| Kevin Durant (ESPN.com) |
The top candidate to win the Maurice Podoloff trophy for league MVP is Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant's Thunder have a league best record of 32-8, and six of the past ten MVP winners have come from the team with the league's best record. Durant has led the league in scoring the past three seasons, and currently ranks second in the league with a 29.3 points per game average. Durant is having one of the most efficient seasons in the history of the league and one of the greatest shooting seasons of all time. He is on pace to become just the 8th player to ever convert on greater than 50% of his field goal attempts, 40% of his three point attempts, and 90% of his free throw attempts. Even more ridiculous, Durant is able to maintain this efficiency despite ranking third in the league in both field goal attempts and free throw attempts. Durant is the single most unstoppable scorer in the NBA today, which he demonstrated in putting up 52 points, including the game winner in overtime, on the Dallas Mavericks on January 18th. He possesses limitless shooting range, an extremely diverse arsenal of offensive moves, and the athleticism to get out in transition. What has elevated Durant's game and that of his team are the improvements he has made as a passer, rebounder and defender. Durant is averaging a career high 4.2 assists per game and has proven time and again that he will find the open man and create plays for his teammates. The most noticeable improvement Durant has made is on the defensive side of the ball. When he is on the court, opposing small forwards have a player efficiency rating of just 8.0, well below the average of 15. Durant uses his length to disturb his opponents and is averaging nearly 3 combined steals and blocks.
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| Chris Paul (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) |
Durant's main challenger for league MVP is Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers. Paul's Clippers have a record of 31-9, the league's second best mark, and have had a 17 game win streak this season. Since arriving in Los Angeles in 1984, the Clippers have been a perennial laughingstock, lying in the shadow of tinseltown's more glamorous team, the Los Angeles Lakers. Paul's trade to the Clippers in the summer of 2011 instantly turned them into Lob City, the NBA's most entertaining, high-flying act. With Paul running the point, and athletic specimens Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan in the front court, the Clippers became a highlight reel of endless alley-oops, and overtook their rival Lakers as the main attraction at the Staples Center. Paul ranks second in the league with 9.7 assists per game and scores just under 17 points per game. Paul possesses an uncanny understanding of the game of basketball, and is arguably the best in the world at creating open shots and opportunities for his teammates. His court vision, ability to make any pass, and unselfishness make him the archetype for how a point guard should play. One of Paul's most unique attributes is the way in which he takes care of the ball. Paul averages only 2.1 turnovers per game, and averages an absurd 4.53 assists per turnover, demonstrating how much he maximizes each possession. Paul is among the most unguardable players, and can put up a shot whenever he pleases, converting on a high percentage of them. His handle of the basketball is second to none, and his ability to lull a defender to sleep before blowing by him with a change of pace move is truly breathtaking. On the defensive end, Paul is an absolute terror, despite being listed at only 6 feet tall. Paul currently leads the league in steals with an average of 2.62 per game. If he keeps it up, this will be the 5th season in which he leads the league in the category. Paul's ability to read the opposing offense, anticipate where the ball is going, and instinctually play the passing lanes, make him a truly disruptive force and among the league's best perimeter defenders. Paul is known as the greatest leader in the sport of basketball, and it is this intangible quality that has elevated the Clippers to true title contenders.
I expect that either Durant or Paul will be crowned league MVP based on whichever team finishes with the better record.
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| Lebron James (John W. McDonough/SI) |
The third most worthy candidate for league MVP is Lebron James of the Miami Heat. James is already a three time MVP award winner, and is unquestionably the league's best player. His blend of size, strength, speed and athleticism along with an incredible basketball IQ make him the most talented player in the history of the sport. James is coming off a season in which he won his first NBA championship by defeating Durant's Thunder in the NBA finals. James ranks 4th in the league in scoring, averaging 26.3 points per game, and has had only 1 game with under 20 points this season. This is the 9th consecutive season in which James has averaged at least 26 points per game, and he recently became the youngest player in the history of the league to reach 20,000 career points. Amazingly, he has made 55% of his field goal attempts, and 40% of his three point shot attempts. James is the league's best defender, and has the unprecedented ability to defend players at all 5 positions. James is hands down the best passing forward in the league, averages 7 assists per game, and his court vision rivals that of the league's top point guards. James' Miami Heat currently has a record of 26-12, the best in the Eastern Conference, yet has won only 6 of its past 12 games. The Heat have appeared to be disinterested in several games this season, which is understandable given that they are the defending NBA champions and are on pace to have home court advantage in the playoffs through the Eastern Conference finals. Despite James' brilliance, the fact that he has already won three league MVP awards, and the fact that his team lies several games behind the Thunder and Clippers, place the the world's top basketball player at number three on my rankings.
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| Carmelo Anthony (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) |
Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks sits at number 4 on my NBA MVP rankings. Anthony's emergence from one dimensional scorer to dominant force on both ends of the court, has made the Knicks the top challenger to the Heat in the Eastern Conference. Melo's Knicks are second in the East with a record of 25-13, and have already beaten the Heat twice by 20 points this season. Anthony has long been considered one of the world's most explosive scorers and has averaged nearly 25 points per game for his career. This season Carmelo has taken it up a notch, averaging a career high 29.2 points per game. He is shooting lights out from three point range, converting on 42% of his 6.6 attempts per game. Anthony's major improvements this season have been in his willingness to pass the ball, and his effort on the defensive end. Rather than forcing up tough shots in isolation as he may have in the past, Anthony has instead shown trust in his teammates by swinging the ball to the open man. Anthony's defensive intensity, inspired by teammate Tyson Chandler, the reigning defensive player of the year award winner, has finally made him the well rounded player that most expected he would become when he entered the league in 2003.
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| Russell Westbrook (Getty Images) |
At number 5 on my list is Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Westbrook is arguably the most athletic point guard of all time, and is impossible to contain. He ranks 7th in the league in scoring with an average of 22.7 points per game, ranks 5th in assists with 8.3 per game, is among the league's best rebounding guards with an average of 5.3 boards per game, and finally ranks 3rd in the league in steals by averaging 2 per game. As mentioned earlier, his Thunder have the best record in the league. The one thing that prevents Westbrook from being ranked higher on this list is that his teammate Kevin Durant is widely considered to be the second best player in the league.
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| Kobe Bryant (Howard Smith/USA Today Sports) |
Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is ranked 6th on the MVP rankings. Bryant is leading the league in scoring this season at the age of 34. His 29.7 points per game average places him on this list despite the disappointing performance his team has put on thus far this season. The Lakers, expected to contend for a title after adding all-stars Dwight Howard and Steve Nash over the offseason, are 11th in the Western Conference with a record of 17-22. They are currently 3 games out of the 8th and final playoff spot and have not been over 0.500 since November 20th. If the Lakers demonstrate considerable improvement over the second half of the season, Bryant will climb up my rankings, but as of right now this is as high as I am willing to place the Black Mamba.
