It could be worse, look at the Jazz. Top record in the NBA and no one talking about them having a MVP. Dame should be 3rd for now, behind Lebron and Embiid.
My stat for the media talking heads: Lillard has NEVER played with a top 20 player. LBJ has never* NOT played with a top 20 player. Yes, Lillard is exhausted come playoff time. He's always had to do what Lebron has always feared of doing. *in the last 10 or so years.
Using the market is such a copout excuse. Did he forget that a guy from Milwaukee won the past two MVPs? Or about two players from OKC winning in the past decade? Call it like it is-- people just don't notice Dame because he doesn't dance around and smack his own chest after every three point shot he makes. Casuals.
Those first couple years in Cleveland had another top 20 player? I thought the theory was that the year the Cavs made it to the finals (the first time) it was basically LeBron and 11 scrubs.
https://www.theringer.com/nba/2021/2/18/22289410/damian-lillard-clutch-all-star-mvp-blazers Interesting article about Dame's one-man offense. No information we didn't already know, but some good numbers to back up the inferences. I kind of agree with it. Dame's heroics will work in the regular season, but it's going to be the same story in the playoffs against the best teams. TL;DR Dame, Harden and Steph are the most dominant one man offenses in the last few years, but they get their points in different ways. Dame runs a million pick and rolls and hunts matchups. Harden doesn't need a pick, he can isolate and get his own shots that way. Steph plays off ball, and relies on his gravity to create openings and teammates to get him the ball. The problem with being a pick and roll dominant guard is that teams with mobile and long defenders will trap and get the ball out of Dame's hands. There's no counter for that on this current iteration of the team. If Dame is going to stay a PnR dominant offensive player (which he is), he needs either a playmaking big man or someone else that can reliably make plays. The playmaking big man never existed outside of a few months in 18-19 before Nurk's injury, and CJ has never been a good enough secondary playmaker. If CJ's play so far this season is for real, that may be changing.
Yes, at the VERY beginning, Mo Williams was the 2nd best player on his team. The special case was 15+ years ago.
What is he supposed to do? We don't have the personnel for it unless we start actually working Dame off ball more. Even that comes with the same issues, and doesn't really play to Dame's strengths.
It's unrelated for some reason. Did a basic weighted scoring thing for the different weights of fan vote (0.5)/player vote (0.25)/media vote (0.25). Steph will get the fan and media vote for sure. Players... probably, but not definitive. If he gets 1st in all three, then obviously he's in as starter. But my question is, what happens if it goes like this in this scenario: Luka gets 2nd in fan vote, but third in both players and media vote? That would give both him AND Dame a weighted score of 2.5. Steph -- 1st fan, 1st players, 1st media -- 1 Luka -- 2nd fan, 3rd players, 3rd media -- 2.5 Dame -- 3rd fan, 2nd players, 2nd media -- 2.5 Wonder what the tiebreaker is on this.
Please don't be ridiculous. I love Dame but comparing him to LeBron makes him look bad. When LeBron was with that shit Cavs team the first seven years of his career, once he got to his third season he took them to the second round five years in a row, he took them to the Eastern Conference Finals twice and the Finals once... and that team most definitely was shit. Dame has never had to play on a team that shitty. Since then he has played with some of the best players in the game and has won four titles. Jordan had Pippen and expertly built teams around them. Magic and Bird fell into teams with three and four HOFers as teammates. LeBron did more with a shit team than any of the guys on the list... I'm not saying he's the GOAT but it is either him or MJ. Dame is not in the discussion as much as I love the guy.
I know this isn't an argument about merit but fuck Steph. His team is doing worse than Dame's and Dame is neck and neck with Steph in stats. Luka is the most potent offensive weapon in the league and his team isn't doing much worse than the Warriors. None of the guys are good on defense. The players and media should look at PER which puts Dame first, Luka second and Steph third.
