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Though James Harden Won This Years MVP Award, Anthony Davis Should Still Be Seen As The More “Valuable” Player

By Mark Nilon

NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 17: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans drives against James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets during the second half at the Smoothie King Center on March 17, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 17: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans drives against James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets during the second half at the Smoothie King Center on March 17, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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Last night, Anthony Davis lost out to James Harden in the race for the 2018 KIA Most Valuable Player award. Though he may not have taken home the prestigious hardware, AD should still be seen as the more valuable player.

Another league MVP has been won and, still, the same question remains; what does the award truly represent? Yes, technically it stands for “most valuable player”, but so often we wonder if the recipient of this award is really the most valuable individual.

With the past three award winners, there were no questions to whether they were the best players in the league during their respective seasons. However, best player doesn’t always coincide with the distinction of most valuable player.

James Harden balled out this year, no one should argue this. He averaged 30.4 PPG, 8.8 APG and 5.4 RPG while guiding his Houston Rockets to the leagues best record (65-17) and a trip to the Western Conference Finals. Still, when comparing his overall season with the likes of Anthony Davis and LeBron James, was Harden really more valuable?

James essentially saw a complete roster makeover halfway through the season, and still brought Cleveland to its fourth straight Finals appearance. NOLA’s All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins went down in January with a torn achilles tendon, leading everyone to believe the Pelicans playoff chances had all but vanished. Instead, AD put on a performance for the ages and led New Orleans to their most successful season in franchise history, as well as an appearance in the Western Conferences Semifinals.

With arguably the most talented roster Harden led the Rockets to the best record in the league and a deep playoff run.

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Again, this is not me saying James Harden was anything short of amazing this season. Instead, this is me questioning what the qualifications are to actually win the leagues most prestigious individual award. What demonstrates value to the voters?

Is it shown through numbers? If so, the award should be awarded to LeBron James.

Through hustle and determination? If so, it would go to Anthony Davis.

Perhaps through “wow” factor, in which case it would rightly belong to Harden.

In reality, it should be about the impact that player brings to their organization. The question should be; “if you take him off that team, what would happen?” Houston’s roster is good enough to at least contend for a playoff spot without Harden. Cleveland and New Orleans, on the other hand, would probably be looking at win totals somewhere around the 20’s.

In this case, it’s hard to tell who holds more value between James and Davis. However, again using the aforementioned criteria, both of them hold more value to their respective franchises than Harden.

Look, the Beard took home the Maurice Podoloff trophy and should be celebrated and congratulated accordingly. He clearly met the qualifications the voters have set in place for MVP honors. Still, if the NBA wishes to bestow the most valuable of players with this award, something needs to change. As to what, that is a different story.

Next: “Big hill to climb” for the newest New Orleans Pelican member Tony Carr

New Orleans fans, players and coaches alike all understand how valuable Anthony Davis was this season for the Pelicans ball-club. Make no mistake, it was well deserving of MVP honors.

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