One of the addicting things about sports is the consistent and entertaining arguments one can make on the various issues, including a player's worth to his team, market or league. 

LeBron James won his fourth Most Valuable Player Award on Sunday.  It did not come as a surprise to anyone, but what was somewhat shocking is that he didn't become the first payer to ever win it unanimously.  James may not have led the league in any one offensive category, but no player was as well diversed.  James averaged 26.8 points per game (#4 NBA), a career best 8 rebounds per game, and 7.3 assists per contest (#7 NBA).  He also averaged a career high 56.5% (#2 NBA) from the floor and almost 41% from three point range.  Every voter noticed his worth, putting him first on their ballot, except one - Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. 

Don't get me wrong.  Washburn is entitled to his opinion. A lot of voters have different definitions of what MVP means.  Washburn felt like Carmelo Anthony meant more to the Knicks than James did to the Miami Heat.  He stated the Knicks would not have been a playoff team without Anthony and that New York suffered through a lot of injuries (Stoudamire, Felton, Chandler) and have an old roster.  What he forgot to mention is that Anthony missed 15 games as well and as old as the Knicks may be, the Heat have their share of elder statemen (Ray Allen is 37 and Shane Battier is 34) and have had a fair share of bumps and bruises (Dwayne Wade missed as many games as Raymond Felton).  I think durability accounts for something and James played in 76-games and keyed Miami's 27 straight game winning streak.  During the second longest run in NBA history, James averaged 27-pts, 8-rebs and 8-asts, while shooting 57.5%, recording 15 double-doubles and two triple-doubles.  James was also the first player in history to score at least 30-pts and shoot 60% in six straight games during a season.  In his seventh game, by the way, he scored 29-pts, grabbed 12 rebounds adn shot 58.3%.

Forgotten in all this debate is that James finished second to Marc Gasol for Defensive Player of the Year.  James was more durable, more well-rounded on offense, and better defensively on the best team in basketball, a team that finished 12 games ahead of Anthony's Knicks.  I don't think Mr. Washburn voted for Anthony over James to get some recognition.  I truly believe he never thought he'd be the only one NOT to vote for James.  I just think he failed to take everything into consideration and that's why he's wrong.  It's unfortunate because he denied James and us of a little basketball history.

Justin Abdelkader's vicious hit on Toni Lydman earned him a 5 minute major penalty and game misconduct. It also earned him a two game suspension. Former Detroit Red Wing Brendan Shanahan is the NHL's Senior Vice President of Player Safety, and decided that the former Michigan State and Muskegon Mona Shores forward will be out for Game 4 and Game 5.

[PODCAST] Foolish Fridays -- Foolish from WJLB joins Shep to talk about Phil Jackson consulting the Pistons, the NBA playoffs and Derrick Rose sitting out.

There is a big difference between excuses and explanations.  The more I read about the Pistons and the reasons for their poor season, the more I interpret their reasons as excuses. Detroit Free Press Pistons beat writer Vince Ellis recently wrote the club had brought in Lindsey Hunter and Nate McMillan for interviews for the vacant head coaching position.  He continued, "One of the gripes heard in the locker room against former Pistons coach Lawrence Frank was his lack of an NBA playing career." What? Really? Is that what its come to? The players on this team won't follow anyone on the bench who hasn't played in the league. Michael Curry played 12-years and captained numerous teams, led the players association, and served as an assistant coach before taking over the Pistons bench.  How'd that turn out? Oh that's right, he was dismissed after a year because some of these same players didn't like playing for him.  I guess the Pistons wouldn't be able to play for Larry Brown (only coach with an NBA championship and NCAA title and he's led eight different teams to the playoffs), Tom Thibodeau (2011 COY and assisted NBA Championship), Greg Popovich (4 NBA titles), Frank Vogel or Erik Spoelstra (defending NBA champion).  None of them suited up in an NBA uniform. When did it become a prerequisite to have played in the league in order to coach a team? Do you think these Pistons realize the best coaches in NFL history never played in the league: Bill Walsh (3 Super Bowls), Don Shula (most career wins), Vince Lombardi (never had a losing season as a head coach in the NFL), Paul Brown.  Do you think they can comprehend that managers like Jim Leyland, Joe Maddon and Earl Weaver never played in the majors.  Do you believe it even crosses their minds that guys like Scotty Bowman (9 Cups as Head Coach and 12 Cups overall), Mike Babcock, Barry Trotz or Mike Keenan never reached the NHL. 

I am tired of giving these Piston players a scapegoat.  Lawrence Frank needs to be held accountable for this disastrous season and he has been by losing his job, but what about the players.  Did they not blow any leads? Did they not fail in their responsibility? Is this the "Diva Generation" we've now come to expect and accept where it's everyone else's fault and not the person in the mirror.  Someone needs to hold these players accountable and stop allowing them to point the finger at everyone else.  Maybe....just maybe...then this organization will get back to where it once was.