Wednesday, February 13th, 2013 at 10:50 am  |  99 responses

Carmelo Anthony Says It’s Too Early to Declare LeBron James the MVP


by Marcel Mutoni / @ marcel_mutoni

The Miami Heat (35-14) have 33 games remaining on their regular season schedule, and unless something drastic happens, LeBron James will walk away with the fourth MVP award of his career (and second in a row.)

Not so fast, says Carmelo Anthony.

Melo — who enjoyed some MVP hype early on — admits that he’s awed by the historic season LeBron is having, but isn’t ready to hand him the Maurice Podoloff Trophy just yet.

Per the NY Post:

“It’s early,” said Anthony. “It’s All-Star break right now. He’s definitely playing like a Most Valuable Player so we’ll see what happens.”

Regardless of whether the media types who eventually decide the award send the trophy to Miami for James, to Los Angeles for Kobe Bryant or Chris Paul, to Oklahoma City for Kevin Durant, to San Antonio for Tony Parker or to New York for Anthony, the Knicks’ superb forward acknowledged his Heat rival has been unreal. “That’s crazy. What he’s doing right now is unbelievable. He’s scoring 30, 40 points on 11 shots, [shooting] 10-for-12. He’s on an incredible run right now,” Anthony said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

LeBron James’ current level of play could begin to tail off later on in the season, assuming the Miami Heat build a comfortable lead atop the Eastern Conference standings (Carmelo’s New York Knicks are in second place, and 3 games back of the defending champs.)

The MVP is very much LeBron’s to lose, which seems like an increasingly unlikely possibility.

  • Add a Comment
  • Share
  • RSS

Tags: , , , ,

Newer Comments →
  • shockexchange

    King James + mastery of “The Rules” = MVP

  • JohnD

    L.B.J.
    first

  • Caboose

    If I had to rank the MVP race right now:
    Bron, Parker, Durant, Paul, Melo, Westbrook. After that it really tails off.

  • underdog

    Despite the fact that LBJ is undisputedly the best basketball player on the planet, I’d rather see CP3 as MVP this year. (if the Clips can stay it the top 3 in the west)

  • robb

    I don’t see how Lebron couldn’t win it. He’s playing one of the best basketball we’ve ever seen.

  • spit hot fiyah

    off course a lot can still happen, but it’s lebron’s to lose

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Gilbert/100001749589586 Mike Gilbert

    Melo don’t got a chance anyway…It’s
    1. Lebron
    1.5 Durant
    everyone else

  • Matt

    In order?

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    it’s LeBron.
    .
    And then Chris Paul and Kevin Durant.
    .
    I 60% expect one of the two who aren’t really the MVP to win it, because that’s how voters think. they get tired of the obvious choice.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    why in the world would Parker be over Paul? it’s most valuable, did you see how bad the Clippers were without Paul?

  • KevinJohnsonFan

    He’s having a better season than he had last year (which was one of the all-time greatest individual seasons). If it continues, they can’t give the award to anyone else.

  • Happy

    That’s a list of the league’s two best players, not necessarily the most valuable. You can’t say CP3 doesn’t deserve it as much as those two do when the Clippers are contenders with him, and a losing team without him.

  • logues

    exactly. otherwise mj would have about 10 mvps

  • Max

    For CP3 to have a chance to win it they have to finish with the best record in the L.

  • Caboose

    We’re gonna end up arguing over the definition of MVP aren’t we? Yes, by that definition, Paul is #2, just outside of #1.

  • AQWORD

    LeBron owns it this year. He ain’t losing nothing. Mellow – Back up off his tip. Underdog why does CP3 deserve it if he aint the best baller on the planet. See that ? I overstood your underhanded way :-)

  • danpowers

    chris paul is doin in the “small mans land” what bron is doin in the “big mans land”. no offense on bron, he is playin as one of the greatest ever. but so does paul. just take a look at the clips record with paul n without him. when he is healthy the team is the best squad in the nba (in the WEST) and they arent even coached well. without him they would struggle to even make the playoffs. take james of the heat, they might do still well coz bosh and wade blay great as well and the team is well coached. that doesnt make brons performance any worse but is also an arguement in the mvp debate.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Gilbert/100001749589586 Mike Gilbert

    I don’t think he is personally, but you are right it could be argued that CP3 is more valuable…but the Clippers would not be a losing team without him, they are 6-6 this year without him and would be better if they were a team without him and not just filling in his role until he comes back.

  • Happy

    They aren’t a playoff team without him. 6-6 is nothing to be proud of. The Heat and the Thunder are both playoff teams without those two guys, making Chris more valuable to his team’s success no matter how you slice it. I don’t understand what you mean by they would be better if they were a team without him. Their record sucks when he’s out, and it really doesn’t matter why.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Gilbert/100001749589586 Mike Gilbert

    I mean when he is out they are filling his role with a bench player…then the rotations get altered…people are playing roles they normally don’t…They would have a better record if he was never on their team and they had permanent roles that they were used to without him. This isn’t like the Bulls team when Rose won MVP. These Clippers have a loaded team!

  • Happy

    How does that not make him as valuable to his team’s success this season as Durant and Lebron? A hypothetical situation doesn’t change the team’s record without him. We can play ‘what if’ with every team’s roster in the league and it wouldn’t strengthen your argument as to why he isn’t the most valuable player to his team as it stands this season.

    (Also, basically that same Bulls team maintained their no. 1 spot the next season when Rose was out significantly).

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    LOL, so what would we argue about? – you have a different definition of words in english?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Gilbert/100001749589586 Mike Gilbert

    no you are right this is stupid and pointless to play what if. It is a tough argument because it isn’t just about facts. You are right though, CP3 should be in the conversation, and while I’m at it I guess I can throw in Melo and TP….I still think it should go to either Bron or KD…I mean they are having historic seasons….

