Players Not Named LeBron or Durant Who Should Receive NBA MVP Consideration

Before we get started, it's important to note that Kevin Durant or LeBron James will likely be this year's MVP winner. But that doesn't mean that those two players are the only ones worthy of the award or are the only players having a spectacular season.

It all depends on what MVP means to you.

Does the MVP have the best stats of any other player? Is he the best player that has led his team to the best record in the league? Is it a combination of both? What's the definition of an MVP to you?

While it appears that either Durant or LeBron will end up with the hardware, here are five other players in the NBA that you can make a case for.

Chris Paul

The Clippers have pretty much the same team they had last season that finished 32-50. The only major difference is that they swapped Eric Gordon for Chris Paul and now they've clinched the playoffs for the first time in six years.

In fact, this will only be the fifth time the Clippers have made the playoffs since moving from San Diego to Los Angeles in 1984.

Paul is averaging 19 points per game, leading the league in steals with 2.4 and is third in the league in assists with a solid nine a game. His 120 total turnovers is also ranked 31st in the league among guards, which isn't too shabby for a starting point guard.

It's pretty safe to say despite all of the young talent the Clippers have, that they wouldn't have clinched a playoff berth without Paul. He's the leader of the squad, makes everyone around him better and has turned this team into a dark-horse title contender in less than a year.

Tony Parker

Everybody mentions Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo as the best point guards in the league. But what about Tony Parker? How come his name never pops up in the conversation?

He's been an extremely solid player throughout his career and seems to be getting better with age, as he's having his best season this year.

He's averaging 18.5 points per game, is shooting 47 percent from the field and is averaging 7.7 assists a night (tied for seventh in the NBA behind Washington Wizards John Wall),

Did I forget to mention that he's also the starting point guard for the San Antonio Spurs, a team that happens to have the best record in the Western Conference and second-best in the league?

"This has been his best year," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich via NBA.com

Kevin Love

Love should have been in the conversation last season but wasn't because he plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and well, they're not exactly a team anybody is quick to mention.

While the team as a whole isn't much to brag about, Love has been a bright spot the last two seasons and should receive some consideration for the award. 

His 26 points per game average is fourth in the league. His 733 total rebounds are second in the league.

He also has the most double-doubles of any player in the league with 48, which is five more than Dwight Howard, who will miss the remainder of the year with back surgery.

Minnesota will fall short of the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season, but should that really prevent someone from winning the award? If you say yes, then why wouldn't Tony Parker receive more love for his team having one of the best records?

Eventually, the forward from UCLA has to receive a bit more credit for his play.

Steve Nash

Can you name the starting five for the Phoenix Suns? How about three players on the roster, besides Steve Nash? No? That alone makes his season impressive.

Let's also add that his 10.7 assists per game is second in the league, he's shooting 53 percent from the field, which is first in the league at the guard position.

He also has 27 double-doubles on the season, which is first in the league for guards. In fact, it's five more than Chris Paul, who many have in the MVP conversation, over Nash.

Need more convincing?

How about the fact that he's 38 years old, putting up those numbers, still leading a team and has the Suns in playoff position. Sure, they're still fighting for it, but if the playoffs started today, they would be in as the eighth seed in the west.

And you couldn't name a quarter of the players on their roster.

Tyson Chandler

And this is the sleeper of all sleepers. I know Tyson Chandler won't win the MVP this year, I also know that he probably won't even receive a vote on anyone's ballot. But he should if the MVP actually goes to the most valuable player.

We know he doesn't average tons of points and isn't a flashy player. In fact, he's only averaging 11.4 points per game, which is fifth on his own team. Although he is doing special and that's shooting 68.1 percent from the field, which happens to be a ridiculous 11 percent higher than Dwight Howard, who is second on this year's list.

To understand how impressive this feat is, it will likely finish third highest all-time in the NBA, just one percent lower than Wilt Chamberlain for second and three percent shy for the best all-time. Both of those accomplishments were done in the late 60s and early 70s.

You also have to add the fact that he's a defensive monster and has instilled that mentality throughout the entire Knicks team. This was a squad that ranked 28th in points allowed a year ago; this year they're ranked 10th and even have Carmelo Anthony playing both sides of the ball.

Say what you will, but it may be Chandler who is the most valuable player to this Knicks team and should get even more credit for such an amazing season.

All stats and information was gathered from NBA.com and basketball-reference.com