The (Absolute Mess of a) NBA MVP Debate

The problem with the idea of awarding Nikola Jokic the 2022-23 MVP Award isn't that he doesn't deserve it.  The problem is that the two previous seasons that he won, he didn't really deserve it.

That first one, for 2020-21, should have gone to CP3 not only because his presence instantly turned the lackluster Suns into contenders but also out of respect for his age, i.e. the fact that after being a superstar for all of these years, he was never going to get another chance to win MVP.  Then last season, I would have given it to Joel Embiid.  So Jokic arguably deserves MVP now more than he did before, even though the Nuggets would probably be a quality team (though not contenders) without him.

This is the kind of mess you make when you start giving out awards for political reasons instead of merit, because now, it is also arguable that Giannis deserves MVP more than Jokic or Embiid, because the Bucks, who have the best record in the NBA, probably wouldn't even be a playoff team without him.

And yes, I do think that Jokic two previous MVPs did have political implications, especially last year, after all of that Ukraine vs. Russia shit jumped off.  I also believe that the NBA didn't want to keep giving MVP awards to Africans. 

I predicted years ago that Africans, i.e. players who have at least one parent directly from the Motherland, would come to dominate the league.  And the trend continues with the forthcoming no.1 pick, Victor Wembenyama, whose dad is from the Congo, a country that has produced a number of quality NBAers.

So there might be some racial type shit involved, but that's nothing I can prove.  If I remember correctly the last White player to win MVP back-to-back, Steve Nash, some people were crying racism back then also.  But those Suns were a lot more intimidating than the present-day Nuggets, and also Nash more or less revolutionized the NBA while playing for them.

But there's always been politics involved in the MVP Award anyway.  The NBA is too big and influential an organization for there not to be.  And it has to be that way because the types of players who win MVP are sometimes like the best player for a decade straight, and you can't keep giving the award to the same dude.

For instance Michael Jordan could have won MVP for a decade straight, beginning in 1988 and ending in 1998, barring those couple of seasons he took off.  Not only were the Bulls regularly winning championships throughout that period, but he was also the most valuable famous on the planet, let alone the NBA.  But then it became like damn, we can't just keep giving the award to one dude.  And that's not to say that the other players who won during that period, even when Jordan was playing, didn't deserve it.  But everyone understood that, you know what I'm saying, politics.

So the reason the NBA made a mess out of the Jokic situation is that there was in fact debate.  If you give a player MVP two years in a row, there really shouldn't be any type of major argument as to whether or not he's the greatest.  You know, it can be like that 'KD is better than Lebron' type shit, but not really.

It shouldn't be a situation like 'oh, he doesn't play defense' or 'his team never makes noise in the playoffs'.  (And that has been the basis of my argument against Nikola winning MVP before, like how can you that award to a C, out of all positions, who can't play defense?)  Embiid is a beast, but it's like now the way people are arguing for him is out of sympathy, you know, like you didn't give to him last year, so give it to him this year, thus making it sound like he doesn't really deserve the shit.  'Hey mom, you told me you were getting me a PS5 last year for Christmas, and now I'm coming to collect!'

CONCLUSION

So every year into the foreseeable future, if they remain healthy it looks like the debate is going to be Jokic vs. Giannis vs. Embiid (and maybe Luka, if the Mavs ever figure out you can't have a roster consisting 75% of guards).  There's no consensus Michael Jordan these days.  And when it's like that, then the MVP is likely going to be awarded on a political basis, like 'we didn't give it to this person last years, so let's do it this season'.  But if I were to be totally honest, I'd vote for Giannis this year over Embiid.  But then it's like, when are dudes going to get around to giving Joel his flowers?  

Jonathan Kuminga - Rising Stars' Snub

The Rising Stars Challenge, to my understanding, is an even bigger joke than the All-Star Game itself.  And it ain't like anybody is expecting dudes to go out there and kill themselves in the name of winning an exhibition.  But it's like players tend to take the game so lackadaisically that after a few minutes, by the second half, it becomes unwatchable.

So that then begs the question of why Jonathan Kuminga got snubbed.  This year there's four Rising Stars' teams, 28 players in all.  A handful of them I never even heard of.  Some others, even though I may have coming across their names before, like I never really heard of them representing on the court.  And to some extent, that includes Cade Cunningham.

Meanwhile Jonathan Kuminga was a lottery pick who came into the NBA with additional fanfare since he lucked out being drafted by the Warriors.  Then after that, he actually represented in Summer League.

Earlier in the season, he wasn't getting a lot of run.  But as of late, with Draymond being injured, he's been starting for the Warriors and has been representing in that regard also.  He's sorta developed into what the Dubs were hoping James Wiseman would be.

CONCLUSION

Even though Kuminga has been one of the most-popular rookies all season, perhaps the NBA didn't consider him for the Rising Stars Challenge because, up until recently, he wasn't really getting a lot of playing time.  But I would venture to presume that some of those other dudes they chose for the event hadn't really done anything exceptional up until that point either.  In fact whereas some, such as Desmond Bane and Evan Mobley, may have surprised us all with how good they are, others not so much.

In fact I'm almost tempted to cry racism, considering that Kuminga is from the Congo is not one of those Africans, like Giannis, who spent his life living in a White country.  But no one can stop the times, and I can still foresee the NBA being 50%+ African by the year 2030.

I do believe I heard one commentator recently say that getting snubbed has inspired Kuminga to play harder, like he has something to prove, which may be why he's been on such a tear as of late.  And it's true, that some people may react to lack of appreciation by even going harder than they had before.