Top 100 NBA Players: #41 - Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard

Teams

Orlando Magic - 2004-12

Los Angeles Lakers - 2012-13, 2019-20, present

Houston Rockets - 2013-16

Atlanta Hawks - 2016-17

Charlotte Hornets - 2017-18

Washington Wizards - 2018-19

Philadelphia 76ers - 2020-21

Playoffs

Appearances - 12 (2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2020,2021)

Conference Finals - 4 (2009,2010,2015,2020)

NBA Finals - 2 (2009,2020)

Championships - 1 (2020)

Awards and Honors

Defensive Player of the Year - 3 (2009,2010,2011)

All-NBA First Team - 5 (2008,2009,2010,2011,2012)

All-NBA Second Team - 1 (2008,2010,2014)

All-NBA Third Team - 2 (2007,2012,2013,2014)

*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)

All-Time Ranks

Field Goal Percentage - #7

Total Rebounds - #12

Total Blocks - #15

Rebounds Per Game - #19

Blocks Per Game - #29

Total Points - #63

League Leads

Total Rebounds (#1-2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2012, #2-2011,2013, #3-2018, #5-2005,2014,2016)

Rebounds Per Game (#1-2008,2009,2010,2012,2013, #2-2006,2011, #3-2007,2018, #4-2014,2016, #5-2017)

Field Goal Percentage (#1-2010, #2-2007,2011,2012,2013,2016, #3-2008,2014, #4-2009,2017)

Total Blocks (#1-2009,2010, #3-2011,2018, #4-2008,2013)

Blocks Per Game (#1-2009,2010, #3-2012, #4-2011, #5-2008,2013)

After his senior season at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy in which he averaged 25 points, 18 rebounds, and 8.1 blocks per game, Dwight Howard decided to skip college and enter the NBA Draft, where he was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the #1 overall pick.

As a rookie, he averaged 12.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, becoming the youngest player in history to average a double-double and finishing 3rd in the Rookie of the Year voting. He raised those averages to 15.8 points and 12.5 rebounds in his second year, and had more rebounds than any other player in the league.

In his third season, he made his first All-Star team and the All-NBA Third Team after averaging 17.6 points and 12.3 rebounds, again leading the league in total rebounds, and helped the Magic make the playoffs for the first time in his career. They lost in the first round, but Howard was just starting to reach his potential.

In 2007-08, Howard was named to the All-NBA First Team after averaging 20.7 points and leading the league with 14.2 rebounds per game, and he led the Magic to a playoff series victory for the first time as well, though their run would end in the second round. He averaged 18.9 points and 15.8 rebounds in the playoffs, but the Pistons stopped them for the second straight year.

The next season was the best of his career. He averaged 20.6 points, and led the league in rebounds with 13.8 and blocks with 2.9 per game, earning him the Defensive Player of the Year award, becoming the youngest to ever win the award at age 23. In the playoffs, he was able to push the Magic through the first two rounds, then had 40 points and 14 rebounds in the deciding game of the Conference Finals to help Orlando beat Cleveland and advance to the Finals, where they would fall to the Lakers in 5 games.

The next year Howard became the first player ever to lead the league in both rebounds and blocks in the same season twice, and he did it twice in a row. He also led the league in field goal percentage with a rate of .612 and won his second Defensive Player of the Year award in a row, but this time their playoff run was stopped in the Conference Finals by the Celtics, keeping them from a repeat Finals appearance.

Howard had another great season in 2010-11, setting a career high with 22.9 points per game to go along with 14.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks, and he won the Defensive Player of the Year award for the third time in a row, the first and so far only player to ever accomplish that feat, but the Magic lost in the first round of the playoffs. 

In 2011-12, Howard led the league in rebounding for the 4th time in 5 seasons, but was not happy in Orlando, asking to be traded to Brooklyn, and his season ended a month early when he decided to have back surgery. Orlando did trade him after the season, but they sent him to the Lakers instead of the Nets.

Howard numbers were down in his season with the Lakers, but he was still good enough to win the rebounding title for a 5th time with an average of 12.4 per game, but he didn't get along with Kobe Bryant and didn't feel like he fit well in their system, so he left the team as a free agent after the season.

He signed with Houston for the 2013-14 season, and posted good averages of 18.3 points and 12.2 rebounds in his first season with the team, but they failed to advance past the first round again. He missed half of the next season with a knee injury, but was able to return in time for the playoffs, where he averaged 16.4 points and 14 rebounds to help the Rockets reach the Conference Finals, but they fell to the Golden State Warriors one step shy of the Finals.

He played one more season with the Rockets, but decided to leave as a free agent after that season after his relationship with James Harden soured. He signed with his hometown Hawks, but again wore out his welcome quickly and was traded after one year to the Hornets. He had a bit of a resurgence in Charlotte, averaging 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds for the season, but again was traded after just one season, this time to the Nets, who immediately released him.

He signed with the Washington Wizards, but a sore backside kept him out until the regular season had already started. He finally joined the team and played in 9 games before deciding to have spinal surgery to relieve his pain, which caused him to miss the rest of the season. He wanted to return to the team, but they traded him after the season for the third year in a row, this time to Memphis, who released him.

He signed to return to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he came off the bench for the first time in his career, averaging only 7.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, and his averaged dropped even more in the playoffs, but it paid off in the end, as he was able to win a championship for the first time in his career.

He signed as a free agent with Philadelphia last season, once again in a reserve role, then decided to return to the Lakers as a free agent last month to try to earn another title. His best years are obviously behind him, but he still has the ability to make contributions to a winning team.

Howard was a monster early in his career, especially in Orlando. He won 3 DPOY awards, 5 rebounding titles, 2 block titles, and led the league in shooting percentage once. He led the Magic all the way to the NBA Finals once, and to the Conference Finals the next year, and is the active leader in both rebounds and blocks, while ranking in the top 15 all time in both categories. He was well past his prime before he won a championship, but there is no denying how dominant he was for about a decade in the post, and that is enough to put him on this list of the greatest players of all time.

Top 100 NBA Players: #60 - Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard was one of the most impressive young players in the NBA for many years. He is the only player in NBA history to be named Defensive Player of the Year 3 straight times, and his career rebounding average is #13 all time and #1 among all active players.

Howard has only two real weaknesses: he is a horrible free throw shooter, and he turns the ball over about 3 times per game. Other than that, he is one of the most incredible talents to ever take the court.  He has the 5th-highest field goal percentage of all time, and has led the league in blocks twice and rebounds 6 times.

Howard was also the youngest player to ever average a double-double for a season, as a rookie at age 19. That year he averaged only 10 rebounds per game, but he has not let his average dip below that since, with 12 straight seasons of double-double averages. In his first two seasons, Orlando missed the playoffs, but since then he has made ten straight appearances in the postseason.

In his fifth season, he led Orlando all the way to a surprise appearance in the NBA Finals, putting up his usual impressive numbers all the way. Those numbers are listed below:

Howard (2009 playoffs) - 20.3 pts, 15.3 reb, 2.6 blk, .601 FG%

The next season his numbers dipped slightly, and as a result the Magic made it only to the Eastern Conference Finals, but Howard was unquestionably their leader in both campaigns. In fact, other than his rookie season, he was always the best player in Orlando, going clear back to when he was just 19 years old.

He missed only 7 games in his first 7 seasons, but since then has missed 81 games, which is pretty much a full season. There are some who believe that he is washed up and past his prime, but it is worth remembering that he is still only 30 years old, so he could still rebound from a few subpar years in Houston and make a push to eventually reach the top 50 of all time.

