LOL so true. I know that #mediaconspiracy is a joke around here, but NBA reporters are acting like we have a CRISIS because Harden won the MVP. Since it was officially announced, the conversation on NBA radio has been non-stop about how the award is meaningless now basically because of Harden and we need to create new awards.
Yeah, Legler has never been a fan of Harden. Legler, a shooter himself, prefers how Golden State plays. It is obvious from all of video sessions on ESPN. To say "no one likes" is a bit of a stretch though.
Which is hilarious because they should have been having that conversation last year when Westbrook was handed the award despite not earning it.....in fact, a few years back the players started handing out their own MVP award due to how poorly the voters were doing in determining the MVP. Harden has won 2 of them now.
Legler wasn't even saying he didn't like Harden, he was discussing how much backlash they are hearing from colleagues and reporters about Harden winning it. The good news is that not all voters are these types of media guys who thrive on "discussion."
Casuals/media would like Harden if he screamed from time to time and dunked maybe 1 more time per game. That would make him essentially Westbrook, therefore, "fun to watch".
No doubt. I mean, if one of his biggest goals is to get press, LeBron in LA gets him that press. It would COMPLETELY overshadow anything that GSW (KD, Curry) is doing. With ESPN there locally in LA and FS1 down the road.
To continue your point, the big knock on Harden is that he wasn't the best player in the playoffs. While that is true, his team did get to Game 7 of the WCF. I forget, what did last year's MVP do in the playoffs????
Did he hear the same backlash when Westbrook won last year? I mean, RW did the same thing this year and finished 5th. Legler might not "say" he doesn't like Harden, but his actions say otherwise.
If/when LeBron goes to LA, how big a factor do the distractions play? LA limelight, filming, production, kids’ games, etc.
The best player on the best team in the league averaging 30/9/5 should always win MVP. Every single year. I don't care who it is. The media being opposed to that shows inherent bias against Harden. Any other player in the league puts together that performance, the media would not say one negative thing.
It isn't just Legler though which is Legler's point. EVERY show on NBA radio has taken the same position.
I think those will be less of a factor than the lack of talent on the team along with him still having to be the only ball handler despite getting older.
It was pretty expensive to trade back to get that #10. Spoiler Suns traded rights to swap that pick with PHI for Brandon Knight. The Knight trade turned the Nash pick into the 2018 26th pick, due to allowing PHI to swap firsts in 2018, because (one could say) the Suns were betting on 76ers continuing to suck. To nullify the swap of the Nash pick, they had to trade both picks from the Dragic trade (the #16 2018 and a future 2021 FRP).
