NBA: The Biggest Threats to LeBron James’ MVP Reign
Can LeBron James make it five MVP awards? (NBA.com photo)
As of right now, it’s a no-brainer; LeBron James is the best basketball player around, therefore he is the favorite to retain the title of Most Valuable Player. No other player has the combination of mental complexity, basketball skill as well as physical attributes he possesses.
Sure, there are some with one or two of those attributes, but none like James. However, that’s not to say that no one can dethrone King James just as Derrick Rose did in 2011–albeit somewhat controversially.
So with that said, here are five likely candidates to challenge the LeBron James as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player.
Kevin Durant is widely considered by many to be James’ biggest rival, and for good reason. The Oklahoma City superstar has already won the scoring title three times already despite being only 25 years old. And were it not for Carmelo Anthony last year, he could have won it for the fourth straight year.
Did I mention he was the youngest player to win the scoring title at just 21 years and 197 days?
Point is, Durantula is already a great player, but the scary thing is he is still getting better.
Sure, James is the most complete player but KD is closing the gap season by season and in some cases actually better. Take last year for example; James’ stat line was 26.8 points, eight rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks. Durant’s was similar at 28 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. Plus he was a much more efficient scorer, particularly from the foul line, making more than 90 percent of his attempts compared to just 75 percent for James.
With Russell Westbrook out for a considerable chunk of the season, Kevin Durant has the opportunity to run the show and exhibit his playmaking skills as well as raise his assist numbers to challenge those of James.
Derrick Rose
When Rose went down, we saw just how important he is to the Chicago Bulls. The team went from flying high among the beasts of the Eastern Conference to middle-of-the-pack obscurity as they struggled to emulate their winning ways with the record dropping from .758 in 2011-12 to just better than .500 in 2012-13.
Furthermore, it was clear to see that the offense took the biggest hit as Chicago went from scoring 107.4 points per 100 possessions to 103.5 points as they nose-dived from sixth in 2011-12 to 23rd in 2013-14. (Per Basketballreference.com)
However, from what we’ve seen so far from D Rose, I think it is, it’s safe to safe he’s back!
Granted it was all in preseason and it typically isn’t an indicator to much but Derrick Rose is back, breaking ankles and leaving defenders clutching at air. Hell, I’ll even go so far as to say he looks even better than he was before as he led the Bulls to an undefeated preseason campaign – Chicago is the only team in the NBA to go the whole preseason without tasting defeat.
Carmelo Anthony
‘Melo already has the scoring title in his trophy cabinet as he narrowly edged out Kevin Durant by 0.6 points, thus ending the Oklahoma City forward’s stranglehold on the prize. However this year, the reigning scoring champ is looking to go for bigger and better things by breaking James’ monopoly of the MVP crown. After all, he has already gone a ways into spoiling the King’s parade by being the only other player to receive a first place vote last year; therefore preventing LeBron from being named the first ever unanimous MVP.
In 2013-14, he’ll be looking to haul a lot more than a solitary first place vote and bring the Maurice Podoloff trophy to New York for the first since Willis Reed did so in 1970.
Paul is arguably the best point guard in the game right now thanks to his ability to quickly dissect plays find his teammates as illustrated by his astronomical steals and assist numbers which have either led the league or been amongst the best since his step up to the pros.
However, what makes him special is his ability to also punish the defenders with his scoring as illustrated by his scoring figures. In 2012-13, CP3 averaged nearly 17 points per games, which was within the top 10 among point guards despite averaging the least amount of playing time among the group.
Not only does he fill the cup up in hurry, he does it efficiently too, shooting 48 percent overall, 32 percent from deep and 88 percent when sent to the foul line.
Long story short, it really is a matter of pick your poison with Paul, whether it be setting his teammates up all night or doing the heavy lifting himself and going for 30 points. Either way, he will get the job done. And come season’s end, expect him to be right up there in the Most Valuable Player voting.
Seventeen points, 12 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 1.1 steals per game and 57 percent field goal shooting. That was considered to be a bad season for Dwight Howard. That is the sort of standard he is held up to.
The three-time Defensive Player of the Year spent a season in Hollywood and he had a tough time to say the least.
Dwight had a coach he didn’t like, a system that didn’t suit him and a superstar who isn’t exactly known for passing (sorry, Kobe Bryant), yet he still managed to lead the league in rebounds and be near the top of every category among big men.
Now imagine what he can do now that he is happy, with a coach that was named into the Hall of Fame thanks in large part to his post moves, a system designed to play through him and a supporting cast that features the likes of James Harden, Jeremy Lin and Chandler Parsons to keep defenders honest.
In addition to this, Superman will be at full strength having rushed his return from back surgery in 2012-13 and feeling the side effects of a torn labrum.
If he can improve the Rockets’ regular season record and place them among the Western Conference’s elite, then surely Dwight Howard will be in with good chance to claim the Most Valuable Player award.
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