Mark Haynes: Draymond Green on Stephen Curry’s 40 point performance: “Tonight he was incredible. The way he took the game over in that fourth quarter was amazing…That’s why he’s the MVP of this league. That’s why he’s been the face of this franchise for years.”
NBA Rumor: MVP Race
481 rumors in this storyline
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Chauncey Billups: Paul George is playing on an MVP level
Quin Snyder: Our team is built around Rudy Gobert
Ben Anderson: Quin Snyder on Rudy Gobert as an MVP candidate and the respect he deserves: “Our team is built around Rudy. If you’re going to have a team that’s built around you in many respects — that says something right there.”
Harrison Wind: JaMychal Green on Nikola Jokic: “He’s gonna win MVP again.”
Spencer Dinwiddie: For example, this NBA MVP Prediction Model was created by self-proclaimed “NBA Nerd” and data scientist Peter Li. Li’s model predicted the 2018-19 season’s MVP would be James Harden, who in actuality came second to Giannis Antetokounmpo that year. The lingering question, however, is would there be a benefit to build an added layer of value on the fan-inclusion process? Potentially. The system could be built with analytics that tracked engagement in tandem with predictions made. These could then be cross-referenced with incumbent methods and integrated based on their efficacy, allowing amateur and professional analysts to financially prosper by participating.
He averaged a triple-double for the fourth time, helped lead the Wizards to the playoffs and broke the NBA’s all-time triple-double record. Oscar Robertson, the man whose record he broke, believes Westbrook should’ve gotten MVP buzz last season as well. “I look at Westbrook, and he got triple-doubles this year and no one even noticed it, they didn’t think it was such a big deal,” Robertson said on The Knuckleheads podcast. “I think that’s totally unfair. I think he should have won [MVP] again. If he [averaged] a triple-double again, and he didn’t win [MVP], so why keep stats then?”
Luka Doncic the early MVP favorite for 2021-22
Ryan Ward: Odds for 2021-22 NBA season awards have surfaced starting with NBA MVP, via @betonline_ag: FAV: Luka – 9/2 Steph – 7/1 Giannis – 15/2 Durant – 8/1 Embiid – 17/2 Dame – 12/1 LEBRON – 12/1
Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic the two early favorites for 2021-22 MVP
Ryan Ward: NBA MVP odds for next season w/ stiff comp for Lakers stars LeBron & AD, via @SportsBettingAG: FAV: Durant/Luka – 4/1, Giannis – 7/1 , Steph – 8/1 , Embiid – 8/1 , LeBron – 9/1, Dame – 10/1, Jokic – 12/1, Trae – 14/1, Booker – 20/1, Harden – 20/1, Tatum – 25/1, Westbrook – 25/1, AD – 28/1
Jorge Sierra: MOST SEASONS RECEIVING MVP VOTES 🐐 1. LeBron James: 18 in 18 years 2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 17 in 20 years 6. Michael Jordan: 13 in 15 years 8. Kobe Bryant: 13 in 20 years 15. Wilt Chamberlain: 11 in 14 years
With the announcement of this year’s MVP award voting results, we can now safely say more history was made by the NBA’s elite crop of international players in 2020-21. With Nikola Jokic winning the award plus Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Rudy Gobert and Ben Simmons cracking the Top 12, we just had the highest percentage of MVP votes ever go to international players with 74.56 percent.
Michael Scotto: Joel Embiid on finishing second for MVP: “It’s disappointing because as a player you work hard for moments like this, but then again it’s out of my control… I’m focused on the playoffs and winning the championship. We’ve got a good chance, so I’m not worried about those awards”
Nikola Jokic after winning MVP: I'd rather win a championship
Derrick Rose gets MVP first-place vote
Tim Reynolds: Jokic wins, Embiid 2nd, Curry 3rd. Derrick Rose got an MVP first-place vote. League source tells AP it was not from media; it was the consensus fan vote. And LeBron James’ streak continues: 18 years with at least one MVP vote.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić is the recipient of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the 2020-21 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, the NBA announced today. With the first Kia NBA MVP Award of his career, Jokić becomes the first player to earn the honor as a member of the Nuggets. He is also the first player from Serbia to be selected as the NBA MVP and joins Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) as MVP winners from Europe.
