The NBA MVP seems to me to be the only MVP award that really matters in pro sports. Mostly because I think that NBA players, especially those who are in the running for the MVP, are the most recognizable athletes in all of pro sports. This season's MVP race has all the makings of being a great one. Last season Kobe Bryant finally shed the “best player to never win an MVP” tag when he won it over Chris Paul. This season, it will be almost impossible for Kobe to repeat as MVP with Chris Paul, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Kevin Garnett all looking like great choices for the MVP. In our continued preview for the upcoming NBA season, I will break down my top 5 NBA MVP choices and name my pick for MVP. - Chris Paul – I was one of those last year that thought Chris Paul should have won the MVP. Taking New Orleans from a team that won 39 games his rookie season to winning 56 last year and finishing a game away from the number 1 seed in the tremendously difficult West. Paul averaged 21 points and 12 assists last season, while shooting almost 50% from the field. He also established himself as the premier point guard in the league last season, passing Steve Nash and Jason Kidd. With a healthy and improving David West and Tyson Chandler and the addition of James Posey in the offseason, Paul’s numbers should improve again for the third consecutive season.
- LeBron James – Here is LeBron’s stat line from last season: 30 ppg, 8 rpg, and 7 apg. Those are ridiculous numbers considering who his supporting cast is. If the award is based on numbers alone, LeBron would have been a runaway winner last season. With the offseason addition of Mo Williams, LeBron’s assist numbers and rebounds are sure to increase, if that is even possible. LeBron is the only player in the league that I could see one day pulling an Oscar and averaging a triple-double. LeBron also asserted himself this past summer in the Olympics, and if he continues to play like he did in the games, the NBA better watch out.
- Kobe Bryant – I really don’t see a repeat MVP this season, but if there is anyone in the NBA that can do it, it is Kobe. The Lakers are the favorite in the West this season and will have Pau Gasol for the entire season, plus the return of Andrew Bynum (who knows how that will play out) Kobe has even more weapons around him. He also showed this summer at the Olympics that he is the best closer in the entire world. The one thing that could hamper Kobe is his broke or sprained pinky finger. With all of that going against or for him, depending how you look at it, it will be very difficult for Kobe to repeat as MVP.
- Dwyane Wade – Last year, Dwayne Wade had a banged up shoulder and knee, not to mention the Heat had the worst record in the NBA last season. So a lot of us forgot about Wade. Some even said that he might be washed up or that his career might be on the downslide already. Well after his MVP performance this summer at the Olympics, there is no doubt that Flash is back and ready to show everyone who doubted him that they were wrong. With the addition of rookie Michael Beasley and having Shawn Marion around for a full season (maybe) should take some pressure off of Wade to have to do everything. This season will be Wade’s return to greatness.
- Amare Stoudemire – Amare had a ridiculous season last season with 25 points and 9 rebounds a game while having a great field goal percentage (59%, yes I know he gets a lot of dunks but his midrange game is greatly improved). Even more so, Amare’s numbers improved to 27.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game after the Shaq trade since Amare was allowed to move to power forward instead of playing out of position at center. Amare is also still playing with a great point guard in Steve Nash who knows when and how to get him the ball, and with a full season with Shaq, Amare’s numbers should remain high if not improve. His defensive numbers are sure to increase with new coach Terry Porter. Plus, Amare is the only one on this list who had the entire summer off since he didn’t play in the Olympics.
Those are the five players that I see as front runners for the NBA MVP award this upcoming season. Others that could factor in are Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, and Deron Williams but the MVP will come from my list of five.
My pick for MVP this upcoming season is Chris Paul. After seeing him last season tear through the Western Conference and become the best point guard in the game, and then watching him run the show during the Olympics as effective as any point guard could, this is the season that Chris Paul will get his due and be awarded MVP.
Now it’s your turn, who do you think will win this seasons MVP award?
more
