There wasn't much movement at the top of the MVP rankings this week, because no player was particularly bad and no team did much to significantly change their playoff odds, but there is a familiar face reappearing in the top 10 this week, and one new face taking back his place among the also-rans, with a chance at a return later in the season. Here are the latest MVP and Rookie of the Year rankings, with rising players in green and falling players in red.
Most Valuable Player
1. LeBron James - MIA - 29.2 pts, 8.5 reb, 7.0 ast, 1.7 stl, .551 FG%, .425 3P%, .743 FT%
LeBron was on fire this week from the field, hitting 56% of his field goals and 55% from long distance, keeping himself among the top 5 in overall field goal percentage, the only non-center among the five. Miami beat both Chicago and Philadelphia this week, but a loss to Milwaukee kept them just out of reach of top seed Chicago in the East. The King's 40 points in that loss were a game-high, but it wasn't enough, even with Wade back in the lineup. Either way, James is still off to the best start of his very impressive career.
2. Kevin Durant - OKC - 27.0 pts, 8.2 reb, 3.1 ast, 1.4 blk, 1.2 stl, .511 FG%, .814 FT%
Durant scored the final 7 points for the Thunder in their 7-point victory over Memphis yesterday, so it seems natural to say that he was the reason for their victory, and his 36 points and 10 rebounds do little to refute that. Durant has put up 9 double-doubles so far this season, after recording only 14 all of last season, which shows that he has improved his already impressive game in his fifth season as a pro. The Thunder are one of the favorites to win the title this year, and Durant is the biggest reason why.
3. Kobe Bryant - LAL - 29.5 pts, 6.1 reb, 5.6 ast, 1.2 stl, .449 FG%, .836 FT%
Kobe's shooting and scoring weren't quite up to par this week, and he now holds just a small lead in the scoring race, but under his leadership the Lakers won three times this week, including tough road wins in Minnesota and Denver, both of which had a good chance at upsetting the perennial contenders. He was voted an All-Star starter yet again this week, an honor which he definitely deserves, even in his 16th season.
4. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 21.8 pts, 4.6 reb, 5.7 ast, 2.0 stl, .454 FG%, .800 FT%
Back-to-back 30 point games to start the week pushed Westbrook right to the brink of passing Kobe for the #3 spot in the MVP rankings, but his 21 points on 33% shooting against Memphis held him back from joining his teammate Kevin Durant in the top 3 candidates. The presence of Westbrook this close to the top may be the biggest thing preventing Durant from taking the MVP this year.
5. Blake Griffin - LAC - 21.4 pts, 10.9 reb, 2.9 ast, 1.1 blk, .535 FG%, .504 FT%
Griffin had a great week defensively, blocking 11 shots in 4 games, which is more than he had blocked in the first 16 games combined. He averaged nearly 10 rebounds per game, which is pretty normal for him, but he also shot 59% from the field this week, raising his average far above his free throw percentage, which continues to hover in a range that would embarrass Shaq. The Clippers, meanwhile, remain in 3rd place in the West, with Griffin leading the way.
6. Kevin Love - MIN - 25.0 pts, 13.5 reb, 1.7 ast, 1.0 stl, .446 FG%, .376 3P%, 816 FT%
Love was himself this week, putting up his normal numbers while the Timberwolves beat the teams they were supposed to and lost to the teams they could have upset. Nevertheless, he did nothing to hurt his candidacy this week, so he was able to take advantage of Chris Bosh's return to reality to move up one more notch in his quest for the MVP.
7. Derrick Rose - CHI - 23.5 pts, 3.4 reb, 8.0 ast, 1.0 stl, .459 FG%, .840 FT%
Chicago spent the entire week on the road, but even with Rose back on the court, they only won two of the four contests, losing to the #2 and #4 teams in the East, but Rose had his best week so far this season, scoring over 30 points three different times and passing out 13 assists in their 3-point victory in New York on Thursday. For the first time all season, he looked like an MVP, which is a good thing, since he has one in his trophy case.
