Why Kevin Durant and Not LeBron James Is the Runaway First-Half MVP

When you're talking about the Most Valuable Player in the first half of the NBA season, Kevin Durant is your front-runner, not LeBron James.

How to determine the MVP has been a heated debate throughout the NBA's history. Is it the most valuable player or is it the best player?

But until the name of the award is changed, you have to take it for what it is: the most valuable player.

James is the best player in the league, but to say he's more valuable to his team than Durant is far-fetched. James has Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Durant has Russell Westbrook and James Harden. There really is no comparison.

At this point, both teams have the same records, at 27-7. Both teams are leading their respective conferences. But not only are Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder in the highly competitive Western Conference, they have the same record as the Miami Heat, who are more talented.

Westbrook is a top player in the league, but he's not the player primarily responsible for the Thunder's record; Durant is (no matter what Ric Bucher may say).

Durant is shooting a career-high 51 percent from the floor and 36 percent from downtown as a 6'9", 235-pound forward. He's averaging 27.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. He's meant so much to this Thunder team. Without him, they would be on the edge of the Western Conference playoff picture.

As for James, you get the feeling that if he wasn't on the Heat, the Heat would still be alright with Wade and Bosh, two superstars (and, yes, Bosh is a superstar). Sure, the Heat wouldn't be leading the Eastern Conference, but they'd still be in the top four or five teams.

I'd actually be surprised if Durant won the MVP over James this season, but, in the essence of the words "most valuable player," Durant deserves it over James.