zimpy27 wrote:KTM_2813 wrote:zimpy27 wrote:Been 7 years since LeBron won an MVP. Imagine dominating a sport for a 7-year stretch and not getting an MVP. Has this happened to any other player?
I think the main takeaway is that the NBA should have a Conn Smythe Trophy or Ballon d'Or. In this era, it's becoming more and more common for players to focus on the playoffs over the regular season. I'm not even making a judgement on it - maybe it's a bad strategy or maybe it's a good strategy - but it feels strange that the playoffs are almost completely ignored as far as awards are concerned.
I tend to agree, it'd be good if there were awards that focussed on the entire NBA year, regular season and playoffs combined. Maybe they do voting after conference finals and release the winners during the finals series.
That would actually make having a separate finals MVP make sense.
From LeBron's perspective, not having those awards definitely impacts his public perception. There are many people who, perhaps rightfully so, realize that LeBron has
only won 4 MVPs, and wonder how he can be in the GOAT conversation when there are guys ahead or even with him. The problem is that the NBA awards categories were decided upon 50 years ago by some random dudes in a boardroom, and for some reason have not evolved since then.
To be clear, I'm not saying that the NBA should alter its awards to make LeBron look good. I'm just saying that there are sensible awards that the NBA does not hand out, and it probably does impact LeBron's legacy in a way, as well as other players too. Bill Russell is actually the most victimized - If the NBA handed out DPOTY and FMVP when he was playing, there would be absolutely no resume-based argument for anyone besides him as the GOAT.
