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James Harden is not the real MVP


James Harden, I'ma let you finish but LeBron James is the real Most Valuable Player for the 2017-18 season.

I didn't channel Kanye to diminish Harden's season or say he's unworthy of MVP, it's just that LeBron was more deserving of the award this time around.

I googled the definition of "value" and this is what came up:
the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something.
Based on that definition alone, LeBron should have won MVP in a landslide.

If you were to remove him from Cleveland's roster the Cavs would have likely been a lottery team with the core of players they had.

Whereas in Houston, if you took Harden off that roster, the Rockets would still have likely been in the playoff hunt with Chris Paul as the featured star. 

NBA MVP James Harden poses with his mom Monja Willis
during the 2018 NBA Awards in California. (Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
I came to this realization a few months back after Cleveland eliminated Indiana in the first round of the playoffs.

Just to beat the Pacers in seven games, James averaged 34 points a game including 45 points eight rebounds and seven assists in the game 7 win.

It was evident at that point that LeBron literally had to carry this team on his back to have any chance of making back to the NBA Finals.

Across the way in Houston, Harden merely had to play to his averages in the Rockets first round battle against Minnesota. In five games against the Timberwolves, Harden averaged 29 points a game. To put that in perspective, he averaged 30.4 points per game in the regular season. In fact, Harden only scored 12 points in game 2 vs. Minnesota and the Rockets still won by 20 points.

A look at Cleveland's roster from the 2017 Finals compared to this year revealed only four players remained from the 2017 team.

Talent-wise the Cavaliers this season were nowhere near as good as in years past. Add in the fact that half of the original roster was shipped out at the trade deadline, LeBron would have done just as well picking up a squad at the Cleveland YMCA.

Think about it, the Cavs replaced guys like Isiah Thomas, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade and Jae Crowder with Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood and George Hill. Not bad players but certainly not guys you expect to be main pieces on a championship level team.

Meanwhile in Houston, James Harden's Rockets, armed with his new running mate Chris Paul were playing like a well-oiled machine. So well in fact that they were one game (and a Chris Paul hamstring) away from dethroning Golden State in the Western Conference Finals.

Although Harden is still Houston's best player, I'll argue his value was diminished from having a better team around him that LeBron did.

Didn't the Rockets have a better season?

Yes, but this is about who's the most valuable player, not who's team won more games.

But didn't James Harden put up better numbers? Hmmm, well...

What the NBA should do it establish two separate awards, one for MVP and one for best season. That way players like LeBron get recognized for their value to their team's and the league while guys like Harden get rewarded for playing great ball on a good team.

Otherwise fan friendly players like Harden and Curry will keep getting more accolades than more deserving players.

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