LeBron James to Miami Heat helps Dwight Howard NBA MVP offer: Statistics are not the only factor in determining an NBA MVP, but they do play, perhaps, the largest role. With LeBron James’ move to the Miami Heat this season, his overall numbers will likely decrease playing alongside former NBA champion Dwyane Wade.
There is a possibility the Miami Heat’s Three Kings could cancel each other out for individual season honors. So where does exactly does that leave some of the more obvious candidates like Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant and the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard? “When you say Kobe, LeBron, Wade and Durant, Dwight Howard’s name fits just fine in that conversation,” said ESPN analyst Mark Jackson. “He’s an elite basketball player and you can make the case that he was the MVP last year and you expect him to continue to do the things he’s done from day one of entering into this league.
Big guys have traditionally done well in MVP awards. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the record with six awards while Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell have combined for nine awards.
The award has become more guard-oriented since 2000 as guards and forwards masquerading as guards have accounted for at least six of the past 10 awards.
Last season, LeBron James repeated as the league’s MVP by a landslide vote collecting 1,205 points to Kevin Durant’s second place finish (609 points) Dwight Howard finished in fourth place with 478 points.
Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy lamented last season that Howard could be waiting years before a getting a strong chance to win a MVP award.
“I just think probably until he’s at least 35 it’ll be LeBron winning the [MVP] award every year; I just do,” Van Gundy said. “He sort of has to go into every season now and lose the award. That’s just the reality of the situation. He certainly hasn’t done that, he’s had a hell of a year.”
Van Gundy’s brother and ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy agreed Dwight Howard didn’t get enough consideration for the award, but said LeBron James was the right selection during a conference call earlier this week.
”There’s been talk every year about an expanded offensive game. It’ll be interesting to see if that pans out, but this guy, even with the offensive game that he has from last year, he’s an MVP candidate,” Jeff Van Gundy said.
So what’s your take? Will LeBron James and Dwyane Wade’s partnership crack the door farther for Dwight Howard’s bid to earn an MVP award in the future?