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As the NBA season nears it’s start, the question on many people’s mind is who will be the regular season MVP for the 2013-2014 season? Can anybody break LeBron James‘ stranglehold on the MVP trophy? We put down some of the top contenders who could do precisely that, most of them fairly obvious choices for most NBA fans. There’s also an “outside pick” that we’ve included – a player touted by most as a non-contender, but who could make it to the top. So here goes:
1. LeBron “The King” James (Position- SF/PF)
Let us start with a statement that we tend to say at the start of every NBA season -“It is LeBron’s title to lose”. The last two MVP trophies and four out of the last five have gone to this incredibly gifted athlete. Many rate him as the best athlete on the planet and the ESPY’s think likewise too. With two back-to-back titles behind him and an ever improving game in all dimensions, LeBron has to start off as the favourite for the MVP title. If he continues his normal level of production (30+ PER) ,the rest of the field would have to make up huge ground to catch ‘The King’. Miami better be ready to hold onto Mr.MVP at the end of next season when LeBron has a player option.
2. Kevin Durant (Position-SF)
OKC’s Kevin Durant will again shoulder much of the load if his team are to reach the NBA Finals again (Getty Images)
Arguably the cleanest and most efficient scorer in the NBA at the moment. The Oklahoma City Thunder are a team that reached the NBA finals two seasons ago, but failed to make it to the Conference Final last time around following the trade of James Harden and the injury to Russell Westbrook. The 3-time scoring champ took the team to the top seeding in a very competitive Western Conference in partnership with Westbrook. He lost the NBA scoring title to Carmelo Anthony, but Durant is still the best player in the NBA not named Lebron James and if he takes OKC to the top of the Western Conference again, there is a very good chance that Durant might get MVP as he would be leading a relatively weaker team to the top.
3. Chris Paul (Position-PG)
Chris Paul is perhaps the best point guard in the league at the moment (Getty Images)
When someone says ‘Elite Point Guard’, the first name that comes to my mind is that of CP3. The Los Angeles Clippers have a lot less star power than Miami or Brooklyn, but CP3 continues to march the team forward and dictate the play. Some might even consider him the most impactful player in the NBA barring the scoring aspect. He is the sole reason why ESPN is predicting the LA Clippers to be the second favourite to win the top-heavy Western Conference. If he goes on to win the MVP award, he will be the first point guard to win the trophy since Steve Nash.
4. James Harden (Position-SG)
James Harden will have the likes of Dwight Howard to help him around as the Rockets brace themselves for a deep run this time (Getty Images)
It would definitely hurt the Oklahoma City Thunder to have witnessed the meteoric rise of James Harden in the very season where they traded him to the Houston Rockets; especially since Kevin Martin and some peripheral pieces ended up being mere nuggets in return for ‘The Beard’. Since his move away from OKC, Harden has proven himself to be a leader and scorer while forming a strong back-court partnership with Jeremy Lin. The Rockets now have enough pieces around him to make it big in coming seasons. The front court has arguably the best center in Dwight Howard. Although, it would be interesting to see how two true centers in Omer Asik and Howard play together. For the first time in his career, Harden gets a chance at the title with him being the centre-piece of a team. If the Rockets finish top in the West, Mr. Harden has a pretty good chance of landing the MVP honours.
5. Derrick Rose (Position- PG)
Derrick Rose will return fit and firing to guide the Chicago Bulls again this season (Getty Images)
LeBron, LeBron, Rose, LeBron and LeBron – that’s how the MVP trophy has gone in the last five seasons. Derrick Rose has been the only guy to displace ‘The King’ from his throne. Could he do it again this time? Chicago played pretty well without Rose last season and now with Rose they are a serious contender to Miami’s supremacy. Tom Thibodeau’s Bulls should focus on remaining injury free and then challenge in the playoffs. Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and the enigmatic Joakim Noah provide a strong enough support cast for Rose to go about doing what he does best – dominate games. Rose is a point guard who gets assists and racks up points. At his best, he is virtually unplayable. Rose is no Michael Jordan but he is the best Bulls player Chicago has seen since MJ.
THE OUTSIDE PICK
Kevin Love (Position –PF)
The Timberwolves’ Kevin Love is one of the best combo-forwards in the game (Getty Images)
Love has missed 107 of a possible 394 of Minnesota’s game since joining the Timberwolves. Love can score in a lot of ways and can rebound at will, which makes him a true double-double machine. If he manages to stay fit and leads Minnesota to the playoffs, then it would be a huge achievement. Love has never got a chance to play with another star player and it doesn’t look like the Minnesota front office is going to change that anytime soon. He does have Ricky Rubio, who could potentially become that superstar given time. If the two of them manage to stay healthy, they just might propel the T’Wolves into the playoffs, and Love into the race for MVP.
Honourable Mentions- Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs), Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies), Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks), Dwight Howard (Houston Rockets), Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), Deron Williams (Brooklyn Nets), Paul George (Indiana Pacers).
