A month into the young season, we have been able to witness some extraordinary performances. Unfortunately, when it comes to the league’s highest individual honor, biases and the “system” tend to yield the same candidates year in, year out.

Not that it is necessarily a bad thing, but the majority of voters for the MVP Award will not veer from their pre-season choice. They will use the next 5 months to justify their MVP by being negligent in considering a broader field. With Lebron James being the consensus choice before the season tipped off, it is safe to say he will be the MVP, if he continues at the pace he is going. For the rest of the field, that poses the challenge of putting up monster performances, while playing the for title of MVP Runner-Up.

Here is a breakdown of the field thus far. The following 5 players (in no particular order) have exhibited MVP caliber performances and have the star status to influence the decision.

Lebron James

Damage: 29 points, 8 assists, 6.7 boards

Damage: 27 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds

D-Wade is doing what is expected of him at this point. His team has been doing surprisingly well, but you and I both know that he wants/deserves help. My only fear with Wade is that by being the man in Miami, he will be burned out down the stretch. D-Wade can leave South Beach at the end of the season, but its up to Miami to keep him. It’s on management to provide him with the necessary pieces to make the playoffs. I predict that Wade’s will lead the league in scoring at some point in the second half of the season, but thats it.

Dirk Nowitzki

Damage: 27 points, 8.6 rebounds

Damage: 29.5 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds

Kobe is on the list by default. Of course he is the best player in the league, but the Kobe we see now doesn’t care about the MVP. Truth be told, Kobe doesn’t have to score more than 30 a game anymore. The Lakers are loaded and that pressure isn’t on Kobe to produce large numbers. He will when necessary, but he has grown into the role of Game Manager. During the playoffs, Bryant almost averaged double-digit assists. Yeah THAT Kobe Bryant. Out of courtesy, he is mentioned in the MVP discussion because of who he is. I dont see him winning another MVP during his career. I mean, for what?

Carmelo Anthony

Damage: A league-leading 31 points, 6 rebounds

Melo has been the MVP thus far. He has been playing very well, but he has that “Iverson Aura” in the eyes of the media. He does not fit the mainstream mold, so therefore, he wont be taken serious. Less than 5% of the preseason MVP votes went to Melo. The same Melo that has been raising his game each and every year. He plays for the “thug” team in the West, so the bias against he and his teammates will result in the Nuggets not getting the respect. Melo has taken great strides in improving his image, but he still isn’t as crisp as the media prefers. What I like about Melo, is that he will continue to prove on the court that he is one of the top 5 players in the league.