Why does Stephen A Smith have an MVP vote? Has SGA #1, leaves Luka off top 5.

[1987_Lakers]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daABY8vV93A

:facepalm

[SATAN]

Devin Booker currently has 52 points after Luka's 48 yesterday. :lol

Anyway, controversial takes aren't really a new thing when it comes to awards. :confusedshrug:

[SaltyMeatballs]

SAS is a closet racist

[ArbitraryWater]

racist obv

[warriorfan]

it’s a blatant troll and some guys fall for it every time and make him the highest paid sports guy for spouting garbage 24/7

[1987_Lakers]

it’s a blatant troll and some guys fall for it every time and make him the highest paid sports guy for spouting garbage 24/7

He left Luka off the All-NBA First Team last season when he voted, was he trolling as well?

Stephen A has a history of hating on Luka


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT-QQAxeuag

[tontoz]

I don't watch First Take at all. Occassionally i will check out his clips when he is trolling the Cowboys but other than that i just ignore him.

[iamgine]

He knows where his bread are buttered. Very smart man.

[rawimpact]

Let the nba players and coaches select MVP...

commentators are biased... they draw attention/ratings with hot takes.

[tpols]

He left Luka off the All-NBA First Team last season when he voted, was he trolling as well?

Stephen A has a history of hating on Luka


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT-QQAxeuag

The funniest clip in that video is Stephen A predicted the Suns would blow out Dallas in their Game 7 @ the 1:00 mark.

:roll:

That's gotta be one of the biggest backfires of all time.

[Patrick Chewing]

We really need an answer? He's a confirmed racist.

[elementally morale]

Trolling is one thing but if he does vote this way he is ruining the product he is selling. If you know the voters don't take their job seriously why would you care about the outcome? Just to find out whose agenda is winning this time is not that interesting.

[FultzNationRISE]

Trolling is one thing but if he does vote this way he is ruining the product he is selling. If you know the voters don't take their job seriously why would you care about the outcome? Just to find out whose agenda is winning this time is not that interesting.


Are you new to the MVP award? It has always been about agenda and narrative.

Stephen A is a particularly shameless example, but this is the way it's always been.

It's a meaningless award.

[elementally morale]

Are you new to the MVP award? It has always been about agenda and narrative.

Stephen A is a particularly shameless example, but this is the way it's always been.

It's a meaningless award.

When the 'What is the MVP about' question was asked here 15 years ago my reply was this: Most valuable to those who cast votes. In other words: Most valuable to the media as in: best story that year -- the story that sells best. So no, I think I'm neither new nor unaware. However, the very thing SAS does here is destroying value even for the media. He is destroying the product he wants to sell.

As long as it is agenda driven but believable to the viewers the media is fine. So you could argue for Embiid last year. I think it was wrong but I could see it resonating with a considerable chunk of the fanbase - call it race-based or woke or anti-something or whatever. But the bad guy needed to be in the running at least. Leaving Jokic or Luka out of the top 5 and not by 'accident' (Jackson) but trying to build an actual case for it to seem justified makes the whole thing unworthy of any attention.

I'm not saying they are ruining the award for purists and hardcore fans -- that's well in the past. I'm saying they are ruining it for their own audience.

[iamgine]

When the 'What is the MVP about' question was asked here 15 years ago my reply was this: Most valuable to those who cast votes. In other words: Most valuable to the media as in: best story that year -- the story that sells best. So no, I think I'm neither new nor unaware. However, the very thing SAS does here is destroying value even for the media. He is destroying the product he wants to sell.

As long as it is agenda driven but believable to the viewers the media is fine. So you could argue for Embiid last year. I think it was wrong but I could see it resonating with a considerable chunk of the fanbase - call it race-based or woke or anti-something or whatever. But the bad guy needed to be in the running at least. Leaving Jokic or Luka out of the top 5 and not by 'accident' (Jackson) but trying to build an actual case for it to seem justified makes the whole thing unworthy of any attention.

I'm not saying they are ruining the award for purists and hardcore fans -- that's well in the past. I'm saying they are ruining it for their own audience.

