SGA Just Locked Up His Second MVP Award

We got to talk about a couple of things with Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City played Denver on Monday night.

Outstanding game, back and forth .

Heavyweight action between two of the best teams in the NBA.

Shay Gils Alexander wins it with a, not buzzer beating, but end of the game 3-pointer, just buries it.

Um, stepback 3, brilliant shot from Shea.

Uh, on Shea, did he in that game to you cement himself as the, Two-time MVP.

Did he win that award?

Against Denver on Monday night.

I mean, I never vote until the season's over because Lord knows what can happen, but I think it, when you say cemented, I think that's the right word.

I mean, who's already having an MVP campaign and you could debate a little bit, you know, who was second in that, but.

He was on his way to an MVP anyway, you know, we have Tim Von Temps do those straw polls, and he's won every time, you know, this season.

I voted for Cornett, but you know, I know you and Cornett share Magic City values.

I try to do, man.

Cornett definitely has my vote this time, um, and that's why I don't get players to vote, by the way, um, that, you know, so I think, yes, this, the fact that it was head to head against Jokic.

The fact that a lot of guys on that team are injured.

I know on both sides, but you look at Shay's team and you've got injuries there and he still came through.

I, I had some numbers here on Shay.

He scored 54 times in the last 40 days.

Uh, that, that stat when I saw it, I was like, wow.

Um, he's averaging the season 30 points on at least 51% shooting.

Um, he's tied Wilt Chamberlain's mark of 126 games of at least 20 points.

And by the way, you could be like, oh yeah, whatever, but nobody else has done that.

When, when people are like, oh, that's one of those like on a Tuesday when it's raining, you can do this, but that's not.

One of these stats like to score 20 points ridiculous for more than 100 games in a row.

You know who hasn't done that?

Oscar Robertson hasn't done that.

Michael Jordan hasn't done that.

Kevin Durant hasn't done that.

Kareem hasn't done that.

Kobe Bryant hasn't done that.

LeBron hasn't done that.

So, obviously it's hard.

And so the fact that he's done that.

So, I, I, yes, I think it cemented him for now.

I mean, again, we got to see what the last, you know, month or so of the season, but I, I think he was already on the way to winning, and I think this just underscored it.

And if anything, I think it's a little bit of a debate of who's number 2 on your ballot.

Yeah, I mean that I was gonna bring that up because the debate right now is Shay Jokic.

It seems to be the popular debate, but at some point Victor Wimbayama's got to force his way into that conversation.

Like I know his numbers are not on the level of.

Those other two, and that's largely due to minutes early on.

He had the injury, came back, was on a minute restriction.

They've been easing him back in and being very careful with them as they should be, uh, but when it comes to impacting winning and when it comes to value, is there any more valuable player in the NBA?

I are you asking?

I mean, I know, but I saw, I saw Jalen Brown saying this since before his rookie debut.

I know I saw one of Jalen Brown's, uh, whatever it is, the live streams, and you know, Jalen Brown is very.

Proud of himself as a two-way player thanks to the best two-way player in the game, but it came up that like, what about Wembayama?

He's like, I put Wembayama in a different category.

Like Wembayama is an alien.

Wembayama is not real.

Like that's how much respect the people in the game have for Victor Webayama.

He changes games on both ends of the floor.

What he was doing.

That game the other night where he's just like, he's playing Nerf basketball when everybody else is playing NBA basketball.

Like he's catching the ball.

He's taking two steps.

He's sort of holding it up there like we used to do as kids, dropping the ball into the hoop.

On the other end, he's not even jumping and blocking shots.

He is a menace.

On both ends of the floor.

And when we're sitting there saying that anecdotally, at some point, do we look beyond the numbers and say like, all right, he's not averaging 30.

He's not giving you, you know, 1518 rebounds per game.

Uh, is he even leading the league in blocks right now?

Like he's probably right up there, but he's, the only reason he's not is because people don't shoot the ball around him if he's not leading the league in blocks.

So, at some point, we got to have that conversation.

We get to the end of the year.

