First, Westbrook is great, no one should take that away from him. He is a freak of nature and probably not even a real human being. But, he has to average that triple double still for the rest of the season if he wants to have a chance to win MVP. He is not that far from falling below 10 on those assists. But even if he does keep the triple double, he can not and should not win the MVP if his team is still in the 7th seed in the West, no matter what. You shouldn't be voted MVP and not be a top 4 team in your own conference, IMHO. Someone mentioned before that when the Big O averaged his triple D, he didn't win MVP because they were not a top team. If Harden wants to win the MVP, he has to earn it also and play better. He should work to get his turnovers below Westbrooks, get his shooting percentages higher, and try to get over a 30 ppg and 12 apg while maintaining his 8 rpg...all while still holding that 3rd seed or higher for the Rockets by continuing to win-win-win.
fwiw: Oscar Robertson did not win MVP in his triple double year. He didn't win MVP for another couple of years, when Cincy had their best regular season win total ever. Now, of course, I doubt they considered the triple double year to be as special back in 1962, like we do now, since no one has done it for 55 years. And there is the minor detail about Wilt scoring 50 ppg in Oscar's triple double year, but fact remains, it was Cincy's best regular season year Oscar won it, not his best stats year...oh and, Russell won MVP in 1962 -- Wilt's 50/25 year and Oscars 3x year. wrt who has the better team. Rockets are 22 games over .500 and OKC is only 8. No one can tell me Harden's teammates make that big of a difference....it's a marginal argument even without the huge difference in W-Ls.
I can understand why winning the MVP is a big deal to the player. But, as a fan it doesn't mean much. There are no victory parades for the MVP. But, the talking heads on TV have to talk about something, so we get to hear about the MVP race nonstop. Whatever.
I disagree with this as an unbreakable rule. If you have a guy putting up a triple double leading a team of d-league help to the playoffs, he certainly should be MVP worthy. For example, if the Pelicans made the 6th-7th seed in an alternate universe, Anthony Davis should get MVP consideration. The 'best player on the best team' stuff is why Curry gets so much attention.
The media is just trying to sell Westbrook into the MVP debate. Harden is the clear cut favorite right now when you break down ability and wins. Westbrook on a team like the Spurs or Warriors would be the MVP with his #s but there is no way a player that jacks up shots like he does wins it this year with a bottom seed and under 50 wins. Think about this Kobe only won 1 MVP and that was the year he average 35+ and had 81 points in a game. It takes a lot for a pure chucker to win the MVP award. Shots per point plays a big part in who is more valuable. If player A has 28 ppg on 15 shots then he is creating more shot opportunities for his teammates. More so than if player B was averaging 31 ppg on 24 shots. Harden wins the MVP over Russ this year because he makes the game easier for his teammates to score and play a defined role. Sometimes I think OKC still doesn't know what they are doing on offense other than let Russ take a shot and hope he lobs one up to you if you are a big.
Every year. . . .they decide who they want to win in like. . .. December Then . . . the change the narrative to always make that person look the best They wanted Curry - all of a sudden it was the best player on the best team This year - it's the player doing the most with the least --- In order for this to fly they have to hype up anderson, gordon and the rockets as the new BIG THREE in the league while poor westbrook has to do everything on a team with NBDL players it's politics and bullshit Rocket River
Maybe you should switch media outlets. Like me for instance, I only watch root sports and log on to clutchfans. I to am sick and tired of the MVP talk. Harden this,Harden that. I get it,, Harden is da real MVP!
Wilt's numbers were 50.4 ppg, 25.7 rpg and even HE didn't win MVP. It went to Bill Russell who put up 18.9ppg / 23.6rpg / 4.5 apg. So there you go. Winning has a long and well established history of serving as the trump card.
oh yeah? how much Gordon scored yesterday? and dont switch now from being consistent scorer to capable scorer it only proves you were wrong in the first place
All I know is, before the season started, very few experts were saying the Rockets had more talent than OKC. I also remember Curry winning the '15 MVP because GS had so much of a better record than HOU.
Did you realize Victor averaged more points, rebounds, and steals than Gordon last year? Considering Eric missed half the season, there's easy argument for Victor>Gordon coming into this season.