Not sure if their audience care that much whether Luka make or not make Stephen A's top 5.

[FultzNationRISE]

As long as it is agenda driven but believable to the viewers the media is fine. So you could argue for Embiid last year. I think it was wrong but I could see it resonating with a considerable chunk of the fanbase - call it race-based or woke or anti-something or whatever. But the bad guy needed to be in the running at least. Leaving Jokic or Luka out of the top 5 and not by 'accident' (Jackson) but trying to build an actual case for it to seem justified makes the whole thing unworthy of any attention.

I'm not saying they are ruining the award for purists and hardcore fans -- that's well in the past. I'm saying they are ruining it for their own audience.


It’s getting plenty of attention here, isnt it?

[elementally morale]

Not sure if their audience care that much whether Luka make or not make Stephen A's top 5.

I have no idea.

The thing I have in mind is if you need a villain you need to make them seem dangerous and powerful. If it is the 'big white villain' that suits your purposes, so be it (from a marketing standpoint not a moral one). But if your villain is weak and laughable you don't have a villain.

[elementally morale]

It’s getting plenty of attention here, isnt it?

It sure is. It will get its attention among purists and hardcore fans but that's not the audience these guys are selling to. Will it make us watch more SAS in the future? Or more NBA?

Your point is easy to see: as long as it is talked about it's good marketing. We talk about it so it must be good. Well, I'm no expert but I'm tempted to think we are not the originally targeted group. Or are we?

It seems to be just another failed attempt at staying 'relevant, fresh and bold'.

[FultzNationRISE]

It sure is. It will get its attention among purists and hardcore fans but that's not the audience these guys are selling to. Will it make us watch more SAS in the future? Or more NBA?

Your point is easy to see: as long as it is talked about it's good marketing. We talk about it so it must be good. Well, I'm no expert but I'm tempted to think we are not the originally targeted group. Or are we?

It seems to be just another failed attempt at staying 'relevant, fresh and bold'.

Their target group is bored people looking for videos to click.

So you tell me.

[elementally morale]

Their target group is bored people looking for videos to click.

So you tell me.

Borderline. I did not click on the video but I did click on the thread multiple times, thus possibly helping the video spread. I may qualify.

The Thinking basketball channel creates videos good enough for me to have become a subscriber. Works much better for me. SAS has greater viewership, I guess without checking. But let's get out of the nuances for a bit.

As you seem someone who does care and puts thought into these issues regularly, what do you think SAS' motive really is? Does he know what he really thinks or the only thing he thinks is what he must say to seem like someone who believes in what he thinks? What is the ultimate agenda here? If it is only 'serving the masses' than we must assume the masses would leave Luka out of the top 100. SAS would only be riding a wave that is there even without him saying a word. However, he may also be an actor in creating such waves. I think it is the latter.

So what do you think SAS thinks?

[basketballcat]

Has Stephen A taken the racist mantle from Kendrick Perkins for this year's anti-white MVP hit job? These clowns ...

[FultzNationRISE]

Borderline. I did not click on the video but I did click on the thread multiple times, thus possibly helping the video spread. I may qualify.

The Thinking basketball channel creates videos good enough for me to have become a subscriber. Works much better for me. SAS has greater viewership, I guess without checking. But let's get out of the nuances for a bit.

As you seem someone who does care and puts thought into these issues regularly, what do you think SAS' motive really is? Does he know what he really thinks or the only thing he thinks is what he must say to seem like someone who believes in what he thinks? What is the ultimate agenda here? If it is only 'serving the masses' than we must assume the masses would leave Luka out of the top 100. SAS would only be riding a wave that is there even without him saying a word. However, he may also be an actor in creating such waves. I think it is the latter.

So what do you think SAS thinks?


His motive is well known. He resents white people. It’s an authentic motivation, but now that he knows everyone knows, he plays up the shtick even further and really gets that audience raging.

Doesnt matter to me because I dont watch a second of anything he does. His show targets simpletons, and there are a ton of them in the world so hes not goin anywhere. Deal with it.

