Storyline: Steph Curry won the NBA MVP Award, again, this time unanimously. But has “Most Valuable” (to your team) come to mean “Best Player” (in the League)?
Stephen Curry. Does he even need an introduction?
Courtesy: USAToday.com
Curry won the 2014-15 NBA Championship with the Golden State Warriors and became THE player to watch because of the show he puts on. He’ll shoot from anywhere on the court and sink the shot.
Besides, he has been breaking records and rewriting the record book. The face of the Golden State Warriors led his team to a new NBA record of 73 wins during the regular season, surpassing the 72 standard set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. You know the team … with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Steve Kerr … who happens to be the head coach of the Warriors!
Curry secured the record of 402 three-pointers made in the regular season, which was the first time in history anyone had broken the 400 barrier. And his average of 30.1 points per game topped this season’s standings. That output meant he’s only the fourth player in NBA history to average at least 30 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals in a season. The others are Rick Barry (1974-75), Michael Jordan (three times) and Dwyane Wade (2008-09).
With all those achievements and records it wasn’t surprising when Curry was named the 2015-16 NBA Most Valuable Player, the same accolade he won last year. And, in repeating the feat, Curry added another record to his name—first player to receive every single first-place vote. Never before had a player been chosen unanimously, picked first by each of the 130 media voters.
Courtesy: allbasketball.org
So, doesn’t all of this make you believe that Curry righteously deserved the award? But was that title snatched from LeBron James? LeBron has won 4 MVP titles during his 13-year NBA career, even though he was never chosen unanimously. When he won in 2008, James averaged 30-8-7. From his rookie year until today, he has consistently averaged 25-7-7. Stephen Curry is averaging 30-5-6 this season.
So who would you pick for MVP? Fox Sports Radio host Colin Cowherd firmly believes that “Steph Curry is not the most valuable player. To me, the two most valuable players in this league are LeBron James, 1 and Chris Paul.”
Cowherd based his argument by analyzing Cavaliers’ season records—with and without LeBron. “LeBron is in Cleveland, they win 61 games, 61-21. He leaves, they win 19. Next year, 21. I’m not sure this league has ever had a single player as valuable as LeBron James. Steph Curry won the MVP. He is not the most valuable player in the league.”
Cowherd brings up a thought-provoking question. What is the meaning of “NBA Most Valuable Player”? As LeBron James said: “sometimes the word Most Valuable or Best Player of the Year — you can have different results.”
It seems as though we confuse the title Most Valuable with Best Performing–not with the player who’s most valuable to their team.
Courtesy: bleacherreport.com
Some argue that, without Curry, the Warriors are still pretty good with Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and a deep and versatile bench. For example. the Warriors held down the fort and got the job done—taking out the Houston Rockets—after Curry suffered an ankle injury in Game 2 of Round 1 of the Western Conference playoffs. Then, during Round 2, the Warriors still had no problem downing Portland in Game 1 without Curry. Those performances show that Green and Thompson are vital ingredients in Golden State’s team success.
But, by the same token, some would argue that the Cavaliers would struggle for an extended time without James, even in the perceived weaker Eastern Conference. Cowherd, for one, would agree with that interpretation.
On ESPN’s The Jump with Rachel Nichols the host asked Tracy McGrady about the matter. She asked: “After playing against Michael Jordan, you played against Kobe, Shaq – who came one shy vote of the unanimous vote. So, how do you feel about the fact that it is Steph who got the unanimous MVP compared to some of the guys you faced on the court?” McGrady responded: “This tells you how watered down the league is.”
Courtesy – Bleacher Report
On a following episode of The Jump, T-Mac defended and elaborated on controversial comment he made: “This is no hating. This is identifying the talent in this league. It’s top-heavy. I’m not saying we don’t have any superstars, I’m saying it’s not that many that we have. Look at the Eastern Conference, it’s LeBron, it’s DWade, and that’s it.”
Chris Haynes, a writer who follows the Cavaliers for Cleveland.com, offered an interesting angle on the situation by observing this: Stephen Curry has dramatically changed how defenses cover him. He’s a real scoring threat as soon as he passes the half-court line.
So, just what does it mean to be MVP? Does an MVP award really carry weight without the ring—even if a player averages 30-7-8? Or would you vote for the player who could lead their team to a championship?
Has the appeal of “a little guy” become more relatable and praised, given the reality that a lot of entertainment on the court comes from fans erupting over long-range three-pointers? Does that skill mean more than having a player, like LeBron, plowing his way to the hoop?
I don’t know how the unanimous voters defined “Most Valuable Player.” But I, for one, see a strong difference between Most Valuable and Best Player.
wonderful comment,i feel the same way