The Meaning Seems To Be Lost

With the 2008-2009 NBA season coming to a close it is time to give out the end of the season awards. Probably the most interesting of the award races is the MVP race. The race is clearly between Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat and LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both of these players are the leaders of their team. The difference between the two players is that LeBron James' team is in first place and Dwayne Wade's team is in fifth place. In comparison the two players have similar stats but it appears that LeBron James will win the award. A similar occurrence happened last year when Kobe Bryant won he MVP award over Chris Paul who was arguably more qualified. It seemed as though Kobe was given the award in large part because he did not already have an MVP award and also because his team was in first place. This seems to miss the whole point of the award.

Decoding the acronym M.V.P. one would find the phrase Most Valuable Player. Sometimes the meaning of these words can be a bit blurred. While it is true that the best player on the first place team, e.g. LeBron James, is valuable in his own right, it is not always true that that player should win the award. The supporting cast that LeBron James sports is far more impressive than Dwayne Wade's. Made up of mostly younger players and declining veterans, the Heat rely heavily on Wade to pick up the slack in every game. If Wade has a poor game then the team's chances of winning decline greatly. On the other hand LeBron James' team, although a huge part of their team, can have a less than average game without diminishing his team's chance of winning too much. Looking at the stats the two players are fairly even with LeBron slightly ahead as he has 2 more rebounds per game. Aside from the rebound differential the other stats are simply too close to call. 

However the x factor in this race is that the Heat would not be a playoff team if you took Wade out of the lineup. Lets not forget the game against the Chicago Bulls when he hit the shot to send it to overtime. Then while in overtime he stole the ball and hit a three to win the game. Taking James out of the Cavaliers lineup would obviously drop their seed but they would still be a playoff team. Dwayne Wade deserves the trophy but LeBron James will take home the hardware because the writers will be swayed by the number 1 seed. That is not to say that LeBron James does not deserve the award, he had an amazing season and would be a legitimate MVP winner. What this does mean is that Wade is more deserving of the award.