I have Chris Paul at number 2, right behind Durant, who's elevated his overall game this year. He's taken on a lot more responsibility and the Thunder look even more dangerous. LeBron at 3, Kobe at 4 and Carmelo at 5 for me.
If Paul keeps the Clippers playing the way they are (11 wins in a row), he's going to be right up there.
What do you guys think? We can kind of use this thread to keep up with the MVP talk as the season progress, because I see a lot of strong candidates, unlike last year where it was pretty much a 2-man race for majority of the year.
The rest of his rankings are pretty interesting as well, so check those out in the link.
CANDIDATES:
Kevin Durant : Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder's 12-game win streak came to an end against the Timberwolves Thursday night, but that doesn't diminish the work Durant has put in. Even more impressive than the raw numbers is the fact that he's become a force on both ends of the floor. He's contesting shots, playing physically and demanding that his teammates pay as much attention on the defensive end of the floor as he does on the other side.
Carmelo Anthony : New York Knicks
Anthony missed two games in the past week, a win over the Cavaliers Saturday and the Knicks' first home loss of the season to Jeremy Lin and the Rockets. But when he's healthy, he's every bit as unstoppable as Durant and LeBron James -- if not more. The relentless offensive assault he can unleash on opposing teams, from inside and out, is a sight to behold. His ability to pile up points (31 in 36 minutes in Wednesday's win over the Nets) is mind-boggling.
LeBron James : Miami Heat
James will never admit it, but he's finally starting to look like he could use a mini-vacation. And who could blame him after the year he's had? Of course, James playing winded and wounded is still better than 99.9 percent of the rest of the players on the planet. But with the burden he'll have to carry for this team, the Heat have to find some time for him to rest and rejuvenate before the postseason.
Chris Paul : Los Angeles Clippers
If anyone has made a case for breaking into that top group, it's Paul. The Clippers are playing at a level no one is used to seeing from this franchise. It starts and ends with the fact that Paul is running his team better than any other point guard these days. Knowing whento push and when not to push is what separates Paul from his peers at the position. The challenge now is making sure his team plays at this elite level all the time, postseason included.
Kobe Bryant : Los Angeles Lakers
The closer the Lakers get to full strength, the better the chances of Bryant stepping back and allowing someone else (Steve Nash) to shoulder some of the responsibility for making sure this team competes and achieves at the level its talent dictates. The Lakers have won three straight and are still a sub-.500 team (12-14), so there is plenty of work to be done. The first order of business is finding a way to reduce Bryant's minutes from the 41 he's averaging the past 10 games.
Edited by Massacre, December 21, 2012 - 02:30 PM.
