Cavaliers' Blatt: LeBron an MVP 'in every respect'
It's more than a little early to begin campaigning for end-of-season awards. Timelines aside, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt clearly knows where his bread is buttered.
Blatt went to bat for superstar LeBron James before Tuesday's road victory over the Detroit Pistons, a game in which James scored 32 points with six rebounds and seven assists. Not that James really needs a champion when it comes to the discussion of best player in the league, Blatt appears to recognize that the team's 26-20 start has masked just how good James remains.
Blatt explained before tip-off that he believes James should firmly be in any mid-season Most Valuable Player conversations:
First of all, he's the greatest player in our game, and he's had, since he's been healthy - and really all year, but particularly since he's been healthy - his performance has been as high level as ever. And you don't have to look very far at our record to see what impact he has on this team when he's playing and not playing.
...
Obviously if we look at our own example (in James), then you're looking at an MVP player in every respect. Which is not new news to anyone.
The case for James is always simple, as he remains the best player in the game, even with his production slowing some at age 30 and incredible mileage on his body. He's averaging 26.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists while shooting 49.2 percent from the floor and 35.4 percent on threes, and the Cavaliers more or less fall apart without him, losing 15.8 net points per-100 possessions when he hits the bench.
Advanced metrics don't love James quite as much in the early-going, in part because he's missed time, with the four-time MVP entering play Tuesday ranked 14th in Win Shares, fourth in player efficiency rating and 11th in Real Plus-Minus, for whatever value you may put in those stats.
James suggested last year that the play of the Miami Heat may have precluded him from winning. There's a ton of season left, so the Cavs' record may not stand in James' way come the end of the year.