It wasn’t too long ago that the AFRO Sports Desk battled over who the best player in the NBA was, LeBron James or Kevin Durant. But after an exciting first week of the new basketball season, that old argument resurfaced in a big way.
Through week one of the abbreviated 2011-2012 season, James’ Heat and Durant’s Thunder are both undefeated, behind powerful outings from the pair of young stars. James’ all around numbers have been eye-popping, including averages of 33 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 2.8 steals and seven assists per game, leading the Heat to a 4-0 start.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are 5-0, and while their most recent win against the Suns saw Durant let his foot off the gas, two game-winning jumpers and averages of 27.4 points, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals, one block and seven rebounds per game has him neck-and-neck with James as an early season MVP favorite. But when it’s all said and done, who will be the 2011 season’s MVP? Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley debate.
Green: A string of 30-point games by Durant was enough to get my attention, as the Thunder got off to a hot start. But the game-winning jump shots against Dallas and Minnesota are enough for me to cast an early vote for Durant as MVP. James still isn’t taking those last-minute shots, and that aspect alone should win anybody over.
Durant is simply more valuable to his team’s success than James. As long as Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are there, Miami will always have a shot at the playoffs. But Durant absolutely needs to score 30 or more to keep the Thunder within arm’s reach of their competition.
Riley: The Heat are stacked but that shouldn’t exclude James from MVP discussions, because he doesn’t have to take the last shot. James’ best gift is as a play maker rather than a shot maker. Durant makes big shots, and that’s a great asset but when you look at the Heat and the way they’re constructed, James makes that team go. He’s the point guard, the defensive stopper, the top scorer and perhaps even the best rebounder. No one in the league can do what he’s doing for the Heat right now, and since when did game winners over awful teams make you an automatic MVP candidate? Durant is going to win MVP eventually, he’s too good not to. But it won’t be this season, because James is playing off-the-charts basketball right now.
Green: James is the best all around player in basketball, that hasn’t changed in years. But as we saw in last season’s Finals against Dallas, heroics in the fourth quarter, not stats, are what the judges want from him. James’ stat line is ridiculous, but why does every Heat player take big shots in the final period of games except him? Durant is slowly rising to the level of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as a player who just expects to succeed in the clutch moments of games.
Riley: James is already defensive MVP right now, with nearly three steals and 1.5 blocks per game. He’s leading the league in scoring and is 12th in the league in assists. You simply can’t ignore numbers like that for a guy who may win both the offensive and defensive MVP awards, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished in the same season since Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon each did it more than a decade ago. Durant’s going to need a lot more game-winners if he expects to win the award over James, because there’s simply no way he can match the all-around impact that James is bringing to the table so far. Feel free to let a couple of game-winners over a pair of teams with a combined 1-6 record trick you, because I’m not. There is no stat recorded for game-winning jump shots, but there are for points, assists, steals, rebounds and blocks. And James is close to the top of the league in just about all of them.