Jokić received 91 first-place votes and earned 971 total points from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters as well as the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award fan vote, making for 101 ballots. Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (586 points) finished in second place, followed by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (453 points) in third place, Milwaukee Bucks forward Antetokounmpo (348 points) in fourth place and Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul (139 points) in fifth place.
Michael Singer: Via the #Nuggets MVP press release: Nikola Jokić led the Nuggets in total points, rebounds and assists for the fourth consecutive season, becoming the first player in NBA history to accomplish this feat.
Michael Singer: Via Monte’s IG.
Nikola Jokic eligible for super max extension after winning MVP
Bobby Marks: By virtue of winning MVP, Nikola Jokic is now eligible to sign a super max contract in either the 2022 or 2023 offseason. Jokic is not eligible this offseason because he is 1 year shy of the years of service criteria of 7.
Bobby Marks: The Nikola Jokic super max extension in 2022 is projected to be the largest contract in NBA history. *2023-24: $42.6M 2024-25: $44.9M 2025-26: $48.2M 2026-27: $51.5M 2027-28: $54.8M Total of $241M *Based on a salary cap of $121.5M
Michael Singer: When I was reporting the “Improbable MVP” story, his coach, agent & godfather were all dying to know when MVP would be announced. They’ve been anticipating this moment ever since the reg. season ended & have been so eager to celebrate. I texted one of them. Their response: 🍷
Marc Stein: Denver’s Nikola Jokic will be formally announced as the league’s MVP on TNT tonight at 7:30 PM ET, sources say.
Tom Moore: #Sixers coach Doc Rivers on Jokic winning #NBA MVP: ‘There’s so many great players in our league. I think the deciding factor was games played (Embiid missed 21).’
George Karl: Congrats to the Joker. Special special player! First hoops MVP in Denver since ‘70 when @Spencer Haywood won it with the Rockets!!
Nikola Jokic was named league MVP, a league source confirmed to The Denver Post, becoming the lowest draft pick to ever win the award and the first Nuggets player ever to do so. The former record-holders were Giannis Antetokounmpo and Steve Nash, both chosen No. 15 overall. The Nuggets selected Jokic with the No. 41 pick of the 2014 draft.
Nikola Jokic wins 2020-21 MVP award
Shams Charania: Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has won the 2020-21 NBA MVP award, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
Tim Connelly: Nikola Jokic should be a unanimous MVP
Jokic, Embiid, Curry named as MVP finalists
Aaron Gordon on Nikola Jokic: The most valuable player in the league
Michael Singer: Nikola Jokic on Damian Lillard: “He’s up there in that conversation for MVP.” “… I think neither him nor I are thinking about that (individual award).” (Lillard told @Sam Amick he thinks Jokic the is the MVP).
So on that front, how do you see this Nuggets matchup. No Jamal (Murray). They have (Will) Barton with the hamstring issue, and I’m not sure if he’s going to be out there. You have some history with them, and they’re trying to keep it going after losing a pretty important player. What’s your view of the series? Damian Lillard: I mean, they’re not at full strength but a wounded animal is the most dangerous animal. I’m not going into here even thinking about who’s not on the floor, because the MVP of the league is on the floor. They’ve got a lot of talent. Sam Amick: Does he deserve it? Sorry to cut you off, but you know people are going to be curious how you see it. Damian Lillard: I mean, I don’t think he’s missed a game this entire season.
Damian Lillard: But I think when you really look at it, and you see that Jokic has played in every game and he’s dominated the way he has, they’ve had injuries with so many guys out and missed games and he’s kept them rolling. He’s kept them where they are. And Embiid has missed a lot of games. And even when he got hurt, they just kept going, you know? So I would say Jokic. But yeah, I’m not going into the series worried about injuries or nothing. They’re still a great team. We’re going to have our hands full either way.
