2016-17 Running NBA Thread

That will be good. Get KD to get his legs back in some low pressure games before playoffs start. I'm not sure if things could have gone better for Golden State after that injury than they have. Knock on wood there are no setbacks.

 

1, Russell Westbrook
2, Oscar Robertson

Record for triple doubles in a season

 

Not a bad list of two to be on top of.

 

So, in regards to the MVP, can anyone else besides Westbrook be a possible consideration? I hear Harden mentioned, but damn, you average a triple double for the year, which is what Westbrook will end up doing, there's no way in my mind there's anyone that can be more valuable than that,

 

There's absolutely a case for Harden. He moved to the point and is leading the league in assists. He's second in scoring. The Rockets' roster isn't wildly different from last season and they've already won 11 more games than they did all of last year. Harden is the biggest reason for that.

Westbrook is averaging a triple-double, and the team will probably finish with about 7 fewer wins than a year ago. After losing Durant, that's pretty remarkable. That team is an absolute shitshow when he's not on the floor.

I'd probably vote for Westbrook, but Harden has a very good case.

This is a good place to bring up something that occurred to me the other day: the MVP is determined by circumstances to a huge, huge degree. Westbrook is a candidate solely because he no longer has Durant next to him; he's the same player he always was, but now has to carry the team alone every night. Steph Curry is not a candidate almost entirely because he now has Durant next to him; he gave up the ball more than anyone else to accommodate Durant. Just an observation, but it may also be an argument for Harden.

 

I don't think that's the case with Westbrook, I think he has gotten better. And I know it isn't the case with Curry -- if he were shooting the same percentage as the last two years, he'd have the same PPG too. He has never finished below 7th in the league in 3-point % but this year he isn't in the top 20.

I've been wondering where Curry falls on the All-NBA teams. He can't beat Harden or Westbrook, and I don't think he should beat Isaiah Thomas either. And at forward you have LeBron and Leonard. Assuming they insist on keeping a center in there as in years past, the Warriors might have the best record in the league and no first-team pick.

 

That seems difficult with him taking fewer shots. If he could shoot the same percentages with fewer shots and FTAs and keep the scoring at the same spot, he'd break math, and I'd totally put him on the first team.

That said, KD was the best chance for first-team All-NBA. When he got hurt, that was probably done. GSW stands to get two second-teamers, maybe a third if folks really like Green's line or can sneak him at center (he's there 20 percent of the time for them). Otherwise, two seconds, two thirds. You've got four legit MVP candidates taking all the guard and forward spots. The last time the top team was without a first-teamer was 2014, when the Spurs got only Tony Parker on the second team, and even that might have been generous.

 

Harden will win MVP. Team success matters in this voting. Kawhi may end up finishing ahead of Westbrook in the voting.

 

He averaged 18.5 shots and 4.6 FTs in the past two years combined and is averaging 18.3 shots and 4.6 FTs this year. His threes are actually a little bit up (9.9 vs. 9.6). Cute take though, OOP.

 

Wait, you wanted to average seasons with a difference of 6.3 PPG and 3.4 shots a game? Hmm, I figured you meant the difference from last year to this one. Misunderstood.

Hell is an OOP?

 

Basketball might be the team sport with the best case for not selecting all-league players strictly by position.