Friday MVP Update (1/6)

LeBron has risen once again and the Heat are following his lead. 

            

           If it was last Thursday when Kevin Durant nailed a game winning three to beat the defending champion Mavs, I would of told you he was the MVP. If it was last Friday, I would have said Derrick Rose’s 29 point, 8 rebound, 16 assist dismantling of the Clippers had put him as the frontrunner. And then there is LeBron James, who is making a case to be the top dog of not only the league but also the Heat.

With Wade sitting out on Wednesday, LeBron went off for 33 points, 8 rebounds and 13 assists, making it clear that LeBron and not Wade is in fact the Batman of this loaded Heat team. The only problem with that statement now is that one day later both Wade and LeBron were on the sidelines and watched Chris Bosh take over a game going for 33 points, 5 assists and 14 rebounds in a triple-overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks. The same Atlanta Hawks that had handed the Heat their first regular season loss of the season while they were at full strength. So who exactly is leading the MVP race at the early point of the season?

Although Derrick Rose has the Bulls (6-1) atop the Central Division and Kevin Durant has the Thunder (5-2) in contention for the Western Conference title, both players have seen a slight dip in their numbers this season. Rose is averaging 20.9 points, 3 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game. Last year he averaged 25, 4.1 and 7.7 per game. Durant is averaging 26.1 points, 6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Last year he averaged 27.7, 6.8 and 2.7 per game. One could make the claim that their late game heroics make up for the dip in numbers, but compared to LeBron this season they do not add up.

Last season LeBron saw a dip in production that was mostly attributed to the fact that he was now playing alongside Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. He still managed to average 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7 assists per game and led the Heat to the second best record in the East. But this season, still playing alongside Wade and Bosh, LeBron has seen an increase in production, averaging 29.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game. No he hasn’t had the late game heroics thus far, but that’s mostly due to the fact that the Heat haven’t needed any late game heroics. James’ production has built the Heat comfortable leads early and the heat have held on to hold the league’s best record (7-1.)

MVP Rankings

1.     LeBron James- His team has the best record. He is leading the league in scoring, coupled with averaging 7.7 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game. If he keeps this up the award is all his.

2.     Derrick Rose- I have him ahead of Durant for two reasons. One, Rose doesn’t have a Russell Westbrook or a James Harden to back him up. Two, despite a big drop in his scoring, his 8.6 assists per game show that he has advanced as a facilitator and is still a strong leader.

3.     Kevin Durant- KD needs to win the scoring title for the third straight season and lead the Thunder to the best record in the league for this award to be his.

4.     Kobe Bryant- Though the Lakers (4-4) aren’t atop the standings, they are much better off than the 0 and 2 start they had to the season. That’s largely due to Kobe hanging on to a bit of youth averaging 26.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.

5.     Kevin Love- The Wolves (2-4) don’t have the record, but Kevin Love is having a beast season. If he can get the Wolves to climb the standings, he could make a strong case for the award. Right now he is averaging 25.7 points, 15 rebounds and 2 assists.

6.     Dwight Howard- His scoring is down from last year, but his rebounding and defensive abilities have the Magic right behind the Heat. D12 is averaging 19 points, 16 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.7 blocks per game.

7.     LaMarcus Aldridge- Aldridge broke out last season and has continued to improve. This season he is averaging 23.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2 assists per game. He also has the Blazers (5-1) atop the Western Conference.

8.     Carmelo Anthony- Clearly the best player on the Knicks, Melo is averaging 27.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. The only problem, the Knicks are in fourth place in the Atlantic Division.

9.     Blake Griffin- I have Blake ahead of Chris Paul simply because his numbers are more impressive and even though Paul may be the veteran, Lob City belongs to Blake. 25.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.6 points per game.

10. Chris Paul- Paul is the facilitator of the highflying Clips. He is averaging 16.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game. Impressive, yes. Anywhere near his career highs, no.