NBA Playoff MVP Rankings - 2 May

The first round is nearly over, with 2 series finished and six closing this weekend, so which players are currently on track to earn the Finals MVP award that has belonged to LeBron for the past two seasons? Here are my top 10 players who are still alive in this postseason (although no Bulls or Bobcats would have made it anyway), with spacing between players indicating a gap in relative performance.

1. LeBron James - MIA - 30.0 P, 8.0 R, 6.0 A, 2.3 S, .557 FG, .350 3P, .795 FT


2. LaMarcus Aldridge - POR - 29.8 P, 10.8 R, 2.0 A, 3.2 B, .500 FG, .775 FT


3. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 25.3 P, 9.7 R, 6.7 A, 1.5 S, .356 FG, .864 FT



4. Dwight Howard - HOU - 26.0 P, 14.2 R, 1.6 A, 3.0 B, .545 FG, .642 FT
5. Paul George - IND - 22.8 P, 10.7 R, 4.8 A, 2.5 S, .454 FG, .462 3P, .816 FT
6. Kevin Durant - OKC - 29.3 P, 9.8 R, 3.7 A, 1.7 B, 1.0 S, .412 FG, .778 FT
7. Damian Lillard - POR - 25.6 P, 6.4 R, 7.4 A, 1.0 S, .450 FG, .459 3P, .867 FT






8. Blake Griffin - LAC - 23.2 P, 6.5 R, 3.2 A, 1.3 S, .523 FG, .711 FT

9. Paul Millsap - ATL - 20.2 P, 9.8 R, 2.7 A, 2.0 B, 1.0 S, .427 FG, .409 3P, .824 FT
10. James Harden - HOU - 25.4 P, 4.8 R, 5.8 A, 1.6 S, .347 FG, .868 FT

As leader of the only team to complete a sweep in the first round, LeBron is the man to beat once again this season, and though he probably lost the regular season MVP this year, he cares more about winning the Finals MVP, and he's playing like it so far this postseason.

LaMarcus Aldridge opened the playoffs with an amazing 46-point, 18-rebound performance to upset Houston on the road and steal home court, then scored another 43 in game 2, but he has cooled off lately, managing only 8 points in game 5, which allowed the Rockets to cut the deficit to 3-2 in the series. If Aldridge had played better, he would be #1 on this list and the Blazers would be on to the next round already.

Kevin Durant may have been the league's best player during the regular season, but in the playoffs he hasn't even been the best player on his own team. That would be Russell Westbrook, who is putting up over 25 points per game while grabbing nearly 10 rebounds a game as a point guard. The only problem is, his best games have all been losses for the Thunder, which is why he's only #3.

In Houston's game 5 victory over Portland, Dwight Howard had his worst game of the series, scoring only 22 points and grabbing 14 rebounds to go along with 3 blocks. If that doesn't seem like a bad game, that's because it isn't. Howard has just been that good this postseason, even raising his free throw percentage by nearly 10 percentage points.

NBA MVP Rankings - 24 Mar

The Lakers have started to heat up now that the season is entering its final stages, and it hasn't been just one player pulling the load. Although they have had just one representative on this list for the majority of the season, their current resurgence is due to a couple of big men who have now made this upper echelon as well. The top few players have not changed in quite a while, but there a many players trying to sneak into the top 5 and possibly displace one of the favorites, and they still have over a month to get there, so nothing is set in stone yet. Here are my latest MVP and Most Improved Rankings, with rising players in green and falling players in red and a description of their best recent game.

Most Valuable Player

1. LeBron James - MIA - 27.0 pts, 8.4 reb, 6.7 ast, 2.0 stl, .539 FG%, .375 3P%, .766 FT%

March 16 at PHI - 29 pts, 7 reb, 8 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl, 12-20 FG (W 84-78)

Miami nearly blew a 20-point lead against a strong 76ers team, but LeBron scored 4 points in the final 90 seconds, two on a pull-up jumper and another two on free throws, to prevent the upset and keep Miami in the hunt for the best record in the East, where they are currently 2.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls.

2. Kevin Durant - OKC - 27.9 pts, 8.1 reb, 3.5 ast, 1.2 blk, 1.5 stl, .498 FG%, .366 3P%, .852 FT%

March 23 vs. MIN - 40 pts, 17 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl, 15-26 FG, 3-6 3P, 7-7 FT (W 149-140)

Incredibly, Durant's 40 points were the third-highest output in this game, and it was the second time this season that Durant and Westbrook had each eclipsed the 40-point mark on the same night. His 17 rebounds were a season-high, and he was very efficient shooting the ball from everywhere, which nearly allowed them to win the game in regulation after his 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds remaining, but Love matched him a couple seconds later and the game continued.

3. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 24.3 pts, 4.5 reb, 5.4 ast, 1.6 stl, .475 FG%, .338 3P%, .823 FT%

March 23 vs. MIN - 45 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl, 17-28 FG, 2-4 3P, 9-9 FT (W 149-140)

Westbrook was also not the highest scorer in this game, but his 45 points were a career high, and his steal and 3-point play to open the second overtime may have been the play that decided the game. Like Durant, he was perfect from the free throw line for the night, and he also shot over 60% from the field, which is an incredible feat for any point guard, and proof that he belongs this high.

4. Kobe Bryant - LAL - 28.5 pts, 5.6 reb, 4.7 ast, 1.3 stl, .429 FG%, .845 FT%

March 13 at MEM - 34 pts, 9 reb, 5 ast, 11-25 FG, 11-12 FT (W 116-111)

Despite scoring only 12 points in the first half, Bryant turned it on in the second half, scoring or assisting on nearly every important basket as the Lakers came back from an early deficit to defeat the Grizzlies in double overtime. The game kept LA ahead of Memphis in the Western Conference standings, and gave Kobe his fifth 30-point game of the month, a number which has now reached 7.

5. Dwight Howard - ORL - 21.0 pts, 14.8 reb, 1.9 ast, 2.2 blk, 1.5 stl, .582 FG%, .484 FT%

March 13 vs. MIA - 24 pts, 25 reb, 2 blk, 3 stl, 9-13 FG, 6-18 FT (W 104-98)

Not only did Howard notch his 8th 20-20 game of the season and the 40th of his career, he also led the Magic back from a big deficit to defeat the visiting Miami Heat in overtime. After the game, he announced that he would remain with the Magic for the remainder of the season and that he would not opt out of his contract when the season ends, which seems to have taken a big load off of the entire team.

6. Dwyane Wade - MIA - 22.9 pts, 4.9 reb, 4.8 ast, 1.3 blk, 1.6 stl, .505 FG%, .801 FT%

March 18 vs. ORL - 31 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 13-25 FG, 5-7 FT (W 91-81)

Wade scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and made back-to-back baskets to stretch a 1-point lead to 5 late in the game as he helped Miami avenge their loss earlier in the week to Orlando. Wade is starting to look like the great player we've know him to be for years, and there is a good chance we'll see him up in the top 3 before too long.

7. Kevin Love - MIN - 26.2 pts, 13.7 reb, 1.8 ast, .452 FG%, .381 3P%, .812 FT%

March 23 at OKC - 51 pts, 14 reb, 16-27 FG, 7-11 3P, 12-16 FT (L 140-149)

Even though Minnesota lost the game, it was a night to remember for Kevin Love. He scored a career-high 51 points, 8 more than his previous high, and his 7 three-pointers were also the most he has ever made. He hit a 3-pointer with less than 1 second remaining in regulation that forced the first overtime, then scored 8 straight in the first extra period before the Wolves collapsed.

