During game two of Monday’s Heat-Knicks game, an enthusiastic Kevin Harlan and somewhat un-nerved Reggie Miller discussed why Lebron James would be this year’s NBA MVP. However, during the discussion Reggie Miller went from un-nerved to totally upset when Harlan gleeful exclaimed that Lebron was so focussed on having his best season that he even called up former NBA greats and asked them what it takes to be great. During the course of his rant, Miller voiced several concerns he had with this behaviour and in particular, “that if Lebron James, on the verge of winning his third MVP trophy still asking other players what it takes to win.” And while Harlan tried desperately to soften the tone of the exchange, an agitated Miller refused to be quelled, continued his unimpressed sermon and asked why the most physically gifted athlete in the game was still asking former players what it takes to be great, when they should be calling him?
While Miller eventually cooled off, the poignant questions about Lebron’s MVP status linger and in a way perfectly sum up who Lebron James is as a player and, in turn illustrate why he isn’t really an MVP at all.
Is LeBron James not the MVP because of this numbers (i.e. statistics)?
No, Lebron has put up numbers his entire career and to his credit this year they are more amazing then ever given that his FG% has risen up to 55% this season. His other numbers are also great across the board, so no, it is not the statistics.
Is Lebron James not the MVP because he is not the best player on his team?
Usually an MVP has to be considered the MVP of his own team before he can be considered the MVP of the entire league and of course this should be no exception. While Chris Bosh is a top twenty player and Dwayne Wade is consistently in the discussion about who is the league’s best player, Lebron James is still better then both of them, especially when it comes to the numbers. Therefore, while he plays on a team with other star calibre players, Lebron is still the best guy in their locker room. So it is not that he isn’t the best player on his team.
Is Lebron James not the MVP because of his team’s record?
While the NBA MVP trophy is usually awarded to a player with the top record in the league, the fact that Lebron’s team does not have the best record in the league does not (and should not) automatically disqualify him from MVP status. Furthermore, the fact that the Miami Heat are not even in the top two record-wise should not automatically disqualify him from contention due to the fact that in many instances the MVP has been crowned on a player who is not among the league’s top seeded teams if that player’s impact was so great that without him the team would be far worse off. A perfect example is Steve Nash’s second MVP campaign in which he won the award on a Phoenix squad who did not have the league’s best record and even though his team’s roster was depleted, still managed to carry his team into the playoffs and make everyone on is squad better statistically. In this regard, this is perhaps one of the most obvious criticisms of James’ MVP candidacy, because even without him his team is talented enough to win at least 55-60% of their games and easily make the playoffs in the East. However, despite this glaring knock on his candidacy it is not the main reason that should disqualify from the MVP award because many past MVPs have played on stacked teams (Bird, Magic, Jordan etc.). So its no its not his team record.
Does he have the Heart and Leadership qualities you expect from an MVP?
When Lebron James bolted Cleveland in 2010, even as Reggie Miller pointed out on Monday, he had every right to do so. But at that the point when he made the decision to do so, that he was crossing a line that most great players never do, quitting on your team to play somewhere you think is better. And while this choice has propagated a million different interpretations, it still boils down to quitting when the going gets tough. With my apologies to Lebron James, this is not something I expect from a leader or an MVP. In addition to the millions of people who see Lebron’s choice this way (whom Lebron’s camp sees only as haters), it was also unanimously the opinion shared by the very greats he sought out for advice this past summer.
Of course, Western society also accepts that people make mistakes and that it is possible for one to right the wrongs of the past through there actions. However, in Lebron’s case this has not happened yet either. While most people consider the MVP to be a regular season award, Lebron’s epic collapse in the 2011 Finals should have been a mammoth enough reason for no one ever to vote for Lebron as the MVP until such time as he atoned for his terrible play and vaginal effort. And that type of atonement should only come in the playoffs. However, even if the hardheads still want to follow the letter of the NBA MVP award instead of the spirit of what the award really means (i.e. the most important leader on a team without whom the team is lost) then Lebron’s decision to defer to others in crunch time and when really faced with a challenged but in the all-star game and in several games over the course of the season demonstrates that Lebron at his core is still all about the tuck-tail and run. I am sorry, but that is not what the NBA MVP has ever been, nor should it ever be. The decision for some fans, current players, team executives and the sports media to not only ignore James’ coward play on and off the court, but reward it with an MVP trophy is ludicrous. There are at least ten more players around the league who put up similar numbers to James (if not better) who step up night-in, night-out and put their teams on their back in good times and bad, and I say give anyone of them the award be it Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Love, Chris Paul, Paul Pierce, Steve Nash or even Derrick Rose in his injury plagued season (because although he might not play and his team does well enough without him, he is willing to lead and go to war for his team when he can).
In sum, to give Lebron James the MVP award is shocking enough on its own, but for no one in the sports world to step up and publically vocalize this travesty is equally (if not more shocking). However, in an age when government officials, wall street big-wigs and no-talent entertainers who despite their heinous and offensive behaviour are routinely rewarded by a society that continues to look the other way, maybe Lebron James is the perfect NBA MVP. It might be a sad indictment of our times, but at least Lebron is King of something.
