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NBA: Top 10 Candidates For Most Valuable Player Award In 2016-17

By Gerald Bourguet

Jun 13, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the third quarter in game five of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 13, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the third quarter in game five of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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As the 2016-17 NBA season approaches, the race for the Most Valuable Player Award feels wide open. Here are the top 10 candidates for MVP.

NBA
Jun 13, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the third quarter in game five of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

The NBA is a league of superstars, and although championships are won with defense, depth, team chemistry, three-point shooting, injury luck and a myriad of other factors, at the end of the day, it often takes heroic play from a top superstar to carry the load and win a title.

We saw as much last season, when the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off the greatest upset in NBA Finals history, defeating a 73-win Golden State Warriors team thanks to the Herculean efforts of LeBron James. More than any other major sport, professional basketball thrives off its star power.

There are plenty of fun awards to hand out at the end of every season, but none is more important than the Most Valuable Player Award. It’s a means for not only measuring individual greatness, but for defining seasons as a whole. As in, “THIS player was the story of the league in that season,” or “That was the year that so-and-so took over the NBA.”

MVP candidacy becomes a hot topic of debate every season. There have been no-brainer selections, close contests that could’ve gone either way and downright egregious misfires on this award in the past. For the most important individual award the NBA has to offer, it’s vital to come as close as possible to choosing the most deserving candidate each and every time.

MVP Awards take into account a myriad of factors, including individual statistics, team success, narrative and actual “value” to their team (i.e., if you took that player off his respective team, how good would they be without him?).

Related Story: NBA: Top 10 Candidates For The 2016-17 Sixth Man Of The Year Award

Heading into the 2016-17 NBA season, the MVP Award feels like a virtually wide open race. To try and sort through the league’s most elite superstars, here’s a look at the 10 most likely candidates to win the next Most Valuable Player Award.

Honorable Mentions:  Chris Paul, Draymond Green, Damian Lillard, Karl-Anthony Towns, Carmelo Anthony, Jimmy Butler, John Wall