8. Pau Gasol - LAL - 16.8 pts, 10.4 reb, 3.4 ast, 1.3 blk, .512 FG%, .762 FT%

March 21 at DAL - 27 pts, 9 reb, 13-16 FG, 1-1 3P (W 109-93)

Pau had a great night from the field, shooting the ball at over 80% for the night, and the Lakers beat the Mavericks for the third time in three tries this season, ending Dallas' 4-game winning streak. One of the biggest shots of the game was a 3-point shot from Gasol, only his fifth of the season, that gave LA a 14-point lead with 8 minutes to go and pretty much sealed the fate of both teams.

9. Blake Griffin - LAC - 20.9 pts, 10.9 reb, 2.9 ast, .527 FG%, .544 FT%

March 11 vs. GSW - 27 pts, 12 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk, 10-19 FG, 7-15 FT (L 93-97)

Griffin's best game over the past two weeks came in a loss to the lowly Golden State Warriors, which kind of sums up how the Clippers' season has been going lately as well. His struggles from the line prevented them from making a comeback, and Griffin has begun to slide downward just like his team.

10. Andrew Bynum - LAL - 18.0 pts, 12.5 reb, 1.5 ast, 2.0 blk, .582 FG%, .664 FT%

March 13 at MEM - 37 pts, 16 reb, 15-18 FG, 7-8 FT (W 116-111)

Bynum has not even been on my honorable mention list before today, but this game at Memphis showed what a dominant player he can be. The 37 points established his season-high, and he only missed three shots from the field all night as the Lakers held off Memphis' attempt to pass Los Angeles for the West's third-best record. Bynum has reached 30 points three times this month, after never reaching it in the first 2+ months of the season.

Dropping Out

Derrick Rose - CHI
Tony Parker - SAS

Honorable Mention

Tony Parker - SAS
Josh Smith - ATL
James Harden - OKC
Marc Gasol - MEM
Carlos Boozer - CHI
Derrick Rose - CHI
Chris Bosh - MIA

Most Improved Player

1. Jeremy Lin - NYK - +12.1 pts, +1.8 reb, +4.8 ast, +0.5 stl, +.057 FG%, +.110 3P%, +.037 FT%

March 17 at IND - 19 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast, 6-10 FG, 7-8 FT (W 102-88)

You may think that Linsanity has ended now that Carmelo Anthony has returned, and while Lin's overall numbers have dropped a little this month, the Lin Dynasty is just beginning in New York. In the 25 games since he was inserted into the lineup, he has scored in double digits 22 times, and he has reached 10 assists in six games as well.


2. Jeff Teague - ATL - +7.1 pts, +0.8 reb, +2.4 ast, +1.1 stl, +.031 FG%


March 23 vs. NJN - 17 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast, 5-8 FG, 1-2 3P, 6-7 FT (W 93-84)


Teague led the Atlanta Hawks in assists last night and scored an uncontested layup that gave them a nine-point lead, their largest of the game, with just under 4 minutes remaining. He appears to be getting back on track, scoring at least 10 points in 5 of his last 6 games.


3. Andrew Bynum - LAL - +6.7 pts, +3.2 reb


See MVP #10 above.


4. Greg Monroe - DET - +6.9 pts, +2.4 reb, +1.2 ast, +.145 FT%


March 14 at SAC - 32 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast, 15-20 FG, 2-3 FT (W 124-112)


Monroe matched his career-high with 32 points, and made up for the last time he faced Sacramento, when he finished with only 3, as Detroit won a road game for the first time in nearly a month. Some night Monroe can be a total beast, but other nights he finished with lines of 5 points and 6 rebounds, as he did last night against Miami.


5. Ryan Anderson - ORL - +5.3 pts, +2.2 reb, +.015 3P%, +.043 FT%


March 21 vs. PHX - 29 pts, 4 reb, 9-16 FG, 7-12 3P, 4-6 FT (W 103-93)


Anderson 7 three-pointers marked the first time this month that he made more than 3 in a game, and he played just as well in the first half as the second, splitting his scoring 15-14 and his 3-pointers 4-3, keeping it consistent all night. His 3-point percentage, which had been far above 40% for the first two months of the season, has been only 34% this month, so this night was much needed.


Dropping Out

Marcin Gortat - PHX

Honorable Mention

Marcin Gortat - PHX
Paul George - IND
James Harden - OKC

NBA MVP Rankings - 10 Mar

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

NBA MVP Rankings - 25 Feb

It was a short week for the NBA due to All-Star Weekend, so there wasn't quite as much movement as you would see in a normal week, but there were still a couple of interesting changes among the top 10 players. Kevin Durant has been doing everything he can to overtake LeBron James, but the gap isn't closing very fast, with the streak the Heat is on. Here are the latest MVP and Rookie Rankings, with rising players in green and falling players in red.

Most Valuable Player


1. LeBron James - MIA - 27.4 pts, 8.1 reb, 6.8 ast, 1.8 stl, .547 FG%, .413 3P%, .773 FT%

LeBron was solid in all three games for Miami this week, racking up 8 assists in each, and even though nothing he did was incredibly spectacular, he has the Heat on a league-leading 8-game winning streak heading into the All-Star Break, and he is the best player in the NBA, playing for the best team in the NBA, which has the best record in the NBA. I can't see any way not to give him the MVP at this point.

2. Kevin Durant - OKC - 27.9 pts, 8.1 reb, 3.4 ast, 1.2 blk, 1.4 stl, .513 FG%, .365 3P%, .836 FT%

Durant was incredible this week, scoring a career-high 51 points against Denver last Sunday, and averaging over 30 points in each of his team's other 3 games, but the Thunder are still not as hot as Miami, and Durant isn't quite the all-around player that LeBron is, although he has definitely improved his rebounding and shot-blocking this season, which will make him an MVP candidate for years to come, but not this year, unless LeBron gets hurt or Miami collapses.

3. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 23.5 pts, 4.8 reb, 5.5 ast, 1.9 stl, .471 FG%, .814 FT%

In the same game that Durant put up 51 points, Westbrook had 40 of his own, making his placement up here in the rankings not seem quite so crazy. Three straight 30-point outings this week were a big reason that the Thunder extended their winning streak to 5 games and tied Miami for the league's best record entering the All-Star Break. We could be in for a very star-studded Finals if everything goes the way it looks like it will.

4. Kobe Bryant - LAL - 28.4 pts, 5.8 reb, 4.9 ast, 1.3 stl, .435 FG%, .828 FT%

Kobe's best game of the week came in a loss to the Phoenix Suns, and his worst game came in their come-from-behind win over the Dallas Mavericks, so the disturbing trend of the Lakers performing better without Bryant continues. It just doesn't seem like a trait befitting an MVP.

5. Blake Griffin - LAC - 21.4 pts, 11.4 reb, 3.0 ast, .539 FG%, .539 FT%

Griffin has now scored over 20 points in 7 straight games, and the Clippers are leading the Pacific Division and looking like they will have home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, both situations foreign to this franchise. Against San Antonio he put up a 20-20, but then fouled out and the Clippers lost to the Spurs, but he may be the most valuable player in Los Angeles before long.

6. Chris Bosh - MIA - 18.4 pts, 8.3 reb, 2.0 ast, .494 FG%, .817 FT%

Bosh recorded back-to-back 20-point games this week, a tough feat on a team featuring Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, and although it doesn't appear that he has done much different than last year, he has been very instrumental in keeping the Heat from slipping while Wade was out, and has continued to play well even with him back in the lineup.

