The NBA MVP Award: Why I Shouldn't Care

Lebron James is now the two-time NBA MVP. He deserves it unequivocally and I agree with ESPN's The Sports Guy (TSG) that it should have been unanimous. That's reason number 1 that I shouldn't care about the NBA MVP race every year. Every other reasonable candidate (non-center i.e. not D. Howard) could be replaced with LeBron and their team would become better. The toughest replace might be Wade, I think. LeBron's passing talent would be wasted on Wade's sh$$ty teammates. Here are some additional reasons why I shouldn't care about the NBA MVP Award:

• Wade, who has done for the second year straight what Nash did in 2006 (take a terrible team to the playoffs), was a non-factor in the MVP race. He was fifth, but waaay behind fourth place, D. Howard. Out of 123 ballots (each allows you to rank your top five), Wade's name only made it on to 51. That means 72 voters did not think he was one of the top 5 most valuable players in the L.
• Stephen Jackson got a fifth place vote (credit to TSG for this one).
• Carmelo Anthony got a second place vote ahead of Wade, Kobe and D. Howard (although it could be one of the three voters that gave D. Howard first place votes).
• Amare Stoudemire got three votes (fourth 2x and a fifth).
• Chris Bosh got a fifth place vote.
• Lack of post-season experience, not to mention success, doesn't matter. He's an awesome scorer that did himself and his team proud this post-season, but Kevin Durant hadn't played a single post-season game when the votes came in and he had the second highest voting points total. This includes 4 number 1 votes over LeBron James.
• Steve Nash got 49 voting points to Deron Williams' 7.

I wonder: if LeBron flames out again this year, and then averages a triple-double next year during the regular season, will he win MVP again? One thing that most back-to-back MVPs have had up until now: a championship ring before the second MVP award*. The exception are notable. LeBron joins the non-ring club with Steve Nash, Wilt (who got his first ring that Spring), Moses Malone (who also got his that Spring). With the exception of Nash, the no-ring back-to-backers were on teams with dominant regular season performances and high post-season expectations. Nash's Suns did much better than expected during the season (which is why he won), but only moderately well (3rd seed; 9 games off the first seed)**.

* Magic had 5 rings, Bird 2, Russell 4, Kareem 1, Jordan 1, Duncan 1

** To their credit, that 2006 Suns team got the conference finals, past Kobe's urregulars and the forever cursed Clippers.