Some day, one weary voter pointed out, fans will look back in utter amazement that Michael Jordan finished third in the 1990 balloting for the NBA`s Most Valuable Player.
The contest that gave Magic Johnson his third award in four years Tuesday, and placed Charles Barkley second, was the closest competition in 10 years.
Barkley finished with the most first-place votes, 38, but the 76ers`
star was 22 total points behind Johnson, who collected 27 first-place votes. Jordan had 21 first-place votes and was 43 points behind Barkley.
``I think Michael has wowed us to death, put us to sleep in a way,``
said Miami Herald sportswriter Shaun Powell, the aforementioned voter, one of 92 media members to take part in the balloting.
``He is so spectacular people just take him for granted now. People don`t realize what a phenomenal athlete we`re seeing. But why should we penalize him for having an ordinary Michael Jordan year? I don`t think anyone else is capable of having an ordinary Michael Jordan year.``
Powell voted Barkley first, Jordan second and Magic third.
``I really wrestled with it,`` he said, ``because I saw it as more of a personal preference than, Is this guy better than that guy? I mean, who in their right mind can say that Barkley is better than Jordan? I voted for Charles because I thought he had grown as a player-passing, scoring and rebounding-and during the regular season, I think he grew as a person, being more civil to his teammates.
``Of course, when he points to (Mike) Gminski (in the playoffs) and says, `Get this guy out of here,` I`m saying, `Can I get that vote back?` But this is for the regular season. If it`s for the playoffs, Michael is the unanimous choice.``
Powell was not unlike a number of voters in his rationale. In an informal telephone poll of 20 voters, Barkley led with nine first-place votes, followed by Johnson with five, Jordan with four and San Antonio`s David Robinson with two. Jordan led in second-place votes with 10.
The poll was weighted by the fact the three Chicago writers who voted and were polled by The Tribune all voted Jordan first. The Tribune didn`t have an MVP ballot.
The most incredible aspect of the official tally was that three voters omitted Jordan from their five-name ballot.
``For anyone to leave him off the ballot entirely is outrageous and embarrassing for the panel,`` said veteran NBA writer Jan Hubbard of Newsday. ``We`re not talking Lithuanian independence here, but you have to be responsible.``
In Detroit, Jordan said: ``I guess I can understand an anti-Jordan sentiment. There are going to be some rotten apples in every barrel. Three rotten apples.``
Terry Lyons, NBA director of media relations and one of three league officials who run the MVP voting, said he was not shocked Jordan was left off three ballots.
``We feel it should be in the eyes of the voter and people should interpret it the way they feel is important,`` Lyons said. ``This year`s MVP was impossible to vote for. Off the top of my head, I`d name Magic, Michael, Barkley, Karl Malone and Akeem (Olajuwon), and I just left out David Robinson and Patrick Ewing.
``I think it`s phenomenal Michael finished third and that he was left off three ballots, but I don`t think it`s at all irresponsible. Larry Bird`s name never came up, and some people argue if it wasn`t for him, the Celtics would be wiping up the lottery.``
The criteria for the MVP voting has been an annual debate for years.
``Like Michael Jordan said, `It`s a strange award in that you can`t really define what it is,`` said David Benner of the Indianapolis Star. ``But if they can`t define it, they shouldn`t have it.``
``The MVP award is kind of purposely vague,`` said Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, ``because the league enjoys the fact we sit back and and bicker about it. The whole thing is imprecise.``
The conflict over the definition of MVP was apparent in the reasoning of the voters polled.
``Right up until the day I put in the ballot, I was voting for Jordan. Then the last day I switched,`` said New York Daily News writer Fred Kerber, who voted Johnson first.
``If I had to vote for it right now, I might vote for Jordan. It was that close. If Magic was off the Lakers, they`d still win 40. If Jordan was off Bulls, I doubt they could find the bus. But Magic just played every position this year. And they had the best record in the league. If that sounds like a paradox, it is.``
Some voters admitted to being provincial in their voting. ``Everything MVP stands for, Magic Johnson is,`` said Mitch Lawrence of the Dallas Morning News. ``He carried that club, just refused to let them lose. He also played great against the Mavericks.``
At least one other voter could relate to that way of thinking. ``We saw Michael Jordan score 69 points and he averaged 44 against the Cavaliers,``
said Burt Graeff of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. ``So no one`s going to tell me he`s not the most valuable player.``
