A Cleveland Beat Writer Accidentally Left James Harden Off His MVP Ballot

Fair or not, the MVP and All-NBA voting carries significant weight in the legacy and Hall-of-Fame candidacy for players. The criteria for receiving an official vote remains murky, but as it stands now, beat writers, play-by-play guys and a select few from the national media get to cast their ballots for official awards. The voting process for these awards cannot be taken lightly because they have a real impact not only on historical clout, but also future contract negotiations.

It’s troubling to see elementary mistakes made on ballots, and this awards cycle features a prominent one. Chris Haynes, a Cleveland beat writer, intended to put James Harden third on his MVP ballot, but Harden was nowhere to be found on his official ballot.

The mistake is ultimately unconsequential, because Stephen Curry won by a significant margin. However, this mistake could have been very costly if the results were as close as the basketball community thought they would be. It seems unfathomable that a writer could forget about a player as great and unique as Harden, but this mistake isn’t uncommon. Just a few week ago, a voter for Defensive Player of the Year admitted that he left Draymond Green off of his ballot.

Creating a set list of candidates for awards would negate mistakes like these, and is something Adam Silver and the NBA’s Competition Committee should look into.

(Chris Haynes)

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