Yahoo Sports Daily hosts Caroline Fenton and Jason Fitz are joined by The Dunker Spot hosts Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones Jr. to discuss whether the NBA should abolish the 65-game minimum rule for awards in the wake of so many injuries to MVP candidates. Watch the full episode of Yahoo Sports Daily on YouTube or YahooSports.TV.
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Video Transcript
Cade Cunningham, after the last couple of weeks, has rightfully so gotten MVP buzz.
But with the 65-game rule, let’s say Jokic is ineligible, SGA is ineligible, Wemby is ineligible, then do you believe that the league needs to look at changing the 65-game rule and the way that it could potentially impact some of these postseason awards?
And Steve, we’ll start with you.
I’m so glad this was brought up, ’cause someone not named me really was emphasizing this 65-game rule.
Might be Nikai Duncan, you’ll never know.
But for me, I think a, a great season deserves recognition, and I think you can separate who has done what they needed to do, depending on, like, regardless of games played.
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It’s- you have to be incredible to have played 50 games and really be recognized, so we can be honest there.
I think, the 65-game requirement, it just puts such a tight bind on everyone, and now you’re looking at a scenario where Jokic is close to not getting recognized, Wemby’s not- close to get- not getting recognized.
We got Giannis, Stephen Curry, LeBron, who probably won’t get recognized, Luka might not.
Like, that becomes tricky because we’re now opening the door for people who have had great seasons to now be forced to be recognized in certain positions.
I don’t know how comfortable I feel with that.
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But I, I MVPs gonna get real t- like, I like talking about MVP and winding it out early and shortening the list.
You gotta have about eight, 10 names now, because you don’t know necessarily who’s gonna be there at the end, and so it’s gonna be some hair split between Cade, Donovan, Jaylen Brown, Anthony Edwards.
There’s gonna be some alternate names that come into it.
So I, I think the 65-game rule is just a little excessive.
I am a proponent of at least having a games played minimum.
Like, I was fine with 65.
I think, if anything, if you want to alter it to, like, 55 to qualify for awards, 65 to qualify for, like, first team, fi- 65 to qualify for MVP.
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Like, if you could integrate it, if you could split it that way, like, maybe that’s an alteration to where you can get your Jokic’s in, et cetera, et cetera, but you still have this bar set for the highest awards.
Like, I’m fine with that.
I’m fine with having a middle ground baked in, but, like, I don’t think having a games played minimum in and of itself is, like, inherently bad.