If Wemby surges in the same way and he finishes.

You know, with some big wins.

You got the Celtics tonight.

They got some more games, big games coming up.

If he leads this team the way he's been leading them over the last few months, it's gonna be a conversation that should we put aside the numbers and just look at the impact, especially, and, and how far away are they?

They're, as we record this.

With 3 games back of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma City is trying.

Oklahoma City is trying, and they've kicked the crap out of Oklahoma City a few times this season.

So, like, that might be it.

Like maybe, maybe we just have the argument out right here.

Like if they catch Oklahoma City, do you have to vote for Victor Webayama.

I mean, it's a question.

Look, I think that Shea is a more mature, complete player, and I think Victor is well on his way to that, and frankly, in my opinion, will surpass Shea in terms of the ultimate player that he is for all the reasons you just said.

Plus, he's got an incredibly high motor.

He's incredibly competitive.

He wants to get his learning curve is fantastic.

All the intangibles he has too.

I think, you know, with the debate this year, if it does come down to Shea and Wemby, yes, the numbers are going to be part of it.

I, I think there are some other things that are going to come into play.

I think that some people, look, Shay is one of the most consistent players in sports, which, by the way, is one of the greatest advantages you can have.

You talk about valuable, knowing that you will consistently get both an offensive and defense performance out of him that is right up there with anyone, that is hugely valuable.

But he's not the most exciting.

Yes, the game the other day was exciting.

He buried that 3, you know, even he showed uncharacteristic emotion.

But look, I think the reason why some people bristle at voting for Shay sometimes is A, you don't walk away from most of his games that excited and that shouldn't be in the conversation, but people are human and I think it is for some people when I hear them talk about it.

And then you still have that free throw merchant thing hanging around him, and you've heard it more and more, and it just happened this past weekend with Steve Kerr, Mike Brown last week.

I mean, Doris Burke obviously was a big flashpoint when she said it last year, but you have NBA coaches saying it, you know, Mike Brown said he does a great job of convincing the referees, probably better than anyone in the league, that he's getting hit.

That, that's a, you know, that's a quote.

Sour grapes, Mike .

And, and, well, I thought what Steve said was a little bit more kind of.

On the mark, Steve Kerr, when they just played them, said he's incredibly clever.

He knows exactly how to draw contact, and it's all within the rules.

He said, I don't have a problem with Shea.

I do have a problem with the rules.

We as a league hardly allowed the defense to do anything carting the ball.

Obviously, Steve played and won championships in an era where the defense was allowed to do a lot more than they are right now.

Um, but I do know that there are voters who, that is a sticking point for them.

So, I am not one of those voters.

I, I think that, you know, Being good at playing the game and, and exploring every corner of it is actually the sign of a good player, right?

And if they change the rules, my guess is Shea would find a way to play just as well with those rules.

But I know voters who say that that is a mark against him on their ballot.

I know that the excitement around Wemby is going to factor in to a degree.

No one is more excited about Wemby than me.

You know, people know that for however many years, 4 years now, I've been saying this guy is going to be a top 10 player of all the, of all time.

Already before he walked on the court in the NBA, I was absolutely certain that barring injuries, this was going to be a top 10 player of all time.

And frankly, he's developed even faster than I thought, and you could be talking about a top 5 player of all time.

Rich Paul said the other day, LeBron's agent and someone who is very invested in LeBron being remembered in the game and the legacy and all of that, he thinks Wemy could blow by LeBron.

I mean, I, I just, I mean, I, I, I think that you do have to look at him as just a game changer.

And if you don't vote for him for MVP this year, I, I wouldn't be surprised if he's the MVP next year.

And with Jokic, look, I still think you, it's fair if you want to call him the best player in the world.

Like he just does things on a basketball court and elevates the rest of his team.

But I, you know, whether it's the injury , he hasn't come back from it looking like himself, whether it's, you know, again, I talk about fit, he's in that top 10%, but you still have to take into account, Aaron Gordon hasn't been there most of the time.

It's worn down Jokic.

