National Media At It Again!
Luka Doncic is in the spotlight with the Lakers and old narratives about his defense are being used to remove him from MVP consideration. Trevor Lane explains why this is completely wrong…
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28 Comments
I think we should be a bit more upset if Luka doesn’t win it because luka is just as deserving if not more deserving than the rest.
He has better output than SGA and wemby overall (wemby also played LESS than LeBron this year but is somehow one of the front runners for MVP) while getting his team to 3rd in the west (behind two of the most stacked rosters in the league). Jokic has better stats but his team isn’t doing as well so the goalposts are moved there just to favor him over Luka.
They never said another former MVP winner defense isn’t good is the reason why he shouldn’t get the MVP even though he’s playing the best basketball in the whole league
If they're gonna put so much emphasis on defense then Wemby should get it
It's interesting. When all these opinion makers talk about SGA, Wemby, Jokić and Brown, everyone is talking EXCLUSIVELY about what ARE GOOD AT, never about their shortcomings. When they talk about Luka, it's MAINLY about his SHORTCOMINGS. And when they have to admit Luka's the best offense player, it goes like "yeah, Luka does Luka thing, he's the best" – sort of as an afterthought …
P. S. Why there is no "best offense player award"? Is offense such an unimportant thing in USA basketball that even doesn't deserve the special award. Or what?
Well said Trevor. It's always the Boston guys over and over. And many of them work for ESPN and even worked for Bill Simmons who's the ultimate LA sports team hater. So their selective old narrative nonsense is featured prominently. They came really close to robbing Matthew Stafford for the MVP Award. So very annoying! I have no doubt they'll screw Luka. As AR said "Maybe he needs to average 60". 👎☹
What does Most Valuable Player mean? Most valuable to whom?
The Lakers are 0.500 team without Luka.
Might as well rename the award to "Best Player."
Dirk and Nash weren’t defensive stoppers lol
Man, you have to mention this 4 on 5 situations because he stayed back and complained to the officials every damn time it happens- please show me a superstar who NEVER does that in a game? Every time Luka does it, broadcasters and everyone dwell on it, then on the very next posession LeBron or someone else does it and it's crickets. Can we stop sticking to the narratives as much and observe with an open mind for once?
Jaylen Brown over Luka is wild…
This Mannix guy has been a Laker hater for years
Chris Mannix does not watch games, clearly. Who gives these guys a vote? And they wonder why the MVP award is now a joke.
Lika was on a number one defense in Dallas when they went to the finals. It doesn't help when people like Perk, Windy and Jay Will can't hide their dislike of Luka even when he should be getting flowers. WIndy just doesn't like the guy and Perk said Dallas won the trade the day it happened. Does anyone think OKC wouldn't be a championship team with Luka. They might even be better. SGA is not on Luka's level and his defense is overrated because of the team he is on.
I think the MVP concept can be over simplistic, subjective or popularity driven. Alternatives?
Regular season best player (SBP): the player with best overall stats: scoring, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks.
NBA Finals best player (FBP): the player with best overall stats throughout the series regardless of winning or losing.
Offensive player of the year (OPOY): the player with the highest scoring/assists average throughout the season and the Play Offs.
Defensive player of the year (DPOY): the player with the best overall defensive stats (rebounds, blocks & steals).
If you know Chris Mannoxx, then this isn't a surprise. He's a douche.
Didn't he do this against Kobe too but cited "efficiency".
Is Luka hate being proliferated by Lemedia propaganda machine?
Boston fans are just salty AF
Sport analysts are all basis as contradict themselves they just don’t want to see Luka there
Defence (or lack thereof) is usually not a problem for voting MVP.
I have never been super high on SGA. I'm just not sure we would be talking this much about him if he wasn't on the best team in the league. OKC is 8-4 without Shai, with two of the losses against Detroit and San Antonio – they also lost a game to SA with out Shai. Point being that OKC is a very good team without Shai.
On the other hand we were still talking about players like Luka and Jokic when their teams weren't crushing the standings.
Lakers is 6-6 without Luka. Denver is is 10-6 without Jokic with their only quality win among those games being against Boston.
Boston is 10-1 without Brown with all but one of the wins being against mediocre teams.
SA is 10-4 without Wemby.
Detroit is 10-3 without Cade.
This is not exactly conclusive, but I think it shows tendencies that Brown, Cade, Wemby, and SGA are on teams that play (almost) equally well without them, whereas Lakers and Denver struggle more without Luka and Jokic. To me that matters more when we are talking about Most VALUABLE Player than specifically which end of the ball they are making most of their impact.
All of them deserves to be in the discussion. Brown is the only one who really shouldn't get it in my opinion. I'm fine with any of the others getting it. But don't tell me Luka is not in the top tier.
I mean Wemby said it best… defense is literally half of basketball and should be taken into consideration for most Valuable player
We got Laker fans who hate on Luka, how can you cry the media is mistreating him without calling out your own idiots in the fanbase.
Who is this guy? He has a vote? Smh please
3 weeks ago nobody talk Wemby as MVP.
It was SGA,Luka,JB,Joker,maybe Cade…
In past 3 weeks Luka went crazy,40+p/game,steals,Lakers 3 place…
In normal world,those numbers are good enough to bring Luka at 1st place MVP ranking.
All the others clearly behind,not even close.
So far,so good.
Even my 5 years old grandchild understand that shit.
But….
USA/NBA media are NOT the normal world.
I,am from Slovenia like Luka so is hard to understand at the begining all this what happens right now whit Luka hate.
But in time it,s cristal clear what,s going on.
For me,as European maybe easier
as for you,US citizen,because I,am not directly involved.
Anyway,long story short-it,s all about skin colour!!!
Simple as that!
Basketball skils have nothing to do whit it!
MVP voting is comedy.
Nobody respekt voters anymore,because they are 90% racist…both side,white or black.
It,s sad,ridicoulois and idiotic.
Mathematic is a science.
It can show you everything.
When you look at the numbers,it,s clear-Luka is MVP.
White or black,doesn,t matter.
Idiotic,racist comments all around MVP voting in last 2,3 weeks are just nonsense.
And after 3 weeks of crazy comments,media came out whit Wemby!
He,s black,that only what matters!!
In basketball language,that,s what only count for me,is he millions miles behind Luka.
Yes,this season.
Ty,wake up America before is too late.
Only good thing about MVP is,like Luka said 50 times for Slovenian media,where I ,m from too,that he doesn,t gives a shit about it,haha.
The ring is for him only what matters.
Fact.
Thanks for speaking up Trevor! I cant stand this bullshit about Luka not playing defense. Yes, he’s not the top 10 defender but he is average like most of the league. I dont see Jokic, Harden or Curry playing good defense but they’ve won MVPs, why suddenly defense is an excuse for Luka not winning it? Why nobody in the media stops with this narrative? More people on the lakers side should stand up and talk about this because let’s be real, without Luka, lakers is a playin team and I feel sad for Luka.
Trevor mentions what Luka has done recently as far as defense. So what about the months prior to his current defensive growth? Also bringing up East coast bias.
As always, everyone out go get the poor Lakers. lmao
In the last 20 years Nash has won 2 MVPs, Dirk 1, Rose 1, Steph Curry 2, Harden 1 and Jokic 3.
That's 10 out of 20 MVPs being defensive liabilities. And Luka isn't worse than any of them on defense, matter of fact he is better. All these anti Luka agendas are hilarious.
Trevor you the Goat .