NBA MVP Rankings: Can Rising Under-the-Radar Star Kyle Lowry Win?

Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard have garnered MVP consideration with how each player is carrying their respective teams during the 2011-12 NBA season, but neither one sits atop the rankings.

In addition to some other familiar faces on this list, there is one team that has two candidates currently within the Top 10, and it shouldn't come as a surprise with how well their club is playing.

There is no question that these rankings are fluid at this juncture of the season, but there have been some who have consistently appeared and figure to do so all year long.

10. Carmelo Anthony, SF New York Knicks

Stats: 25.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.4 blocks, 3.4 turnovers, 40.4 percent shooting

Knicks fans should have known what they were getting with Anthony, who has always been someone who takes a lot of shots to score his points.

A dysfunctional offensive game plan is a fundamental flaw of this Knicks team, but Anthony has been one player who has contributed all that he can throughout.

Yes, he's going through a shooting slump, and yes, his shot selection could improve, but to pin the team's struggles on Anthony would be foolish.

He's extremely banged up, and there's no doubt that has an adverse impact on his efficiency from the floor.

9. Kevin Love, PF Minnesota Timberwolves

Stats: 24.9 points, 13.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.5 blocks, 3.0 turnovers, 43 percent shooting

Love is dominating the stat sheet and there is no question that he's given people a reason to come into the building and watch his team play.

There continues to be question marks about his shot selection (averaging 5.1 three-point attempts) as well as his effort on the defensive end, but what he does, Love does extremely well.

Tied for second in the league in offensive rebounds per game (4.4), Love would have a much more emphatic case if he did more defensively and wasn't falling in love with his outside shot.

8. Russell Westbrook, PG Oklahoma City Thunder

Stats: 20.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.2 blocks, 3.4 turnovers, 46.1 percent shooting

There were a lot of questions about whether or not Westbrook was worth the max extension he signed, and those concerned with his value have quickly quieted down in the public sphere.

Westbrook has been on fire since a somewhat sluggish start to his campaign, and he's shooting a career-high 46.1 percent from the floor.

Asserting himself as a threat at both ends of the court, the ceiling for Westbrook and his development is astronomically high at just 23 years old.

7. Derrick Rose, PG Chicago Bulls

Stats: 20.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.5 blocks, 3.2 turnovers, 44.7 percent shooting

Rose might not be scoring at the clip he was during his MVP season, but he's getting his teammates more involved in the flow of the game and having success doing so.

Averaging a career-high 8.6 assists per game, Rose has been setting the tone for a very impressive Chicago team despite feeling far less than 100 percent due to a troublesome toe.

It'll be very interesting to see how he adjusts his game if Luol Deng (wrist) is out of the lineup for an extended period, but there is no doubting just how valuable Rose is to his team.

6. Rajon Rondo, PG Boston Celtics

Stats: 15.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 9.4 assists, 1.7 steals, 3.9 turnovers, 51.7 percent shooting

Rondo's name might have come up in trade rumors fairly regularly this summer, but he's very obviously Boston's most valuable player right now and going forward.

Shooting a personal best from the field, Rondo is displaying an increased range on jumpers, and his aggressiveness in getting to the rim is outstanding.

His turnovers continue to be a concern as he's nearing a whopping four per game, but that's a product of having the ball in his hands so often and playing over 36 minutes per game.

5. Kyle Lowry, PG Houston Rockets

Stats: 16.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.3 blocks, 3.7 turnovers, 41.9 percent shooting

Lowry continues to go underappreciated by most and he is not someone who many think as a legitimate MVP candidate, but that's exactly the case.

He has fueled the team's recent seven-game surge, and he's been nothing short of fantastic while carrying the team on his back.

He creates opportunities for teammates, is able to score from a variety of spots on the floor and is a savvy rebounder for someone of his size.

It's not a surprise Houston lost both of its games without Lowry in the starting lineup while he was nursing a foot injury.

4. Dwight Howard, C Orlando Magic

Stats: 20.1 points, 16.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals, 2.3 blocks, 3.4 turnovers, 55.3 percent shooting

A lot of people are quick to give credit to the complementary pieces around Howard when it comes to Orlando's start to the season, but it all starts with the man in the middle.

Opposing defenses sag off the perimeter in order to attempt to contain Howard, and that allows the sharpshooting members of the team to have a field day from beyond the arc.

Howard has clearly asserted himself on another level when it comes to talking about centers in this league, and his impact on a game is not something that anyone else currently playing the position can attest to for his team.

3. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Stats: 30.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.4 blocks, 3.7 turnovers, 45.5 percent shooting

Bryant has been featured prominently in Los Angeles' offense, and it may not be enough considering how poorly the surrounding pieces have performed to date.

Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum are producing, but the best player outside of Bryant, Gasol and Bynum for the Lakers has been an inconsistent Matt Barnes, and that's why the Lakers have needed more of Bryant this year than in recent seasons.

Averaging 24.8 shots per game, the highest mark of his career, Bryant has put the Lakers on his back while matching his career shooting percentage from the field despite a torn ligament in his wrist.

2. LeBron James, SF Miami Heat

Stats: 29.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.9 blocks, 3.8 turnovers, 56.4 percent shooting

James has started to take more three-point attempts after abandoning the thought early in the season, but he has remained remarkably efficient in all facets of the game.

He's absolutely dominating with and without Dwyane Wade (ankle) on the court, and is posting career-high marks in field goal percentage, three-point percentage and rebounds.

Additionally, James is asserting himself as a defensive pest, and his all-around game has the Miami faithful clamoring for him to take home the award in a landslide.

1. Kevin Durant, SF Oklahoma City Thunder

Stats: 25.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.1 blocks, 3.7 turnovers, 50 percent shooting

Just how good is Kevin Durant?

He's making a career-high percentage of shots from the floor, finding his teammates in open spots more often than he ever has previously and is a member of a very rare club.

Averaging more than one three-pointer, one steal and one block per game, Durant's well-rounded game doesn't get the credit it deserves in the public sphere because his scoring prowess trumps the other aspects of his attack.

If he attacks the rim with more aggression (averaging just 7.2 free throws per game, down from 8.7 last season), Durant will emerge as the favorite to take home the award long before the season concludes.