7. Dwight Howard - ORL - 20.1 pts, 15.3 reb, 2.1 ast, 2.2 blk, 1.5 stl, .554 FG%, .492 FT%

Two losses this week dropped Orlando to fifth in the Eastern Conference playoff race and prevented Howard from passing Kobe Bryant to move closer to Orlando's first MVP, but in both losses Howard scored only 12 points against teams that will likely be in the playoffs, while scoring over 20 points in wins against teams that won't make the playoffs.

8. Kevin Love - MIN - 25.0 pts, 14.0 reb, 1.9 ast, 1.0 stl, .446 FG%, .348 3P%, .833 FT%

The stat line is incredible, but Love is still playing for a team hovering below the playoff line. They have reached the .500 mark, and if they make the playoffs for the first time without Kevin Garnett in franchise history, Love should get serious consideration for this award, as he is the new face of the franchise.

9. Dwyane Wade - MIA - 22.4 pts, 4.4 reb, 4.8 ast, 1.4 blk, 1.7 stl, .502 FG%, .804 FT%

Wade's minutes increased a bit more this week, and so did his production in every major category. He scored 30 points in 30 minutes against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, and handed out 10 assists in the same game while missing only 5 times in 16 field goal attempts. With Wade at full strength, there's no telling how good the Heat will be in the second half of the season.

10. LaMarcus Aldridge - POR - 22.3 pts, 8.3 reb, 2.7 ast, 1.1 stl, .506 FG%, .798 FT%

Aldridge returned from an ankle injury and returned to the top 10 in the same week, and a large part of that was due to his 21 points in 27 minutes against San Antonio on Tuesday in the game that ended the Spurs' 11-game winning streak. He probably would have scored more, but the game was over midway through the third quarter, and Portland coasted to a 40-point blowout of the red-hot Spurs.

Dropping Out

Tony Parker - SAS

Honorable Mention

Tony Parker - SAS
Pau Gasol - LAL

Rookie of the Year

1. Kyrie Irving - CLE - 18.1 pts, 3.5 reb, 5.1 ast, .476 FG%, .415 3P%, .857 FT%

The game might have been meaningless, but Irving was named the MVP of the Rising Stars Game last night that opened All-Star Weekend, scoring 34 points and hitting all 8 of his 3-point attempts in the game. That performance was just more proof that he is the best rookie in the league this year.

2. Ricky Rubio - MIN - 11.3 pts, 4.3 reb, 8.4 ast, 2.4 stl, .375 FG%, .354 3P%, .812 FT%

Rubio has had a great rookie season for the Timberwolves, who waited for two season to get him from Spain, and he has been worth the wait, dominating all facets of the game that a point guard should, with the only noticeable flaw being his shooting percentage, which is among the worst in the league. His passing and defense, however, more than make up for that one weakness.

3. Kemba Walker - CHA - 13.3 pts, 3.8 reb, 3.8 ast, 1.1 stl, .370 FG%, .345 3P%, .800 FT%

Although his shooting percentage is still quite low, Kemba Walker has been steadily improving as his rookie season progresses, even though his team has not. He has had at least 5 assists and 2 steals in each of the last 3 games for Charlotte, and it's looking like he'll become a solid professional point guard.

4. Kawhi Leonard - SAS - 7.0 pts, 4.9 reb, 0.9 ast, 1.3 stl, .464 FG%, .348 3P%, .659 FT%

Leonard has not been getting as much playing time lately as he would like, but when Tim Duncan and Tony Parker sat out against Portland on Tuesday, Kawhi played 43 minutes, racking up 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 steals in a losing effort. For a while back in December he was playing nearly 30 minutes per game, but his minutes have been a little more unpredictable lately.

5. Brandon Knight - DET - 12.8 pts, 3.5 reb, 3.5 ast, .413 FG%, .382 3P%, .817 FT%

Detroit has won 6 games in the last 3 weeks, which is pretty good for them, and Knight has been an important part of the equation for the Pistons. Last Friday he tied his career-high with 23 points while also passing out a career-high 10 assists, then bested his scoring feat 3 nights later with 24 points against Cleveland in a 1-point loss.

Dropping Out

MarShon Brooks - NJN

NBA MVP Rankings - 19 Feb

There are two new players joining the MVP rankings this week, one that has been here a lot in years past, and one that has not because of a more famous teammate with multiple MVP trophies, but who has established himself as the team leader and is leading his team on the longest winning streak of any team this season. Here are my updated MVP and Most Improved Player Rankings, with rising players in green and falling players in red.

Most Valuable Player

1. LeBron James - MIA - 28.0 pts, 8.1 reb, 6.7 ast, 1.7 stl, .546 FG%, .390 3P%, .764 FT%

Miami has won 5 straight road games by at least 15 points, and LeBron has been leading them in his typical outstanding fashion. At Milwaukee on Monday he scored 35 points on 16-21 shooting as Miami won in the second of three games in three nights. They were the first team in over 30 years to win three road games in three nights, and the first team in over 40 years to win all three by at least 10 points.

2. Kevin Durant - OKC - 26.8 pts, 8.2 reb, 3.3 ast, 1.3 blk, 1.2 stl, .508 FG%, .343 3P%, .828 FT%

Durant has been great this year, and he has the Thunder sitting at the top of the West, as they have all year, but he is probably going to have to settle for another second place finish if LeBron and Miami continue to dominate the East. Durant's best game of the week came in their lone loss at Houston, but he did have a perfect week from the free throw line, where he hasn't missed since February 9th.

3. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 22.6 pts, 4.9 reb, 5.4 ast, 2.0 stl, .469 FG%, .803 FT%

Thunder fans received a scare on Friday when Westbrook went down with a sprained ankle in a blowout victory over Golden State, but Westbrook says he is fine and will play today against Denver, so Oklahoma City can breathe a sigh of relief. Westbrook hit exactly half of his shots this week, but he has not been passing the ball as well lately, handing out fewer than 5 assists in each of his last 5 appearances.

4. Kobe Bryant - LAL - 28.9 pts, 5.9 reb, 5.0 ast, 1.2 stl, .440 FG%, .842 FT%

Kobe went off against Phoenix on Friday night, scoring 36 points in 35 minutes of action while grabbing 9 rebounds and handing out 6 assists and generally looking like the MVP he once was. However, in his previous game against Atlanta, he scored only 10 points on 5-18 shooting while turning the ball over 5 times.  One MVP performance and one crappy performance cancel each other out, leaving Kobe at #4.

5. Dwight Howard - ORL - 20.3 pts, 15.3 reb, 1.9 ast, 2.2 blk, 1.4 stl, .553 FG%, .501 FT%

Howard did not put up his usual gaudy numbers during the first 3 games of Orlando's current winning streak, but he more than made up for it against Milwaukee on Friday, recording his 7th 20-20 game of the season and shooting a better percentage from the free throw line than from the field (it's true, you can look it up). He also blocked 4 shots against the Bucks in each of their 2 games this week, making a strong case for his 4th straight Defensive Player of the Year award.

6. Blake Griffin - LAC - 21.2 pts, 11.4 reb, 2.9 ast, .532 FG%, .533 FT%

Griffin scored at least 20 points in all 5 of LA's games this week, hitting over half of his shots in each of those games as well, while hitting nearly 60% of his free throws, which is a major accomplishment for him this year. Last night against the red-hot Spurs, he put up a 20-20 game of his own, although it wasn't quite enough to prevent San Antonio from winning their 10th straight game.

7. Chris Bosh - MIA - 18.5 pts, 8.3 reb, 2.1 ast, .490 FG%, .816 FT%

I thought that Bosh would be gone by now, with Wade back in the lineup, but he has been reinventing himself as a big man lately, grabbing more than 10 rebounds per game over the past week and shooting only one shot from beyond the three-point line, where he used to shoot much more often. He did struggle to hit shots this week, but with two of the best scorers in the NBA on his team, he doesn't really have to.

