He has a valid argument.
The Cavs would have been utterly irrelevant this year if it weren't for LeBron.
Are we sure they are relevant? They have the same record as the Pacers and 76ers right now? Will have to see how they do in the playoffs to know if they even are.
They'll likely have homecourt in the first round. Without James that same team is probably one of the 3-6 worst teams in the league, I'd say.
Harden is my MVP this season but I have no problem with Lebron, a 4-time MVP having one of the best statistical seasons of his career, saying he deserves it.
I don't really get how you can say with a straight face that a team with Love, Hood, Hill, Korver, Nance, Thompson Clarkson etc (and earlier crowder, wade) is not significantly better than a Knicks team that doesn't even have Porzingas. Than a magic team with nobody. Than a Nets team with nobody. Than a Hawks team with nobody. Than a bulls team with nobody. Than a Kings team with nobody. Than a suns team that looks like an AAU squad. So yea.. that just strikes me as ridiculous. People realize Love made the all-star team this year right?
I have some problems with your premise. For one, you're counting the Cavs as having Love but the Knicks as not having Porzingis even though Love has only played 5 more games than the Zinger (and will miss more due ot concussion protocol).
For another you're talking about this Cavs team like it's been together all season when it hasn't.
As for the players you listed: Hood and Clarkson are, at best, incredibly streaky, Hill is washed, Korver is nearly washed and can only do one thing and only because James is setting him up, and Thompson has been garbage all year. That leaves Nance, who I like, and who doesn't create offense for himself and would be the nice story on this trash pile of a team if James wasn't on it.
I guess you have a fair point about the zinger part, but the Knicks were pretty bad even when he went down. The rest of it, is again, pretty laughable in my mind to call the Cavs a bottom 3 or 6 team in the NBA whether you are talking about them pre-deadline or post-deadline.
Love is a bonafide all-star.
Sacramento, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, Brooklyn don't even have players that would sniff the all-star game. If you look at the rosters of most of these teams they are not NBA Caliber teams.
I like to bash on some of the Cavs role players as much as anyone, but they are leagues above the d-league teams that these bottom feeder teams are putting out there.
So for the first 50 games you have Love, Crowder, Wade, Thompson, Korver, Smith etc. That team is mopping the floor with any of these tanking teams and it isn't particularly close.
I've seen a lot of people downplaying Lebron's help over the years, but somebody saying a Cavs team with a roster full of playoff experienced vets and the highest payroll in the league is on par without the kings, nets, suns, bulls, hawks of the world without Lebron is beyond asinine in my opinion and I really don't know how you can believe that.