LeBron James and the road to MVP – Part II
With James breathing fire, the Heat are arguably the league's best team having Dywane Wade and Chris Bosh also within their ranks.
But here arises a problem, which can well prove detrimental to James’ third consecutive MVP feat.
Historically, the benchmark of gaining a lot of MVP votes is the magnitude of a players’ influence on the teams’ success. No one knows it better than James, who shouldered the Cleveland Cavaliers and won it the past two years after
his team posted the best regular-season record.
Now while Dwyane is also firing from all cylinders, with 25.2 points per game and Bosh also not far behind, James doesn’t always have enough space to steal the limelight.
Let’s look it this way. If Dwyane had been playing on another team, we'd be having a two-way LeBron-Wade MVP debate. Nobody else would even be near the discussion. Anyone caught trying to slip in a Dirk Nowitzki or a Derrick Rose
would be laughed out of the room. Now that they are in the same town, the situation becomes all the more complex.
Even James said weeks ago that in the presence of Wade and Bosh by his side, the chances of him becoming the MVP would plummet. But the two stalwarts seem to be getting around very well and its Miami Heat, which is reaping the
fruits.
"When you go into a summer and you have to make a decision on your future, you sit and think about what's important to you," Wade said. "Of course a lot of players love individual publicity and the light to be on them, but you've
got to think about what's more important."
As far as the Heat are concerned this is a very nice problem to have.
And then of course the MVP voting is not all about bringing it on the court. Popularity and PR matters too. For James, these traits rushed fast out of the picture when he decided to bring his talents to the South Beach. His lack
of likeliness may mar the intellectual honesty of the voters when it will come to picking the best. Vying for the honour for the third time in a row doesn’t help either. People need diversity.
In other words, several of the factors that normally have led to a successful MVP campaign aren't there for James.
But all said and done, fifty games into the season there is nobody else in sight to pose him a real threat. Loved or not, LeBron James is head and shoulders above the rest of the league.
For all the ball-game lovers who thought that he was a killjoy after watching a TV show in July – Wake up. James is still the same player, who used to rule our minds and heart. The one who stills brings it on day in and day out.
Look at what happened to the Cavaliers, nearly four months after he left them. They don’t seem to snatch even a single win and are now reeling through a losing streak of historic proportions.
Not picking him for MVP may blotch the very game down the tunnel.
Of course, if LeBron doesn’t get the nod of the fans, this wouldn't be the first time an electorate allowed feelings to overpower reason in an award vote. But that doesn't make the injustice any less objectionable.
Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in the article are the writer’s own personal views and has nothing to do with bettor.com’s editorial policy.
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