Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
LeBron James, Miami Heat
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
The skinny
Durant: Meet the heir apparent to King James' MVP throne.
Just three seasons removed from earning rookie of the year honors with Seattle and less than a year after leading the upstart Thunder to their first postseason berth, Durant, the soon-to-be-22-year-old reigning scoring champ, is our panel's pick to hoist his first MVP trophy at season's end.
KD's 2009-10 numbers (30.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and a 26.23 Player Efficiency Rating while playing all 82 games) were good enough for him to pick up 609 points in last season's voting, in which he finished second to LeBron (and just ahead of Kobe Bryant). But with Oklahoma City predicted to finish second in the West, almost half of our crew of 93 believes it's the young gun's award to lose, especially with James taking his talents to South Beach, where he'll share the ball and spotlight with Wade and Bosh.
And Durant might pick up even more supporters on his burgeoning bandwagon before the summer is over. Serving as the unquestioned leader and face of the latest version of Team USA (just check out any of the recent ads), Durant has a chance to bring home the U.S.'s first world championship since 1994 -- perhaps not a factor when it comes to MVP votes, but another way to build the buzz for his highly anticipated fourth NBA season.
Bryant: He's creeping up on MJ in rings, but Kobe has a ways to go if he wants as many Podoloffs lined up on his mantle; Jordan leads Bryant just six NBA les to five, but he is ahead 5-1 in MVP trophies. Of course, it's that sixth ring that could get Kobe into the conversation for greatest ever, and that should be more than enough motivation for this uber-compe ive superstar as he and the Lakers embark on their quest to become the first team to three-peat since, well, (Shaq and) Kobe and the Lakers.
But in the MVP race, injuries could play a role as they did this past season, when myriad health issues forced KB24 to sit out nine games and sport a sizeable wrap on the mangled index finger on his shooting hand. Still, his production didn't slip much, as his 2009-10 stats (27 ppg, 5 apg, 1.5 spg, 45.6 field goal percentage) were pretty close to those of his MVP campaign three seasons ago (28.3 ppg, 5.4 apg, 1.8 spg, 45.9 field goal percentage).
Can he top rivals LeBron and Durant and take his second MVP trophy? Of our 93 panelists, 23 (25 percent) say No. 24 can get it done.
James: Miami might offer him his best shot at a ring, but its All-Star ensemble cast isn't currently helping LeBron's MVP stock, as our panel thinks the King's streak will end at two. Some believe that with Wade and Bosh by his side, Bron has a shot at becoming the first player to average a triple-double since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62. But it's hard to be the alpha dog of the league when you might not be the leader of your own pack.
And while official voting is still eight months away, James probably won't be winning any popularity contests anytime soon after some questionable PR decision-making left more than a few groaning about LeBron overload.
Wade: D-Wade finally has some high-priced help with which to make another le run. But will there be enough shots for any of Miami's Super Friends to have a legitimate shot at an MVP? Numbers have never been hard to come by for the Heat's go-to guy, as Wade has filled up the stat sheet, averaging more than 26 points per game in four of the past five seasons. But he will be hard pressed to find the 18-plus shots per game he's grown accustomed to over that same span when he's playing alongside two new teammates who ranked in the top 11 in usage rate last season.
Still, with Miami expected to top 60 wins next season, this looks like Wade's best chance at his first regular-season MVP award, especially if the Heat lifer is the one hoisting up the final shots in crunch time.
Howard: Defense wins championships. But MVPs? Not often.
Such is the plight of Howard, who has won consecutive defensive player of the year trophies and compiled more blocks than a Lego warehouse the past two seasons but has been shut out from a top-three spot in the official MVP voting. The big culprit: his offensive game. To be fair, D-12's repertoire of post moves has grown, but his points-per-game average actually dipped last season (from 20.6 to 18.3) as he battled foul trouble and hack-a-Howard tactics.
Howard is so dominant on D that he'll be a perennial MVP candidate, but he will never get the votes if he can't stay on the court or make free throws.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/s...Forecast10-MVP
Last edited by Ashy Larry; 08-13-2010 at 10:17 AM.
LOL Love durant but to get it he has to have a solid #2 record in the West ...
I dont think he gets there.
If he got it as a #3 or #4 seed then it would just further prove the award is pure bull ...since many players with great years did not get the award with that kind of team record ...or standing.
My guess he needs 55 wins to get award ...
Howard or Kobe.
Agreed.
^this
Kind of odd that Melo isn't on the ballot but that's not much of a surprise
Greg Oden (1).... who the votes on this thing?
Durant, was already 2nd last year IIRC and the West is a crapshoot for seeds 2-8. He's also the anti-LeBron of the rising superstars.
Up next would be LeBron but thats going to require a legendary win record and an amazing impact/boxscore which is more than possible but he's already got 2 MVP's.
Only chance Wade has is if he can pull out MJ like numbers or something else amazing.
Kobe's probably done for the MVP award - he already declined last season and having a third surgery on the same knee IIRC + another Finals run is pretty demanding as well. His and the Lakers sights should be set on resting up for the playoffs anyway.
Dwight's stock dropped mightily since he played like crap for half of the playoffs and seemed to have taken steps back when it comes to mental toughness and just staying on the god damn court. He has been working out with Hakeem and is still a regular season nightmare but he's still a candidate for the worst "best big man" in NBA history.
LOL I was really curious to see who voted Greg Oden. And lol at you adding Dirk
yeah, well I figured after he getting his lootage, he might have a monster year. We'll see.
espn polls, full of homers
MVP is pretty much up for grabs this year. Kobe is slowing down and needs more help than he ever has in his career. LeBron is playing second fiddle in Miami and conversely, Wade's numbers are sure to go down. Durant has the skills, but I don't think the Thunder is good enough to get him the wins it will take. Dwight Howard could take it if he can expand his offensive game. I would take Dirk out of the discussion at this point. He is just not an MVP level player anymore.
I would like to see Durant get it, but it will be a LeBron/Wade co-MVP. Blech.
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