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I probably would not have cared to write this one if it weren't for all of those people who don't understand what the words "Triple Double" actually mean (see; Amin Elhassan of ESPN)
Certain sports fans, mostly of a younger generation, have never really seen the triple double player in action. Michael Jordan was an incredible player who flooded the stat sheet every night- but not often with triple doubles. Jordan started playing when the triple double era was ending. In many ways, Jordan didn't win a thing until the triple double legends moved aside to let him have his time under the sun.
Jordan's heir apparent, King LeBron James, is equally capable of completing double digit production in any one of the categories that make up a potential triple double- but even he doesn't get triple doubles very often. At his current pace, he won't finish his career with more of them than legendary big man Wilt Chamberlain who defines the post passer.
Since the era of the triple double ended, the players that have gotten them with some level of noteworthiness have been slim and few. David Robinson would grab one here and there because of his ability to block so many shots. Allen Iverson might have snatched a couple of them when his gambling defense paid off and he actually stole 10 balls to add to the 10 buckets he always gave while trying for steals. Steals and blocks are really tough to come by, so they are the least common stats to round out a triple double. Double doubles are extremely common because many players can both score and rebound in double digits on any given night. But triple doubles? They remain extra special because they are usually done by a certain kind of player.
PASS THE BALL
Triple doubles are something that died with the era of the double digit assist makers. Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, even local favorite Lafayette "Fat" Lever used to post a bunch. Despite a vibrant history of incredible players in the NBA, some of the greatest passers of all-time don't even scratch the list of all time triple doubles. Isaiah Thomas, John Stockton and Steve Nash don't make the list. These players had a unique ability to pass the ball, but rarely could get 10 assists on the same night they got 10 boards or 10 steals as well? Only a few special players have done this over the course of several games, Jason Kidd being the last of the modern era players to get over 100 of them in his career.
Choose who you will for MVP because a credible case can be made for every player in the fantastic foursome of MVP candidates. LeBron has plenty of parts and pieces to work with, but his ability to turn it all into championship quality teamwork is something none of the other MVP candidates could have accomplished. LeBron used to get an occasional triple double himself (7th all-time), but those days are becoming fewer and farther between. LeBron's 36 career triple doubles are a far cry behind Jason Kidd (107) or Magic Johnson (138).
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While you could easily vote him MVP every year, I see LeBron's season as the least MVP worthy of the four, but only because we always try to share MVP love whenever first time candidates prove worthy to get a taste.
According to this standard, Stephen Curry and James Harden looked to be neck and neck in the horse race to win a first time award. With Harden and Curry, their MVP resumes were written early in the season as their teams have lead the western conference race from start to finish. Westbrook, on the other hand, has had to race just to get his team into the race. Is Westbrook unfairly tainted one way or the other by the desperation of his team? Absent Oklahoma City's other best players (Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka), Westbrook has been free to be everything for a team that needs everything on every night just to maintain their playoff positioning. Though he is clearly getting every opportunity to stuff the stat sheet, the man is getting triple doubles every night. Not 50 point games, which some people think is a much harder accomplishment. Triple doubles.
Let's not be confused. 50 points is tough also, which is why NEITHER of these rarities used to happen every night. Unless your name is Westbrook, the rare triple double is still just as rare as ever. The main reason why the triple double remains so rare is because it depends on teammates to make the shot. That doesn't sound like a big deal for pro players, but the coordination of having your team make every shot you pass to them is difficult. Assuming that they miss a few shots(let's say 50%), you will need twice as many assist attempts to achieve half as much success. Westbrook is recording 10 or more assists at the same time that he's scoring 20 and 30 points himself. Add to that the double digit rebounds that he's pulling down every night and it gets hard to understand how you vote against him.
I don't give a lot of credence to the MVP vote anyways since sometimes its a lifetime achievement award whereas other times the voting reflects a lifetime underachievement penalty against deserving players with tense media relationships. Westbrook has typically been that guy, especially during the days when nobody believed he was worthy of taking as many shots as last years MVP, Kevin Durant. Without a healthy Durant, Westbrook has improved his stack ranking on a team where he was already #2 mainly because his ranking is the entire league is also rising fast.
Young sportswriters might not remember the triple double era and they might not be able to forgo Westbrook's edgy past in lieu of his present and bright future, but there are plenty of MVP voters who do remember watching Magic and Bird..and Fat. Westbrook will depend on these voters to help us all decide if the revival of the triple double era is something worthy of an MVP. More importantly, is it worthy of forgetting the fact that most media members were so critical of Westbrook just weeks before he tripled down on the entire league.
LeBron James has logged a few miles, but is still the smartest basketball player on the planet while Stephen Curry has skills with the ball that likely make him the best basketball player. James Harden is too weak on defense to be the best player, but he is certainly the hardest to cover and is MVP worthy for overcoming Houston's loss of Dwight Howard. Westbrook has been accused of playing more for triple doubles than victories, but I find it hard to consider any player who consistently achieves a balanced performance as playing more for balance than victories. 10+ points in the NBA are way too easy for Westbrook, but the rebounds and assists come from effort and selflessness. Those who truly question Westbrook's motives with night after night triple doubles are probably among the group that Russell rubbed the wrong way back in the day.
I would love to see Russell win an MVP just to revive memories of the days of my NBA youth, when triple dubs were often done by the hoop maestro's of the league. Come to think of it, whether he wins an MVP or not, he already has.
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