(Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
The NBA felt they needed to do something about load management, and they finally cracked down on it.
They hit the players where it hurts the most, messing with their pockets by ruling them ineligible for awards if they didn’t play at least 65 games.
Needless to say, some complained about that, as they believe it’s just a matter of time before an undeserving player wins MVP or makes an All-NBA team.
That includes Philadelphia Eagles beat writer Eliot Shorr-Parks, who took to Twitter to call the league out for that.
The 65-game rule ruined the NBA MVP award
It just doesn’t matter as much as it used to when everyone was eligible to win it
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) April 8, 2024
Perhaps he’s trying to make a case for Joel Embiid to win MVP.
Embiid was well on pace of getting the award again, but he’s only made 37 appearances this season, and there’s no way a player could or should win MVP by playing in less than half of a campaign.
As of now, all MVP and All-NBA candidates are deserving players, and it has nothing to do with how many games they have played.
No player should be considered one of the 15 best of a particular season if they didn’t play enough minutes; being available is a part of the job, a big one.
Jayson Tatum, Nikola Jokic, Anthony Edwards, Luka Doncic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would’ve been MVP candidates with or without the 65-game rule, and the NBA has so much talent right now that it’s virtually impossible to see an undeserving player winning the award or making an All-NBA team just because a star didn’t meet the eligibility criteria.
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