The Top 10 NBA MVP Candidates: Vol. 3

What’s interesting about the NBA is you never know what can happen. Any team can lose on any given night. That’s what makes it so exciting to watch. Each and every team will inevitably get caught with their guard down at some point. We saw an example of that this week on Wednesday when the Warriors went down to Miami. It takes games like that for people to really recognize that there are some great teams and great players in the league that too often go unnoticed. You probably didn’t’ know that David Lee is on a streak of consecutive 20-10 performances until you were watching Wednesday night’s game. And you also probably didn’t know that the Atlanta Hawks are only a game behind Miami for the lead in the Southeast Division.

Guys like David Lee and Josh Smith know you don’t know those things, and they appreciate being slept on. They know they aren’t your typical MVP candidates, but they love to creep up on us and leave us no choice but to acknowledge them.

All week long I couldn’t stop hearing about how Carmelo Anthony is the far and away frontrunner for MVP. Being that I live in New York, I don’t take head to what the average Knick fan says. They tend to get a bit irrational when their team is flying high. Although ‘Melo is playing great basketball and is definitely one of the frontrunners for the award right now, there’s another guy out West who’s playing just as good, and his team is doing even better than the flavor of the week Knicks, who find themselves in the spotlight every night they step on the hardwood.

It’s not often that LeBron gives up his top spot on the ladder. He’s usually accustomed to enjoying the view from the top, but the first couple weeks of December haven’t exactly brought Miami holiday cheer. LeBron’s got some work to do if he wants to get his seat back. Hopefully soon his Heat can get hot again because right now the cold weather of December has them at .500 on the month.

The three honorable mentions (in order) are Tony Parker, who recorded his first career triple-double last Monday, Al Jefferson, who’s quietly averaging 17 and 10 on the season, and Blake Griffin who has four double-doubles this month for the win-streaking Clippers.

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10. DAVID LEE
Last week: 22.7 ppg/12.5 rpg/2.7 apg
Vol. 2 Rank: UR

The Golden State Warriors caught the eye of basketball fans across the nation with their win at Miami on Wednesday. Currently at 16-8, they’ve been a surprise team this year and a lot of it has to do with the solid play of David Lee. Lee is very quietly averaging about 19 and 12 on the season. He’s currently on a seven-game streak of 20-10 games, and has only scored in single digits once all year: an impressive resume for a player who usually flies a bit under the radar. The Warriors (who are a game and a half behind the Clippers for first place in the Pacific Division) have leaned on Lee’s consistency all season. On a team full of gun-jacking guards, Lee’s rebounding has been a staple of the Warriors success. If he keeps up his dominance in the post, the Warriors will continue to win games. They have a great chance to lead the division going into next year; something many people didn’t expect to see in a division that’s home to the new-look Lakers, who were the preseason favorite.

9. STEPHEN CURRY
Last week: 19.7 ppg/7.0 apg/5.2 rpg
Vol. 2 rank: 10

It must be difficult being your team’s number one scoring option as a 6-3 guard, but despite that, Stephen Curry delivers on a nightly basis for the Warriors. Even though opposing teams know he’s the catalyst for the Warriors on offense, he still finds a way to get his every night. He struggled for the first time all month against Miami on Wednesday, scoring only nine points, but his Warriors were still able to pull out the victory. Jarrett Jack provides the Warriors with the option to play Curry off the ball, so he’s been seeing a little bit of action at the two spot. That’s proven to be a winning strategy for the Warriors, who have won eight of their last 10 games. For him to keep being this productive he’ll have to continue depending on David Lee, Klay Thompson and his other teammates to open things up for him. So far Mark Jackson has been doing a great job of keeping opposing defenses on their toes, and is constantly coming up with new creative ways to get Curry going.

8. JOSH SMITH
Last week: 13.7 ppg/3.7 apg/6.5 rpg
Vol. 2 rank: 9

After receiving Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors, Josh Smith is finally beginning to get some national recognition. Even though his Hawks lost in Miami on Monday with a chance to take the division lead, they bounced right back with two wins over Orlando and Charlotte. He’s been praised for his high shooting percentage all season, but on Saturday he shot an ugly 1-for-13 in a loss against Golden State, easily his worst game of the season. The Hawks are still only a game behind Miami in the Southeast Division at 14-7 and have been doing just fine with Josh Smith as the face of the franchise. He’s long overdue for an All-Star selection and this may be the year he finally achieves that, as long as he doesn’t have too many more of those 1-for-13 nights.

7. RUSSELL WESTBROOK
Last week: 13.5 ppg/11.0 apg/4.3 rpg
Vol. 2 rank: 7

Don’t underestimate Russell Westbrook’s ability to distribute the basketball. He really looked like a true point guard in his two games last week against New Orleans on Wednesday and Sacramento on Friday. Although he didn’t have great scoring nights (shooting around 30 percent in both games), he dished out nine assists against the Hornets and 13 against the Kings. This season he finally seems to understand that when he’s not feeling it, there’s another guy on the court that can get buckets for the Thunder. He’s starting to recognize that he doesn’t have to force it when he’s having an off night. Instead, he can just be a point guard and set his guys up. There’s no question that Russell Westbrook is a scorer first and a distributor second, but it’s easy to distribute the basketball when the entire defense collapses every time you blow by your defender, which is often for Westbrook. The Thunder are currently the best team in the league at 19-4 and are on a 10-game winning streak. It’s safe to say they don’t need big scoring numbers from Westbrook to win. He’s showing he’s able to impact the game in different ways when he’s out of rhythm.

