What would your NBA MVP ballot look like?

[wadesworld]

1) Kawhi
2) Harden
3) IT
4) Russ
5) LBJ

Bonus Question: Who is your Rookie of the Year?  Mine is Brogdon.

[reinko]

1. Harden
2. Russy
3. Kawhi
4. Bron

ROY: Brogdon, but Saric is a close 2nd.  Dude was a baller after the all-star break

[MerrittsMustache]

1. LeBron
2. Harden
3. Leonard
4. Westbrook

LeBron may not even finish in the top 3 of the actual voting, but let's be honest here, it's ALWAYS LeBron.

ROY: Brogdon. He had a very solid rookie year, especially for a second rounder, but this rookie class was really sorry.

[flash]

Really tough one this year.  Hard not to give it to Russ. I think he's  the most deserving, I'll go with,
1. Westbrook
2. Harden
3. Lebron
4. Kawai


It is a regular season award so Russ losing first round can't be held against him. 

[Pakuni]

1. Russ
2. Harden





3. LeBron
4. Leonard

ROY: Embiid

[wadesworld]

1. LeBron
2. Harden
3. Leonard
4. Westbrook

LeBron may not even finish in the top 3 of the actual voting, but let's be honest here, it's ALWAYS LeBron.

ROY: Brogdon. He had a very solid rookie year, especially for a second rounder, but this rookie class was really sorry.

Was it really LeBron though?  Just think of him vs. IT.  I understand LeBron is a better player by stratospheres.  But if it's really an MVP, LeBron clearly has a ton more talent around him, but his team finished with a worse record than IT's.

[HouWarrior]

Harden
LeBron
Kawhi
Russ

[wadesworld]

Harden
LeBron
Kawhi
Russ
Leonard

So does Kawhi at 3 and Leonard at 5 bump him up to 1? 

[Pakuni]

So does Kawhi at 3 and Leonard at 5 bump him up to 1? 

Meyers Leonard.
Duh.

[Jockey]

1. LeBron
2. Harden
3. Leonard
4. Westbrook

LeBron may not even finish in the top 3 of the actual voting, but let's be honest here, it's ALWAYS LeBron.

ROY: Brogdon. He had a very solid rookie year, especially for a second rounder, but this rookie class was really sorry.

It's Lebron every year - just as it was MJ very year. Whether they get the hardware or not.

Brogdon was ROY and yes, it was a pathetic rookie class. One of the worst ever.

[🏀]

LeBron
Westbrook
Harden
Leonard

LBJ is still the best player in the league.

[BM1090]

Definitely wouldn't include IT. He is arguably the worst defender at his position in the entire league, although most of that is just physical limitations and carrying the offensive load. Not effort related.

1. Harden
2. Kawhi
3. Russ
4. LeBron (he's the best player in the world, but he coasts in the regular season sometimes. Can't fault him for it)

[Jockey]

4. LeBron (he's the best player in the world, but he coasts in the regular season sometimes. Can't fault him for it)

He set career highs in rebounds and assists this year while scoring almost 27 a game.

I have to wonder when exactly it was that he coasted. And if he put up those numbers while coasting, he is far far and away the greatest of all-time

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

1. Westbrook
2. Harden
3. Leonard
4. James
5. Durant/Curry

*These are not my best player rankings. James is #1 on that list.

ROY=Brogdon

Embiid missed too much time. Being on a playoff team gives Brogdon the edge but it's a weak year for rookies.

[wadesworld]

LeBron is the best player in the world and the best player of this generation.  That doesn't mean you automatically give him the MVP.  He didn't have the best season statistically and his team wasn't the best team in his conference.  He didn't have the most important impact on his team either.

LeBron is having the best postseason and if the Cavs win the title he will undoubtedly and deservedly win the Finals MVP.  But for regular season MVP I don't see a case for him being #1.  Certainly on the ballot though.

[reinko]

He set career highs in rebounds and assists this year while scoring almost 27 a game.

I have to wonder when exactly it was that he coasted. And if he put up those numbers while coasting, he is far far and away the greatest of all-time

Not too mention led the NBA in minutes played this year, which re-cock-u-lous

[wadesworld]

Not too mention led the NBA in minutes played this year, which re-cock-u-lous

*in the games he played.

[MU82]

LeBron is the best player in the world and the best player of this generation.  That doesn't mean you automatically give him the MVP.  He didn't have the best season statistically and his team wasn't the best team in his conference.  He didn't have the most important impact on his team either.

LeBron is having the best postseason and if the Cavs win the title he will undoubtedly and deservedly win the Finals MVP.  But for regular season MVP I don't see a case for him being #1.  Certainly on the ballot though.

As folks know from my past comments (which all have memorized, I hope, as there is a quiz tomorrow morning), I'm a big LeBron fan. I say he already is the No. 2 player in history and I like his chances to narrow the gap to the point where MJ is 1 and LJ is 1A.

However ...

I agree with what wades says here. LeBron gladly accepted 8 "rest" days this season - that's nearly 10% of the schedule. He has a team with two other All-Stars, yet they weren't good enough to even get the best regular-season record in a weak conference. They had a couple of major slumps this season and he couldn't pull them out of them. I'm sure there were some extenuating circumstances ... but that doesn't mean you reward him by making him MVP.