8. Chris Bosh - MIA - 20.0 pts, 7.7 reb, 2.1 ast, .519 FG%, .811 FT%
Wade's return to the court reduced Bosh to the role of third option in the Heat offense, with averages this week of just 14 points and 7 rebounds. All that has really been proven by Wade's absence is that LeBron is the true star of the Heat, and that as long as he has one of the other two stars on the court with him, he can lead the Heat to another high playoff seeding and another deep playoff run. Oh, yeah, and Bosh still has the skills to be a star player when given the opportunity.
9. Dwight Howard - ORL - 20.1 pts, 15.4 reb, 2.1 ast, 2.2 blk, 1.4 stl, .549 FG%, .479 FT%
Orlando finally won a couple of games this week, and Howard continued to play at his usual high level, but the two games the Magic won were against the Wizards and Cavaliers, neither of which has been playing well lately. Even with Howard playing this well, the Magic will not make it through the first round of the playoffs at this rate, and his chances at the MVP need that playoff success.
10. LaMarcus Aldridge - POR - 22.8 pts, 8.7 reb, 2.7 ast, 1.0 stl, .506 FG%, .766 FT%
Aldridge has scored at least 20 points in four straight games, but things did not go well for his Trail Blazers this week. They lost to Utah, which was somewhat understandable, but a loss in Sacramento is something that should never happen to a team that wants to make the playoffs, which is appropriate, since Portland has slipped to 9th place in the West because of the loss.
Dropping Out
Danilo Gallinari - DEN
Honorable Mention
Danilo Gallinari - DEN
Carlos Boozer - CHI
James Harden - OKC
Pau Gasol - LAL
Brandon Jennings - MIL
Andre Iguodala - PHI
Rookie of the Year
1. Kyrie Irving - CLE - 18.0 pts, 3.3 reb, 5.0 ast, .498 FG%, .404 3P%, .829 FT%
Irving has been incredible lately, making the #1 pick the Cavaliers spent on him seem justified, even if he hardly played as a college freshman due to injuries. Cleveland has been steadily falling down the standings for the past several weeks, but Irving has already established himself as their best player and could be the cornerstone they need to build around for the future.
2. Ricky Rubio - MIN - 11.3 pts, 4.6 reb, 8.8 ast, 2.3 stl, .384 FG%, .365 3P%, .820 FT%
Rubio has continued to impress in his first season in the States, moving up to 4th in assists and 3rd in steals, making him the best pure point guard of this rookie class. His addition to the Timberwolves has made quite a difference this year, giving Kevin Love somebody to receive the ball from, and the pair has Minnesota closer to the playoffs than they've been in years.
3. Kemba Walker - CHA - 11.9 pts, 4.0 reb, 3.6 ast, 1.1 stl, 362 FG%, .757 FT%
Kemba has been scoring a lot more lately, but the Bobcats have not, with a losing streak of 10 games heading into today's game at Phoenix, but his shooting percentage is dropping very consistently over that period, which may explain Charlotte's troubles to some extent.
4. MarShon Brooks - NJN - 14.8 pts, 4.4 reb, 1.6 ast, 1.1 stl, .459 FG%, .352 3P%, .774 FT%
Brooks' drop in the rankings is not due to poor performance, but the fact that he's missed four straight games with a broken toe, and it sounds like he may have a while longer to go before he's back on the court. When he was playing, he was still looking good, but he needs to get off the bench if he wants to stay in this race.
5. Brandon Knight - DET - 12.9 pts, 3.5 reb, 3.5 ast, .408 FG%, .355 3P%, .766 FT%
Knight has been putting up the same numbers all season long, but his shooting percentages have been slipping a lot lately, with averages of 36% from the field and 24% from three-point land, which have caused him to lose ground in the race for Rookie of the Year, which is still a race, but could quickly become a one-man show like last year if somebody doesn't step it up to Irving's level soon.
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