It is a well known fact that Cavs superstar LeBron James is the best player in the entire league. Yet despite this undisputed fact, James was not among the top three finalists for the MVP award, meaning he is not even in the running for the prestigious honor.
The ridiculousness of James not being in the top three MVP finalists really struck a nerve with TNT analyst Charles Barkley. Reacting on live television immediately after the MVP finalists were revealed, Barkley was his trademark self, calling the concept of only three MVP finalists “stupid” and was just truly aghast at James not being in the running for the award.
"You gotta have at least five. You cannot have the best player in the world sitting at home."
Chuck responds to the #KiaMVP finalists… pic.twitter.com/BqFCfMzeVa
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 20, 2017
“Whoever came up with this concept, they’re just stupid,” Barkely said. “You gotta have LeBron. You gotta have at least five. You cannot have the best player in the world sitting at home. That’s just stupid.”
Always outspoken, Barkley has been prone to head shakingly bad analysis and comments from time to time, but this is not one of those occasions. Barkley is a hundred percent right in this case; James not being considered a top three MVP candidate is, indeed, “stupid.”
Of course, this shouldn’t be viewed as a slight to Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. They are all phenomenal players and are deserving of the award. But limiting the field to just those three players is a travesty, especially since James has shown time and time again that he is truly the best player in the game.
