NBA executives split on MVP race
League brass is just as split on the MVP race as the rest of us.
Many of the larger sports leagues suffer from recency bias. If Player A has done something amazing in recent years, it often carries a bit of weight with it. That plays itself out particularly in Most Valuable Player races in the NFL or MLB. One league that seems to suffer from the exact opposite is the NBA.
During the Jordan years you could make a legitimate argument that he should have won the MVP most of the years he was on the Bulls. The exact same thing seemed to happen with Kobe and the Lakers., and LeBron and the Cavs. Those players were the most valuable, we were just used to their greatness, and it became normalcy in the life of the NBA fan.
The same thing is happening the present day NBA. One could make an argument that LeBron James it always the most valuable player when he steps on the floor. However, this season features an increasingly tight MVP race. There isn’t the runaway Steph Curry or LeBron James season to take the prize in runaway fashion. Due to Durant’s arrival, and the Cavs struggle to stay consistent, both Curry and LeBron aren’t favorites.
What is a bit surprising is that NBA executives are seemingly just as spit as the rest of the NBA world on who should win the award. Sam Amick and USA Today Sports conducted a survey recently that asked NBA executives who they would cast their MVP ballot for. Turns out, they are conflicted and divided on their MVP picks.
Amick and USA Today gathered results from 32 executives, and 20 of the participants were general managers or front-office heads. The results were as follows:
- Harden: 12
- Westbrook: eight
- Leonard: seven
- James: five
There are two key takeaways from this survey. Most noteworthy, there is no Golden State Warrior in the top four. There are a variety of reasons why this could be. After two straight Steph Curry MVPs, he isn’t even in the discussion. As a result of Kevin Durant’s injury, Curry will have a bit more time as the numero uno, but its probably too late.
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The second most fascinating aspect to the survey is that we have a guy averaging a triple double, and he’s not an MVP favorite according to executives. Russell Westbrook could be the first guy to do this since Oscar Robertson’s famous 1961-62 season. As a result of the style of play Russell displays on a game to game basis, the hero ball is almost hurting him. In addition to the Thunder not being nearly as good as the Rockets, currently eight and a half games back of Harden’s crew.
As a result of this survey, NBA fans can rest easy. We’re not the only group of people struggling to pick a guy for MVP. The individuals making the decisions in the league are just as divided as we are.