I have nothing but scorn for Shaq's whiny reaction based on his chronic unease with other big men, but... I do have to admit that he was the effective league MVP for quite a few more years than he ultimately won.
So in a general sense I'm not that bothered by his saltiness when it comes to MVP's.
Awful, awful timing. The NBA gotta change this bad habit, it interferes with the PO, at least. They could give the award, one per day, during the play in.
Also, so happy for Jokic, idc what Shaq says from his desk
I agree the timing needs to be improved and I think your idea of during the play in is perfect. Helps build the hype leading into the playoffs during the off days.
Kind of interesting ANT Edwards barely got any votes as the best player on (admittedly deep) MN team that finished 1st in the conference. Kind of crazy SGA got more than him if you think your teams record matters in this voting.
These awards and accolades are usually late and slow though and MN has been a non factor for so long I think it's just laziness in voting, and I think Edwards was still largely ignored by NBA establishment--but not after these first 6 playoff games will he be ignored anymore.
You're totally right, I missed them dropping in the last month of the season or so. Still, feel like Edwards got a surprisingly low vote tally for what MN accomplished. They were on top for a good chunk of the season.