MVP Discussion.

MVP race seems to be heating up. Westbrook and Harden have clearly been the two leading candidates all season long, but with the way Kawhi has been playing and the fact that they're right on the heels of the Warriors for that #1 seed with some big matchups coming up. He's clearly the best two way player in the game right now IMO. If they finish out the season strong, they beat the Warriors a couple of times which they need to surpass them, then I think he should get the award.

Thoughts?

 

Whoever the more popular between Westbrook, Harden and Kawhi is. Who even knows how they actually choose MVP.

 

Westbrook unless Spurs overcome the Warriors for the number 1 seed .

I would take Leonard over Westbrook on my team without a single doubt though .

The way Westbrook is perceived and the way he acts with medias will prevent him from winning though

So my guess is Haren will get it in a close vote

 

Westbrook won't win, not because he doesn't deserve it because he does, he won't win because his team isn't good enough.

It's between Harden and Leonard at this point.

 

leonard
lebron
westbrook
durant
harden

 

The definition of MVP has always been fuzzy. "Best player on the best team" is one theory, but then you wipe out a 35 ppg year like Kobe had because his team sucked. Westbrook is having a season for the ages, but according to Cuban, if you don't carry your team to 50 wins, you aren't superstar. (Therefore, can't be MVP)

But my gut tells me they randomly change the criteria to fit whatever suits their needs at the time when making that selection. I think the league is perfectly ok with it, because it gets fans talking about the game. Just how like college football was ok not having a national championship for so long. It caused a lot of passionate debate, and the criteria could never be nailed down completely.

But if it was so clear, we'd all know who the MVP was before the ballot was cast. This way there is mystery. So there's that.

 

i really think leonard is the only player that actually fits all criteria that have ever been used:

great individual stats
great team record
lack of star quality teammates

harden has that, but his team's record is worse and he doesn't play one end of the floor.

westbrook's team hasn't won enough.

lebron is playing with two other allstars.

durant is playing with three other allstars.

 

if it's all individual performance, westbrook.

if team performance matters, leonard.

if it's a subjective sense of "which player scares the opposition the most", it's lebron.

so, yeah, the more deserving candidates will split the votes and harden will get it. yay taco bell.

 

He averages more FTs made than FGs made in his career , this stat is the most disgusting one ever

 

yeah, but the advanced stat guys hijacked the narrative, so fta's ARE basketball now.

 

they should think about the health of his (vs. his rivals') supporting casts, too. gordon and anderson are historically injury prone, and they've been available for almost every game this year. it's really crazy, actually, when you look at their history. houston's having a magic season (like they did a couple years ago). SA and OKC aren't in that department. but leonard and westbrook are both better individually than harden, and leonard's team is as much better than harden's as harden's is to westbrook's, imo.

leonard should be the mvp (again, assuming that like in the past, the media is too bored to just give it to lebron every year).