8. Kevin Love - MIN - 25.8 pts, 14.2 reb, 1.8 ast, .464 FG%, .366 3P%, .835 FT%

Since returning from suspension, Love has scored at least 30 points in 4 of Minnesota's 5 games, and he has grabbed an average of 16.6 rebounds in those games as well while lighting it up from all over the court. It almost seems that he is trying to prove that he deserves the spot he was given on the All-Star team, and you won't hear any arguments from me.

9. Tony Parker - SAS - 19.4 pts, 2.8 reb, 7.8 ast, 1.0 stl, .456 FG%, .800 FT%

Parker has been incredible all month, scoring over 30 points 4 times, including 42 points in San Antonio's huge upset of the Thunder on the eve of their long road trip, and he's not slowing down. You would think that scoring all those points would prevent him from sharing the ball, but he's also recorded at least 10 assists in each of the last two games to go along with those 30+ points, and San Antonio has won 10 games in a row.

10. Dwyane Wade - MIA - 21.9 pts, 4.3 reb, 4.7 ast, 1.4 blk, 1.6 stl, .493 FG%, .805 FT%

Wade is rounding into shape for Miami, scoring over 20 points per game over their current 5-game winning streak while playing only 26 minutes per game. Once his minutes get bumped back up to the 36 he's used to, look for his stats to take a nice jump as well. For now, he has to be mentioned here, even if he's not anywhere near the player he has been in the past.

Dropping Out

LaMarcus Aldridge - POR
Derrick Rose - CHI

Honorable Mention

James Harden - OKC
Pau Gasol - LAL

Most Improved Player

1. Jeremy Lin - NYK - +10.9 pts, +1.2 reb, +3.7 ast, +.102 FG%, +.080 3P%

Entering this month, Jeremy Lin's career high in scoring was 13 points, a figure he has now eclipsed 7 times in 8 games. There has never been a player who has suddenly emerged like this from the end of the bench to become a star in such a short period, and it just seems like the script of a Hollywood sports movie, but this is happening. Unless it turns out that these two weeks have been a fluke, which I highly doubt, there is no competition for this award.

2. Ryan Anderson - ORL - +6.2 pts, +1.7 reb, +0.1 ast, +.022 FG%, +.047 3P%, +.036 FT%

In a normal season, Anderson would be a very strong contender for this award, as he has improved across the board in a big way and become a great outside complement to Dwight Howard, but this is not a normal season in any way, but he is still the leader in the Second Most Improved Player Rankings.

3. Greg Monroe - DET - +6.8 pts, +2.1 reb, +1.1 ast, +.193 FT%

Monroe played his way into a starting role toward the end of his rookie year, and this year he has been even better. He has proven to be a real starting power forward, crashing the boards and scoring points in the paint, but he has been very inconsistent this week, with his scoring looking like a roller coaster, going from 27 to 4 to 22 to 3 over four games.

4. Jeff Teague - ATL - +7.0 pts, +0.5 reb, +2.7 ast, +1.1 stl, +.027 FG%, +.063 3P%

Teague seems to be slipping back into reality a bit, showing inconsistency everywhere but beyond the three-point line. Atlanta has been doing the same lately, losing 3 of their four games this week and falling behind Orlando in the race for home court in the first round. Atlanta's fortunes seem to follow Teague.

5. Marcin Gortat - PHX - +5.2 pts, +2.4 reb, +0.1 ast, +0.5 blk

Though many have yet to realize it, Marcin Gortat is the best player on the Phoenix Suns, despite the fact that a certain former MVP was named to the All-Star team instead of him. Gortat is leading Phoenix in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots, and shooting percentage even though just one year ago he was not even a starter and was getting only 15 minutes a game for Orlando.

Dropping Out

Marc Gasol - MEM

Honorable Mention

Paul George - IND
James Harden - OKC
Marc Gasol - MEM

NBA MVP Rankings - 11 Feb

Jeremy Lin may be the talk of the NBA right now, and rightfully so, but one week of outstanding play is not enough to earn you a spot on this list, although if he plays this well for the rest of the season it would be no surprise to find him fighting for a spot in the top 5. At this point, however, there are plenty of other guys who have been doing it every night all season long, and this post is dedicated to them. As usual, the players who are rising this week are marked in green, and those that are falling are marked in red. I have also ranked the top 5 sixth men below.

Most Valuable Player

1. LeBron James - MIA - 28.1 pts, 8.0 reb, 7.0 ast, 1.7 stl, .542 FG%, .370 3P%, .752 FT%

LeBron did not have the most dominant week, averaging only 22 points per game, and he has failed to score even 20 points in his past two games, and the Heat even lost in Orlando this week, but he is still the top MVP candidate today. How is that possible? He has been so much better than anybody else so far this season that he could afford to have an "off-week," although most players would be pretty happy to play as well as James does when he's not on top of his game. His lead has narrowed, so another bad week could cost him the top spot.

2. Kevin Durant - OKC - 27.0 pts, 8.2 reb, 3.3 ast, 1.4 blk, 1.2 stl, .505 FG%, .815 FT%

Durant is closing the gap on James this week, but two losses, along with his first game with fewer than 20 points since January 3rd, kept him from becoming the MVP front-runner and kept the Thunder from holding on to the league's best record, although they have managed to stay atop the West as the favorites to make the NBA Finals.

3. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 22.9 pts, 4.9 reb, 5.7 ast, 2.1 stl, .466 FG%, .810 FT%

While Durant has not been scoring quite as much for the Thunder lately, Russell Westbrook has stepped up and put in the points they needed. Over the past 4 games he has averaged 30 points, and in the past 3 he has shot above 50% from the field as well, making him very efficient as well. To top it all off, he recorded 5 steals last night in Utah as the Thunder held off a late Jazz rally and proved that their loss to Sacramento was a fluke and that they are still the team to beat in the West, and you've just seen the two biggest reasons why.

4. Kobe Bryant - LAL - 29.4 pts, 6.0 reb, 5.2 ast, 1.1 stl, .442 FG%, .848 FT%

Kobe scored a lot of points this week once again, but he did it while shooting only 40% from the field, and as a result of all those misses, the Lakers won only one game this week, an overtime victory over the Celtics on Thursday. In that game, it was not Bryant, but Pau Gasol who was the hero, tipping in Kobe's miss near the end of regulation to send the game to overtime, and blocking Ray Allen's potential game-winner in overtime to seal LA's victory.

5. Blake Griffin - LAC - 21.2 pts, 11.0 reb, 3.1 ast, 1.0 stl, .533 FG%, .521 FT%

After a horrendous 1 for 7 night from the line against Washington last Saturday, Blake Griffin suddenly remembered how to make free throws, hitting 15 of his last 19, even though he missed the only two he attempted yesterday. LA's upset win in Philadelphia last night moved the Clippers up to second place in the Western Conference, a spot they have not reached at any point in my memory. It may not be long before we're seeing two members of the Clippers on the MVP watch, which normally would be unheard of.

6. LaMarcus Aldridge - POR - 23.0 pts, 8.4 reb, 2.8 ast, 1.1 stl, .511 FG%, .788 FT%

It's a little strange to see Aldridge moving up the MVP rankings after two consecutive games with fewer than 15 points, but this move has a little more to do with injuries to other players than to his own performance this week. He did score 39 points against Oklahoma City on Monday, but it was enough for Portland to take down the West leaders, as they fell to the Thunder 111-107.

