NBA Awards Watch: Why Isn’t James Harden The MVP Favorite Again?

Feb 10, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) points to the sky against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Rockets won 127-118. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 10, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) points to the sky against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Rockets won 127-118. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
1 of 11
NBA
Feb 10, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) points to the sky against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Rockets won 127-118. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to Week 16 of NBA Awards Watch, where we take pride in attempting to mix small sample sizes from the past week and season-long projections for the league’s most important award!

More from NBA Awards Watch

In an effort to make some sense of the wide open 2014-15 MVP race, we’ve taken a look at the top 10 candidates for each and every week of NBA action. Last week, we examined how this race has increasingly looked like a two-man duel between Stephen Curry and James Harden at the top.

This week, while Harden’s lack of MVP praise continues to rile this writer’s feathers, we also need to acknowledge how close Anthony Davis is to breaking through and winning his first MVP award at the tender age of 21.

With another week gone and the All-Star break coming up, who takes the top spot? And when all is said and done, who will be walking away with the 2014-15 NBA MVP Award? Here’s our top 10, but first, let’s take a look at the honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions: Blake Griffin, Paul Millsap, Jimmy Butler and Zach Randolph

Next: No. 10 - The Wall Of Washington