So do you feel like if Steph’s in (the conversation) then you should still be there too? Damian Lillard: I mean, I don’t go tit-for-tat. I just call it like I see it. I think Steph has had a great season. Obviously, there has to be a conversation about him being in the conversation. But I don’t think he wins it. At the eight seed, I just don’t see how that works. Last year, it was people like (ESPN’s) Stephen A. (Smith saying) ‘Man, I love what Dame is doing but he can’t be the MVP because they’re the eighth seed.’ You know what I’m saying? But last year, I averaged 30 points and eight assists on 46 (percent) from the field, 40 from the three-point line and 90 from free throw (it was actually 88.8). But last year, they’re like, ‘Man, we can’t consider him an MVP because they’re the eighth seed.’ And now it’s like it’s ok. For me, that’s the way that I’m looking at it. (Curry) is definitely in the conversation. There’s no way that you don’t have him in the conversation.
Draymond Green on Stephen Curry: He's definitely the MVP in this league
The Jump: “It’s been very motivating for him and uplifting for him. He’s definitely the MVP on this team and in this league. He’s had the better year” —@Draymond Green on @Stephen Curry’s season #NBA #NBATwitter #TheJump #DubNation
Melissa Rohlin: Steph Curry on LeBron James: “He knows when he says something people pay attention, so for him to speak on my MVP candidacy, I respect him for it, I appreciate it.” He added: “I won’t be giving him a pass because he likes the way I play this year and vice versa.”
LeBron James: Stephen Curry deserves MVP
Ja Morant endorses Stephen Curry for MVP
Ja Morant: MVP. no debate Double exclamation mark
Draymond Green says Stephen Curry is the MVP
Draymond Green: “Because what I’m not going to do is just go out there and let him down. S—, in my opinion, he’s the MVP. So for him to be having an MVP type of year, you can’t just go out there and let go of the rope. You’ve got to get your ass out there and f—— help all you can to help win games to make sure that he’s in that conversation, because he deserves to be in that conversation. So his approach, one thousand percent, has helped me in my approach.”
So go down that MVP road a little bit. Put your TNT hat on and give me the breakdown on how you see it. Most folks have (Denver’s Nikola) Jokic out front, but you obviously see it differently. Draymond Green: “Well, I think Joker is having an incredible year. I think he’s amazing. I think their team is having an incredible year, and obviously with (the Nuggets’) Jamal Murray going down, he’s kept that team afloat. And so, you’ve got to give him a lot of credit. But you saw the Warriors play last year, right?”
Draymond Green: “[Last season] was really rough. (And) there wasn’t a ton of turnover from last year’s roster to this year’s roster, yet we’re 37-33. Why is that? Steph Curry’s playing. Steph Curry’s playing. And the word MVP is an acronym for Most Valuable Player — Most Valuable Player. I think at times — a lot of times – it’s looked at as “Who’s scoring the most? Who’s putting up the best stats?” This, that and the other. And it’s not always given to the most valuable player. Well, Steph is obviously leading the league in scoring. But look at his value. Look at what he’s done to take a team that won 15 games last year and to have us right there in the hunt for the playoffs. And if I’m not mistaken, Russell Westbrook won MVP (in the 2016-17 season) and they were the seventh or eighth seed.”
Draymond Green: “That’s my point, and that’s how I’ve been looking at this thing, is like there’s no rule that says you can’t be an eighth seed and win the MVP because Russ has done it. Now in saying that, I personally thought that year that Russell deserved to be the MVP. So I had no problem with him winning the MVP because I actually thought he f—— deserved it. That OKC team he was on was horses—. Complete horses—. And he carried that team to the playoffs while going out and averaging a triple double, completely destroying every team that he played against. I thought he deserved to be the MVP. Why? Because he was so valuable to that team that he got that team to the playoffs while averaging a triple double. You’re damn right he deserved to be the MVP.”
Nikola Jokic on winning MVP: If it happens, it happens
Michael Singer: There’s this weird narrative that Nikola Jokic won’t lean into the MVP race, when yest., on the record, he finally put himself out there: “I can just say that this season is probably the best season I’ve had in my life.” On MVP, he went even further: “If it happens, it happens.”
