Who Is Your Choice for 2016-2017 NBA MVP?

[PhoSita]

MVP is an award for regular season performance, you don't get it for showing up to play at your full potential once in a while against certain opponents.

[Moranis]

MVP is an award for regular season performance, you don't get it for showing up to play at your full potential once in a while against certain opponents.

James is setting a career high in both rpg and apg this year.  He could also easily average a triple double but sometimes the right play is letting others do their thing rather than state padding.

[PhoSita]

He's coasting on defense most nights and isn't as assertive as he could be as a scorer. Which would be fine if the Cavs were playing like world beaters. They aren't. LeBron is doing just enough to put his team in position to make the Finals again. That makes a lot of sense. But it takes him out of contention for MVP in my book.

[Big333223]

I wonder if Westbrook was averaging 9.4 assists and 8.9 rebounds per game would he still be winning this MVP poll? Would those numbers result in meaningful change in the on court production?

[slamtheking]

torn 3 way between Westbrook, Harden and Bron.  Hate Bron but have to give it to him.  still the best player in the league and he has Cleveland in first place with sporadic help from his teammates. 

Westbrook and Harden are having great years but as much as I hate to admit it, Bron is still the best in the game and I don't think anyone is really that close despite some terrific years by a few other players.

[Moranis]

He's coasting on defense most nights and isn't as assertive as he could be as a scorer. Which would be fine if the Cavs were playing like world beaters. They aren't. LeBron is doing just enough to put his team in position to make the Finals again. That makes a lot of sense. But it takes him out of contention for MVP in my book.

the thing is even with James coasting some he is still playing better defense than Harden and Westbrook who let's be honest coast defensively also.  Even Leonard coasts some of the time defensively.  The reality is everyone coasts defensively because they can and they have to to remain  effective offenaively

[PhoSita]

He's coasting on defense most nights and isn't as assertive as he could be as a scorer. Which would be fine if the Cavs were playing like world beaters. They aren't. LeBron is doing just enough to put his team in position to make the Finals again. That makes a lot of sense. But it takes him out of contention for MVP in my book.

the thing is even with James coasting some he is still playing better defense than Harden and Westbrook who let's be honest coast defensively also.  Even Leonard coasts some of the time defensively.  The reality is everyone coasts defensively because they can and they have to to remain  effective offenaively

Sure, but two things...

Generally, I think those guys are playing pretty close to their max capacity.

Their teams are better (not Westbrook).

If the Cavs were playing like a top two or three team in the league despite James coasting, I'd be more open to the argument. But he's not. So the argument for him to win MVP is grounded in what you know he's capable of doing when the games mean more, not what he's done on the floor during the regular season.

[Moranis]

He's coasting on defense most nights and isn't as assertive as he could be as a scorer. Which would be fine if the Cavs were playing like world beaters. They aren't. LeBron is doing just enough to put his team in position to make the Finals again. That makes a lot of sense. But it takes him out of contention for MVP in my book.

the thing is even with James coasting some he is still playing better defense than Harden and Westbrook who let's be honest coast defensively also.  Even Leonard coasts some of the time defensively.  The reality is everyone coasts defensively because they can and they have to to remain  effective offenaively

Sure, but two things...

Generally, I think those guys are playing pretty close to their max capacity.

Their teams are better (not Westbrook).

If the Cavs were playing like a top two or three team in the league despite James coasting, I'd be more open to the argument. But he's not. So the argument for him to win MVP is grounded in what you know he's capable of doing when the games mean more, not what he's done on the floor during the regular season.

Not at all.  James is averaging his career high in both rpg and apg at 8.6 and 8.7 respectively.  His scoring is the highest it has been in 4 seasons.  His 2PT% is the second best in his career and his 3PT% is his 3rd best.  You could make a reasonable argument that this is James best all around season in his entire career.  Does he go full bore night in and night out defensively, no (and again no one does), but when you consider just how bad the Cavs actually are when he isn't in the game, it is clear he means more to the Cavs than any other player in the league means to his respective team.  When you couple that with perhaps his best overall season and James is the clear MVP in my mind. 

