Race to the MVP
By Mike Begley
Let’s talk about the best of the best la crème de la crème. These are the fellas who carry their teams on their back night in and night out. Without this player the team may as well tank their to the lottery. Okay that may be an exaggeration but you get the point. Enough small talk below is is the ballot for this years Most Valuable Player sponsored by the historical WBA Official Merch Store with recently released Lou Gonzalez, Heiko Van Brandt, Shane Strom, and Chuck Henderson retro jerseys, available today while supplies last.
Before we get to the real contenders I would like to mention Benet De Gama, Mathias Kurz, and Alston Irving almost made it on this list. But they didn’t. So let’s forget I mentioned them all together
Kevin Whitlock
The Killer Bee from Appleby, Kevin Whitlock is about to make history besting his own record from a season ago (34 points per game) and setting a new benchmark for scoring proficiency with a brand spankin new league record at 36 points a game. This is unprecedented prowess. Not even the great Mario Bailey or Darond Lyons reached those levels oh you say what about Boom Boom Casey or Wayne Taylor? Nope not even close. The MVP conversation should be over: anyone who sets the new league scoring record surely deserves the MVP? Well not in my book. You see the Outlaws are 15-23 on the road and the truth is Whitlock is actually a ball hog who rarely plays defense. There are two sides to a basketball court and a most valuable player must play on both sides.
Jervan Timmons
Speaking of broken records Timmons once again leads the entire league in both assists and steals. Those 15 assists per game will rank as one of the top 4 in league history while his 6.2 steals will be the most any player has ever averaged. Ever. At 31, Timmons is aging like fine wine in an expensive fridge. With iron man will he has suited up for 77 games at 38 minutes a contest. This veteran floor general has led Miami to a 3rd seed in the playoffs and presents a dangerous matchup to anyone as he strives for his third championship. Timmons deserves worthy consideration as the 2024 MVP.
Artie Duggons
Artie may be the most dominant player in the league. This is what happens when you feed a 7’2’’ behemoth Bailey juice every off season. On one end of the court he averages over 31 points a game per every 36 minutes, and on the other end he is swatting 3 blocks per 36 minutes. These are the type of numbers we can expect in the playoffs when minutes increase. For now he only averages 31 minutes a game. As availability is one of the cornerstones for MVP consideration this will be the knock on him as cruising through the season watching Tony Henderson do the dirty work is not the insignia of an MVP.
Hassan Watt
Now we get to this season’s true MVP: Hassan Watt. This season he has refined his free throw percentage to a career high 92% while also achieving a career high in assist to turnover ratio. We are witnessing one of the best to every lace it up in his prime. With averages of 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists over 76 games at 36 minutes a contest he has effectively carried the aging Fighting Cocks to the number one seed. The two time former MVP is expected to soon add the third to his mantle. Now what Watt really wants is that third championship trophy and for that he must do battle yet again with the WBA’s best. So let’s get to those playoffs!
Developmental League
But before we wrap this one up a word from our beloved Developmental league that is witnessing it’s own MVP race, a tight one between two three hundred pound monsters, Albacete’s number one draft selection Sebastian Solana on the Extenders, and the Massacre’s Douglas Trice on the Savage. Early season favorite Ljupco Calic is the league’s leading scorer at over thirty points a game but went down with a bulging disc for half the season and is not expected to contend for the award. But don’t say this to him because he appears to be on a mission to make a statement.
As GM’s should be aware the developmental league is a crucial tool to a players development. Just looking at our current WBA MVP candidates Artie Duggons spent two seasons in the D league, Kevin Whitlock spent three seasons, and even Hassan Watt got his start winning MVP as a rookie in the D league. Stash em, and cash em my friends.