Reigning MVP LeBron James is having an MVP-caliber season for the Miami Heat, but it’s really New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony who deserves the award more. Nothing against James, but Anthony is easily the more deserving player solely based on overall value.
Let’s take a look at the numbers. As Miami’s star small forward, James has simply done it all in another excellent season for the team. On the season, he is averaging 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game, all of which lead the Heat.
James is also shooting an amazing 56 percent from the field and 40 percent from long range, not to mention, posting 1.7 steals per game. For someone who stands only 6’8″, 250 pounds, those numbers are absolutely unbelievable and definitely worth of what would be a fourth MVP trophy for him.
But let’s not forget that the Heat are a star-studded team, and they wouldn’t exactly be screwed in the event of James going down with a serious injury. They also have great players in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the roster, both of whom are A-list talents in their own right.
Anthony, on the other hand, is a different story. Looking at the Knicks’ roster, he is really the only bona fide star player outside of the oft-injured Amar’e Stoudemire. Nothing against players like Tyson Chandler and J.R. Smith, but they aren’t exactly guys that GMs look at and say, “I could build a team around them!”
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Granted, Anthony’s numbers aren’t as glamorous as James’, but he is still leading the NBA with 28.6 points per game and has shot 45 percent from the field, plus 38 percent from long range. The man has also been phenomenal as of late, as his Knicks have won 13 games in a row.
Over his last five games, Anthony is averaging an eye-popping 40.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, shooting 61 percent from the field and 59 percent from three-point range.
The same cannot be said for James, who has only appeared in two of Miami’s last five games due to a sore hamstring. Over that stretch, he has averaged 27.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and six assists while making 70 percent of his attempts from the field. Those numbers are not bad by any means, but Anthony’s production as of late has been almost Jordanesque.
Throw in that New York has gone 6-7 without Anthony in the lineup this season, while Miami has gone 2-1 without James, and it’s clear which man is the more valuable player.
That all being said, while James may have the better numbers on paper, he is nowhere near as valuable to the Heat as Anthony is to the Knicks. New York would be sunk without its star scorer, and the man deserves nothing less than an MVP trophy at season’s end.