[PhoSita]

Tell me which of the following things you disagree with:

1) The Warriors, Spurs, and Rockets have all been better than the Cavaliers in this regular season.

2) Kyrie, Love, and Thompson are a more talented supporting cast than Aldridge / Pau / Parker or Gordon / Ariza / Anderson.

3) James Harden has more offensive responsibility for the Rockets than LeBron has for the Cavs. 

4) James Harden is playing closer to his maximum potential on a nightly basis than LeBron is for the Cavs.

5) James Harden and Kawhi Leonard are both more productive scorers than LeBron this season, and their scoring efficiency is about the same. 

6) Stephen Curry is scoring more than LeBron and almost as much as Harden, and is the most efficient of this whole group.

7) Kawhi Leonard is playing the best defense of any of the plausible MVP candidates.

8 ) The Rockets are better than you expected them to be during this regular season; the Cavs are not as good as you expected them to be during this regular season.



From your response above I take it that your basic position on this is that the Cavs are really just not a very good team without LeBron, whereas the Rockets or Spurs might be at least competitive (and well coached) without Harden or Kawhi.

[celticsclay]

Tell me which of the following things you disagree with:

1) The Warriors, Spurs, and Rockets have all been better than the Cavaliers in this regular season.

2) Kyrie, Love, and Thompson are a more talented supporting cast than Aldridge / Pau / Parker or Gordon / Ariza / Anderson.

3) James Harden has more offensive responsibility for the Rockets than LeBron has for the Cavs. 

4) James Harden is playing closer to his maximum potential on a nightly basis than LeBron is for the Cavs.

5) James Harden and Kawhi Leonard are both more productive scorers than LeBron this season, and their scoring efficiency is about the same. 

6) Stephen Curry is scoring more than LeBron and almost as much as Harden, and is the most efficient of this whole group.

7) Kawhi Leonard is playing the best defense of any of the plausible MVP candidates.

8 ) The Rockets are better than you expected them to be during this regular season; the Cavs are not as good as you expected them to be during this regular season.



From your response above I take it that your basic position on this is that the Cavs are really just not a very good team without LeBron, whereas the Rockets or Spurs might be at least competitive (and well coached) without Harden or Kawhi.

I mean he is living in Cleveland  . Is the premise that the Cavs can underperform for 40 games in the second half of the season and play the worst defense in the league but James is completely absolved cause everyone else on the team sucks? That is fairly laughable. 

Also not for nothing but James is going to end up missing like 7 games for rest where Harden will presumably miss only 1 or 2 despite having a fairly painful wrist injury. If it was somehow close that would be a factor, but again, it is not close.

[Donoghus]

Cleveland/Lebron pom pom waiving aside, I'd be shocked if anyone not named James Harden or Russell Westbrook actually wins the MVP award this season.

I just don't see it happening.

[Androslav]

Sometimes it seems to me that only thing that Kawhi is missing to be a stronger MVP candidate is more chest thumping or some other form of a public ego boosting. Maybe if he had a famous girlfriend and then sold TV rights of a their terrible breakup would do it too.

[Who]

Sometimes it seems to me that only thing that Kawhi is missing to be a stronger MVP candidate is more chest thumping or some other form of a public ego boosting. Maybe if he had a famous girlfriend and then sold TV rights of a their terrible breakup would do it too.

Better passing and the ability to make his teammates better on offense is what I want to see.

[moiso]

Sometimes it seems to me that only thing that Kawhi is missing to be a stronger MVP candidate is more chest thumping or some other form of a public ego boosting. Maybe if he had a famous girlfriend and then sold TV rights of a their terrible breakup would do it too.

TP.  I've been in this boat for awhile.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

LeBron. Last night we saw why (as though we needed more evidence). Sure, the other candidates' respective teams would each be much worse without them, but he's still the best player in the game, and the biggest draw.