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
Lebron is going to be the MVP front runner for a long time, whether he deserves it or not. He is the league’s Golden Child/Meal Ticket/Icon. I predict that by the end of the season, he will be close to averaging a triple-double. He has to if Cleveland is going to make some noise in the playoffs. Lebron has a lot riding on this season, as many fans realize. It’s his seventh season and King James has yet to wear the Crown. Hype is a four letter word that can go both ways.
Dwayne Wade
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
Dirk’s play so far has the Mavericks as a contender in the West. I expect for him to keep his numbers consistent throughout the season. What he does against the big dogs is going to determine how serious of a candidate he is. If he can slay some of the NBA’s giants singlehandedly, he will definitely have claim to the award at the end of the season.
Kobe Bryant
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.