The MVP award is given out for the single player who has achieved the most or helped his team the most in any situation. These players of course are given the glory of knowing they are considered the "Most Valuable Player" for that regular season. Now that is all fine but there is one award that I adore and is even more highly underrated then any of the other awards and that is the Most Improved Player award.

We are essentially talking about the award that proves that the players can excell their game past and achieve their potential. We are talking about the players who can be potential all-stars and finally achieve that bit of glory that they never began with. We are talking about the players who can finally get their first scent of finally being recognized in the NBA as legitment stars. So let's break down our candidates, shall we?

5. Brendan Haywood

2006-2007 Statistics: 6.6 PPG, 6.2 RBG, 2.5 OFF, 1.1 BPG, 0.558 FG%.

2007-2008 Statistics: 10.7 PPG, 7.3 RBG, 3.4 OFF, 1.7 BGP, 0.534 FG%.  

Call me crazy but Brendan Haywood deserves to be on this list. Haywood has nearly solved the issue with one of the Wizard's key weakness, the inside game. While Haywood is not as prolific or as dominant as other centers in the NBA; his ability to score inside the paint along with creating inside defensive stops was one of the keys to the Wizards staying alive without Gilbert Arenas. Haywood may never reach being one of the top centers in the NBA but numbers don't lie and he is improving and becoming a reliable and consistent big man for the Wizards.  

4a. Andrew Bynum

2006-2007 Statistics: 7.8 PPG, 5.9 RBG, 1.7 OFF, 1.6 BPG, 0.558 FG%.

2007-2008 Statistics: 13.1 PPG, 10.2 RBG, 3.0 OFF, 2.1 BPG, 0.636 FG%.

It's quite a shame that Andrew Bynum really can't go any higher in the list of candidates because of the injury. His third year in the NBA has made a gigantic difference in making the Lakers one of the teams to beat before his injury. Before his injury, He would be consistently a 10-10 guy and help the Lakers have a dominant inside threat. His scoring has improved nearly double of what it was last year along with his rebounds. His blocks and FG percentage have also increased significantly. His training with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has proven to be one key reason why he has gained so much within such few years. His athletic ability and his rebounding skills are incredibly dominant and even has the flare of a Dwight Howard and of a young Shaq. Do not be surprised to see Andrew Bynum in an all-star game within the next couple of years in the NBA. The Lakers have themselves a young rising center and he will be in LA for a long time.

4b. Devin Harris

2006-2007 Statistics: 10.2 PPG, 3.7 APG,  2.5 RBG, .280 3P%, .492 FG%.

2007-2008 Statistics: 15.2 PPG, 5.9 APG, 2.8 RBG, .319 3P%, .457 FG%.

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