2016-17 MVP Discussion Thread

[GregOden]

1. Durant
2. Westbrook
3. Harden

Durant will have the best stats on the team with the best record. Think KD will average a career high in assists (6), still average about 28 PPG with 8-9 rebounds.

Westbrook 2nd for obvious reasons. Think OKC finishes around 7th though so that will hurt his chances. If OKC finishes top 5, he could win it.

Harden 3rd because of D'Antoni. Also motivated from getting snubbed from an All-NBA team last season. Just see a monster season stats wise from him.

Isn't it amazing 3 of the top MVP candidates used to play on the same team, yet when they were together they could never make it all click? Seems like addition by subtraction is real.

[HardenTime]

1. Durant
2. Westbrook
3. Harden

Durant will have the best stats on the team with the best record. Think KD will average a career high in assists (6), still average about 28 PPG with 8-9 rebounds.

Westbrook 2nd for obvious reasons. Think OKC finishes around 7th though so that will hurt his chances. If OKC finishes top 5, he could win it.

Harden 3rd because of D'Antoni. Also motivated from getting snubbed from an All-NBA team last season. Just see a monster season stats wise from him.

Isn't it amazing 3 of the top MVP candidates used to play on the same team, yet when they were together they could never make it all click? Seems like addition by subtraction is real.

or coaching matters

[pootbrah]

WHITESIDE

[Winsome Gerbil]

1. Durant
2. Westbrook
3. Harden

Durant will have the best stats on the team with the best record. Think KD will average a career high in assists (6), still average about 28 PPG with 8-9 rebounds.

Westbrook 2nd for obvious reasons. Think OKC finishes around 7th though so that will hurt his chances. If OKC finishes top 5, he could win it.

Harden 3rd because of D'Antoni. Also motivated from getting snubbed from an All-NBA team last season. Just see a monster season stats wise from him.

Isn't it amazing 3 of the top MVP candidates used to play on the same team, yet when they were together they could never make it all click? Seems like addition by subtraction is real.

or coaching matters

or youth matters.

Kids don't win titles on their own.

[Walmart]

James
I'm going to go with a slight dark horse in Lillard as the runner up
Leonard

[prech]

Something like 37 of the last 40 MVPs have been from either the #1 or 2 team, with those three other MVPs being the #3 team. OKC and HOU have a better shot of missing the playoffs than being a #3 seed. Can't Westbrook and Harden being close

I'd guess it's a toss-up between Durant and Curry, with Leonard and James contending for third.

With the ranked voting system, it's not like the voting media can _only_ vote for Durant or Curry, they can vote for both at the same time. Could very well be like last year, when OKC finished as the #4 record and Westbrook and Durant took fourth and fifth in voting, not necessarily cancelling out each's votes.

[Bandwagon1]

Kawhi
Russ
Harden

I want to see Kawhi win MVP &DPOY, and his 2min speech.

[BallerTalk]

1. Durant
2. Westbrook
3. Harden

...

Isn't it amazing 3 of the top MVP candidates used to play on the same team, yet when they were together they could never make it all click? Seems like addition by subtraction is real.

What?!?
In their first year together (Harden's rookie season) they jumped from 23 wins to 50 wins.
In their second year they reached the Western Conference Finals.
By their third year they reached the NBA Finals, defeating former champs and conference heavyweights like Dirk's Mavs, Kobe's Lakers, and Duncan's Spurs in the process.
Considering they accomplished all of that as youngsters in the NBA (before management chose salary cap over contention) I'd say they were "clicking" pretty damn well.

[xNewYorkMadex]

1. Durant
2. Westbrook
3. Harden

Durant will have the best stats on the team with the best record. Think KD will average a career high in assists (6), still average about 28 PPG with 8-9 rebounds..

LMAO. So you believe the Warrior egos are going to take a backseat to the new guy, in spite of the fact that they have won a ring together without him, and also have the all-time record for most wins in a season?


Good luck with that.


Curry might be in the top 3, but no way Durant is top 3 without Curry also being there. Curry got his pride, yo.

Its rare for teammates to be in the top 3 in MVP voting so thats why I didnt list Curry. Its possible, but not likely.

I see KD playing more of the Draymond role on offense and racking up assists in that system. Since Kerr will no doubt play the small ball lineup much more this season, KD will likely average more rebounds than usual.

And as for the ego thing, the Warriors players actively recruited KD. If they had an ego, they wouldnt have pursued him and kept that historic team in tact. After choking away a 3-1 lead last season all that team gives a damn about is winning another one and forming a dynasty. They arent worried about KD winning MVP and getting their feelings hurt because hes the "new guy". Cmon now. It remains to be seen if KD will take a backseat and try to not step on anyone's toes, but knowing the Warriors as a team they will want KD to be aggressive. Playing in this system will get the most out of him.

[Pennebaker]

1. LeBron
2. Leonard
3. Westbrook

Durant and Steph - being the last two MVPs - will not be able to get enough support from voters whilst playing together. (Please don't bring up LeBron winning MVP with Wade. Wade was never an MVP himself, he was a bit older and he was always hurt.)

I think, because the last 2 Finals made it perfectly clear, LeBron will finally get regular season credit for being everything for his team in ways that other players are not.

[mattao313]

1.Durant
2.Lebron
3.Griffin
4.Westbrook
5.Harden

[Mr. E]

1. Westbrook

2. Harden

3. LeBron


Harden will have stellar stats & a very good team record. LeBron will be LeBron. Angry Hulk Westbrook is going God-mode this season.

