Why LeBron James Did Not Deserve the MVP

LeBron James is an amazing athlete, clearly the most physically dominant in the NBA right now, but he did not deserve to win the MVP award this season. At just 24 years old, he has more than a decade left to dominate the game.

This year, there were several players were more valuable to their teams, including Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat, Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets, Chauncey Billups of the Denver Nuggets, and Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic.

Wade, not James, led the NBA in scoring this season with 30.2 points per game. His team was the number five seed in the Eastern Conference. One season ago, with Wade injured for much of the season, the same team won just 15 games. That total tripled to 43 this year.

Paul was the NBA leader in assists per game, averaging 11 this year. His value to the Hornets was made especially evident during the postseason, as the Denver Nuggets easily defeated the Hornets by double and triple teaming Paul. Rendering him ineffective allowed them to move on to the second round.

Billups, who few have mentioned as a worthy candidate, was the main reason the Denver Nuggets were the two seed in the Western Conference this season. He came in early in the season, traded from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for guard Allen Iverson.

Billups gave a team lacking direction a true leader, allowing talented players like Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith to fully showcase their skills.

Howard was the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, leading the league in rebounds, at 13.8 per game, and blocks, at 2.92 per game. He led the Orlando Magic to 59 wins, the fourth most in the NBA.

James will be the right man for the MVP award soon enough, but he did not deserve it this year.