Steve Nash: Nikola Jokic is the MVP
Brian Lewis: Steve Nash: “Clearly Jokic is the MVP this year.” #Nuggets #Nets
StatMuse: When Nikola Jokic is officially announced as MVP, it would mark the third straight season where we have an international MVP. It would be the second time that’s happened in NBA history — Steve Nash (2x) and Dirk Nowitzki in 2005-07. It’s a global game. pic.twitter.com/ywRQuKv12P
“Historically speaking, he would be the worst MVP we’ve had in 35 years.” – Nick Wright on Nikola Jokic. Man facepalming
Jamal Murray: Nick Wrong lol
Erik Spoelstra on Jimmy Butler: In a complete year, he'd be in MVP convo
Brady Hawk: Erik Spoelstra on Jimmy Butler, “I think if we had a complete year…Jimmy Butler would have to be in that conversation for MVP.” Mentions the early inconsistencies with players and rotations when referring to the lack of a “complete year”
Tom Thibodeau: Julius Randle has had an MVP type season
The Jump: Significance of @New York Knicks turnaround this season? “We had to make a commitment to play for each other and to work hard. Julius Randle has had an MVP type season” —Thibodeau #NBA #NBATwitter #TheJump #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/6K1WoNvdm8
Asked about the recent MVP talk, Randle said: “For sure, I’m not going to shy away from it. For me, it’s about getting better from game to game, improving as a player. I’m not focused on it. The praise obviously is great and everything but I’m not focused on it. All I’m worried about is getting better, keep leading the team game to game. Our team, I feel like we can compete against anybody.” They have proven that across April and now early May, but the final four games of this trip will be the tell-all – the Nuggets, Suns, Clippers and Lakers with LeBron James.
Randle is averaging 24.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists and shooting a remarkable 42.7 percent from 3-point range. A little better passer, Jokic is averaging 26.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and 8.5 assists and shooting 40.9. percent from 3. “I’d put him at the top as well,” Gibson said of Randle. “You look at the body of work Julius has put together on a night-to-night basis. Being really professional, especially in a tough market. People understand how tough it is to play in New York and bringing a winning mentality back to the Knicks. Julius has earned credit for the MVP race. He deserves it.”
Harrison Wind: Malone: “I think the fact that we have played as well as we have without Jamal is just another endorsement of Nikola Jokic’s MVP candidacy. To put a team on his back. To be a top-10 offense and defense without Jamal Murray. That has been really fun to watch.”
Nikola Jokic the heavy betting favorite for MVP
Ryan Ward: NBA MVP odds as of today, via @betonline_ag (LeBron’s odds have changed drastically): Nikola Jokic 1/12, Joel Embiid 13/2, Stephen Curry 18/1, Giannis Antetokounmpo 25/1, Damian Lillard 40/1, Luka Doncic 40/1, LeBron James 60/1 (was 10/1)
Take a regular, 82-game season. It’s widely accepted that a player should play in about 75% of games – at least 62 games – to be considered. Bill Walton won MVP with the fewest games played – just 58 of 82 games in 1977-78. Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid has played in 45 of his team’s 64 games, and if he plays in the remaining eight games, he will have played in 73.6% of Sixers games. Embiid is an MVP favorite. But where does that leave Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James? His chances to win a fifth MVP have diminished, at least according to oddsmakers, because he missed 20 consecutive games due to injury. But James returned on Friday, and if he plays in every game the rest of the season, he will have played in 51 games – or 70% of his team’s games.
Jokić has put up a phenomenal season and the Nuggets finishing strong has put some distance between him and the closest contenders: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. If Embiid had played the same number of games as Jokić while maintaining his level of production, our model has this coming down to the wire. But, as it stands, Jokić is the clear-cut favorite. Note that the scores may be slightly deflated (in comparison to historical seasons above), and expect these scores to rise slightly as the final games are played and we update the data.
Mike Trudell: Scott Brooks: “There’s players since I’ve been following the league that probably could win an MVP every year … obviously Michael. Kobe coulda won just about every year. Shaq. LeBron James can win every year … what’s a down year for him? 27, 8 and 8?”
Charles Barkley has been saying for months that Chris Paul should be in the NBA MVP conversation. Radio personality Colin Cowherd recently put Paul atop his list of MVP candidates. “Next to LeBron James, nobody in the NBA has the ability to change your basketball team’s win-loss standings. Nobody, expect Chris Paul,” Cowherd said last week on his show “The Herd.”
