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Who Will Win The NBA’s MVP Award? The Media Does Some Forecasting

Tonight the NBA’s best will be on display in the All-Star Game, an annual celebration of the players who have risen the highest through the first half of the season. Most of the players will be representing elite teams that have dominated the league so far this year, and some not-quite-as-well-known players from subpar teams will also have a chance to show what they can do. With the league’s top players all gathered in one place – and a short break from regular-season games – some of the discussion and hype has turned to the question of who is on track to be crowned season MVP.  Here, an overview of the leading contenders being considered:

LeBron James: “Whatever you think of James as a person, there is no denying what kind of a basketball player he is. The two-time reigning MVP is on his way to winning a third,” says Kent Kasey in The Birmingham News. He’s helped elevate the Heat, sure, but, “given what the Cavaliers have turned into without LeBron James,” that’s the real story here. Fanhouse’s Terence Moore says that LeBron is “the undisputed MVP among players throughout the four major sports leagues in North America.”  He’s “a more significant force for any team in any of those leagues.” Who could be more valuable than that?

Derrick Rose: Nobody has been “on a better roll” of late than Rose, says Frank Zicarelli in the Toronto Sun. The Bulls are on their way to a high playoff seed, and no Bulls player since Michael Jordan has started in an All-Star Game. Chicago has weathered injuries and relied on unknown players, Al Yellon at SB Nation adds. “Where would the Bulls be” without him? Rose also has the endorsement and admiration of Celtics coach Doc Rivers. Jae Pruitt at Bleacher Report agrees that Rose is the pick: “He is one of the few basketball superstars that have taken his team to the top alone.”

Dwight Howard: If only because “there’s really not an overwhelming MVP favorite to date,” Howard is a candidate, says Brian Schmitz in the Orlando Sentinel. “It’s sort of even set up for Howard to write his own MVP story.” He’s shown “vivacity to often play more than 40 minutes since December’s blockbuster trades,” says Josh Cohen at NBA.com. The Magic have struggled a bit, and Howard can rally them back to the top. “Howard has been a one-man gang lately, arguably playing the best basketball of his career,” adds Schmitz. The Magic just have to “sprint to the finish line” to justify this choice.

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