With no clear-cut NBA MVP so far this season, at what point do we start mentioning LeBron James?
MVP is the popular acronym for Most Valuable Player, an honor bestowed upon a player in a league or a conference in American professional sports whose deemed to have the most value. So by definition the player should be on a winning team and be the reason for a majority of the team’s success.
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To this point this season, the talking and mumbling about early NBA MVP favorites have been fairly exclusive. The focus of these talks? The Houston Rockets’ James Harden and the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry. Reigning MVP Kevin Durant was bitten by the injury bug early on this season and has been trying to get his Oklahoma City Thunder team back on track. Kobe Bryant is having a statical nightmare of a season, and now it is certain that he will sit out the remainder of the campaign. Carmelo Anthony, too, has battled injury, but with the New York Knicks dwelling at the bottom of the NBA it’s certainly in question how much value he truly provides. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are once again having great years, but the fact that they play on the same team and owe much of their statistical success to one another essentially negates them once more.
So what about the King?
It’s no secret that the Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t exactly had the ideal start in their first year of the NBA’s newest Big 3 playing together. It’s also not really news that Lebron has missed a number of the team’s games due to injury. Cavaliers coach, David Blatt, openly stated his belief that Lebron should once again be crowned King prior to the team picking up their 7th consecutive win in the Auburn Palace against the Detroit Pistons.
"[via ESPN]“First of all, he’s the greatest player in our game, and he’s had, since he’s been healthy — and really all year, but particularly since he’s been healthy — his performance has been as high level as ever. And you don’t have to look very far at our record to see what impact he has on this team when he’s playing and not playing.”"
What should have been a hostile crowd, in the home of the division rival Pistons, agreed with Blatt, as they had rung out in MVP chants by the end of the 4th quarter, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
The question of his value to the team however, is raised when you take a peek at what the Cavs have been able to do with and without James in the lineup. The Cavaliers have compiled a 26-12 mark when James is on the court for them. Without Lebron playing, the Cavaliers own an abysmal 1-8 record.
In 8 games since returning from injury, Lebron has averaged an exceptional 30.5 points per game, 6.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 2.0 steals. Overall in the 37 games he’s tallied so far, LeBron James (in his 12th season in the league and 8th with the Cavs) has averaged 26.4, 5.6, 7.4, and 1.5 respectively.
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/28/2015.
His impact with the young Cleveland team this season has certainly been tangible, as they’ve unquestionably been at their best with him leading the charge. LeBron James and the Cavaliers might not be having quite the success that James Harden and the Rockets, or the Stephen Curry led Warriors are having, but he has certainly proved that he, at the very least, deserves to be in the conversation once more.