Personally, I think without Westbrook the Thunder would be dead last in the NBA. He isn't important to the team, he IS the team and has averaged a triple double for the season. Ridiculous.

Harden is also very deserving, and nobody plays both ends of the floor better than Kawhi. I don't think James or Curry are in the conversation this year, but put 'em up because... well, they are who they are.

Who ya got, and tell me why I'm wrong to pick Westbrook.

Your wrong to pick Westbrook. Now I can only be the second one to pick him instead of the first. I thought achieving a triple double for the season was impossible.

+1
After Oscar did it, I was quite sure I'd never see it again.
Actually surprised Wilt never did it.

Harden plays ZERO defense.

And in my opinion disrespects his own talent with his flopping bullschit. The league wants him to be a star SO BAD......Watch a Houston game (BTW I love the Rockets and Spurs) and tell me half his foul calls aren't BS. If it wasn't for free throws he wouldn't be in the conversation.

Wilt pass the ball?

LOL!

I'm surprised to see it's 7-0-0-0-0 right now. Nobody thinks Kawhi Leonard deserves a vote?

He'd be my #2 easily. I agree that Harden scores and does little else.

Well he averaged 8.6 APG one year with the Sixers..........that was his best chance to do it I suppose.

might be my fading memory, but I'm pretty sure Wilt led the league in assists once...

Chamberlain led the league in total assists 1967–68, with 702 assists (he did not lead the league in assists per game): he remains the only center to lead the league in assists.

Wiki

I ain't dead yet!

You know what I love about Kawhi, I don't think he gives a rip about anything except the ring. He's my #2 as well.

Best passing center ever was Arvydas Sabonis.

Hmmmm.......
Wilt had the highest average assists per game of any center in the history of the league.
Sabonis only averaged 2.1 assists per game.
Wilt averaged more than twice that.

the real old timers always say Johnny "Red" Kerr. I saw him a little at the end of his career so couldn't say first hand, but assists were not handed out as freely as they are now.

Numbers don't bear it out, you had to watch them.

Bill Russell averaged 4.3 assists per game, Wilt averaged 4.4 assists per game.

I've seen video of Sabonis in the Euro leagues........he was slick for a big man.
Was already into his 30s by the time he got to the NBA. He had a few good years.

I agree with Sabonis being a good passer, he played when I could actually stand to watch the NBA. Vlade was also a pretty solid passer from the C position. Couldn't tell you if todays C have any skills whatsoever considering nobody wants a true C on their team anymore cause it is all iso offense.


If Westbrook isn't the MVP then there is no reason for 80% of the league to even play regular season games. Averaging a triple double for the season and breaking an Oscar Robertson record has to be one of the greatest seasons in league history whether the team he plays for sucks or not. Take that away from the best player all year long and you truly are telling the fans it is only important to be a top seed or to suck and lose every single game.

exactly. And sabonis was truly a great all around center who was almost used up by the time he got to Portland, sad but true.

I think you (and I) may appreciate Leonard more than alot of younger fans do because we cut our basketball teeth on totally selfless teams...vintage 60's Celtics and vintage Blazers of Steele, Hollins et al.

It's the eye test that matters, but many today have been raised on all kinds of stats and metrics and stuff I don't even get and that don't answer the question "who was better tonight, or this year, or for a career?" Perhaps this has been born from fantasy leagues?

Consider the perception of many fans as to an actual difference between 9 and 10...would a player receive anything close to the attention given Westbrook (deserved for sure) if said player averaged 26/9/8.4? Such a minor difference over 80 games.

When Oscar played, the term triple double did not exist, or if it ever was used it was in a literal sense, not in the sense that 10 was so much greater than 9, or as a goal to attain. No one would ever beg his coach to leave him in for one more possession to get that 10th assist or rebound, it just wasn't a marketed perception sold to the fans/public yet.

Westbrook and Harden are probably the most valuable to their teams this year. I just prefer a Leonard type mindset.

The only thing that bothers me with Westbrook is teammates getting out of the way for rebounds. Cracked me up watching ESPN this morning and Michael Wilbon (race baiting mofo) talk about the Suns stopping his assists....

They didn't want to give up the triple double.

The current NBA has never been so filled with depth, and a lack of depth and poor calls for "stars". I can't stand it, and it hurts my sports loving heart to say that. By far the sport I was best at.