My voting would be:

1. Westbrook: Had one of the great regular seasons ever, took only one game off only after OKC's seed was decided, carried a team that would have been lucky to finish in the top 12 in the conference if OKC had a "normal" PG. I get that some don't like his game, but I don't know how one could define "value" and not have him really, really high. I say it's No. 1.

2. Harden: Transformed himself from a me-first player to a great PG who could still take over games as a scorer.  The team was built well around him, as his supporting cast fits his style wonderfully, but they still are mostly role players. I'd have no problem with him finishing ahead of Westbrook even if I'd mildly disagree. The falloff to No. 3 is fairly steep this season.

3. Leonard: The Spurs have some very good players, obviously, but they're not what they once were and yet they won a lot of games because they have the best two-way player in the league.

4. LeBron: The best basketball player on the planet. I could see flip-flopping him and Leonard.

5. Thomas: Little big man carried a good-not-great Boston team to the best record in the conference.

6. Nic Batum. Just seeing if anybody has read this far.

[GoldenDieners32]

1) Westbrook
2) Harden
3) Bron
4) Kawhi
5) John Wall

ROY: HENRY

[Plaque Lives Matter!]

1. Harden
2. Westbrook
3. LeBron
4. Leonard
5. IT

[Jockey]

As folks know from my past comments (which all have memorized, I hope, as there is a quiz tomorrow morning), I'm a big LeBron fan. I say he already is the No. 2 player in history and I like his chances to narrow the gap to the point where MJ is 1 and LJ is 1A.

However ...

I agree with what wades says here. LeBron gladly accepted 8 "rest" days this season - that's nearly 10% of the schedule. He has a team with two other All-Stars, yet they weren't good enough to even get the best regular-season record in a weak conference. They had a couple of major slumps this season and he couldn't pull them out of them. I'm sure there were some extenuating circumstances ... but that doesn't mean you reward him by making him MVP.

My voting would be:

1. Westbrook: Had one of the great regular seasons ever, took only one game off only after OKC's seed was decided, carried a team that would have been lucky to finish in the top 12 in the conference if OKC had a "normal" PG. I get that some don't like his game, but I don't know how one could define "value" and not have him really, really high. I say it's No. 1.

2. Harden: Transformed himself from a me-first player to a great PG who could still take over games as a scorer.  The team was built well around him, as his supporting cast fits his style wonderfully, but they still are mostly role players. I'd have no problem with him finishing ahead of Westbrook even if I'd mildly disagree. The falloff to No. 3 is fairly steep this season.

3. Leonard: The Spurs have some very good players, obviously, but they're not what they once were and yet they won a lot of games because they have the best two-way player in the league.

4. LeBron: The best basketball player on the planet. I could see flip-flopping him and Leonard.

5. Thomas: Little big man carried a good-not-great Boston team to the best record in the conference.

6. Nic Batum. Just seeing if anybody has read this far.

I agree with all you say, but......

I think even you who has repeatedly talked about Lebron's greatness, still possibly underestimate Lebron a bit.

Yeah, he took games off, but I think we need to consider the fact his team (like the Bulls with MJ) plays 100+ games a year. Every Year. Westbrook never has to worry about that much of a beating on his body. And while Irving and Love are very good players, neither is a great player. The Cavs are a borderline playoff team without Lebron.

When the greatest player on the planet leads the league in minutes per game, sets career highs in rebounds and assists, scores 27 point per game, and is one of the premier defenders in the league - that is an MVP season.

I have rooted against the Cavs and against the Heat in the playoffs - in other words against Lebron - but I have to give him the MVP for the way he has elevated his team to being a co-favorite to win the title again in addition to his stats.

All the same, I hope Westbrook gets the trophy..

[Plaque Lives Matter!]

I agree with all you say, but......

I think even you who has repeatedly talked about Lebron's greatness, still possibly underestimate Lebron a bit.

Yeah, he took games off, but I think we need to consider the fact his team (like the Bulls with MJ) plays 100+ games a year. Every Year. Westbrook never has to worry about that much of a beating on his body. And while Irving and Love are very good players, neither is a great player. The Cavs are a borderline playoff team without Lebron.

When the greatest player on the planet leads the league in minutes per game, sets career highs in rebounds and assists, scores 27 point per game, and is one of the premier defenders in the league - that is an MVP season.

I have rooted against the Cavs and against the Heat in the playoffs - in other words against Lebron - but I have to give him the MVP for the way he has elevated his team to being a co-favorite to win the title again in addition to his stats.

All the same, I hope Westbrook gets the trophy..

I think your above statement says something about the quality of play we are lucky enough to see right now. This thread could go 100 pages and we would still have 4 different answers. Love it.

[reinko]

*in the games he played.

LBJ played in the same # games as Kawhi this year, 2 less games than IT, but played substantially more total minutes than both. 

https://www.sportingcharts.com/nba/stats/player-minutes-per-game-leaders/2016/

[wadesworld]

LBJ played in the same # games as Kawhi this year, 2 less games than IT, but played substantially more total minutes than both. 

https://www.sportingcharts.com/nba/stats/player-minutes-per-game-leaders/2016/

AKA, he did not re-cock-u-lously lead the league in minutes played this year.

[StillAWarrior]

AKA, he did not re-cock-u-lously lead the league in minutes played this year.

No, but he was top ten.  And, as you acknowledged, did lead the league in MPG.