There has been a lot of buzz lately about San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker having an MVP-like season. The idea is gaining even more momentum than it did last year when Parker was playing out of his mind.
But the award went to LeBron James last year and it probably will again this year. That’s just the reality of the situation and you have to accept it. LeBron would have to do something to lose the award before anyone else could win it, and it just doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.
Vegas oddsmakers know this too. You can bet on the MVP race on Sportsbook.com, and you get a pretty good payout to bet on Tony Parker. It’s currently 15/1, that’s good enough to be tied for third with Chris Paul. Kevin Durant is second at 7/2. If you want to go crazy you can bet on Carmelo Anthony at 50/1.
James is the frontrunner though. His odds are 1/6, which means if you bet $100 on LeBron to get the MVP, you win about $16. It seems like free money, but it’s a lot to invest for a small payout and probably not worth the risk should LeBron break his ankle before the end of the season.
The point is that even though Tony Parker is third in MVP odds, he’s still a long shot to win the award. If players started from scratch every year, I think TP would have a much better shot, but unfortunately LeBron has built up his body of work, which makes it his award to lose.
Whether that’s fair or not, that’s how it goes. Like I’ve said before though, the Spurs, their fans and Tony Parker would surely much rather have the championship at the end of the year than any individual award.
