NBA MVP 2013: LeBron James Deserves to Be Unanimous Selection for Top Honor
Despite a wealth of viable contenders this season, it appears to be a foregone conclusion that LeBron James will win his fourth career MVP award.
Now the question becomes, will he be a unanimous selection?
Nobody has ever been a unanimous NBA MVP in the league's history. Shaquille O'Neal had a shot in 2000, but one man—former CNN and ESPN anchor Fred Hickman—stood in the way, voting for Allen Iverson instead.
James' brilliance doesn't just lie in his scoring ability. It's the fact that he does pretty much everything well. And he's going to be a Hall of Famer because of it.
This season, LeBron averaged 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds. 7.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks while shooting 57 percent from the floor and 41 percent from beyond the arc.
That last figure should jump out to those of you who have followed James throughout his career. He's a career 34 percent three-point shooter, even after this season. Last season, he shot 36 percent. In 2010-11, he shot 33 percent. Sense a trend?
James' overall game can also be captured in two statistics, for you statisticians: PER (player efficiency rating) and win shares (an estimate of the number of wins per season contributed by a player).
This season, James ranked first in both categories, via Basketball-Reference.com. His PER of 31.6 was the best mark since the 2008-09 campaign...when he registered a PER of 31.7. His win share total (19.3) was the best mark since the 2008-09 campaign...when he registered a win share total of 20.3.
You are looking at the most complete basketball player of this generation. Maybe ever. And that's where he separates from MVP contenders such as Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul.
Of course, James may fall victim to what O'Neal did in 2000: the argument that he had more star talent around him and, thus, wasn't as valuable to his team as other contenders. That's the reason Hickman gave for his choice of Iverson in 2000.
But we all know that reasoning is rubbish. Why? Because LeBron makes the Heat a title contender. Without him, they aren't.
But don't take my word for it. Ask Hickman himself.
Hickman told Chris Tomasson of FoxSports.com, "In 35 years (of covering the NBA), I’ve never seen such a clear-cut favorite. He should be unanimous.’’
James is the most dominant player in the NBA. He's coming off of what may have been his best regular season to date when you consider how much he has improved his three-point shooting. Not only would it be sickening if James didn't win the MVP this season, but it would also be sickening if he wasn't a unanimous vote.
