Despite Kevin Durant’s pleas for the contrary, NBA players don’t get to vote on NBA awards. That’s probably why LeBron James doesn’t care when he heard Kevin Love would pick Russell Westbrook as the MVP this season, instead of his teammate.
As we mentioned on Monday, Love did say some interesting things on Dan Patrick’s show Monday morning, perhaps even more interesting than our own chat with the former Timberwolves forward as he made the media rounds.
Love said he doesn’t regret his decision to OK a trade to Cleveland in the summer, even though he’s struggled to find his place as the third (and sometimes fourth) offensive option in Cleveland. Plus, he plans to stay with Cavaliers whether he wins a title this year, or not.
One matter we deliberately glossed over was Love’s comment Russell Westbrook — Love’s former teammate on UCLA — should win the MVP this year after keeping the Thunder in the playoff hunt out west with Kevin Durant out. Per ESPN:
“I would just say because of time spent on the court, you know ‘Bron took those few games off and those couple of weeks off. … They’re both having MVP-type seasons, but I’m going to go with Russell Westbrook because every single night you’re looking at his stat sheet, they’re fighting for a playoff spot even with Serge Ibaka going down now, Kevin Durant potentially being out the rest of the year and [Westbrook] still going out there and really fighting for his team and them winning and fighting for that seventh and eighth spot in the playoffs,” Love told Patrick. “I think Russ is arguably having the better season.”
It’s not exactly a revelation. When LeBron James was asked about it after practice yesterday, he concurred.
“I don’t really think too much of it, really,” James said after Cleveland Cavaliers practice on Tuesday. “I don’t really get involved in that. I think the voters are going to decide who is the MVP. I think what Russ has been doing, his numbers have been pretty crazy keeping those guys afloat in the West in his play. Steph Curry can make a case, for sure, what he’s been doing — James Harden and myself, as well. So, Kevin has his own opinion of who he believes is the MVP. No one should fault him for that.”
Love was just as annoyed as we were, believing any dissension stemmed from the soundbite rather than his whole answer to Patrick. Here’s what he said after practice yesterday:
“If you choose to get the little three or four second clip. In my whole answer I said LeBron could very well be the MVP. Steph Curry, James Harden — those are guys that you all talk about. You know very well all of them could be named (MVP).”
Love and James aren’t best friends, but neither were Kareem and Magic and they won five titles together.
The media has been picking at the relationship between Love and LeBron like scab they just can’t leave alone, and Love’s comments about Russ played right into that mind-numbing narrative.
The MVP debate is still wide open, and both LeBron and Russ are deserving winners (along with James Harden, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis and Chris Paul).
Let’s hope the rest of the media moves on.