His defense, which was never elite but definitely got to a much better level the past what, 4 or 5 years, he just hasn't been defending at all in, in recent months because I, I think he's exhausted and, and you have to look at both sides of the court when you do MVP.

Victor Wamiyama is averaging 29 minutes per game.

He is leading the league in blocks in that category as he has for the last couple of years.

Um, if you look at his per 36 minutes, which puts him on par with everybody else, he's averaging nearly 30 points per game, almost 14 rebounds per game, 3.7 blocks per game.

The average amount, the numbers are there.

Now, I know you can't do that when you're, You're voting.

You can't project out numbers that don't actually exist, but this guy per minute is as impactful or more as any player in the NBA.

I mean, that's how Joel Joel Embiid won MVP.

It was his per minute stuff was just overwhelming.

there ever been an MVP that's won with less than 30 minutes per game?

Like, I don't know.

That's a hard one.

But, but again, it's, what do you do?

And he missed a chunk of time too, which is tough.

Well, but so did SGA.

Did he miss as many though?

I don't know if I'm not sure if he did , but it wasn't, it wasn't two games.

Um, look, I, I'm not, I'm not campaigning for Wemby to be the MVP this year over Shay, but I'm just sitting, not yet.

That's true.

That's why I said.

You gotta wait till the end of the season.

Um, but I do think it's a legitimate conversation and the fact that the head to head record is what it is.

I mean, the Spurs are, I think, 6-1 against like the top two.

Other two teams in the NBA, I mean, it's clobbered Oklahoma City in two of the three wins they've got.

They've clobbered them like they are in the head of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and that's because of Wemby.

And one thing that I've found really interesting is that young players, no matter how good they are, when you get them in a playoff series, other coaches, if they're good, game plan against them, and they haven't, you know, again, I said Shay's a more complete player like most.

Young players haven't like figured out all the tools that will eventually be at their disposal, even when they're game planned against.

What is so fascinating to me about Wemby is his learning curve.

The fact that he will, you know, he, that game against the Pistons the other night, he was dominant, right?

Dominant even when he wasn't touching the ball.

And he said Detroit played him a certain way earlier in the season, and that he sat down and figured out looking at the tape, what to do differently.

Yes, in a playoff series, other coaches have more time to game plan for you, but in a playoff series, you have days off in between every game.

And this kid is so smart and so competitive and dedicated to finding where he has the edges.

I , I just think that you're not going to beat him over 7 games playing him, quote, a certain way .

I, I don't think that that's gonna happen.

So, uh, it is a conversation.

MVP, you know, we always argue, what does that mean?

What does?

Valuable mean, but he is ahead in some of those categories of what valuable means.

It's just, is it gonna be enough of those categories?

I'll say this right now.

If they catch Oklahoma City in the standings, which you don't have to pass them because you got the tiebreaker, so if they catch Oklahoma City in the standings, Victor Wimbayama should be MVP, yeah, because he's gonna have an impact to the dark side.

Also, that you mentioned that Pistons game.

I, I was there for that, and one of the things, one of the things I had in my notebook after that game was.

Victor Wemiyam made a boxing analogy that I don't think a lot of people caught that obviously I, I did in that moment.

He was falling down a lot in that game and people were asking about that like, well, you get knocked over, you get knocked down.

He's like, Sometimes I fall down on purpose because it's easier than having a guy lean on you, and that's a boxing analogy because in boxing, if you have a heavier guy leaning on your shoulders, you are taught by trainers to take a knee because you don't want that person sapping your energy.

So he's, he's constantly thinking of, you know, that that just reminded me of that when you brought it up like he's constantly thinking of ways to Get a little bit of an edge and I guess he's figured out that falling down a lot, and he said he did a little bit too much in that game , he, he shouldn't do it quite as much, but falling down and not having guys lean on him is going to keep that energy bar a little bit higher as he gets late in this game.

This guy is such an incredible thinker.

He's just such a, a brilliant, brilliant mind in addition to being this, this unique, uh, professional athlete.