"Media's changing their tune from before the season!" Out of curiosity, I went to look up preseason predictions... Spoiler NBA.com: 4/15 "experts" picked OKC to win their division MVP: 5 votes for LeBron 5 for Westbrook 2 for Durant 2 for Harden 1 for Paul George OKC without Durant isn’t suddenly a team sitting on the playoff fence and 45-50 wins is doable. But can they stay among the elite? Not unless Adams has a breakout season, Oladipo is a borderline All-Star and OKC’s defense is top-five. That’s a lot of what-ifs and a best-case scenario. This team is capable of playing into May. Anything beyond that seems like a wish. - Shaun Powell A year after the Rockets claimed they were championship contenders and flopped badly, now they’re hoping to contend for home court in the first round of the playoffs. More realistic goal is just making playoffs and that will take uncharacteristic defense from a Mike D’Antoni team. - Blinebury SW Division preview Things have changed considerably since two years ago when all five teams in the division made the playoffs. Now the only sure bets are the Spurs and Grizzlies as the cream of the crop. The Mavs will scrap and overachieve, the Rockets will try to do it without defense, and the Pelicans n eed to find an identity and style that proves they can be winners. DIVISION PREDICTION 1. San Antonio Spurs 2. Memphis Grizzlies 3. Dallas Mavericks 4. Houston Rockets 5. New Orleans Pelicans NW Division preview It’s quite possible -- no, very real -- that a division that lost a top-five player over the summer is nonetheless the best collection of teams in the NBA. Four of the five teams in the Northwest Division may be strong playoff contenders and two are 50-win quality. And one of them, which happens to be Kevin Durant’s former team, has a Kia MVP candidate. Last season the division was dominated by OKC, but the Portland Trail Blazers finished strong in the playoffs. And now, the Minnesota Timberwolves, with coach Tom Thibodeau taking over, and the Utah Jazz, with a mix of youth and vets, look to be much improved. Expect a spirited contest for the division crown between Portland and OKC, while the developing Denver Nuggets aren’t your typical basement dweller. DIVISION PREDICTION 1. Portland Trail Blazers 2. Oklahoma City Thunder 3. Minnesota Timberwolves 4. Utah Jazz 5. Denver Nuggets SI: Rockets: "Projected Finish: Eighth in the Western Conference" Power Ranking: 15. Philosophically, Mike D’Antoni and James Harden are a perfect match. Bank on offensive fireworks, maybe not much else. — Jeremy Woo Bottom line: D’Antoni and Harden make them must-see. That won’t necessarily translate to wins. Thunder: "Projected Finish: Fifth in the Western Conference" Preseason Power Ranking: 10. Perpetually incensed Russell Westbrook will make for an amazing watch, but flying solo comes with turbulence. We won’t be able to look away. — Jeremy Woo Bottom line: Last year’s heartbreaking loss in the West finals would be a dream scenario this year. MVP: Lee Jenkins: Harden Ben Golliver: Durant Andrew Sharp: Durant Rob Mahoney: Curry Jeremy Woo: LeBron ESPN: 5. Thunder: 46-36 T-6. Rockets: 45-37 But different here: 4. Houston Rockets Projected wins: 46.9 (Summer Forecast: 41-41) Some rotation adjustments moved the Rockets into fourth in the West despite knee surgery that's projected to keep point guard Patrick Beverley out for the first 20 games of the season. But beware that RPM sees Houston as a slightly above-average defensive unit, which doesn't square with a handful of defensive liabilities in the starting five. 6. Oklahoma City Thunder Projected wins: 45.7 (Summer Forecast: 44-38) FiveThirtyEight's CARMELO projections are very high on the Thunder, forecasting OKC to finish sixth-best in the NBA with 50 wins -- the highest of any statistical projection tracked by Golden State of Mind. MVP: 9 votes for LeBron 6 votes for Westbrook 4 votes for Harden 3 votes for Durant 3 votes for Curry 2 votes for Kawhi 1 vote for Blake Griffin CBS Sports: Rockets: Bill Reiter: 42 wins Ethan Skolnick: 43 wins Matt Moore: 45 wins James Herbert: 47 wins Ananth Pandian: 45 wins Thunder: Bill Reiter: 45 wins Ethan Skolnick: 44 wins Matt Moore: 44 wins James Herbert: 43 wins Ananth Pandian: 47 wins MVP: Bill Reiter: Westbrook Ethan Skolnick: LeBron Matt Moore: Harden James Herbert: Durant Ananth Pandian: LeBron Yahoo: Rockets: 45-37; 7th seed Thunder: 53-29; 5th seed USA Today: Rockets 40-42 The Houston Rockets might be the highest-scoring team in the league this season with James Harden running Mike D'Antoni's offense. They might not stop anyone, but you should get League Pass if for no other reason than to watch their games. Thunder: 44-38 The Oklahoma City Thunder are in transition with the losses of Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka. But they're an interesting team with Russell Westbrook leading a group that has Victor Oladipo and Steven Adams looking to take big steps. MVP: 4 votes for LeBron 2 for Westbrook 1 for Kawhi 2 picked Thunder to win their division NBC Sports: Kurt Helin: Rockets 5th; Thunder 8th Dan Feldman: Rockets 4th; Thunder 7th Dane Carbaugh: Thunder 4th; Rockets 7th MVP: Helin: LeBron Feldman: Kawhi Carbaugh: Harden
