In Bill Simmon's Book of Basketball, the uber popular national bestseller that is curing people of basketball idiocy nation-wide as we speak, Simmons discussed 4 criteria for the MVP award of the NBA, possibly the most vague award in the history of Everything.
Simmon's criteria were:
1. When remembering this season 10 years from now...whose name pops into your head?
2. In a proverbial pickup basketball game with every NBA player, who gets picked first?
3. If you replaced the candidate with a decent player at the same position, how would it affect the team's record?
4. Would fans who disagree with your choice at least respect it?
I would like to bring my own hypothesis to the table. I think the entire MVP dilemma could be boiled down to one question, which is this..."Which player single-handedly brings you the closest to winning the title?"
I'll admit...I'm a little proud of this. This question emphasize the importance of winning, as well as incorporating all of Simmon's criteria into one concise question. But the most important thing it does is eliminating the ridiculous argument that certain players can't win because their team is too good. If this were the case, the obvious choice for the MVP is Chris Paul. This in itself isn't ridiculous, by any means, nobody has done more with less talent to work with than CP3. But Chris Paul is pretty clearly neither the best, nor the most dominant player in the NBA. Doesn't it feel like the MVP should also be the best player around? I believe so.
Which makes this year's MVP choice fairly easy...LeBron James.
A couple of months ago, when the Heat were 9-8 and struggling out of the gate, some idiot writer wrote this..."This brings us to Lebron, and my idea: Why not trade Lebron?" That definitely was not me. I certainly never said that. Hahaha. What a moron.
What? I did? That was ME? The shame. Oh, the shame. I bow my head.
In fact, let's all bow our heads, in reverence to the King James. The tyrant has put aside his facade of kind benevolence, and struck us down with an angry vengeance, born from a multitude of bloggers and jilted Clevelanders calling him a quitter and a traitor, the culmination of which was directly before the Cavaliers game earlier this year in which James was booed so hard several tonsils flew onto center court at the Quicken Loans Arena. After the game, the writers of Webster's English Dictionary scrambled to re-write the definition of the word "backfire", as James emerged with 38 points and a resounding, destructive win. From that moment, his game, his numbers, and his team have all jumpstarted, and Miami has taken flight.
Since then, he hasn't looked back. Now that LeBron has an arsenal of teammates that he truly can trust not to screw up the game for him, he has settled into the role that he needs to play. He masterfully allows his teammates to get involved, giving the Heat lots of options in crunch time before he performs his Freight Train of Death routine, usually just in time to put the game out of reach. If Miami's offense stalls, they need do nothing more than kick it to LeBron and let him create, because hey, Cleveland did it for seven years and made it to the Finals once, why not keep tradition alive? And when their offense IS clicking, he always seems to know where he should be, whether it's slashing and creating easy baskets, shooting over smaller defenders (they basically all are), or even giving Dwyane Wade enough room to create for himself.
Looking back at Simmon's criteria, LeBron fits every question. He is clearly the name that you will remember, even if the Decision hadn't happened. The only player getting more publicity is Blake Griffin. And let's be honest...there isn't a snowball's chance in Hell of a Clipper winning the MVP award. In a proverbial all star game, only the truly deluded would pass on James with the first pick. You mean you don't want a player who not only can score at will, but also understands the importance of including his teammates. Ha. You homer. Go burn his jersey again. Removing LeBron from the Heat wouldn't stop them from being a playoff team, but it would end their title contention. As a matter of fact, they wouldn't be that close. Dwight Howard and the Magic would eat them alive. Chicago's defense would be able to limit them enough to beat them. Boston might sweep them. LeBron turns an early playoff exit into a very plausible title run. Works for me. The final question is slightly unfair, in this case. None of the cities James spurned in free agency would vote for him, if only out of spite. LeBron's new villain status is enough to draw angry outcry from fans in other cities.
For MY criteria, it's no secret that Cleveland wasn't much of a team without LeBron, but this year has just been confirmation of the most depressing kind. Last season the Cavaliers, with no REAL threats beyond James, were a favorite to go to the Finals. This year, the Heat are the same way, after his addition. It's really fairly simple.
Look, I get it. Really, I do. A vote for Howard means you value defense. A vote for Rose means you love the aesthetics of basketball. A vote for Rondo is some love for the flashy little guy. CP3 is all about teamwork. Stoudemire has rejuvenated the NBA's largest city. Nowitzki is the heart and soul of Dallas. Any of these players are more fun to vote for than LeBron. And honestly? It's entirely likely that the writers will end up feeling the same way, and vote for the wrong man. I'll be cheering for them to do so, and unless you are from southern Florida, you probably will be too.
Just be aware that they are making the wrong choice.
All hail the King.
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