  • boooo

    Personally, i think if the heat lost lebron for the season and the clippers lost cp3, i think clipper would be the better team out of the two! They’ve got bledsoe as their backup pg, and one of the best benches in the league. The heat would only have two quality players left on the team, and battier, cole, allen, chalmers and miller would not be getting half as many open shots as they get now!! So personally, i don’t think there is any argument for anybody but lebron as mvp!

  • http://www.facebook.com/chris.callihan1 Chris Callihan

    Put LBJ or KD on any other team and they are that team’s most valuable player, it’s simple really

  • 23

    Cp3 does make that team a contender. but the Clippers are the most stacked team(talent wise) that I have seen in a long time. I don’t think they became legitimate contenders the day they signed cp3. I think they became serious when they got their role players this offseason. My point being cp3 alone doesn’t make a team a contender for a chip ala LeBron, kobe, Durant or Howard(when healthy). Those guys earned that rep by leading their teams to the finals. Something cp3 has yet to do. now that he has a really good cast I think they got a serious chance.

  • 23

    They are the deepest team I can remember. Those deep Nash-led Phoenix teams come to.mind.

  • 23

    Whose bench is as good as the clips? Which bench in the past several seasons? Maybe the championship Mavs?

  • 23

    I think you’re wrong. Yes lately wade has been on a tear. but he is not very consistent. I don’t think he and Bosh could accomplish anything close to what they are with LeBron

  • 23

    That’s alot. 10? Wow

  • Happy

    That’s a foolish argument. You could put Shaq on any team during his prime and he’d also be those teams’ most valuable player. Should he have won every single year?

    The question is who is more valuable to the team the currently play on. That answer is Paul.

  • danpowers

    wade shares the crown with kobe es the best sg in the l. throughout the last years he was always better / more efficient than kobe. last year he struggled through his injury. dont underestimate him. that guy is a hall of famer and second to none on his position. bosh on any team as the main guy is a 20 – 10 guy. true, with bron they are the team to beat for anyone who wants to win the chip, they are THE contender. without him theyd still be at least in the field of contending teams. cp3s team prolly wouldnt even make the playoffs without him. once again, i dont want to say anything bad about james recent play. i have never seen anything like that b4. jordan, shaq, hakeem all had different ways to dominate. but james just mastered the game with a basketball iq that ive never seen b4 from a forward

  • danpowers

    didnt u see their record without cp3? they are bad coached. yes they have a great bench but this bench loses alot of its punch with bledsoe or crawford in the s5. important players like billups and butler are extremely injury prone. jordan cant play in the cluth and i doubt that griffin is ready yet to hit clutch free throws in tight playoff games down the stretch even if his life depended on it. they stumbled badly without cp3 for a reason. with him they are great tho

  • danpowers

    looked a little different in their last outing but the knicks bench equals the clips bench imo

  • danpowers

    so do the fans. id see it is a nice honour and maybe making up for robbing cp3 e.g. in one of the nash-mvp years. or durant for just pushing a new nba role model. everybody knows that bron is by far the best player in the l, no further validation needed lol

  • danpowers

    …and karl malone none

  • danpowers

    1 lebron

    2 cp3
    3 durant

  • http://twitter.com/niQknacks niQ

    Lebron is just lucky Brian Scalabrine retired.

  • danpowers

    a fair sollution would be to give chris paul the coach of the year award.

  • danpowers

    given the clippers level of talent and record without him the nba should seriously consider handing out coach of the year honours to paul this year

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    uhm, the only person robbed in the Nash years was Shaq. And that was just the first year. The second year? without Amar’e? Nash deserved that MVP. The team was HORRIBLE without Nash on the court. And the best team in the League with him. And i really hate the idea that you would award a player for something that happened over half a decade ago.
    .
    But i do expect Durant or Paul to win for the latter reason.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Gilbert/100001749589586 Mike Gilbert

    lol EXACTLY

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Junior-Taylor/100003121138419 Junior Taylor

    A lot could change in a matter of weeks maybe days. MIA goes to OKC Thursday night and if KD outplays LeBron, I’m betting the narrative changes.

  • Caboose

    Haha oh c’mon, you know how the voters define MVP is ridiculously inconsistent. Best player on best team? Best overall performance? Player whose team would struggle the most without him? It’s some combination of the 3, but in what proportion, I don’t know.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    now now now, you know your opinion should reflect your opinion and not everyone else’s. what is YOUR opinion of the MVP race?

  • Jim

    It is most certainly early but I think this is a case of jealousy. I think he’s just upset that for he rest of his career he has to watch as either lebron or KD get all the mvps

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Gilbert/100001749589586 Mike Gilbert

    I’m not convinced….I mean the Clippers are STACKED without CP3…sure they limped to a mediocre 6-6 without him, but they also blew out the Griz.

  • O

    Melo, you my nucca, but come on, guy…

  • AQWORD

    Ok. Bron is being a great playmaker in the big man’s land + playing great D while keeping his team focused while he’s at it. Exactly, when C.P. is not healthy the Clips are not great. I think Bron should get MVP for staying indestructible. Does C.P. play great D ? Nope. He got schooled by Stephen Curry who in my eyes will surpass C.P. in your debate. Boy got game. Fair enough though . argue on… one outcome though BRON = M.V.P.

  • pposse

    Where is this CP should be MVP over KD coming from?? He doesnt have better stats than KD nor does his team having a better record than the thunder. Ridiculous.

Newer Comments →
Advertisement