[elementally morale]

His motive is well known. He resents white people. It’s an authentic motivation, but now that he knows everyone knows, he plays up the shtick even further and really gets that audience raging.

Doesnt matter to me because I dont watch a second of anything he does. His show targets simpletons, and there are a ton of them in the world so hes not goin anywhere. Deal with it.

Truth be told I never got close to identifying his agenda because he presents himself in a way that I always found hard to listen to more than 20 seconds.

Anyway, let's assume you are perfectly right (I do believe you). The overwhelming majority of NBA fans worldwide is non-black. It has to be. In the US the black population is like 12% and worldwide the number among those with access to NBA games is smaller. I don't know the ethnic background of basketball fans in general but I have a feeling black people are the minority here. So help me out: is SAS talking to a subset of simpletons here in your opinion in which subset his take is being viewed as a crusade? I mean... is you are right about both his motive and him not going anywhere something must work in his favor, right? And we can agree on it not being his intellect and nuanced reasoning.

[Kblaze8855]

I’m not sure anybody is going to get enough votes off sheer numbers anymore .Not as a 5th seed. Harden had back to back seasons of 34 and 36 points a game with like eight assists seven rebounds or something like that both of those teams better than the Mavs are now and he didn’t win. It’s often inconsistent I know, but it certainly can’t be surprising that somebody doesn’t get the votes as a fifth seed when a bunch of people are doing incredible numbers on really good teams.

[FultzNationRISE]

I’m not sure anybody is going to get enough votes off sheer numbers anymore .Not as a 5th seed. Harden had back to back seasons of 34 and 36 points a game with like eight assists seven rebounds or something like that both of those teams better than the Mavs are now and he didn’t win. It’s often inconsistent I know, but it certainly can’t be surprising that somebody doesn’t get the votes as a fifth seed when a bunch of people are doing incredible numbers on really good teams.

Yup.

People are gonna vote for whoever they wanna see win it. Then theyll adapt their criteria to suit that choice. Whether it’s team record, raw stats, advanced stats, whatever best supports the guy they already decided they want to see win.

You could absolutely justify voting for Doncic at least in the top 3. You could also justify not doing it by using different criteria.

Not only is there no objective answer, but voters arent even consistent in their subjectivity. And thats why these awards and selections are meaningless.

[FultzNationRISE]

Thats why its funny to me when people rank players by talkin about “well he did x amount of MVPs, he made first team x amount of times, was a finals MVP x times” yadda yadda.

So basically, your opinion is just a catalogue of other peoples opinions. Because thats how those accolades are decided. And thats… pretty stupid.

Like if you cant articulate something about a players GAME that you believe puts him ahead of tom and dick but behind harry… you dont need to be offering up your rankings for public consumption. We dont need more convoluted cataloguing of how many times the dumbass media picked this or that guy for something, and suggesting that defines “greatness.”

[elementally morale]

People are gonna vote for whoever they wanna see win it.

In theory that's the idea. To vote for someone you want to see win. If there is a voting process it's always a popularity contest. You want to take the subjective element out of it? You can create awards based on stats... and then attack the humans that came up with a specific stat (Hollinger is an easy target) or even the ones keeping the stats.

At any rate, if you have humans voting the first thing you are looking for is some diversity in the votes. If everyone votes the same... etc. So people are voting based on who they want to see win -- so far it is the way it was designed. The problem is we want these people to give us reason. They need to tell us 'why'. Just because I want him to win is an answer we don't like. So for us to accept it there needs to be some 'logic' involved. Why? I don't know. Maybe because we want to feel an award is 'deserved'. As if votes alone wouldn't be enough justification.

I prefer coffee to tea. Why? And here comes a long and rather unnecessary monologue defending my position. I shouldn't need to defend it though.

If you give direct instructions to people who do the voting like a guideline or something as to what is acceptable and what is not, you don't need individuals any more for the process.

[Duffy Pratt]

Why get worked up about SAS? He frequently makes it clear that he doesn’t watch much basketball. Instead, he mostly relies on stat sheets. And mostly what he does is try to get a rise out of people. He’s basically a well-paid troll.

