LeBron James, Kevin Durant or D12: Let the MVP Debate Begin

It's never too early to start campaigning for the NBA MVP.

So what if we're only weeks into the season? The NBA has gotten great play out of the stars of the league. Whether it's LeBron James using his athleticism to pour in high point totals each and every night or Kevin Durant picking up right where he left off last year, both players are making a strong case for MVP early.

James is shooting 58 percent from the field while averaging 29.5 points per game, and Durant is averaging 26 points per game. At this point in his career, that's expected. So far in Durant's young career, his points per game average is 26, and he's averaging more assists and rebounds this year.

If the season continues to move in the same direction as it has the past couple of weeks, the league will have a new MVP, and these are the most qualified players.

LeBron James

LeBron James is playing like a man on a mission this season.

Fans love to bury this guy for coming up short in the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, and after being the butt of countless jokes, James is getting the last laugh so far this season.

James is second in the league in points per game with 29.8, and he's fourth in the league in field goal percentage with 58 percent.

If you compare James' numbers across the board, they're all better than his career averages. His 7.6 assists per game and 7.9 rebounds per game prove that James has absolutely no holes in his game.

But then again, that's not all true according to enthusiastic NBA fans, because they want to see James come through in the clutch. Unfortunately for James, he'll have to prove the doubter wrong at some point this season.

For now, fans are seeing a new and reinvigorated "King James," and if he continues to play at this high level, the king will get his crown.

Kevin Durant

While LeBron James may have his doubters when it comes to playing clutch basketball, Kevin Durant certainly does not.

In the first week of the NBA season, Durant drilled a game-winning three-point buzzer beater to send the Dallas Mavericks home packing.

This season is no different than any other season for Durant, as he continues to light up the scoreboard and shoot at a very high percentage.

As if Durant's 26 points per game average wasn't impressive enough, he's shooting 50 percent from the field and 39 percent from behind the arc. If Durant can keep these numbers up, we might just see this 23-year old phenom win his first MVP.

Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard has to start questioning whether he'll ever win an NBA championship.

It seems like every season Howard is in the running for MVP, and despite posting MVP-caliber numbers, he always gets slighted the coveted trophy.

Howard has averaged 18.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game during his seven years in the league, so obviously, he's going to have to do better than that to get what he deserves.

And that's just what Howard has done this season, as he's averaged 19.8 points per game and 14.9 rebounds per game with 2.4 blocks. Could 2012 be the year Howard finally wins MVP?

Kobe Bryant

How could anyone forget about Kobe Bryant?

The future Hall of Famer is playing like he's never missed a beat and is surprisingly leading the NBA in scoring. I say surprisingly, but really, nothing Bryant does should surprise anyone.

Bryant's averaging 30.8 points, 5.5 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, and he's shooting the basketball as well as he ever as. He's shooting 45 percent from the field, which matches his career average.

Bryant is averaging 37.2 points per game in his past five games, and if he can stay healthy this season and continue to score at will, Bryant will be worthy of another MVP.

Sleeper: Kevin Love

Where's the love?

Kevin Love is having himself quite the season, and if he can continue to keep this up, how could anyone deny Love of being named MVP?

Love ranks fifth in the league in points per game with 25.6 and is second in the league with 14.3 rebounds per game. To say Love is a dominant post player would be underselling his abilities.

The Minnesota Timberwolves haven't had a whole lot to cheer for since Kevin Garnett left town, and Love winning MVP would mean the world to the fans in Minnesota.