The National Media Is Trying To Ruin A Great LeBron Season With This Terrible MVP Debate

I know this is Barstool Sports and the company line around here is to think LeBron is bad but it's time to get something off my chest: I think he's good. There. I said it. It may well get me fired but at least I'll go out with a clean conscience. The only thing I dislike about LeBron James, the basketball player, is that he plays for the Lakers. I am a good person, therefor I am not a Lakers fan. Despite all that, I can admit that LeBron continues to be really fucking good at this sport. He remains one of the best in the world. A first team All NBA type season he's putting in before our very eyes. And we're in the midst of it being ruined by these fucking dweebs who are trying to shoehorn him into an MVP race that's been over since before the calendar flipped to 2020.

This was the tweet that caused me to get on my ass and write this blog. Since the All Star break they've been growing more and more. Every time the Lakers beat a team that hasn't been in the playoff picture since everyone's record was 0-0 there's a certain contingent that loves to use it as a time to try and build LeBron's MVP case. On one hand I get it. For every Skip Bayless tearing down each breath LeBron draws there must be a Nick Wright swinging from his testicles like the hunchback holding on for dear life in the bell tower at Notre Dame. The universe requires balance and this is no exception. The only problem is that right now there are more hunchbacks than Skips. And their arguments are fucking inane. 

For starters, don't be the type of person to use Kobe dying tragically to help build LeBron's MVP case. It's morbid to put it lightly.

But talk about the actual basketball aspect of LeBron's MVP case. So let's talk about it. I think most of us are programmed to think the West is much better than the East. That's been the case essentially since Jordan went to the Wizards, so it's fair for people to assume that. But that isn't the case this year. I'm not even saying the East is stronger than the West, because that's also not true. I'm saying for the first time this century there's relative balance between the two conferences. But if you'd like to argue the West is stronger, fine, be my guest. The Lakers have won 82% of their games against the West. The Bucks? 83%. Surely the Lakers must be whooping up on the weak East, right? Correct. They're winning 70% of their contests against Eastern Conference opponents. That kicks ass. The Bucks are winning 89% of their games against those same opponents. 

LeBron's age also doesn't make him the MVP. He's played an obscene amount of minutes in his career. He's been in the Finals more often than not over the last decade. Unless I missed a memo that states the 2019-2020 MVP is some sort of cumulative award which takes into consideration past performances then I have no idea why it's being brought up in this conversation. If you want to note that it's impressive in a vacuum, well yeah no shit. LeBron James is an impressive human being. I think we've all been in agreement on that point for *checks watch* 20 years now. But this idea that LeBron having a great season for his age is the reason he's MVP is asinine. It's true, we've rarely seen someone this old be this great. Certainly worthy of acknowledgement. Should that acknowledgement come in the form of MOST VALUABLE PLAYER? Feels extreme. Especially when you consider that, regardless of age, in the history of the NBA, the entire list of players to average 29 points, 13 boards, five assists, a block and a steal per game is... Giannis. This year. LeBron was 25 once too, yanno, makes you wonder why he didn't consider winning DPOY while also putting up historically dominant offensive numbers as well. 

That's unfair of me to say. Giannis may not win DPOY this year. He probably should, but he may not. LeBron James' teammate Anthony Davis might win it. Which brings me to my next point: LeBron hasn't been the best player to wear a Lakers jersey this year. *GASP* It's true. LeBron shoots slightly better from three and averages more assists per game than Davis. And that's it. I don't want to hear about his VORP, WAR, BPM, none of it. Points, rebounds, blocks, steals, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, all of it favors Davis. Which is precisely why LeBron wanted to play with him in the first place. So that he didn't have to carry the load for the entire season, every minute, every possession. He got the Lakers to trade their farm for a 26-year old superstar who has played every bit like a 26-year old superstar. For some reason AD isn't anywhere near the MVP conversation. That reason is because the media is fixated on trying to jam LeBron into this debate. LeBron's been great. They've been great together. It's why they went from a non-playoff team to the one seed in one offseason. 

The Lakers are one of three teams in the entire League to be top five in offensive and defensive rating. The Bucks and Celtics are the two others, with the Bucks edging out the Lakers in ORTG (113.5 to 113.1) and sufficiently pacing them in DRTG (101.3 to 105.6). Khris Middleton has been tremendous, an All Star in every sense in the word and should get plenty of All NBA love. Eric Bledsoe, the Lopez twins, George Hill, the Bucks have a solid squad surrounding Giannis. With all due respect to all of those human beings, none of them are Anthony fucking Davis. Kevin Durant didn't get MVP consideration when he was playing on the Warriors. When stars link up it historically kills their MVP odds. Why oh why is that changing right here and now before our very eyes? 

LeBron James is having an unreal season. To lead the League in assists at his big age is an incredible accomplishment. And he still has the playoffs ahead to see if he can win the trophy he's been gunning for all year. There are plenty of ways to laude him with praise without saying he's currently better than Giannis. To say someone other than Giannis is the 2019-2020 MVP is so categorically wrong you should be shot out of a cannon aimed directly at a museum of table corners for even considering uttering those words. And if you don't like it...