Disagree. Curry is 4th in a list of Harden, LeBron, and Westbrook in terms of best player because he simply lacks the size and strength to do what those guys can do. But the MVP race has never been about individual greatness alone. Westbrook can literally put up 40/10/10 on 0 turnovers for every single game the rest of the season and he still won't win the MVP because of his team record. Same with LeBron, the Cavs are too far out of the record race. Harden still has a good shot at MVP this season because most people will recognize Harden is the better basketball player but he needs to propel the Rockets to at least a top 3 record in the NBA. If Houston can manage to catch up with Memphis that is a real possibility.
Curry is first in win shares per 48 minutes and 2nd in +/- so far this season. The Warriors lost the only game he didn't play to a terrible East team and they shot 38%. I don't know how you can conclude that his team is good enough to provide similar performances when he's off. FACT is his team has the best record in the league and he's the best player. MVP isn't the best player most times. Guys like Nash/Rose have won before simply b/c their teams had the best record and they were the best player. Best player this year is WB, but he isn't going to even sniff it.
What's funny is casual fans don't realize Curry is scoring less ppg than last season, averaging less assists than last season and is shooting a CAREER LOW in 3 point %. He's improved his ball handling and the Golden State system has allowed him to play more passing lanes and pick the opponent's bigs. The biggest reason he's the media's preferred candidate is 90% because he's still the clear cut best player on a top team.
And what is funny is that casual fans don't realize he's playing more than 3 MINUTES less and averaging only 0.4 points less and 0.7 assists less. He's shooting a higher % this year overall, while averaging more steals/blocks/rebounds in again 3 less minutes. He's the media prefers is b/c his team is the best team in the league. What's hard to understand? The same way Nash and Rose were media darlings. The media loves somebody new. Curry is new, and he has the best record to boot.
Not disagreeing with you. He's shooting a higher % this year compared to last year, but still not a career high. And his rebounds have been roughly the same while blocks being pretty negligible stat for him. Overall his level of play is the same, perhaps a tad bit higher. But like you said, he's the media darling so he's getting better coverage for an MVP and that's fine. Too many people here want Harden to win MVP because they associate MVP with best player in the league. While there is historical correlation with all time greats and MVP titles, at any given season the MVP winner is most likely NOT the league's best player.
This is pretty much it. Best player on Best Team: The player that is surrounded by good coaching and better teammates, not a knock on the players skill and talent, but he's the best player on that team. Curry Player Most Valuable to his team: The player that if you remove, that team probably would be out of the playoffs. Harden Best player: Obviously, the most talented complete player. Westbrook. Those are the 3 ways people vote for the award. With Westbrook missing games and his team being 8th currently, i don't think he's going to win it. He'll steal votes from Harden or Curry though which could make it interesting. Some years they vote most valuable, if Harden gets his team to 2nd than I think he's going to get the nod. Especially in the conference he plays in. Right now, today it would be Curry.
Maybe they could do awards like we used to have in yearbook in high school. Instead of NBA MVP, we could have Most Liked Player Award. Then Most Hated Player Award. So they can probably spotlight two players and allow for more participation = more dollars. MLP = Westbrook/Lebron MHP = His Beardness/Dwight Howard.
Basically 5 NBA players are having historically great seasons and all are worthy of consideration (with Davis slipping out due to injury). The only thing that sucks right now is that Harden is having this season at the same time as Curry, Westbrook, and as always.... Lebron. Keep in mind Charles Barkley won the MVP during the prime years of Hakeem, Jordan, David Robinson, and Karl Malone.
As much as I love Harden and Westbrook. What the Warriors are doing is amazing blowing out legit contenders left and right. And Curry is the biggest reason why, unfortunately I don't see a way he doesn't win MVP.
I feel that a lot of Rockets fans are so insecure. They somehow feel that if Harden doesn't get the MVP, it's only because people hate the Rockets. That's pretty messed up kind of thinking to me! Anyway, let me ask a hypothetical question from another angle. If Harden wins the MVP but the Rockets get eliminated in the 1st round of playoffs, what does that mean? A. Harden does not deserve it. B. The MVP voting is dumb. C. It's Maury's fault that we don't have good supporting cast for Harden. D. It's Milkhair's fault for not being able to win with an MVP. E. None of the above. F. All of the above. G. Who cares?
then again it is an award credited for the regular season performance not playoffs. what about the gsw and if curry wins it? the same could be said if they are bounced early as well
Every team in the west except the team who plays Dallas has a chance at losing in the first round, this is especially true of the top 4 team who plays OKC
A lot of people said Robinson didn't deserve the MVP since he got schooled by Hakeem in the playoffs.
Psh, Curry can have the MVP award. Let it light a fire under Harden and the Rockets. Harden prefers Finals MVP.
Steve Kerr did walked into a good situation. That's why I think Coach of the Year should be Mike Budenholzer. But Kerr is still a much better coach than Mark Jackson. Very bright basketball mind. Jerry West and Steven Kerr veto the Thompson for Love trade.
LeBron won the MVP 4 of the last 6 years, losing out to only DRose and Durant. Last year, Durant was dominant and deserved the MVP. Do you remember the 2013 playoffs against the Thunder in the first round? DRose four years ago was a different player. Like I said, the MVP is the 'best player in the NBA' award.
