James Harden is gonna get screwed over again in MVP Voting

Haven't read every post in this thread so if this has already been mentioned my apologies. Just heard on the radio that out of 86 guards in the league that Harden is third best on contesting shots at 8.6 per game I believe. Westbrook is third worst in the league at a little over 3 per game.

Dude is an incredible player, but damn it's pretty obvious how he's getting that many rebounds per game.

 

If Westbrook wins MVP over Harden, that means Harden got screwed.

 

But he won more titles than everyone on that list except for Robinson

 

This is the truth, but folks around here don't wanna hear it.

 

This is exactly my point, and what illustrates how fans are looking at stats now without really knowing the big picture. This is media driven so i dont blame you.

The stats above don't mean anything because he has 42% usage rate and James has a 34% usage rate ....i did the math if James had a 42% usage rate his stats would be 37/8/15...you see the difference it makes. thats 8 more points and 4 more assist PER game.
And the rational NBA fan knows for sure that those FT rebounds Russ' teammates are gifting him don't mean anything to the game just his stats.
He is averaging 1.7 Offensive rebounds per game James is 1.3 Those are more important rebounds.
You can try all you want to find Stats where westbrook is clearly ahead then harden in but there is none. The reason James should win MVP is because the only clear difference between the two is in the standings and thats what is supposed to matter most when it comes to MVP. It always has and history is on my side.

 

http://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/mvp.html

Supposed to be an accurate model based on historical data. But man, this year is out the window because of the trip dub.

 

Wonder if the Big O stat padded like this?

 

Don't forget superstars 'resting' for games against elite teams for national TV audiences.

Big time players used to circle those games on their calendars. Miss that era of pro basketball.

 

dumb post by Morey. The Rockets are as close to the Thunder as they are to the Spurs/Warriors. Kawhi Leonard for MVP then?

Morey setting himself up to lose the argument. it's not solely about winning.

 

Leonard and LeBron have rested too many games

 

http://www.nba.com/rockets/awards/2017/mvp

 

Steve Nash on the MVP race...

"It's great for the game. I think to see two players elevate their play to the levels they're playing at is fantastic for the game. You know, it's so objective. I've said recently, it almost says more about the person picking or voting than it does about the players and what their prefaces and biases are, because they're both just fantastic. Historically, we've given the award to someone who's doing it in the context of their team being a contender and having success, but I don't know why. It's not like there's a rule book or a protocol. ... I just think they're two guys that are playing at an incredible level. One of them's gonna win it, one of them's not. I think that's kind of the way the MVP goes every year.

Traditionally, if you had to pick, Harden probably seems to be in the lead because his team's contending and he's elevated the play of his team. Having said that, Russell's just been historic in terms of production and usage. It's an interesting debate, but that's all it is, a debate. You have to pick one. One will deserve to win and the other one will not deserve to lose, so to speak. And I think you could say the same about Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James. You could say the same even about Steph Curry or Kevin Durant if he didn't get hurt. ... It comes down to storytelling in many respects and that's very subjective."

 

Except Harden has the numbers and winning games argunent in his favor.

Kawhi's numbers aren't as good as Hardens.

 

You didn't mention usage rate, so I would dispute that was "exactly" your point. This is what I was responding to:

I think you left out that his turnovers would increase to an astronomical 6.8 per game?

Anyway, I don't agree with your math. Usage rate and efficiency are not independent. You shouldn't assume a player's points/assists will scale proportionately with their usage rate. If anything, the misses and turnovers are likely to increase faster than the makes/assists.

I will grant you that Harden is much more efficient, and its too easy for that to get lost in the discussion. One can try to imagine what would happen if their roles were reversed. But I don't think that matters all that much for deciding who is more deserving in reality, as opposed to an imaginary world where Harden and Westbrook have the same usage rates on their respective teams.

In reality, Westbrook is asked to do more for his team than Harden is. That's a fact. And he does more as a result. That's also a fact. He's not as efficient in doing more, but he does do more. And this is all the more evident when you look at the numbers in terms of possessions, or in terms of percentages. That was my only point -- I don't care any more about the triple doubles than you. If I had a vote, I'd probably give it to James Harden. None of the top 4 candidates, in my view, have an overwhelming case over the others. If the Rockets were about to win 60 games instead of around 55, I think Harden would be a clear favorite.

 

Moreys tweet doesn't mention stats, just wins.

 

Harden is having the greatest season ever apparently by foxsports
http://www.foxsports.com/nba/galler...hael-jordan-stephen-curry-040817?sf69292547=1

 

Here's a pretty good perspective on why Westbrook should not be the MVP:
http://www.rawbw.com/~deano/articles/20170403_Westbrook_Not_MVP.htm

 

Will this back fire like it did in 2015? Morey sent out packages back then with the stats and they all laughed at him. They all showed the packages to the press and laughed at him.

I think it's a great link, I hope the voters click it.