As for the MVP, the main problem with it is how seriously people take it. This year, there are at least five people who are having MVP caliber seasons (Joker, SGA, Luka, Giannis and Brunson). Maybe more. The fact that any one of them will actually win should do nothing to diminish what the others have done. Moreover, it is an individual award in a team game. Unfortunately, the League has focused almost all its marketing on stars, on individuals, and this has sold - to the detriment of the game and of people’s understanding of the game.

[AlternativeAcc.]

I’m not sure anybody is going to get enough votes off sheer numbers anymore .Not as a 5th seed. Harden had back to back seasons of 34 and 36 points a game with like eight assists seven rebounds or something like that both of those teams better than the Mavs are now and he didn’t win. It’s often inconsistent I know, but it certainly can’t be surprising that somebody doesn’t get the votes as a fifth seed when a bunch of people are doing incredible numbers on really good teams.

Westbrick won off sheer numbers as a 6th seed. Durant narrative played a huge role.

[SATAN]

Thats why its funny to me when people rank players by talkin about “well he did x amount of MVPs, he made first team x amount of times, was a finals MVP x times” yadda yadda.

So basically, your opinion is just a catalogue of other peoples opinions. Because thats how those accolades are decided. And thats… pretty stupid.



This is a pretty interesting point tbh. Many aspects of society feel totally archaic now. We have so much information available to form our own opinions.

[BarberSchool]

Shai at #1 is totally justified. This week especially lol.
Shai is extremely efficient, among league leaders in several categories.
Shai has a very young team #1 in the west.

Luka not being at least 5th place is sus.

Keep in mind tho:

Steven A is playing an annoying character,
just like Skip is playing an annoying character.

Steven A most important target audience are not viewers.
Steven A most coveted demographics are his loxist employers.

[1987_Lakers]

Shai at #1 is totally justified. This week especially lol.
Shai is extremely efficient, among league leaders in several categories.
Shai has a very young team #1 in the west.

He has missed 3 of OKC's last 4 games.

[BarberSchool]

He has missed 3 of OKC's last 4 games.
That’s a fair point.
Point I was making, was Shai being number 1 isn’t any sort of proof Steven A is a racist.
Steven A on air personality is certainly flirting with anti-white, anti-euro racism, but I don’t think he is, I think he just knows his employers like it.

Shai deserves some #1 votes.
So does Jokic.
So ‘did’ Embiid.
Luka has certainly put up MVP numbers:
1st in PPG
2nd in assists.
2nd in 3FG made.
7th in steals.:eek:
PF rebounding.
But the one thing that makes me think Luka hasn’t earned MVP yet, is just HOW MANY times Luka simply gives up on a defensive possession.
His post defense and steals are good.
But his perimeter defensive footwork and footspeed is dead last amongst starting guards in the NBA.

But all that said, Luka is the most offensively skilled player in the league. His teammate Kyrie has much better handles, and is an even crazier tough shot maker ….. but overall, for offensive skill and offensive impact and efficiency …. Luka’s shot making, counters, gravity … and especially Luka’s passing, especially out of double teams, and cross-court bullets on the money… he’s a truly incredible passer. He’s like a bigger, more efficient Harden with nearly Curry’s gravity, Peja’s range and high release, but much better passing than anyone besides maybe Halliburton or Jokic.

He deserves AT LEAST 5th place MVP from every voter, if they want to have their opinion taken seriously.

[8Ball]

Jamal Murray has missed like 15 games this season.

Joker the MVP.

Voting Shai is just a racist vote at this point.

[tontoz]

It was a lot easier to make the case for Shai a month ago. His game fell off a bit in March. Not sure why.

[Manny98]

SAS is a closet racist

Stephen A has always had a anti-european agenda, the fact that the two best players on the planet are white and European must have him fuming

[FultzNationRISE]

Stephen A has always had a anti-european agenda, the fact that the two best players on the planet are white and European must have him fuming

Chill.

Lebron hasnt retired yet.