6. KOBE BRYANT
Last Week: 34.2 ppg/6.5 rpg/5.2 apg
Vol. 2 rank: 6

The bottom half of the MVP race is usually home to guys with big numbers and nothing to show for it. For example, Kevin Love tore it up last season but never cracked the top five because he couldn’t keep his team in the playoff race. Unfortunately for Kobe Bryant, that’s where he’s been stuck so far this season. Right now, Kobe is the only face on the MVP ladder with a losing record. Until the Lakers get back to at least .500 nobody will take him seriously in the MVP discussion. But team wins are the only thing holding him back. He’s been having a remarkable season (especially at his age), averaging about 30, five and five on the year, but it seems the Lakers have a better chance at winning when he plays poorly. The Lakers are 3-12 this season when he scores 30 or more, so his off-the-charts scoring numbers aren’t exactly anything to brag about. If the Lakers want to start winning games, it’s looking like Kobe’s numbers will have to be the opportunity cost. Despite that, scoring is just second nature to Kobe, so what exactly is he supposed to do? Stop cooking? I’d sure love to see his face if somebody seriously suggested that.

5. CHRIS PAUL
Last Week: 15.6 ppg/9.0 apg/3.3 rpg
Vol. 2 rank: 5

Chris Paul has seemed to find the key to success for the Clippers. His new approach of passive, yet aggressive basketball has the Clippers on a tear. They are currently on a nine-game winning streak and have scored 100-plus points in eight of their last nine. Paul has only scored over 20 points in one of those games, and hasn’t taken more than 15 shots in a game all month. The Clippers roster is so balanced this year, and Chris Paul has been taking full advantage. He’s more than happy to have such great help around him, and he’s showing that by spreading the butter. If you watch the Clippers play, you’ve seen how exciting they are. A lot of that has to do with the way Chris Paul has been quarterbacking the fast breaks. When he gets the basketball, he’s out, and he’s going to find somebody. If he doesn’t, he’s slowing it down and finding a way to break down the defense. You can tell he’s really enjoying himself now that he never has to force anything. He has great support from his teammates and as a result, the Clippers are looking like they can beat anybody at this point.

4. ZACH RANDOLPH
Last week: 17.6 ppg/10.3 rpg/1.0 bpg
Vol. 2 rank: 4

After only losing one game in the entire month of November, the Grizzlies have already lost four this month, including a close one on Wednesday at Phoenix, who are only 9-15. Despite recent struggles, the Grizzlies are still 15-6, and Zach Randolph is still playing consistent basketball. Nobody can keep him off the glass. He’s only been held to single-digit rebounds four times this season. He’s averaging about 18 and 13 on the year, and his team is two games behind San Antonio for the division lead. Pound for pound, Zach Randolph is playing as consistently as anybody in the league. He delivers night in and night out, and is a force to be reckoned with. If he wants to avoid slipping on the ladder he’ll have to do whatever it takes to get the Grizzlies back to winning games.

3. LeBRON JAMES
Last Week: 27.0 ppg/6.6 rpg/5.3 apg
Vol. 2 rank: 1

LeBron and the Heat have been struggling in December. It all started with the back-to-back losses against the Wizards and Knicks at the beginning of the month. Then on Wednesday, they let a surprising Golden State team come into Miami and leave with a two-point win. He had an opportunity to send the game into overtime with a late turnaround jumper, but couldn’t hit it. Overall it’s been far from smooth sailing for LeBron and the Heat this month, and as a result he gets knocked off the top spot on the ladder. Many would argue that Carmelo Anthony has been having the better season, but it’s hard to completely agree with that. LeBron has been playing the best all-around basketball of any player in the league, his team is just struggling right now while the Thunder and Knicks are clicking. You have to expect them to get back on track next week, with games against Minnesota, Dallas and Utah leading up to the Christmas Day Finals rematch with the Thunder.

2. CARMELO ANTHONY
Last week: 37.5 ppg/1.5 apg/4.0 rpg
Vol. 2 rank: 3

Carmelo suffered a sprained ankle against the Lakers on Thursday and as a result he sat out against Cleveland on Saturday. Before he suffered his injury, he had 30 points in only 22 minutes, and that was fresh off of dropping 45 in a win over the Nets. There’s no question he’s been scoring the basketball as well as anybody in the league this year, but that’s really all he’s been doing. He’s only averaging two assists on the season despite claiming that he wants to create for his teammates more. He’s also averaging 20 field goal attempts this year, (two shots above his average last year), which is second only to Kobe Bryant right now. ‘Melo is a pure scorer and that’s what the Knicks need him to be. But you can bet your bottom dollar that when Amar’e returns, ‘Melo will go through one of those phases where he tries to change his game for STAT’s sake. Right now the Knicks have no problem with ‘Melo putting up a lot of shots. His style of play has been contagious and it has the Knicks in a great rhythm. What they don’t need is for him to become less aggressive when Amar’e returns and interrupt what they have going on. The only factors keeping ‘Melo behind Kevin Durant in the week’s MVP race are his low rebound and assist numbers, sitting out against Cleveland, and KD’s hot hand.

1. KEVIN DURANT
Last week: 33.0 ppg/3.0 apg/7.0 rpg
Vol. 2 rank: 2

Kevin Durant has been on fire. The month of December has been treating him extremely well. His team is undefeated this month, and he’s scored 30-plus in four out of the six games they played so far. Not to mention he’s shot over 50 percent in all but one of those games. On Wednesday against New Orleans, the Thunder scored under 100 points for the first time since November 14. They’ve quickly become the best team in the NBA and Kevin Durant has been the main factor. As far as the top three players on the MVP Ladder, it’s hard to put Carmelo Anthony above KD, especially with his recent injury setbacks (first his cut finger, now his ankle). So with LeBron and the Heat going 3-3 in the month of December, that leaves KD sitting atop the list this week.

Do you agree with these rankings?

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