Joel Embiid .... Worse MVP selection in history?

[HighFlyer23]

I know it's a regular season award

But even then, no MVP has ever fallen as hard as Embiid has as soon as the playoffs start

An 11-5 record this year without that donkey for the Sixers also supports this ... Hell Harden had more value to the team because his play seemed to dictate a win or loss for the Sixers over this 7'1" cartoon

Had Jokic played the entire season then this clown may have not even gotten this sympathy MVP ... Statistically Jokic was better any way and analytically he smokes Embiid

I think we can modify Nick Wrights words and confidently take it a step further and state that Joel Embiid is the worst MVP pick in NBA history. The Sixers need to drop this fraud and find a real franchise player .... 5'11" Allen Iverson has more heart than this moron. People would criticize him but he led the Sixers to a win over the 01 Lakers in his 2001 MVP year ... Embiid would have gotten rag dolled by Shaq and injured

[Kblaze8855]

I have to assume Dirk going 2-13 for 8 points being eliminated by the 8th seed is the worst playoff performance by an MVP, who was healthy. I think Malone in 99 went out even worse than that but it was at least a second round. Embiid’s playoffs is somewhere towards the bottom I’m sure but I don’t know if it’s at the bottom.

[HighFlyer23]

I have to assume Dirk going 2-13 for 8 points being eliminated by the 8th seed is the worst playoff performance by an MVP, who was healthy. I think Malone in 99 went out even worse than that but it was at least a second round. Embiid’s playoffs is somewhere towards the bottom I’m sure but I don’t know if it’s at the bottom.

Your right about Dirk but he didn't run away with the award in voting like Embiid did

He didn't cry to get it either

Dirk redeemed himself in 2011 for his career lows ... I don't see Embiid ever leading the Sixers to a title

[ArbitraryWater]

I have to assume Dirk going 2-13 for 8 points being eliminated by the 8th seed is the worst playoff performance by an MVP, who was healthy. I think Malone in 99 went out even worse than that but it was at least a second round. Embiid’s playoffs is somewhere towards the bottom I’m sure but I don’t know if it’s at the bottom.

I read that Dirk injured his shoulder in the last month of the regular season. But I cant find the source right now.

Also

Dirk's father was in critical condition during the series.

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/4094/a-close-look-at-dirk-nowitzki


“We also learn that Nowitzki was hiding something during last year's playoffs:
... while the top-seeded Mavericks were getting shocked by Golden State in the first round of last spring's playoffs, the public never knew that Nowitzki's father, Jörg, was undergoing surgery in Dallas.
Six months later, with the Mavericks commencing the 2007-08 season tonight at Cleveland, Nowitzki didn't mention his father's surgery during a lengthy sit-down interview for this story. The topic surfaced during subsequent interviews with his family and friends.



BTW, OP:


Worse?



https://i.gifer.com/origin/2c/2c46f12963031098ed8082183e86dd3a.gif

[Kblaze8855]

I was shocked the voting went the way it did. Even if you had Joel it didn’t feel like that.

[DMAVS41]

I read that Dirk injured his shoulder in the last month of the regular season. But I cant find the source right now.

Also

Dirk's father was in critical condition during the series.

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/4094/a-close-look-at-dirk-nowitzki





BTW, OP:


Worse?



https://i.gifer.com/origin/2c/2c46f12963031098ed8082183e86dd3a.gif


There were a lot of rumors heading into the playoffs in Dallas that the Mavs were hiding a Dirk injury from the public. I don't remember if it was the shoulder specifically, but that sounds about right iirc. If you were following the team at the time, that would make sense as he did not play at the same level he did most of the year for the last month.

Again, hard to know these things with Dirk because he was so private and stoic about injuries during his prime...but calling him "healthy" given what was circulating around him health wise the last month of the year combined with the very real issue with his dad during the Warriors series...isn't telling the full story.

However, there are two conversations to have.

One is that someone could say...ok, Dirk wasn't 100% either physically or mentally...and that one-off series is explained by that...it wasn't a good representation of how good he was as a basketball player. Much like some of the other best players in history have had miserable series....and I'd mostly agree with that.

The second conversation, though, is that being hurt or not mentally present....isn't an excuse and it doesn't change the fact that Dirk did not play well in that series...doesn't really matter the excuse. When analyzing his career...we know that he didn't play well enough in the 07 playoffs to lead a team to the title as the clear cut best player. Again, doesn't matter the reason when judging a career rather than just talking how good a healthy Dirk was at that time in his career.

Now, of course the Dirk fan in me wants to remind everyone that the 07 Mavs were just nothing of note outside of Dirk, had a poor coach that didn't manage the season or make in game adjustments well, and faced a really bad matchup as well....but similar things can be said for a lot of players.

As you point out though...Dirk had already accomplished a lot in his career at that point. He was coming off upsetting the title favorite Spurs in 06 with a legendary series / game 7 and proved he could lead a subpar title contending supporting cast without a 2nd star to the finals. Not many guys in history are capable of doing that....so I always thought he got too much hate given how good he actually was.

End of the day...players are not always at their best...even all-time greats...and this is where having a great team around them allows for playoff success when the star isn't playing at their optimal level....and Dirk simply did not really ever have that, outside of the 03 season imo.

[DMAVS41]

I was shocked the voting went the way it did. Even if you had Joel it didn’t feel like that.

It was just the Nick Wright..."can't win 3 in a row" if another guy is having close to as good of a season. I'm honestly fine with it in terms of the MVP stuff...but at least now he'll shut the **** up about Jokic not being an all-time great championship first option.

Still waiting to hear how someone like that can rank Joel multiple tiers over Jokic when his knock on Jokic was the playoffs....and Joel still hasn't been out of the 2nd round and doesn't play as well as he does in the regular season.

[tontoz]

Joel was 2nd in the MVP voting the previous two seasons. If he didnt win this year he would have surely been 2nd again, so no he wasn't a bad selection let alone worst in history.

And yes Nick Wright's take on Jokic was idiotic.

[L.Kizzle]

First sentence you state you know it's a regular season award.
Second sentence you mention he fell hard in the playoffs.

Why bring up playoffs right after you say it's a regular season award?

[Patrick Chewing]

I gotta think that this situation is unique. The runner up to the MVP award, who was also the 2-Time reigning MVP goes on to the Finals, wins the Finals and wins the Finals MVP.


In my opinion, Embiid has to be thinking that MVP trophy of his is pretty worthless.

[HighFlyer23]

First sentence you state you know it's a regular season award.
Second sentence you mention he fell hard in the playoffs.

Why bring up playoffs right after you say it's a regular season award?

He was overrated in the regular season

Empty stats that didn't contribute to winning

The team is better off without him

[HighFlyer23]

I read that Dirk injured his shoulder in the last month of the regular season. But I cant find the source right now.

Also

Dirk's father was in critical condition during the series.

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/4094/a-close-look-at-dirk-nowitzki





BTW, OP:


Worse?



https://i.gifer.com/origin/2c/2c46f12963031098ed8082183e86dd3a.gif

**** off **********