7. Dwight Howard - ORL - 20.9 pts, 15.5 reb, 2.0 ast, 2.1 blk, 1.5 stl, .565 FG%, .491 FT%

In Wednesday night's impressive 102-89 victory over the Miami Heat, Dwight Howard recorded 25 points and 24 rebounds, marking his 6th 20-20 game of the season, which gives him as many 20-20 games this year as every other player in the league combined. If the Magic hadn't lost to the Clippers and Hawks this week, there is a very good chance that Howard would be sitting ahead of Blake Griffin in the top 5, where a man of his talents definitely belongs.

8. Chris Bosh - MIA - 19.4 pts, 7.9 reb, 2.1 ast, .509 FG%, .820 FT%

Bosh came very close to falling from the MVP leaders this week before saving himself for another week with 24 points and 11 rebounds in Miami's victory over the Washington Wizards last night. Before that, he had scored between 9 and 15 in 6 straight games, and it's very likely that this will be his final week on this list, with Dwyane Wade back and making a strong push to be Miami's second potential MVP.

9. Kevin Love - MIN - 25.3 pts, 13.6 reb, 1.8 ast, 1.0 stl, .453 FG%, .368 3P%, .829 FT%

In the two games he played this week, Love was great, putting up 25 against Houston and 32 against Dallas, but he missed the two games in between due to a suspension for stomping on Luis Scola's head. Without him on the court, the Wolves lost at Memphis, and the outcome could have been different if the best player on either team had been allowed to take the court, and Minnesota would have been able to boast of a record above .500 as well.

10. Derrick Rose - CHI - 22.0 pts, 3.4 reb, 7.8 ast, .462 FG%, .841 FT%

Rose played sparingly this week, totaling only 10 points in 33 minutes since Sunday, but this time the time off is due to a back injury, rather than the toe injury that kept him out earlier this season. Chicago continues to win without its MVP on the court, which has allowed Carlos Boozer to start making a push for a spot among the top 10, but that will have to wait for another week.

Honorable Mention

Tony Parker - SAS
Carlos Boozer - CHI
Pau Gasol - LAL

Sixth Man of the Year

1. James Harden - OKC - 16.6 pts, 4.1 reb, 3.4 ast, .463 FG%, .364 3P%, .863 FT%

If he didn't have two of the best players in the league as teammates, you might very well be seeing James Harden on the list above rather than this one, but Harden has improved so much in just his third season that he is currently running away with this award. This week he did exactly what was expected of him, but he did amp up his defense a little, averaging over 1.5 steals per game, including 4 against Golden State on Tuesday.

2. Lou Williams - PHI - 15.6 pts, 2.2 reb, 3.6 ast, .412 FG%, .380 3P%, .813 FT%

Williams has put up at least 10 points in every game so far this month, including back-to-back 20-point outings against the Lakers and Spurs, all without starting a single game this season. He has been a very consistent member of the team all year, which has enabled the 76ers to keep themselves in position for a division title for the first time in years.

3. Thaddeus Young - PHI - 12.4 pts, 4.5 reb, 1.1 ast, 1.3 stl, .512 FG%, .722 FT%

Young is another important part of a deep bench in Philadelphia, and although he is not putting up the same numbers he did as a full-time starter 3 years ago, he seems to be adjusting to his new role, and he has become more of an inside player, shooting only 25 of them over the past two seasons after jacking up over 300 of them in the previous two seasons. The result has been a 5% increase in his overall shooting percentage, which is important for a player with limited minutes.

4. Andre Miller - DEN - 10.9 pts, 3.8 reb, 6.7 ast, 1.2 stl, .475 FG%, .775 FT%

Miller has been shooting well, but not often, for the Nuggets lately, hitting 53% of his shots, but only scoring 9.8 points per game. During that stretch, the Nuggets have lost 5 straight games, which caused them to slip from #2 in the West all the way down to #8, hanging on for their playoff lives. Perhaps time is finally catching up to the 35-year-old, who played in his 1000th game as a pro last week against the Clippers.

5. Jason Terry - DAL - 14.8 pts, 1.6 reb, 3.6 ast, 1.3 stl, .425 FG%, .376 3P%, .873 FT%

Terry has been making quite a push lately to earn another Sixth Man award, scoring 34 points in a win over San Antonio, then putting up 25 against the Thunder just 3 nights later. He has also started to find his range again, hitting multiple 3-pointers in 5 different games over the last 3 weeks, including 4 at Cleveland last Saturday.

Dropping Out/Honorable Mention

Al Harrington - DEN
Evan Turner - PHI

NBA MVP Rankings - 4 Feb

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.

NBA MVP Rankings - 28 Jan

The top players all played very well this week, but some of the MVP leaders saw their teams collapse around them, hurting their standing among the top players. Of the ten players currently on my list 9 are currently on teams that are in playoff position, and six of those also would have home court advantage in the first round. Here are the updated MVP leaders, with rising players in green and falling players in red.

Most Valuable Player

1. LeBron James - MIA - 29.2 pts, 8.0 reb, 7.1 ast, 1.9 stl, .549 FG%, .379 3P%, .756 FT%

Each of the stats listed above is impressive on its own, but consider the fact that each one is higher than LeBron's career average, and these numbers are just mind-blowing. Actually, one of his stats is below his career average this season: his minutes per game, which is 3 minutes lower than his average, meaning that he's doing more than he used to with less time on the court. Miami is currently the #2 team in the East, and LeBron has done most of that without Dwyane Wade to help him out. Keep this up, and he'll take home his third MVP.

2. Kevin Durant - OKC - 26.3 pts, 7.6 reb, 3.3 ast, 1.2 blk, 1.2 stl, .507 FG%, .836 FT%

Durant and the Thunder have won 11 of their past 12 games, even though Durant only topped 30 points in one of those 11 wins. Oklahoma City now owns the best record in the entire NBA, and they may have the best chance at winning the Finals, especially after all the playoff experience they gained last season by making the Western Conference Finals. If Durant wants to win the MVP, he's going to have to at least keep the Thunder atop the West, but taking the top overall record would nearly clinch it.

3. Kobe Bryant - LAL - 30.2 pts, 5.7 reb, 5.6 ast, 1.2 stl, .454 FG%, .840 FT%

The Lakers have continued to struggle, but Kobe is still leading the league in scoring, and Los Angeles hasn't fallen completely out of playoff position, thanks to a win over the Clippers on Wednesday. His shooting percentage has continued to drop as the season has progressed, so if he doesn't get some help, his MVP back at home won't be getting any company.

4. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 20.8 pts, 4.7 reb, 5.8 ast, 2.0 stl, .456 FG%, .781 FT%

Westbrook celebrated his big, new contract extension with his best game of the season, putting up 28 points and handing out a season-high 11 assists as the Thunder won their 11th game in the past 12. The win gave Oklahoma City the league's best record, which is why they have two players among the MVP leaders, one of only two teams that can say that.

5. Chris Bosh - MIA - 21.2 pts, 7.8 reb, 2.2 ast, .527 FG%, .796 FT%

Bosh wasn't even in my top ten last week, but that was before he put up his best week with the Heat. He topped 30 points twice, both Miami victories, and shot over 94% from the free throw line, including a perfect 14 for 14 in their win over Cleveland. If he had played better last night against the Knicks, you might have seen him pass Westbrook for the top sidekick award.

6. Blake Griffin - LAC - 21.3 pts, 11.2 reb, 3.1 ast, .521 FG%, .504 FT%

Griffin's averages are down across the board this year, but the Clippers' best player is still an obvious MVP candidate, since Chris Paul's numbers haven't been as good as usual so far. It's obvious that Griffin is doing something right, and maybe that something has something to do with his shooting percentage, which is the only statistic in which he has improved this season. There has to be a reason that a different Los Angeles team is #3 in the West, and Griffin seems to be the easiest one to spot.

