While We’re Waiting… Candid LeBron, More MVPuppets and Waiting for Jake
March 31, 2010Cavalier Quick Hitters
March 31, 2010With the 2009-10 NBA regular season coming to an end, a second MVP trophy in as many years seems to be a lock for LeBron James. Winning the award last season, James has gone on to win every Eastern Conference Player of the Month award thus far, while leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA-best record of 58-16.
And while James continues to put up numbers that even make John Hollinger blush (more on this later), Orlando’s Dwight Howard continues to compare himself to LeBron James and simultaneously play the disrespect card while he’s not being considered for the award.
His latest soundbites come in the form of impersonation, as Howard allegedly attempted to sound like current NBA analyst and always free-spoken Charles Barkley.
“LeBron James is the best player in the world,” said Howard. “He’d be the best golfer that ever golfed — if he golfed. He’d be the best twitterer if he twittered. He’d be the best Facebooker. LeBron James can do it all.”
“LeBron James has the best fans in the world. Ever. LeBron has the best shoes, the best hair dresser …”
And just to hammer home the point that this was a Charles Barkley impression, Howard continued by brining in pseudo panelists.
“I’ve seen him. LeBron James … listen, listen … LeBron James … he is everything. He’s everything that anyone could imagine as an athlete … Listen, Kenny, Ernie, E.J … let me tell you something … listen, LeBron James … LeBron James just epitomizes NBA players. He got the smile, the power.”
Obsessed much?
Howard’s talents cannot be overlooked. With the current game turning to more of a running style with more athletic power forward-types playing center, the one they affectionately call “D12” can do it all. He can run the floor with the best of them, but is the most dominant center in a half court offense. His defensive numbers speak for themselves as Howard is likely going to become the first player in the history of the NBA to lead the league in blocks and rebounds in more than one season.
But is that enough to be considered for, or even win, the NBA MVP award? Howard’s coach Stan Van Gundy was quick to jump to his big man’s defense.
“It is just an offensive award,” said Van Gundy. “People who vote just don’t factor in defense, rebounding and how effective Dwight is defensively. I think it’s unfortunate. If the criteria was how many possessions are you affecting at both ends, if that’s what people thought about, then Dwight would be at the top of the league.”
But do they only factor in offense? Player Efficiency Rating (or PER) factors in a player’s all-around game, including rebounds, blocks and steals. It also adjusts for a team’s pace, so if Howard is the most dominant player on both ends of the floor, and his team goes to him consistently – especially in ‘clutch’ situations – his numbers will be adjusted to compensate for slower play.
Howard’s current PER is 24.2 – lower than his 2008-09 mark of 25.4. LeBron James currently boasts a PER of 31.7, exactly in line with his mark from last season’s MVP campaign. Hollinger rates anything above 30.00 as a “runaway MVP candidate.” He even took time yesterday to disucuss James’ current season, one that features a career-high mark in assists (8.6), field goal percentage (.505), and true shooting percentage (.608).
Once again, a hallowed record (at least in my world) is in play for James as we enter the final eight games: He could surpass Michael Jordan’s 1987-88 campaign for the greatest single-season PER in the modern era. I have to add the “modern” qualifier because the league didn’t keep track of things like blocks and individual turnovers before 1973-74, rendering the PER exercise a guessing game for players from previous eras.
James’ current PER of 31.81 is second best in “modern” history, and with eight games left (of which he’ll probably play only five or six), he retains an outside shot at breaking Jordan’s all-time mark of 31.89. At the very least, he’s going to be within hailing distance.
It’s hard to argue with someone getting nearly unanimous consideration for the MVP award when he is putting up what could be one of the best single seasons in the modern era of the NBA. Offensive-focused or not.
There is no denying that Howard’s abilities on the defensive end are nearly insurmountable. But while the MVP is considered to be offensive (at least by Van Gundy and Howard), there is a reason why the league also gives an award for the Defensive Player of the Year.
But when it comes to the 2009-10 MVP award, regardless of what voice anyone should choose to impersonate, James has Howard edged in nearly every other metric including the most important one: wins.
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(Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
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Direct TV Panama CIty FL can get you all of Dwight Howard’s games.
54 Comments
@steve R: check howard’s stats for last season again. And, more importantly, check his stats for the playoffs. Yeah, owned.
Look guys, Howard was just being funny. You all are looking too much into it. What are you supposed to do when asked a stupid question constantly? How many times do you think he has been asked these same questions the last two years? Get over your ignorance people. Dwight is a funny, nice, grounded individual. He is humble and just wants to win. He complains in games because he gets constantly hacked all the time. You would too. I realize this is a cleveland site, but do you really think that Lebron doesnt act like a complete crybaby sometimes?
Dwight plays on a team that derives its success from BALANCE. Thats something the Cavs know nothing about. You dont think Howard could go off and score 30 points if he wanted to? Sure he could. He is frustrated because casual basketball fans that dont watch the magic play unless the magic are playing their own team dont recognize that he sacrifices more personal gain than any other star in the league to ensure success. Dwight Howard is the most dominant player in the league. Nobody can do what he does. Not even Lebron. Lebron will probably never get a 20/20 game. He will never get a 30/20 game. Dwight has done both AND gotten triple doubles two different ways before(pts/reb/ast…pts/reb/blocks) Lebron has only ever gotten one kind of a triple double and will never get 10 blocks in a game either. Dwight deserves some credit, and thats all he’s asking for. He never said that LBJ shouldnt get the regular season MVP award again. After all, Lebron is king of the regular season-he deserves it.
Lol. Is this serious?
Sour grapes? To whom has them I wonder?
I think d-12 is allright just like I am sure all the cav fsns idolize lbj. D-12 is known for being a card, which i think is good to keep loose during the season. I am sure lbj has some kind of quirk that a lot of un-cav fans find rather annoying or arogant of lbj. Both these guys have done tremendous work for their communities. To me these two and all others who have taken the role of humanitarian should be considered mvp. Be true to your team and enjoy the playoffs. I feel Magic in the air.
My god, is there any Cavs fan on the planet that has a mind of their own? Lebron is awesome……we get it. You could sit around all day and argue about if he is the best basketball player of all time. Nobody is trying to take any credit away from how good he is. The issue is that people are caught up in a popularity contest. By the way, whats up with all the “we are all witnesses” crap. Thats what I call obsession. If Lebron told you to drink a batch of Jim Jones Kool-Aid, you would. You plaster him all around town. on every billboard across every builing at every bus stop there is Lebron James. Yes he has great numbers and amazing stats but the reason he’s going to win MVP is because he is the only person anyone ever talks about. I dont think Dwight is being a bad sport, but if he was, he has every right to be. It must be frustrating trying to get ready for the playoffs and the only thing reporters want to know is how does he expect to stop Lebron or what is his thoughts on how amazing Lebron is. As a Magic fan, I wish the best for my team, and I know the key to getting back to the finals is beating Cleveland, but if your a Cleveland fan, dont underestimate Orlando or you’ll miss your chance at a championship, AND you’ll have to find a new superstar when Lebron leaves.