[Young_Star11]

If it goes to the 'best player on the best team', then probably Curry

Otherwise Harden will average career highs in all major categories this year and I would like his chances.

[Impuniti]

Curry/Durant are out. There's next to no shot for either unless Golden State wins over 73 at this point.

Lebron is a maybe, but I'd see him coasting more. Could happen though to go with last year's postseason as a sort of makeup vote.

I'd bet Kawhi, Westbrook, or Harden as most likely with one of CP or Griffin having a shot too.

That doesn't make sense. Why would the Warriors need to win over 73 wins for one of them to do it? If one of them is the best player in the best team, one of them will win because.. wait for it.. they are the best player in the best team. But maybe we can create arbitrary measurements on who should win it, like anything but being the best player in the league in either the best or second best team in the NBA.

Harden might actually have a realistic outside chance, but he will need to get his team above the Clippers and Spurs, which is going to be one hell of a struggle.

[bondom34]

Curry/Durant are out. There's next to no shot for either unless Golden State wins over 73 at this point.

Lebron is a maybe, but I'd see him coasting more. Could happen though to go with last year's postseason as a sort of makeup vote.

I'd bet Kawhi, Westbrook, or Harden as most likely with one of CP or Griffin having a shot too.

That doesn't make sense. Why would the Warriors need to win over 73 wins for one of them to do it? If one of them is the best player in the best team, one of them will win because.. wait for it.. they are the best player in the best team. But maybe we can create arbitrary measurements on who should win it, like anything but being the best player in the league in either the best or second best team in the NBA.

Harden might actually have a realistic outside chance, but he will need to get his team above the Clippers and Spurs, which is going to be one hell of a struggle.

They're out because unlses the Warriors are better than last year, the narrative won't be there. The best player/best team doesn't matter if the best team is expected to entirely demolish everyone, especially if they don't have a story line to go with it. And if they win under last year's total, there's no story. To add you could remove either of them and still have the best team in the league, so there's no way either is really most valuable. If that's the case,Lebron wins.

[Impuniti]

Curry/Durant are out. There's next to no shot for either unless Golden State wins over 73 at this point.

Lebron is a maybe, but I'd see him coasting more. Could happen though to go with last year's postseason as a sort of makeup vote.

I'd bet Kawhi, Westbrook, or Harden as most likely with one of CP or Griffin having a shot too.

That doesn't make sense. Why would the Warriors need to win over 73 wins for one of them to do it? If one of them is the best player in the best team, one of them will win because.. wait for it.. they are the best player in the best team. But maybe we can create arbitrary measurements on who should win it, like anything but being the best player in the league in either the best or second best team in the NBA.

Harden might actually have a realistic outside chance, but he will need to get his team above the Clippers and Spurs, which is going to be one hell of a struggle.

They're out because unlses the Warriors are better than last year, the narrative won't be there. The best player/best team doesn't matter if the best team is expected to entirely demolish everyone, especially if they don't have a story line to go with it. And if they win under last year's total, there's no story. To add you could remove either of them and still have the best team in the league, so there's no way either is really most valuable. If that's the case,Lebron wins.

That's a nice imaginary narrative you have that isn't the truth. How many occasions do we not have the clear best player from the clearly best team not win MVP? Lets see how that stacks up with the other occasions when they do. Lebron will win if he plays better than everyone else, which I definitely find as a possibility this upcoming season. Last year, that clearly wasn't the case in RS.

[bondom34]

That doesn't make sense. Why would the Warriors need to win over 73 wins for one of them to do it? If one of them is the best player in the best team, one of them will win because.. wait for it.. they are the best player in the best team. But maybe we can create arbitrary measurements on who should win it, like anything but being the best player in the league in either the best or second best team in the NBA.

Harden might actually have a realistic outside chance, but he will need to get his team above the Clippers and Spurs, which is going to be one hell of a struggle.

They're out because unlses the Warriors are better than last year, the narrative won't be there. The best player/best team doesn't matter if the best team is expected to entirely demolish everyone, especially if they don't have a story line to go with it. And if they win under last year's total, there's no story. To add you could remove either of them and still have the best team in the league, so there's no way either is really most valuable. If that's the case,Lebron wins.

That's a nice imaginary narrative you have that isn't the truth. How many occasions do we not have the clear best player from the clearly best team not win MVP? Lets see how that stacks up with the other occasions when they do. Lebron will win if he plays better than everyone else, which I definitely find as a possibility this upcoming season. Last year, that clearly wasn't the case in RS.

Derrick Rose 2012. Durant when he won in 2014. Curry won the last 2. So there's 2 of the last 4 years.

I'd bet anything neither of those 2 have a shot unless they break 73. You can pretend it doesn't matter, but reality disagrees.

[TMU]

Aside from my team performing well, I hope the Thunder also does well. Westbrook plays like a fiend and win MVP.

1. Westbrook
2. Harden
3. LeBron

[bondom34]

Aside from my team performing well, I hope the Thunder also does well. Westbrook plays like a fiend and win MVP.

1. Westbrook
2. Harden
3. LeBron

^^^

I like this guy. Good luck to the Rockets too.

[dautjazz]

1. Westbrook

2. Harden

3. LeBron


Harden will have stellar stats & a very good team record. LeBron will be LeBron. Angry Hulk Westbrook is going God-mode this season.

I don't mean to be an ass, but how can you be that optimistic? I mean, during the Ty Corbin years of the Jazz, I was real, I knew are team was going to be at best mediocre, but we didn't really have a great situation. What do you define as very good record? I would say 50+ wins. To me the Rockets ceiling is around 41 wins. Anything higher than that and to me they overachieved.