Roundtable Discussion – Who Will Win MVP?
Nearing the half way point for the 2014-15 regular season, the MVP race is shaping up to be a tight one. There’s real competition and many deserving candidates between James Harden, Stephen Curry, Marc Gasol, Damian Lillard and LeBron James.
Last year’s winner Kevin Durant is unlikely to be a finalist this year due to injuries and the success of so many other teams in the Western Conference.
Check out the weekly Awards Watch here.
Who is going to win this year’s MVP? We asked some members of our staff for their input below:
Michael Dunlap, NBA Director/Editor in Chief –
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For me, the MVP needs to satisfy two requirements — he must play on a quality team and he must have at least one elite skill. Harden fits the bill on both, with Harden not only controlling the offense — passing and scoring — but he’s been much better defensively, too. He’s as good getting to the foul line as any guard in recent history. He deserves the league’s MVP.
Gerald Bourguet, Assistant Editor-
Stephen Curry. The midseason MVP has been James Harden for me, but I’m going to go with Steph Curry if only because I think the Golden State Warriors’ success is more sustainable. When the schedule heats up in the season’s second half, Curry will need to play more minutes and the Dubs won’t keep winning games by double digits. Curry has been more efficient in less playing time, so once he’s forced to log more minutes his stat line will make him the frontrunner, rather than just “the best player on the NBA’s best team.”
Phil Watson, Assistant Editor-
In a year when it’s a close race, the eventual winner usually separates himself from the field in February-March. Whoever performs the best between Harden and Curry in that first month after the All-Star break is likely the winner.
Jared Brownlee–
Stephen Curry. He’s the best shooter in the game and has become a two-way star with Steve Kerr as coach. The result? The Warriors have the best record in the league halfway through the season. He’s top 10 in scoring, fifth in assists and first in steals. Like we’ve seen in previous years, the MVP sometimes gets awarded to the best player on the best regular season team. This will be one of those years.
James Tillman–
I would go with James Harden at this point. Most of what the Rockets like to do offensively goes through him. He creates scoring opportunities for himself and for his teammates. He has recorded four 40-point games this season and leads the league in scoring. More importantly, he is playing a bit better on the defensive end.
Maxwell Ogden–
LeBron James. Stephen Curry has been superb and James Harden has meant as much to his team as any player in the league, but the Cleveland Cavaliers are gearing up for a massive turnaround. To go from below .500 near the 41-game mark to competing for the No. 1 seed would be an unbelievable feat. If and when that happens, the MVP award will head back to Cleveland with LeBron.
Also, be sure to check out Matt Moore of CBSSports.com’s MVP Watch here.