Cowherd not having Joel Embiid in his top five is puzzling, considering the Philadelphia 76ers center is averaging 30 points and 11.1 rebounds per game on 51.3% shooting for the second-best team in the Eastern Conference, but what does Paul have to say about his growing MVP talk? “I appreciate it,” Paul said as the Phoenix Suns (42-17) prepared to continue their five-game road trip Sunday at the East-leading Brooklyn Nets (40-20) in a national TV matinee (ESPN, 3:30 ET).
Steve Kerr: Stephen Curry is the MVP
Curry, for his part, has said he’s “gotta be” the MVP even when acknowledging he is unlikely to win. If you ask Steve Kerr if his superstar guard is the league’s most valuable player, Steve Kerr has a simple answer. “Yes,” Kerr said after the Warriors’ win over the Nuggets.
Duane Rankin: Chris Paul on MVP talk: Said he knows who he is and what he brings to a team, but… “It’s about us. It’s about what we’re doing. We’re building.” Said he doesn’t think about being an MVP candidate. #Suns
Joel Embiid: There's no doubt I'm the MVP
Shams Charania: 76ers star Joel Embiid sits down with @Stadium: “There’s no doubt (I’m MVP). I’ve been dominant all season. I’m not going to stop.” On motivation from feeling disrespected and frustrated last season, Shaq’s criticism “opened my eyes to actually realize that I can be that guy.” pic.twitter.com/Ud3O2APOkV
Jeremy Lin talked with Emmet Ryan of BallinEurope about Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and more, at the Collision conference, organized by Web Summit, which is being held virtually and staged out of Toronto, Canada. “What he’s doing is ridiculous. The end of the season will be interesting. He’s definitely a front runner right now and Denver is playing really well,” he told BallinEurope regarding Jokic’s position in the race for the NBA season’s MVP award, “The only other person I’d put into consideration is Steph Curry, what he’s doing is historic. There are good candidates on the Sixers and the Jazz but, to me, it’s still Jokic.”
Stephen Curry on if he's the MVP: I gotta be
The Jump: “I mean, I gotta be. I gotta be. I probably won’t get it but whatever.” – @Stephen Curry on whether he believes he should be the MVP this year h/t “The @RexChapman Show” (@basketbllnews) #NBA #NBATwitter #TheJump #DubNation pic.twitter.com/lG4nnLTbkG
Ryan Ward: Some drastic changes over the last 3 weeks in the odds for NBA MVP, via @betonline_ag: LeBron: 10/1 on April 1. Now: 33/1 MVP Fav: Nikola Jokic was 10/13. Now: 2/7 Embiid: 17/2. Now: 3/1 Steph: Off the Board. Now: 10/1 Giannis: 10/1. Now: 16/1 Harden: 9/4. Now: 25/1
Deonte Burton: It’s blasphemous to say Stephen curry isn’t the best shooter we ever seen, not to mention the best offensive point guard we’ve seen ever not to fu#king mention top 10 all time ever to play!!! He would be my mvp! And it’s not even close!!!
Michael Singer: Asked Malone whether that was Jokic’s MVP moment: “Life’s about little moments. And Nikola’s got about 56 moments where he’s shown he’s the MVP.”
Doc Rivers says Joel Embiid is his MVP pick, and that Nikola Jokic is his second choice
Sergen Kumas: Joel Embiid on his MVP candidacy: “As far as MVP, I’ve been dominant all season. When I get the ball, it’s either a foul or a bucket. I feel like I’m right there.”
Nikola Jokic clear favorite to win MVP now
While Jokic is miles ahead of the field, his point total is right in line with where the winners landed each of the past few seasons. What is different, however, is that there is no clear second-place finisher. Since the league shifted to the current voting format in 2017, second place has earned at least 738 points. Embiid, who received five of the remaining 11 first-place votes, was second with 401 points — not much more than half of that typical amount. Antetokounmpo (no first-place votes, 375 points), the two-time reigning MVP, was a close third, with Damian Lillard (two first-place votes, 67 total votes, 283 points) in fourth and Harden (one first-place vote, 62 total votes, 231 points) in fifth.
