The NBA season has been up and running now for nearly 3 weeks, and there has already been a lot of excitement. The Clippers are rising, the Heat are struggling, and there a couple of new faces among the MVP favorites in addition to many of the old standbys. This season I have finally discovered a method to reward players whose teams will reach and advance in the postseason and punishes them for games missed using pure statistical methods rather than my own opinions. Here are my initial MVP rankings, along with my first Rookie of the Year rankings for the 2011-2012 season.
Most Valuable Player
1. Kobe Bryant - LAL - 31.2 pts, 5.8 reb, 5.5 ast, .461 FG%, .832 FT%
Just when you thought that Kobe was past his prime, he came out on fire to prove everybody wrong. LeBron has been the best player in the NBA for years, but Kobe has his team winning while posting gaudy numbers. His scoring average is the highest he's had in 5 years, and at this point the Thunder appear to be the only obstacle preventing them from making it to the Finals yet again. Oh, and Kobe has scored at least 40 in 3 straight games. He could become the oldest MVP since Karl Malone back in 1999.
2. Kevin Durant - OKC - 25.7 pts, 7.2 reb, 3.6 ast, .491 FG%, .404 3P%
Durant may not be leading the league in scoring like he has the past two seasons, but he has improved his numbers in almost every other category, and he has the Thunder holding onto the best record in the West so far. He has recorded double-doubles in three straight games, something he has never been known for, and Oklahoma City is on a 5-game winning streak for the second time this season.
3. LeBron James - MIA - 29.5 pts, 8.2 reb, 7.4 ast, 2.0 stl, .578 FG%
James has been incredible so far in this young season, improving in every category but free throw shooting while playing without Dwyane Wade on quite a few occasions so far. Perhaps the most impressive number on his stat line above is his field goal percentage, which is nearly 7% over his career high and currently ranks #4 in the entire league, tops among all non-centers.
4. Dwight Howard - ORL - 20.5 pts, 15.2 reb, 2.2 blk, 1.5 stl, .586 FG%
Despite all the trade rumors swirling around him, Howard continues to dominate in the paint, where he is currently looking at a new career-high in rebounding while ranking third in the league in field goal percentage and fifth in blocked shots. He also broke Wilt Chamberlain's 50-year-old record for free throw attempts in a game when he shot 39 against Golden State last night, and although he only made 21, it's still a record that could stand for a long time.
5. Derrick Rose - CHI - 21.1 pts, 3.4 reb, 8.5 ast, .448 FG%, .873 FT%
The defending MVP has been hampered by a toe injury, which could explain why he's not playing at the same level he did last season as he led the Bulls to the league's best record in the regular season. Although he's not playing at the level we're accustomed to, he's still got Chicago at the top of the standings, so expect to see him rise even higher once he's healthy.
6. Kevin Love - MIN - 24.5 pts, 14.7 reb, 1.7 ast, .429 FG%, .794 FT%
Love is scoring even more this year than last year, when he was among the most improved players in the league and led all players in rebounding, but he has been taking a lot more shots to do it. Minnesota finished last season as the worst team in the league, so the fact that he has led them to 4 wins already shows a lot of improvement, but he won't stay in contention for the MVP without getting them into the playoffs.
7. Carmelo Anthony - NYK - 25.5 pts, 6.2 reb, 4.3 ast, .439 FG%, .822 FT%
Anthony continues his strong play for the Knicks, and he has taken over as the clear top player in New York while Amare struggles with injuries. Unfortunately, Anthony sprained his ankle in New York's loss to Memphis on Thursday, and he will most likely sit out tonight's game against Oklahoma City, a game where the Knicks really need to have their star.
8. Blake Griffin - LAC - 23.3 pts, 10.8 reb, 2.3 ast, 1.1 stl, .531 FG%
Last year's runaway Rookie of the Year is playing at about the same level that won him the award and tons of fans last season, but the difference this year is that the Clippers have a real point guard to get Griffin the ball, which has them looking like a playoff contender for the first time in years. If he can get his free throw shooting up a bit and grab a few more boards, he has a real chance at being in the MVP running at the end of just his second season.
9. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 18.8 pts, 4.6 reb, 5.3 ast, 1.6 stl, .776 FT%
Westbrook has not been as dominant from the point guard position as he was last season, with his assists dropping from 8 to 5 per game this season, he is still the man getting the ball to the best player on the best team in the West. His scoring and shooting percentage have been increasing recently, so he may finally be getting used to being on the court again.
10. Pau Gasol - LAL - 16.6 pts, 9.7 reb, 2.3 ast, 1.5 blk, .553 FG%
Gasol does not look as good as he did last year, especially early in the season, where he was my MVP choice for the first two months of the season before he let off the gas down the stretch and disappeared in the playoffs. This season Andrew Bynum is looking like the #2 center in the league, and he may be replacing Gasol as the Lakers best big man before very long.
Honorable Mention
LaMarcus Aldridge - POR
Luol Deng - CHI
James Harden - OKC
Ryan Anderson - ORL
Andre Iguodala - PHI
Josh Smith - ATL
Danilo Gallinari - DEN
Rookie of the Year
1. Kyrie Irving - CLE - 17.0 pts, 3.1 reb, 5.1 ast, .473 FG%, .892 FT%
This year's Rookie of the Year field is a lot more open than last year, but there is no doubt that the best youngster so far has been the #1 pick from Duke. He has scored at least 20 points in 4 straight games, and even though the Cavaliers lost three of those, they are currently in position for the #8 seed in the playoffs, which is much better than last year, when they were very close to setting a new record for futility.
2. MarShon Brooks - NJN - 14.5 pts, 3.9 reb, 1.0 ast, .462 FG%, .765 FT%
Brooks was the #25 pick in the draft out of Providence, but he has played so well lately that he has cracked the starting lineup in New Jersey just two weeks into his rookie season. He reached 20 points for the third time this season in last night's victory over Phoenix, and it doesn't appear to be a fluke. He should be in the picture all season long.
3. Ricky Rubio - MIN - 10.4 pts, 4.1 reb, 8.0 ast, 1.7 stl, .421 3P%
Rubio has been as good as advertised in his first NBA season, which comes two full years after he was drafted #5 by Minnesota. His scoring has been very consistent, between 10 and 13 for 6 straight games, and he's already had 4 double-digit assist games, which has him ranked #8 in the league in assist average already.
4. Brandon Knight - DET - 12.3 pts, 3.9 reb, 2.8 ast, .454 FG%, .875 FT%
The second point guard taken in the draft last season becomes the third-best of his class so far because of Rubio finally getting into the league, but Knight has been a legitimately solid player so far, putting up double-figure points in 6 straight games, although his assist numbers have been pretty lousy for a point guard, and can't be helped by the anemic Pistons offense.
5. Kemba Walker - CHA - 10.1 pts, 2.7 reb, 2.8 ast, .377 FG%, .735 FT%
Yet another guard picked in the top ten makes my early-season ROY rankings, but Walker has not been a very consistent player so far this season, shooting worse from the field than almost anyone else in the league, but last night he went 6-8 against Detroit. Now we'll have to see if it was just a fluke or a sign that he's getting comfortable.
Honorable Mention
Markieff Morris - PHX
Check back tomorrow to see my first NBA team rankings and predictions of the season.
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