The NBA's Most Valuable Problem

Adam Silver has a problem on his hands.

A big one.

Monumental.

The race for the NBA Most Valuable Player award has become a farce.

In years past, Friday night’s clash between the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder may very well have been one of those games that ultimately determines the MVP winner. For OKC, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander entered the game putting up the most efficient 30-points-per-game season in NBA history as the head of the snake of the best team in basketball. For Denver, Nikola Jokic came in averaging a 29-point triple-double while leading the league in rebounds and assists per game. They are, without question, the two best players in the world operating at the peak of their powers.

And yet, barring something unforeseen, it’s entirely possible that neither star is even

eligible to win the MVP when the regular season ends.

Thanks for nothing, Adam.

Like most things, the NBA’s 65-game rule was created with the best intentions. The load management mantra started by San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich in the early 2010s had become en vogue across the league, and the League’s television partners (and their fans) weren’t happy about it. On any given night, superstars like LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard might suddenly pop up on the injury report with something vague like ‘lower back tightness’ and miss what should’ve been a marquee game for the league.

The fix?

Instituting some stupid league mandate requiring all players to play at least 65-games to

qualify for any postseason awards.

Wait, what? That’s like using a sledgehammer to kill a mosquito.

Did Silver forget that the only MVP winner to play less than 79% of his team’s games (which is what the 65-game minimum represents) was Bill Walton in 1977-78? Or that Walton only won the award that season because it was voted on by other players and not the media?

The games played minimum wasn’t even a problem until Silver made it one.

According to Yahoo Sports’ Tom Haberstroh, of the current top-5 MVP candidates, the only players who are even on pace to reach the 65-game threshold are SGA (66) and Detroit’s Cade Cunningham. Look, Cade and the Pistons are a great story, but I think we can all agree he’d be in the running for the worst MVP winner of all-time if he winds up walking away with the Michael Jordan Trophy this spring.

In Friday night’s Clash of the Titans, Jokic finished with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists, while SGA posted 36 points and 9 assists and walked away with the win. They both looked every bit like the MVP front-runners they are; it would be a shame if neither player is eligible for the award just because some NBA bureaucrats made a terrible decision a few years back without thinking it all the way through. To quote Nuggets' coach David Adelman, “Those two guys in particular (Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander), the rule wasn’t made for them”.

He’s right, Adam.

Fix it.