James, meanwhile, went from getting more than half of the first-place votes in the last straw poll to getting none this time. He was left off nearly two-thirds of the ballots entirely, garnering just 37 total votes and 105 points. He was just ahead of Chris Paul, who had two first-place votes and 98 total points, with Kawhi Leonard (80 points, including one first-place vote) in eighth, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (28 points) in ninth and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (26 points) in 10th.
Duane Rankin: Kings coach Luke Walton said there “is room” to put Chris Paul in the MVP conversation. Paul on his way to his 17th double-double this season. Has nine points and eight assists as #Suns have 84-77 lead with 6:51 left in the 3rd quarter.
Kevin Durant on MVP race: I don't care, I feel the criteria changes every day
The Jump: “I really don’t care. I feel the criteria changes every day” – @Kevin Durant on who he thinks should be the MVP #NBA #NBATwitter #TheJump #BrooklynTogether pic.twitter.com/oWDqhw4GmP
StatMuse: Nikola Jokic is currently leading the NBA in PER, WS, WS/48, BPM, VORP and is the betting favorite to win MVP. If he does win it, he would be the lowest drafted player (41st) in NBA history to do so. The current record is 15th, held by Nash and Giannis. (Submitted by @shawnqjx) pic.twitter.com/WlkysoeGk6
Playmaking—Antetokounmpo is averaging a career-best 6.4 assists—has been an area of growth for Giannis, something team officials attribute to the game continuing to slow down for the 26-year old two-time reigning MVP. “The pace that he is playing at is different,” Bucks GM Jon Horst said in a telephone interview. “He’s playing with more control. He’s picking his spots. That’s the kind of thing you only get through maturity.” Regarding the MVP race, Horst offers the strongest possible endorsement. “He is a better player this year than in the years he won,” says Horst. And while GM-supporting-star is hardly an objective take, there is evidence backing it up. Antetokounmpo is in the top-five in offensive and defensive win shares—only Jokić can claim that—and one of two players (Jokić, again) averaging at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
James Harden: 'I feel like I am the MVP'
After dropping 44 points in a win over the Pistons on Friday night in Detroit, James Harden said that he doesn’t simply believe he belongs in the Most Valuable Player award conversation — he should sit atop the list. “Do I feel like I belong in it? I feel like I am the MVP,” the Brooklyn Nets star said. “I mean, it’s just that simple. I don’t want to be speaking individually on myself. I am just going to leave it at that.”
Nikola Jokic the frontrunner for MVP award?
Either way, there’s little question that James and Embiid suffering injuries helps the MVP candidacy of Nikola Jokic, the other top contender based on advanced statistics. And it continues to crack open the door for the past two winners, Antetokounmpo and Harden, whose chances were written off early in the season. Most importantly, the injuries are a reminder that we shouldn’t be in a hurry to pick an MVP before the season is near completion.
The impact of injuries is a key reason it’s dangerous to start to draw MVP conclusions too early in the season. Staying on the court is a key part of value within an individual regular season. Historically, 10 games missed has been about the cutoff for MVP consideration. The last player to miss more than 10 games in an MVP season was Allen Iverson in 2000-01 (11). Before that, you have to go back to Bill Walton in 1977-78 (an unprecedented 34) for the previous example. (No MVP between Walton and Iverson missed more than seven games.)
But there are also new names that have emerged as the season moves to the home stretch. Perhaps the emerging star to keep an eye on is Dame Lillard in Portland, whose odds somehow lengthened from +1800 to +2100. The Blazers’ star is single-handedly raising the oft-injured Blazers’ roster to the upper tier in the conference.
Harrison Wind: Nikola Jokic on Malone endorsing him for MVP: “It’s nice. The guys are trusting me. The coaches are trusting me. The front office is trusting me. The Kroenke family (is trusting me). It’s really nice to have such a big group of people behind you, trusting you.” “It’s cool.”
Michael Malone: Nikola Jokic is not a bad defender
Michael Singer: Malone, asked about Jokic’s MVP case: “I don’t think Nikola Jokic is a bad defender. … If people want to nitpick, I’m sure they can say that about Nikola, but I, as a head coach and who’s worked with him for 6 years now, don’t agree with that.”
