LeBron James doesn't care about James Harden's consensus MVP season. Even with Harden averaging over 30 points a game and 8.7 assists per game; even with the Rockets in first place in the bizarre Western Conference, James just isn't that impressed -- at least not compared to what he's done this season. That was made abundantly clear when James was asked who he would vote for for MVP this year if he could.

"I would vote for me," James said, via the Associated Press on Tuesday. "The body of work, how I'm doing it, what's been happening with our team all year long, how we've got so many injuries and things of that nature, guys in and out, to be able to still keep this thing afloat, I definitely would vote me."

There's one thing James is right about: The Cavaliers are a mess this year. From weird injuries to weird drama to Tyronn Lue falling ill, there is absolutely no reason that the Cavs should be in third place in the Eastern Conference. But they're there, fighting off teams like the 76ers and the Pacers, who are challenging the Cavaliers from even clinching home court in the opening round of the playoffs.

James is averaging 27.4 points per game, 9.1 assists per game and 8.6 rebounds per game. More than that, he opens up our annual conversation for what an MVP is. Imagine the Rockets without Harden vs. the Cavaliers without James. That's James' best case -- but the voting criteria hasn't been that for a while. If it were, you could never argue for guys like Stephen Curry to get the award on the vaunted Warriors.

"At this point in my career, I'm just trying to break the mold, break the narrative of guys in their 15th year. ... I'm trying to do things that have never been done before," James told The AP. "It's crazy because I'm not setting out to do it. It's just kind of happening organically. I'm just training my body and training my mind and going out and playing and seeing what happens."

The MVP award has gone for James the same way the Coach of the Year award has gone for Gregg Popovich or Bill Belichick in the NFL. People just kind of accept that, by most metrics, James is probably the most valuable player in the NBA, from a value standpoint. However, that isn't necessarily what the MVP is about anymore.

Either way, this year has presented the Cavaliers with some seriously weird challenges that they've had to overcome. If James can do so and lead the team to a deep playoff run this year, then it could be the most impressive feat of his career, MVP or no MVP.