LeBron James Wasn’t A Unanimous NBA MVP: So What?

In the end, does it matter?

The Twitterverse was buzzing on Sunday as the sporting world awaited the “results” of the 2012-13 NBA MVP balloting. There was no drama. The games had already been played, so the coronation was the only thing awaiting the well-rested LeBron James. Truly, there could not have been a less dramatic moment on the sports calendar. The lone question on the board was whether James would win unanimously.

And, when it was discovered that a single first-place was bestowed upon Carmelo Anthony, a full-on journalistic sleuthing effort was conducted by the Twitterverse Bureau. Dan LeBatard (@LeBatardShow) was the media member fingered as the likely culprit in the early returns, but like a Scooby-Doo episode, there was a twist to the story. LeBatard’s name was dragged through the Twitter spin cycle before it came to light that Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe had actually voted for Anthony to deny James the glory of a unanimous selection.

Washburn defended his logic in the paper, yet the national furor remains.

I don’t see why this is an issue. We get caught up in the term “valuable” and what it means. In the end, the right guy won the award. The Knicks had been obsolete for a long while, and the Anthony-led squad ripped off 54 wins. It was an improvement of 18 wins over the 2011-12 season.

Let’s have this conversation once James adds two more MVP trophies to his mantel. Then, we’ll see whether more voters start to find alternate options as they did during Michael Jordan’s heyday. This single vote is a blip on James’ road toward another NBA Championship. Given the myriad stories percolating in the sports landscape, the fact that this is an issue astounds me.