Welcome to the Season of MVP.
How did we arrive in a place where a proxy battle between individuals dominates a team sport’s headlines? It might have something to do with a few years of falling regular-season TV ratings, which might have something to do with teams seeking to manage rather than conquer an 82-game beast. Blame the Spurs' influence, but can you really blame San Antonio and its imitators? Unlike in the English Premier League, there’s no special NBA trophy for finishing first.
The race for the Maurice Podoloff trophy has emerged from the detritus of an overlong season as a compelling reason to pay attention. According to the Bovada Sportsbook, betting on the MVP award is up 35 percent from last season. Which isn't surprising considering the amount of plausible candidates. You have a case if you’re choosing Stephen Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James or Anthony Davis.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey would have you believe there’s really only one MVP out there, and the only thing obscuring that fact is a bushy beard. Morey isn’t the only team official hawking Harden. Rockets owner Leslie Alexander said of Harden, “He’s the best player in basketball. He’s having the best year of anybody, no question.” Clyde Drexler, a former Rockets great who now does color commentary for the team's games on local TV, insisted that the “MVP race is really not that close,” before insinuating a media bias against Houston’s shooting guard.
Houston’s tactic could be a smart one. The lobbying might increase Harden’s chances and it makes the Rockets look like an organization that will help a player’s prestige. As for Morey, he comes off as a GM who will back his stars, perhaps incentivizing players to sign or remain in Houston. Plaudits to Harden also equals more plaudits to the man who traded for him.
At the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference last weekend in Boston, Morey told audience members, "Take James Harden off our team, and we're nowhere basically." While that may be true, it’s an odd admission for a GM to make considering he’s the one tasked with building the team.
A contrast was visible when Morey and Warriors GM Bob Myers were asked to make a case for their respective MVP candidates. Morey explained Harden’s individual credentials and Myers tried to end the conversation on Golden State beating Houston four times. One guy was focused on upholding the individual, the other guy deflected to team accomplishment.
Myers has told me he refrains from texting players out of concern for the baseline it sets. Lavish them with praise and suddenly the absence of praise takes on its own meaning. This approach, like Morey’s approach, has its merits. It also has potential downside if you’re dealing with players who want that kind of attention.
It’s unclear what kind of attention Stephen Curry wants, but it’s quite clear he wants the MVP award. Though normally deflective when asked about himself, he’s been upfront about his desire to win it. That particular goal of Curry’s just isn’t an organizational goal right now. It’s something Warriors officials would like to see, something they believe he deserves, but not something they’re burning calories to make happen. That’s a job for the PR and digital marketing teams that helped Curry reap the most All-Star votes this season.
Steve Kerr poked fun at the Morey method on Thursday. In response to a question on why the Warriors aren’t actively promoting Curry’s campaign, Kerr said, "We're trying to win games. We've got a lot of work to do. So, if Daryl Morey wants to run his own one-man campaign for James Harden, he can do that. That's fine. But we're focused on other stuff."
Kerr isn’t the only person in the Golden State organization who smirks at Morey’s Harden-flaunting style, which can seem like an affront to traditional way a GM comports himself. Don’t be surprised if the Morey method becomes the new normal, though. The MVP is at the forefront right now; the standings are on the backburner. The MVP isn’t a championship, but it might be the closest honor in basketball. It’s better remembered than which team was a 1-seed in a given year. And if your team is a title long shot -- as Morey’s team is -- it makes sense to chase the achievable trophy.