any discussion on the 2014-15 NBA MVP race that fails to even mention James Harden. This neglect is only magnified by the stellar performance Harden, the scoring leader, put on Cleveland yesterday and the inability of LeBron to take the game away from Houston at the freethrow line. I certainly think James, Westbrook, and Curry should all be in the discussion, but leaving out Harden (who many think is the leader at this point in the season) is irresponsible. Furthermore, I disagree with you that the MVP is based on the best player in the league. I would stick to the literal interpretation of the award: Most Valuable Player. That's not to say that I think LeBron doesn't fit that definition this season, but as previously mentioned, sometimes LeBron takes games off (and when I say he takes games off, he's still better than 90% of the league when doing so), and I'm not sure that's so easy to ignore.
Swampy
Guest
David I couldn't agree with you any more. I have been banging the drum for the same point of view since Xmas. Simply put - if you straight out swapped James for any other candidate he would instantly make their team better and the Cavs, I suspect, worse. Let's not forget James' support crew all come from a past of horrible teams that lose. Steph Curry might be MVP because quite frankly everyone wants him to be. The reality is his key numbers are also down on last season. So that mutes that argument against James. It still annoys me that when you look at the records MJ has less MVP's than he should have. Embarrassingly Karl Malone has one in one of Jordan's best seasons. The same principles of voting for Karl Malone instead of MJ appear to be repeating with James this year. Like I've said many times - I don't like the guy but James is far and away the MVP 'EVERY' season.
express34texas
Guest
James is only the best when he wants to be, which isn't all the time, that's what we need to remember. Harden has played better this season than him, just like Durant played better than him last season. Westbrook is playing better than anyone when healthy. However, James has missed 11 games and Westbrook has missed 15. Games missed should certainly be a factor. James has a better cast in CLE than Harden in HOU, and yet his team has a worse record, and Howard's missed 27 games. And Irving/Love each didn't play some when James was out. He's definitely playing great, and maybe deserves MVP if he didn't miss so many games, but he did. I'd take James' cast over Curry or Harden's, regardless, it's close. And Curry/Harden have led their teams to better records in a much better conf. so far. Now, if James played on the Sixers and they were hovering around. 500, then it'd be different, but his cast is extremely good.
Steele
Guest
Of course Lebron is the best player around, but is he having the best individual season this year? I'm not sure yet, it's close. Harden has been so dominant and probably has even less support than Lebron from his teammates and if Westbrook continues his amazing form then he probably deserves it. Too close to call yet!