7. Kevin Love - MIN - 24.9 pts, 13.8 reb, 1.6 ast, 1.1 stl, .437 FG%, .404 3P%, .806 FT%

I had Minnesota down for three upsets this week. The first, against Houston, did not happen, but you can't fault Love for that. He scored 39 points and pulled down 12 rebounds while hitting all 5 of his three-point attempts, but Minnesota was unable to upset the visitors. Upset #2 was against San Antonio yesterday, when Love let others handle more of the scoring and concentrated on grabbing 16 rebounds as the Spurs went down up north. Their next upset chance comes tomorrow against the Lakers, who are currently in the #8 spot that the Wolves so desperately want to reach.

8. LaMarcus Aldridge - POR - 22.5 pts, 8.9 reb, 2.9 ast, 1.1 stl, .497 FG%, .773 FT%

This week, only one number popped out when you look over Aldridge's performances, and that was his 16-rebound performance in 28 minutes against Sacramento on Monday. Other than that, he had a pretty average week, and the Blazers followed suit, winning 3 but losing twice, which keeps them in the running for the playoffs, but did nothing to set them or their star apart from the rest of the field.

9. Dwight Howard - ORL - 19.9 pts, 15.6 reb, 2.2 ast, 2.1 blk, 1.4 stl, .555 FG%, .478 FT%

Howard has still been playing pretty well lately, but Orlando suffered two of the worst losses in its history this week, including a 31-point loss at Boston, a team that had 5 players sitting out due to injury. Howard shot only 4 for 15 during that game, which definitely didn't help things, but it seems that his teammates aren't contributing much at all. This morning Howard called out his teammates for their lack of effort in recent games, so we'll see if he can get some help or if he'll be leaving town.

10. Danilo Gallinari - DEN - 17.9 pts, 5.2 reb, 2.8 ast, 1.5 stl, .467 FG%, .887 FT%

Denver has won 6 straight games, and other than the dud he put up against Philadelphia, Gallinari has been the biggest reason. His best game came against his former team, New York, where he put up 37 points and 11 rebounds while hitting 18 out of 20 free throws as the Nuggets beat the Knicks to lengthen their slide out of playoff position. Denver, meanwhile, has the #2 record in the West and looks to have gotten the better end of last season's blockbuster trade so far.

Dropping Out

Andre Iguodala - PHI - 12.9 pts, 6.2 reb, 4.7 ast, 1.9 stl, .446 FG%, .371 3P%, .671 FT%

Last week Iguodala made his first appearance among the MVP leaders, and right on cue he had the worst week he could have possibly had, averaging just 8 points on 37.5% shooting as the 76ers lost twice, one which came to the hopeless New Jersey Nets, which is absolutely inexcusable for a team that was looking like a real contender just two weeks ago.

Carmelo Anthony - NYK - 23.6 pts, 6.9 reb, 4.3 ast, 1.2 stl, .394 FG%, .803 FT%

New York finally won a game this week, but it was despite Anthony, not because of him. The Knicks' best player scored just 1 point in 30 minutes of action, quite possibly the worst game of any MVP candidate in history. In the game before that he was severely outplayed by Danilo Gallinari, the player he was traded for last year, and he shot less than 30% for the week. Maybe New York needs to give the keys back to Amare.

Honorable Mention

Derrick Rose - CHI
Carlos Boozer - CHI
Joe Johnson - ATL
James Harden - OKC
Josh Smith - ATL
Paul Millsap - UTA

Most Improved Player

1. Jeff Teague - ATL - +6.8 pts, +0.8 reb, +3.3 ast, +1.5 stl, +4.0% FG%, +3.0% 3P%

Teague stepped in as Atlanta's starting point guard in his third NBA season, and he is showing that that is exactly where he belongs. Atlanta has been one of the surprises in the East so far, currently holding the #3 spot in the conference, and Teague has been a surprise also, currently ranked #5 in the league in steals per game.

2. Greg Monroe - DET - +6.4 pts, +2.1 reb, +1.5 ast, +20.5% FT%

Monroe became a starter midway through his rookie season, and slowly climbed the Rookie of the Year rankings, although Blake Griffin and John Wall made it impossible for him to win the award, but he is even better this year than he was toward the end of last year, establishing himself as the best player in Detroit despite being only 21 years old, and he has put up two straight 20-10 games against two of the three best teams in the East.

3. Ryan Anderson - ORL - +6.0 pts, +1.2 reb, +3.0% 3P%, +6.6% FT%

Anderson has been a huge surprise so far this season, hitting over 42% of his threes so far, although he shooting nearly 60% of his shots from back there. The common thread in Orlando's two blowout losses this week was Anderson, who missed all 8 of his shots and failed to score against Boston, then didn't play against New Orleans because of a calf injury.

4. Marc Gasol - MEM - +3.2 pts, +3.2 reb, +0.7 ast

There is now a real debate over which of the Gasol brothers is a better player, and statistically there is little separating the two. Even with Rudy Gay returning, Gasol has set himself apart as the best Grizzly this year, and his three double-doubles this week are a large part of the reason that Memphis is in contention for the playoffs.

5. Marcin Gortat - PHX - +4.7 pts, +2.0 reb, +1.7% FG%

Gortat went from playing only 15 minutes per game and averaging 4 points as Dwight Howard's backup early last season to leading the Phoenix Suns in scoring in less than one season. He had 9 straight double-doubles until he was held to only 8 points against Portland last night, but there is no doubt that he was just sitting there ready to explode last season.

Honorable Mention

Ty Lawson - DEN
Kyle Lowry - HOU

NBA MVP Rankings - 21 Jan

Last week, Kobe Bryant was on fire, putting up 40 points every night and having the Lakers looking like title contenders. A lot can happen in just one week, because neither of those is true anymore. As a result, there is a new, albeit familiar, face atop the MVP rankings, and two new ones in the top 10, replacing players that didn't live up to the hype this week. Here are my current top 10 MVP contenders, with rising players in green and falling players in red. Also, check out my 6th man rankings at the bottom of the post.

Most Valuable Player

1. LeBron James - MIA - 29.9 pts, 7.9 reb, 7.6 ast, 2.0 stl, .563 FG%, .474 3P%, .718 FT%

The week didn't start out well for the Heat, who lost three straight games and were not looking like a great team, and it didn't help that Dwyane Wade got hurt for the second time this season, but then King James took over and started playing like the superstar he is, putting up 3 straight 30-point games while shooting over 60% from long distance and pulling Miami up to #4 in the East standings. He's been the best player for years now, and now he's basically doing it alone again, like he did for all those years in Cleveland, with similar results.

2. Kevin Durant - OKC - 26.5 pts, 6.9 reb, 3.3 ast, 1.2 blk, 1.1 stl, .498 FG%, .841 FT%

Other than a head-scratching loss at last-place Washington on Wednesday, this was a solid week for the two-time defending scoring champ. He was perfect from the free throw line (24-24) and put up nearly 30 points per game while keeping the Thunder in the West's top spot, but he didn't do anything spectacular enough to warrant moving him up a spot, especially since his teammate, Russell Westbrook, had his best week of the season, which hurt Durant's chances of moving up.

3. Kobe Bryant - LAL - 30.4 pts, 5.5 reb, 5.7 ast, 1.4 stl, .454 FG%, .843 FT%

The Lakers went 1-3 this week. In the three losses, Kobe averaged 32 points per game. In their lone win, against the Mavericks, he put up only 14 points. So not only did his streak of 40-point games come to an end, the Lakers nearly dropped out of the playoffs and played better without his help this week. No matter what your MVP criteria are, there's no way Kobe can keep from falling this week.

