Who's the MVP in the NBA?



So it is about time for the NBA season to come to a close, and with that, we will name a new MVP.  Who will this be?  Who is the Most Valuable Player in the NBA?  Well, its really anyones guess.  Will LeBron James collect his second consecutive MVP, or will Kevin Durant take it all?  Does scoring leader Carmelo Anthony have what it takes, or is Tony Parker deserving?  At this point, it really could go to anyone.  Here's a look at who has a shot at claiming the 2013 NBA MVP award.

Who will hoist this trophy after the season
concludes?

LeBron James





LeBron James

LeBron can do it all.  Simple as that.  He's a big guy, but he's fast and handles the ball like no one else.  He can drive to the rim and nobody can stop him, yet he's a dead eye shooter from the field and outside.  He makes his team better, and he's the exact kind of guy you want to center your gameplan around.  He is also loaded with awards, including 2009, 2010, and 2012 MVP, 2004 Rookie of the Year, 2006 and 2008 All-Star MVP, and, his personal favorite, 2012 NBA Finals MVP.  He's fourth in the league in scoring, with 26.8 points per game, which is actually rather low by his own standards, his third lowest points per game total through his ten year career.  He is also fifth in the NBA in field goal percentage at .565, his highest FG% of his career.  LeBron blew his previous best three point percentage, .362 last year, out of the water in 2013 at .406, and put up his best rebound total of his career with 8 per game.  If you ask me, LeBron James is the very definition of a Most Valuable Player.

Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant

If LeBron is not the best shooter in the NBA, it is definetly Kevin Durant.  He can just shoot the lights out.  He drains field goals, he drains free throws, and, let me tell you, he drains threes.  In case you do not remember, last year's NBA Finals matchup was the Oklahoma City Thunder versus the Miami Heat.  Many were reffering to the Finals as LeBron versus Durant, because these guys almost run their teams and are their team's best players.  Last year, LeBron and the Heat won the Finals, as LeBron won both Finals MVP and league MVP and KD walked away empty handed.  Is it time for KD's revenge?  Will he lead his Thunder back to the Finals, win a championship and claim all the glory that LeBron got last year?  It's very possible.  Sure, the Thunder don't quite have the skills they had last season, due to the loss of forward James Harden mid-season 2013.  But KD is not going to stop, he wants what he barely let slip through his fingers last year.  A Finals win for Durant would surely solidify him as an NBA MVP, but to this point in the season, does he have the stuff and the numbers to be MVP?  In short, yes.  He certainly meets the criteria.  He's second in the league in scoring to Carmelo Anthony, as KD averages out at 28.1 points per game, beating LeBron by 1.3 points per game.  He also tops out LeBron in three-point percentage at .416.  If you ask me, he's the league's best shooter.  He may not be the best basketball player, or have the all-around skills of LeBron James, but I think it is safe to say Kevin Durant is the best shooter in the NBA.  Is he an MVP?  Maybe not, but he has a decent chance. 

Chris Paul





Chris Paul

Is CP3 the 2013 league MVP?  Well, he leads the league in steals with 2.41 per game, and placed second in the NBA in assists at 9.7 per game, but aside from that, his stats are not overwhelming.  There is no denying that Chris Paul is a terrific point guard, and he is MVP material, but I'm having doubts that this is his year.  He averaged 16.9 points per game in 2013, his third worst scoring season of his eight year career.  He nailed .885 of his free throws this year, a career high in that category.  Chris Paul is an assist machine, dishing guys the ball at the right time constantly and keeping his team flowing nicely because of this.  His second best 9.7 assists per game is not a shocker, as it's only his fourth best assisting year.  So CP3 gets steals and dishes assists.  He can score too, but it's not his strength.  He is an ideal point guard, he does just what you want out of his position.  He is a really strong scorer, better than most, don't get me wrong.  But there are plenty of other guys deserving moreso than Paul.  CP3's time should come, but it's not now.

Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo has had an epic season.  He led the league in scoring at 28.7 points per game, and had a solid three-point percentage at .379, his second best three-point year of his ten year career.  But it was an epic season rather than an MVP season this year.  He didn't outdo all competition in all categories, but only in scoring.  Of course, scoring is the most recognized category in the game, so leading the NBA in scoring is huge, but that doesn't make him an MVP.  Leading the NBA in points does not make you the Most Valuable Player in the league.  I am not talking down Carmelo.  He had an epic season.  But he is not the MVP.  

Dwight Howard

This has been the weirdest year of Howard's career.  After eight comfortable years in Orlando as the head honcho, he goes coast to coast and hits LA to play for a revamped Lakers team.  Suddenly, he was surrounded by Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Pau Gasol and other big shot NBA stars.  Suddenly, Dwight Howard wasn't the lead guy, and he did not take very kindly to that.  He made many complaints and stirred up lots of off-the-court drama throughout the season.  He complained about everything from the coaching staff and coaching decisions to his minutes to his touches to Kobe Bryant.  He ran his mouth all year and threw his team's chemistry off balance.  He wins my LVP, least valuable player award for his performance off the court.  But does he deserve MVP honors for his performance on the hardwood in 2013?  Well, Dwight led the NBA in rebounds with 12.4 per game.  This rebound total is rather unimpressive by Howard's own standards, as it is his third worst rebound total over his nine year career.  He placed second in the NBA in field goal percentage at .578, and he also placed fifth in the league in blocks with 2.45 per game.  But if you want to know if Dwight Howard is MVP material, all you have to do is look at the very definition of MVP.  Is Dwight Howard the Most Valuable Player?  Heck no, as a whole he ruined his team off the court.  But if you want to base it off his performance on the court, is he MVP?  He's definetly one of the frontrunners, a contender, but he's not my pick.  Not the one...

Kobe Bryant

Kobe.  That name is legendary in the world of basketball forever.  In the later years of his career, can the Black Mamba still win an MVP?  He just recently suffered a ruptured achilles, but he made it through the regular season, so he's still got a shot.  He managed to place third in the NBA in scoring, averaging 27.3 points per game.  His year was plain-as-day obvious, yet surprising.  Many, including me, thought this was going to be the year Kobe started to crumble.  But instead, he put up his normal high-20s PPG total and laid another year in the books, making a statement that 34 is not too old for Kobe.  Sure, considering his age, Kobe had a great year, but he just doesn't stack up to everyone else.

So who is the 2013 NBA MVP?  If you ask me, it's LeBron James.  He has the best skill set ever.  He can literally do it all, and he is such a great leader, it has to be LeBron again in 2013.  My prediction is in!  We will see if I am right!



If I am right, he'll be holding a fourth trophy
before long.