This NBA season has featured some of the best performances from individual players in recent memory, making for a very competitive MVP race. You've got Russell Westbrook averaging a TRIPLE DOUBLE! James Harden is averaging 29, 11 and 8 while leading his team to 3rd place in the West. Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant leading their respective teams to number 1 and 2 in the West while performing well. Even Isaiah Thomas is getting MVP recognition for leading his team to 2nd place in the East, and averaging the most 4th quarter points in the entire league.
But what about LeBron!?
Yet again, lost in the talk is LeBron Raymone James. How can a man be averaging 26, 9 and 8 and leading his team to the BEST RECORD in the Eastern Conference be overlooked? It's the same old story for LeBron.
When a reporter asked LeBron after the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks about his thoughts on his own case for MVP, he had a simple response: "Look at my winning percentage when I'm on the floor and when I'm not on the floor." James said. "I mean there's so many great guys, so many MVP candidates this year. Guys having great seasons, so we'll see."
The man nicknamed King James makes a great point. The word "valuable" in the context of an NBA player is really proven when that player is not playing, and how his team is performing without him on the floor.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are 0-4 this season without LeBron James and 41-13 with him. Going back to the 2014-15 NBA season when LeBron officially arrived back home, the Cavs are 4-19 without the King performing. That is a winning percentage of .174%, making their record without LeBron James worse than every team in the NBA except the lowest ranked team in the NBA this season, the Brooklyn Nets.
Voter fatigue costing James MVP votes?
If that doesn't prove James' MVP candidacy, I don't know what does. LeBron James already has 4 MVP trophies, so another one isn't really on his mind so much. But we should not overlook the greatness of LeBron James, and how valuable he is to his team and the league because we are "tired" of handing LBJ the MVP trophy every season.
