There are 7 active players in the NBA who have a Maurice Podoloff Trophy at home for winning an MVP award, and three of those players are in the running to add to their collection this season. Two of them happen to be leading the two teams with the league's best records so far, which is a major component in determining the winner in most cases, so they should remain near the top of the standings for a while, barring injuries. Here are the latest top 10, along with my top five Sixth Man candidates, with players in red dropping since last time and players in green rising.
Most Valuable Player
1. LeBron James - MIA - 27.7 pts, 8.4 reb, 6.7 ast, 1.8 stl, .555 FG%, .390 3P%, .769 FT%
LeBron James is currently posting numbers higher than his already impressive career averages in every category but assists, which is very close, and Miami is one of three favorites to win this season's NBA title, so how can he not be the MVP? Add in his performance since the All-Star Break, where he has put in 30 points per game while grabbing 11 rebounds and shooting over 60% from the field, and you're looking at a player who has no equal for his size in any era.
2. Kevin Durant - OKC - 28.0 pts, 7.9 reb, 3.4 ast, 1.2 blk, 1.4 stl, .499 FG%, .358 3P%, .836 FT%
Durant is also putting up MVP-caliber numbers this season, and he has his team atop the Western Conference, where they have been for almost the entire season. His shooting percentage has dipped slightly lately, but he is still putting up the scoring numbers, and it's been an entire month since he failed to reach 20 points in a game.
3. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 23.7 pts, 4.8 reb, 5.6 ast, 1.8 stl, .466 FG%, .316 3P%, .817 FT%
Westbrook, who only reached double digits in assists once before the All-Star Break this season, has already done it twice since midseason, both of which were victories for the Thunder. But he wasn't just distributing the ball in those games, he was also putting it in the hoop themselves, averaging 30 points between the two wins for Oklahoma City.
4. Kobe Bryant - LAL - 28.9 pts, 5.7 reb, 4.8 ast, 1.3 stl, .434 FG%, .833 FT%
Kobe has been scoring a little more since the break, averaging 31 points per game and leading the Lakers to victories every time he reached that mark. One reason for that increase could be his improved free throw shooting. He has made 20 in a row right now, and he has the Lakers in the running for another Pacific Division title and home court in the first round.
5. Dwight Howard - ORL - 20.9 pts, 15.0 reb, 1.9 ast, 2.2 blk, 1.5 stl, .567 FG%, .490 FT%
Last week, Dwight Howard had two separate games in which he eclipsed the 30 point plateau, and it was even more impressive because he only took 20 shots in each of those two games. His shooting percentage between those games was an incredible 75%, so we can forgive him for losing to the Thunder in one of those games.
6. Blake Griffin - LAC - 21.2 pts, 11.2 reb, 2.9 ast, .529 FG%, .554 FT%
Griffin came into March more like a lamb than a lion, averaging only 15 points and 9 rebounds through the first three games, but he did redeem himself somewhat in the past two, putting up a 26-12 and a 28-17, although those numbers were somewhat tainted by the fact that the Clippers lost both, one to the lowly New Jersey Nets.
7. Kevin Love - MIN - 25.5 pts, 13.8 reb, 2.0 ast, .448 FG%, .368 3P%, .831 FT%
Minnesota has won 4 of 7 since the All-Star Break, with two of those losses coming to the Los Angeles Lakers. The common denominator in those two losses? Kevin Love missed both games with back problems. Put Love in the lineup for yesterday's game, and the Timberwolves might not have lost, which would have put Minnesota on the inside of the playoff picture for the first time in years.
8. Dwyane Wade - MIA - 22.4 pts, 4.4 reb, 4.9 ast, 1.3 blk, 1.7 stl, .501 FG%, .804 FT%
Wade has been struggling with an ankle injury lately, which could be part of the reason that Miami has lost two games this month, but he has been playing through the pain, and he's still putting up 22 points per game. He hasn't been the same player he was last season, when there was some debate over which player was the best on the Heat, but if he gets healthy by the playoffs, the East better watch out.
9. Derrick Rose - CHI - 22.5 pts, 3.4 reb, 7.8 ast, .449 FG%, .317 3P%, .821 FT%
It's no coincidence that Chicago started an 8-game winning streak in the first game after Derrick Rose returned from injury, and it's also no coincidence that the streak ended after Rose had his worst shooting night since December, hitting only 6 of 22 shots against the Magic. He has, however, helped the Bulls regain the top record in the league, and he is making a strong case for MVP again despite having missed 10 games already this year.
10. Tony Parker - SAS - 19.5 pts, 2.9 reb, 7.9 ast, 1.1 stl, .465 FG%, .799 FT%
Parker improved steadily after the All-Star Break, scoring 11, 15, 25, and 32 in consecutive games, before sitting out last night's loss to the Clippers with a thigh injury. Parker has returned the Spurs to prominence without the need for rebuilding by taking over leadership of the team, which is now solidly in second place in the West and could cause trouble for the top-ranked Thunder in the playoffs.
Dropped Out
Chris Bosh - MIA
LaMarcus Aldridge - POR
Honorable Mention
Pau Gasol - LAL
Marc Gasol - MEM
Chris Paul - LAC
Rudy Gay - MEM
Carlos Boozer - CHI
James Harden - OKC
Chris Bosh - MIA
Sixth Man of the Year
1. James Harden - OKC - 16.8 pts, 4.3 reb, 3.5 ast, .479 FG%, .361 3P%, .853 FT%
Harden scored a season-high 30 points against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday as he helped lead the Thunder back from one of their largest deficits of the entire season to a comfortable win. There is no better bench player in the league this season, and he is guaranteed to be a finalist because he's only started twice so far this season.
2. Lou Williams - PHI - 15.9 pts, 2.3 reb, 3.7 ast, .407 FG%, .369 3P%, .816 FT%
Williams has been very consistent over the past 8 games, putting up double digits in scoring in 7 of those games. In the other game, against Chicago, he went 0 for 7 from the field and ended up with only 6 points as the 76ers lost a close one against the top-ranked Bulls, which is a time when they could have really used his regular contributions off the bench.
3. Thaddeus Young - PHI - 13.4 pts, 5.3 reb, 1.2 ast, 1.1 stl, .499 FG%, .763 FT%
Young has been the 76ers best bench player lately, putting up at least 20 points off the bench 3 times in the last month, and he's been shooting over 80% from the free throw line over that stretch as well, which has earned him more playing time. He's now getting over 30 minutes per game, even without starting any games.
4. Nicolas Batum - POR - 14.1 pts, 4.4 reb, 1.2 ast, 1.1 blk, 1.0 stl, .460 FG%, .414 3P%, .835 FT%
Batum's 29 points against the Timberwolves last week weren't enough as Portland continued to slump by losing at home to Minnesota. Portland has lost 11 of their last 16 games, which is the main reason LaMarcus Aldridge is no longer an MVP candidate, but there's nothing that says you have to play for a winning team to be named Sixth Man of the Year.
5. Kemba Walker - CHA - 12.7 pts, 3.5 reb, 3.9 ast, 1.1 stl, .372 FG%, .323 3P%, .805 FT%
One year removed from leading the Connecticut Huskies to the NCAA championship, Walker is in a very different situation in the NBA, playing for the 4-win Charlotte Bobcats, but he has been a very solid player at the higher level, despite having no other player worth guarding on his team.
Dropping Out
Andre Miller - DEN
Jason Terry - DAL
Honorable Mention
Jason Terry - DAL
Al Harrington - DEN
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