4. Russell Westbrook - OKC - 20.5 pts, 5.0 reb, 5.5 ast, 1.7 stl, .452 FG%, .805 FT%

This week, Westbrook averaged 27-7-6, shot over 50% from the field and long distance, and hit nearly 90% of his free throws, by far his strongest week of the season. Last week he was barely even among my top 10 players, and I said that he was having a disappointing season, but that he might be turning a corner, and it looks like he did just that in the past 7 days, giving the Thunder the best 1-2 punch in the entire league, at least until Wade is back at full strength in Miami.

5. Dwight Howard - ORL - 20.2 pts, 16.1 reb, 2.4 ast, 2.3 blk, 1.4 stl, .575 FG%, .458 FT%

Howard was completely shut down by the defense of the New York Knicks on Monday (yes, you read that right), scoring 8 points on 3-6 shooting as his teammates took over and led the Magic to victory. Then he redeemed himself with two straight 20-20 performances against the Spurs and Lakers, which kept him from plummeting in the rankings. In fact, if Westbrook hadn't been so great this week, he might have been able to maintain his #4 spot, even after the New York debacle.

6. Kevin Love - MIN - 24.7 pts, 14.5 reb, 1.9 ast, 1.1 stl, .426 FG%, .809 FT%

Minnesota still hasn't crept into the playoff picture in the West, but if Love keeps playing like he has so far this season, it would be no surprise to find the Wolves among the top 8 teams in the conference within the next two weeks. Last night he had the highlight of the night as he hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give his team a road upset of the Los Angeles Clippers, who are currently among the top 4 seeds in the West.

7. LaMarcus Aldridge - POR - 23.2 pts, 9.1 reb, 2.6 ast, 1.4 stl, .491 FG%, .768 FT%

Aldridge earned this spot with his game last night in Toronto, Portland's fifth straight game on the road in 8 days, when he dominated the Raptor big men for 33 points and 23 rebounds, while still finding time to hand out 5 assists. With Brandon Roy's retirement just before the season began, Aldridge is the unquestioned leader of the Blazers, and he has taken them on his back and carried them just like he did in the second half of last season.

8. Carmelo Anthony - NYK - 25.7 pts, 6.6 reb, 4.1 ast, 1.4 stl, .412 FG%, .813 FT%

Carmelo had a very inconsistent week, sitting out one game and playing horribly in a loss to Phoenix on Wednesday, finishing 5-22 for 12 points as the Knicks continued to struggle. That game was sandwiched between two 30-point games, both of which were also losses, putting New York's losing streak at 5 games and dropping them nearly out of the current playoff picture.

9. Blake Griffin - LAC - 21.2 pts, 11.7 reb, 2.9 ast, 1.0 stl, .509 FG%, .526 FT%

The Clippers had their busiest week of the season so far, and while Griffin was pulling down rebounds like normal, his shooting was just off, especially in LA's two losses, to Utah and Minnesota. His field goal percentage has nearly matched his free throw percentage, which is not a good thing, especially since he isn't the defensive beast that Dwight Howard is, which makes up for Howard's lack of shooting skill from the stripe.

10. Andre Iguodala - PHI - 14.3 pts, 6.5 reb, 4.3 ast, 2.1 stl, .460 FG%, .662 FT%

Iguodala is the only player on this list who isn't scoring over 20 points per game, and he isn't even close to reaching that plateau, but he is a better all-around player than anyone on this list other than LeBron, Kobe, and Westbrook, and he has the 76ers at #2 in the East and looking like a real challenger to the Bulls and Heat as the best team in the East. Philly's small forward is the first player with real MVP potential in the City of Brotherly Love since Iverson left over 5 years ago.

Dropping Out

Derrick Rose - CHI - 20.8 pts, 3.5 reb, 8.7 ast, .439 FG%, .877 FT%

Chicago is still holding onto the best record in the league, and Rose is their best player, but he has sat out the past three games, and the Bulls still managed to win two of them. In the game he did play he only scored 18 points on 35% shooting, so maybe a break to get healthy could help him get back onto this list again later this season.

Pau Gasol - LAL - 16.3 pts, 9.4 reb, 2.4 ast, 1.3 blk, .518 FG%, .783 FT%

Gasol's numbers were down across the board this week as the Lakers took a nosedive in the standings. I'm not sure whether Kobe is trying to do too much or Gasol is doing too little, but these two need to figure out their roles if they want to see an MVP, or even more importantly, a playoff berth.

Honorable Mention

Luol Deng - CHI
Chris Bosh - MIA
Derrick Rose - CHI
Danilo Gallinari - DEN
Paul Millsap - UTA
Carlos Boozer - CHI
Ryan Anderson - ORL

Sixth Man of the Year

1. James Harden - OKC - 16.3 pts, 3.9 reb, 3.1 ast, .450 FG%, .867 FT%

Harden has continued to improve every aspect of his game during his third season as a pro, increasing his average in every category but steals so far in this season despite the fact that he is still coming off the bench. His minutes have only increased by 3 per game, so there's more to his statistical jump than just being on the court more. He will be around for a while, and right now there's no doubt that this award is his if he doesn't become a starter.

2. Al Harrington - DEN - 14.9 pts, 5.4 reb, 0.9 ast, 1.4 stl, .554 FG%, .675 FT%

Who would have thought that the Nuggets would be #2 in the West at any point this season, with so many of their players stuck playing overseas? Al Harrington is taking advantage of the extra minutes that are available  by shooting far better than he ever has before, 8% better than his career best and 11% better than his career average. If he can keep it up and keep Denver in the playoff hunt, he could have a shot to beat out Harden for Sixth Man.

3. Louis Williams - PHI - 15.1 pts, 2.4 reb, 3.5 ast, .411 FG%, .859 FT%

Williams has been riding the 76ers bench for over 6 years now, and he has steadily improved over the years, until today, at 25 years old, when he is having what looks like his best season yet. When he was playing 30 minutes per game two seasons ago, he still only averaged 14 points per game, and now he is over 15 per game with only 25 minutes of court time a night. It looks like he has finally matured into an NBA player.

4. Andre Miller - DEN - 9.9 pts, 3.6 reb, 6.3 ast, 1.3 stl, .438 FG%, .775 FT%

Miller continues to be a steady veteran player who has the potential to explode once in a while, which is exactly what happened on Wednesday, when he posted 28 points and 10 assists on the 76ers, one of his former teams. He followed it up with 0 points and 5 assists against Washington on Friday, but on the balance he is a very important part of a deep Nuggets bench.

5. Evan Turner - PHI - 10.4 pts, 6.3 reb, 2.9 ast, .468 FG%, .711 FT%

The #2 pick from one season ago has developed into a solid player off the bench for the surprising 76ers, and it can't be a coincidence that all five players on this list come from teams ranked in the top 2 in their conference. With the compacted season we're having, deep benches are going to be necessary to keep up momentum throughout the season and the playoffs.

Honorable Mention

Thaddeus Young - PHI

Predictions

Upset picks are in italics.

Sunday

Baltimore at New England - Patriots by 11
NY Giants at San Francisco - 49ers by 5

Prediction Results

NFL: 2-2 (.500) 173-91 overall (.655)
Upsets: 0-1 (.000) 26-23 overall (.531)

Odds of Winning the Super Bowl

1. New England - 46.5% (+9.4)
2. San Francisco - 30.4% (+21.5)
3. NY Giants - 15.6% (+14.3)
4. Baltimore - 7.4% (+2.9)

NBA MVP Rankings - 14 Jan

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.