On your mark, get set, Go! The Award Races have begun and the most sought after and the most meaningful to most players is the Most Valuable Player award. Reining winner Derrick Rose looks as if he wont be able to defend that title this year as injuries have seem to plague him this season. So that being said there will be a new MVP winner this year, yet there isn't a definite answer of who that individual can be. Here are my Top 3 players who have a legitimate chance to capture this prestigious award.
Drum roll please!
Lead Candidate: OKC F Kevin Durant
Spurs, Lakers, Celtics, and Heat all have something in common with each other and it seems to be a trend that is trying to be implemented by many teams now and that is having a "Big Three". Mimicking the days back in 96' - 98' when Jordan, Pippen and Rodman had their dominance in the late 90's. You look at the Oklahoma City Thunder and you don't see that nor a glimpse of that in the near future you see a young polished team being led by a young player(the kid is only 23) in Kevin Durant. I know there are still games to be played this season but he won the scoring title last year putting up 30.1 PPG and now he sits around 27.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 8.1 RPG which are all career numbers for him! Your talking about a player who was in MVP talks last year and missed out and still able to not only stay healthy (surprising by his frame) but able to elevate his game to an even higher level having the best record in the Western Conference (38-12) and the second best record in the the NBA. He doesn't have a Wade and Bosh to lean on when hes on an off day nor does he have a Duncan or Ginobili to bail him out when his shot isn't falling, hes got to be the primary play maker for this organization. Remove him from the equation and I honestly believe they have a hard time competing for the 8th spot in a scrappy Western Conference.
Runner-up Candidate: LA G Kobe Bryant
Laker for Life! We wont see him in a Philly uniform or any other jersey as he progresses in his career. He has been and always will be as long as he plays the Ticket Selling, Crowd Drawing, The Undisputed Celebrity of Los Angeles (sorry Chris Paul) but most importantly hes been a Sargent on the court. What do I mean by Sargent? A leader who is able to orchestrate the defense and offense while hes on the court a facilitator (yes he has been doing this for some time) who not only can make the clutch shot when needed but mold a team that many thought at the start of the season (I'm guilty too) wouldn't make any noise during the regular season and yeah, we were quite wrong. Averaging 27.9 points in the month of March and showing that a a wrist and broken nose wont slow him down at all this season. He has done all this whilst being coached by first year coach of the Lakers (Mike Brown) and with arguably the best 6th man in the NBA (Lamar Odom) gone. Posting enough wins to be 3rd in the Western Conference Standing and leading the team in scoring and steals, he is showing he still has that tenacity (that has seemed to rub off on Bynum and Gasol) to make a usual run in the playoffs. If he doesn't win the MVP maybe an award for "Most Durable" would be fitting, yes?
Closing in Candidate: MIA F LeBron James
Whats new? Seems as if his name is always in the mix when it comes to MVP discussion. So far leading the Heat in Points (26.7), Assists (6.6), Rebounds (8.3) and Steals (2.0) it would be crazy not to include this guy in MVP talk. However, just like last year towards this time looks like the Miami Heat are running ragged as the uptempo team (3rd in scoring) tries to close the year strong. Losing to teams on the road late is a bad sign, especially regarding the fact that Chicago is pulling away without star player Rose. He has been in numerous discussions as being the best Basketball player on this planet (far fetched?) but until he shows that he can take over a game and hit the go ahead shot or game winning shot then I cant give him top consideration. Wade taking over in the 4th quarter while LeBron coasts and produces low numbers in the 4th tell me if anything Wade and LeBron can share an MVP trophy. The difference between him and Kobe should be clear as day. Kobe is making players around him look better. LeBron needs to get on board and make players like Mario Chalmers and I will go on a limb and say Chris Bosh to play up to his previous all star level if they want to make a serious run again this year. LeBron might claim hes hungry for a Championship but until he shows that in the 4th quarter he doesn't have my vote.
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