Kyle Kuzma: MVP is a very political award
LeBron James has been awarded the NBA’s MVP award four times in his career, tied with Wilt Chamberlain for the third most all time, but one of his teammates, Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma, says James should have double that. At least. “The NBA MVP is a very political award,” Kuzma said after the Lakers’ 116-105 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday. “Bron should have been the MVP at least eight, nine, 10 times. Everybody knows that.”
When asked about Kuzma’s claim, James admitted he felt he has been snubbed in the past, but he wouldn’t specify how many he felt he deserved to win. “I should have more than four, I believe,” James said. “But … I don’t sit around thinking about it or crying about it, or whatever the case may be. I just try to come in the next season and be the MVP and be talked about [for] it again. I bet a lot of the greatest that played this game feel like they should have more as well, if you ask any one of those guys.
“It’s a mistake on the voters’ part to go season after season without voting the best player in the league MVP,” Vogel said. “You know what I mean? That’s the simplest way to put it. There’s been other players that have been deserving, but he’s been the best player in the league for as long as I can remember. Maybe since his second, third year in the league. It’s just one of those things that’s unfortunate. It’s not right. And he should get it this year. He’s doing it every night and no one is as deserving.”
Jusuf Nurkic: We approve ONILOVIĆ @Shaquille O’Neal 😂🤣🤣🤣🤣
Jusuf Nurkic: Babo is THE MVP!!! @Dame_Lillard
As we cross the halfway point of the NBA season, we are set up for what should be the most raucous and divisive MVP race since Russell Westbrook’s win in 2017 — and one of the most unusual in NBA history. A lot of voters — this one included, as I have an official ballot — try to compartmentalize by considering only the discrete 82 games (or now 72) of each season. We give the award every season; it is for that specific season. What happened last season shouldn’t factor in. What might happen in the playoffs is irrelevant.
That’s what we tell ourselves, anyway. But the voters — about 100 media members — are people, not robots. We are stricken with cognitive ticks that muddy any attempt at compartmentalization. Nagging thoughts about narrative and legacy and past and future performance figured to play an outsized role this season even before Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden entered the picture as one of the most unconventional MVP candidates in league history. Harden probably isn’t going to win, and he shouldn’t, but he has played himself into the race to the point that several major media outlets have devoted significant air time and virtual ink to his candidacy.
December 8, 2021 | 4:24 am EST Update
Damian Lillard's camp denies rumors
Chris Mannix: There has been some reporting over the last couple of days about Damian Lillard interest in playing with Ben Simmons, about his interest in a long-term extension with the team. For whatever it’s worth… From Lillard side, I’m told, none of that’s true, that Lillard has not expressed any interest in acquiring Ben Simmons and that since he’s not eligible for a max extension, yet, there haven’t been those discussions either.
With the Los Angeles Lakers hovering above or below .500 for the first quarter of the season amid overlapping injuries and learning curves with a new roster, Lakers governor Jeanie Buss was asked how the organization would evaluate coach Frank Vogel in his third season. “Until we’re 100 percent healthy, I don’t think you can really make any judgment,” Buss told NBA.com at halftime of the Lakers-Celtics game on Tuesday at Staples Center.
Mark Medina: LeBron James: “I don’t get involved on how many minutes I played, or how many days off. I don’t confine to that. I think when you think negative thoughts and have negative energy, it just creeps into your mind. I feel as young as I’ve ever been.”
Callie Caplan: Nic Claxton on the situation where Luka Doncic drew his fifth tech of the year: “I didn’t say nothing to him, I don’t think. I just kind of got in his face and he took offense to it. He gave me a little shove, but I like that. That keep me going. That’s good.”
StatMuse: Russell Westbrook last 8 games: 23.5 PPG 6.9 RPG 8.9 APG 50/36/72% He is +39 in that span, the highest +/- by a Lakers starter. pic.twitter.com/vz38lnGb30
Looks like Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez will be going home with a special souvenir, c/o Russell Westbrook 😎
Montrezl Harrell: My manger sent me this today. Another business I am blessed to be able to bring to life in my hometown. I’m a big Sneakerhead have love shoes since before I can remember so I am blessed and honored to be walking into that world and business!
