The NBA MVP (Most variable problem)

Milith Batchu

There isn’t a greater award than the NBA Most Valuable Player. Meant to signify the best of the best, this trophy also brings out the most critical debates between fans, analysts, and even players themselves.

To some, the best player is defined by the eye test; to others it’s about numbers. Sometimes it’s about wins, and other times it’s about how much help, or how little, a player gets.

From the accusations of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deriving his style of play from unethical hooping and foul-baiting, to debates on Nikola Jokic’s current situation on the Nuggets and the Greek Freak becoming underrated, this year’s MVP race is the perfect time to discuss the problem with this illustrious nomination.

MVP (Most Variable Problem): A look into the ever-changing narrative

Controversy surrounding the awarding of the MVP crown isn’t new. It dates back to the earliest days of professional basketball with players like Bill Russell (Boston Celtics) and Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors)

During the 1961-62 season Russell put up high profile numbers, all while anchoring the best defense in the league, leading the squad to 60 wins in the process.

But Chamberlain also displayed unprecedented numbers, averaging 50 points and 25 rebounds a game, while Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati Royals)  dropped triple-doubles nearly every game.

At the end of the day, the Celtics were the best team in the league, so the award went to their best player.

Interest of Variation

For a while we pushed on with the established precedent.

There were contentious races, but for the most part people found some approximation of a consensus. That was until the commander of Chicago got going.

Michael Jordan was the best player in the league just about every year he competed.. In 1997, he won four of the last five MVP’s, and he seemed deserving of another, if not for an unspoken amendment to the original criteria.

The voters were tired of sending the award to the same address, so they wrote down a new one. This was the birth of voter fatigue and Utah Jazz’s Karl Malone’s first MVP award.

Difficulty as The Defining Measurement

Fine, there we have it. It’s alright to give the award to the best guy on the best team, unless he’s gotten it too often. Probably not the most intuitive set of principles, but we can work with it.

And then came another hit. In 2001, it was almost undisputedly clear that the best of best was Shaquille O’Neal of the Los Angeles Lakers. He was an unstoppable force on the best team in the league and possibly one of the greatest all time.

But the Sixers’ Allen Iverson was carrying an untalented, offensively limited Philly squad to the finals, further than anyone had anticipated, and the inspiration of that was enough.

Shaq was impeccable, but he had Kobe. Iverson did it on his own, so he won it. 


Back to the Basics 

At this point the lines had been drawn all over each other. Every established value system and critique was momentarily replaced by something that contradicted the last one, and in 2006, it happened again.

After Shaq’s departure, Bryant was out in Los Angeles willing a Lakers team that belonged in the lottery to the playoffs. Kobe produced prolific numbers, won more games than he lost, all with a lackluster roster.

But now Steve Nash was in Phoenix revolutionizing modern offenses, with his high-paced style and 3-point shooting. Sure his numbers weren’t as eye popping and his supporting cast significantly better. But this time, the award went back to the best guy on one of the best teams.

Storyline over Stats 

Finally we got our recent chapters in this confounding roller coaster of MVP decisions.

The 2017 MVP race was set up to be historic the moment a certain 6'9 small forward named Kevin Durant made the transition to the bay, and like always, it didn’t disappoint.

Russell Westbrook did what we all thought he could do; heed the league in points while averaging a triple double, and led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the playoffs.

It was the first time since Robertson in the 60s that we had seen these types of numbers, but James Harden had a similar season, with his Rockets accumulating even more wins. The past would’ve said Harden, but the voters chose Westbrook.

The Ol’ Unreliable 

MVP choices were supposed to be straightforward,  three-letter acronyms that, more or less, meant to be received by the best player in the league. 

But as said earlier, there is just too much room for interpretation or misinterpretation.

What one person finds more impressive is bound to be different from the person next to him, and without any outlined checklist to rank these candidates, we’ll just have to weigh those conflicting opinions equally.

Maybe one day in the near future we will know what the MVP truly stands for.

Good luck Shai.