NBA: Top 10 MVP Candidates

After a messy lockout that caused the NBA to miss 16 regular season games, the NBA season got into full swing on Christmas day, and hasn't missed a beat since. 

Now only a few games remain in the regular season and the final playoff seeding is taking place. This season has seen tremendous individual accomplishments by many of its players, and it may create one of the most wide open MVP races in recent memory.

But which player deserves the ultimate honor for 2012? Here is my ranking of this seasons top 10 NBA MVP candidates. 

Honorable Mention: Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat

While most of the MVP attention may go to Dwyane Wade's partner in crime, LeBron James, make no mistake the Heat would not be anywhere close to where they are today without the original member of the big three.

Wade is still seventh in the league in scoring at over 22 points per game, as well as averaging almost five assists, and shooting almost 50 percent.

The reason the Heat are so successful is that they know no matter what on every possession if they have LeBron or Wade on the court it is likely they will get a decent shot off because of their ability to create on their own.

Wade doesn't seem to have much of an issue with deferring to LeBron on some nights—all he cares about is winning. But make no mistake about it, Wade is one of the five best NBA players, and come playoff time he will try and lead the Heat back to the finals for the second consecutive year. 

Honorable Mention: Al Jefferson, Utah Jazz

Most people overlook Al Jefferson for MVP consideration.

For whatever reason (average team, small market, not a ton of media attention), Jefferson does not get recognized for his stellar play, but I think he at least deserves a mention on this list.

The Jazz are currently in eighth place in the West and in position to make the postseason, and the No. 1 reason for that has been the play of Jefferson.

The Jazz forward is averaging over 19 points a game, as well as nearly 10 rebounds. Jefferson is without a doubt one of the best big men in the game and has been getting it done for years despite not getting recognized (in 2008-2009 he averaged an impressive 23 and 11 for Minnesota). 

If the Jazz do sneak into the playoffs, the Spurs or Thunder will certainly not look forward to having to match up with Jefferson's skills in the first round. 

10. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

It really has been fun to watch the Oklahoma City Thunder advance every year. Two years ago they sneaked into the playoffs as an eight seed and pushed the Lakers in the first round.

Last season they advanced to the conference finals before getting beat by an experienced Mavericks team. This season, they are competing for the top spot in the Western Conference, and they have done it all with generally the same core group of players.

The second best player who has led them to where they are today is their point guard Russell Westbrook. Westbrook has truly advanced his game every season in the NBA and has now become one of the league's top five scorers. 

Westbrook is having his best season as a pro this year, which is a huge reason why the Thunder have been able to be so successful. While some may prefer he shoots less and defers more to Kevin Durant, there is no denying Westbrook's individual talent and his impact on the Thunder this season. 

9. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks' championship defense has not gone exactly as they had planned this season, at least not yet.

Dallas has managed to only earn the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference this year, far below their expectations. However, they will still make it to the playoffs and have a chance to defend their title, and that is in large part due to the play of their superstar Dirk Nowitzki.

Dirk started off slow this season, and even said that he didn't deserve to be an All-Star. But as the season has progressed, Nowitzki has shown time and time again the ability to put his team on his back when they need him the most, just like he did during last year's title run.

Dirk is averaging over 21 points a game, merely average by his own standards, but still good enough for ninth in the NBA. It is hard to argue that there are many more valuable players to their team than Dirk. Sure the Mavs have been below expectations this season, but imagine where they would be without Nowitzki in the lineup?

That's why he deserves to be in the MVP discussion once again this season. 

8. Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks

Another player who got off to a slow start this season but has picked it up late to get into the MVP race is the Knicks' Carmelo Anthony.

Anthony has seemed re-energized since the firing of Mike D'Antoni and the hiring of interim coach Mike Woodson.

He has been fantastic for the Knicks in the latter part of this year, especially in the absence of Jeremy Lin and Amar'e Stoudemire from the lineup.

Carmelo has led the Knicks to seventh in the East, and they are an extremely dangerous team come playoff time. Anthony is currently sixth in the NBA in scoring at 22.4 points per game.

With Stoudemire back, and great roles players like Tyson Chandler, JR Smith, Iman Shumpert and Steve Novak to complement the star power of Anthony, the Knicks will certainly be a tough out in the playoffs for the Bulls or Heat. 

7. Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves

The only player on this list whose team is not in playoff contention, Kevin Love is truly having a remarkable season.

It is a testament to Love's performance that he ranks this high despite his team being average this year. It looked at though for a while the T-Wolves had a chance to make it to the playoffs, but after Ricky Rubio went down with an injury they fell back in the pack.

Still, Love has done all he can by scoring 26 points a game and averaging over 13 rebounds. Early on in his career, few pegged Love as a future superstar, and instead figured he would be nothing more than an above average role player, but Love has proven them wrong.

He has shown the capability of not only being a team's No. 1 option but being one of the top scorers in the entire league, as well as an absolute beast on the boards. 

It will be very interesting to see how the Timberwolves can be next year with Rubio back, and with another lottery draft pick to join Love in Minnesota. 

6. Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics

The argument about who the best point guard in the NBA is right now is one of the most heated discussions in all of pro sports. 

Four of them are on this list, in fact, and it is really splitting hairs to just pick one. However, there is no denying that Rajon Rondo is without a doubt in the discussion.

The Celtics PG was somewhat of an afterthought early in his career when he started on the Celtics' championship squad, but now he has emerged as the Celts best all around player, and they were smart for not trading him.

Rondo leads the NBA with a staggering 11.6 assists per game to go along with 12 points a contest. It is true that Rondo does struggle shooting the ball, and he likely will never be a great offensive scorer, but in terms of dishing it out there are none who do it better in the game right now than Rondo.

He is a huge reason why many are picking the Celtics to make one last deep playoff run with Pierce, Allen and Garnett this year.

5. Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs

Another guy who deserves to be in the mix in terms of not only the MVP race but in the conversation for best NBA point guard is Tony Parker of the Western Conference-leading San Antonio Spurs.

The 29-year-old Frenchman is having one of his best seasons, as he has needed to step up his production due to the age and health issues of Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan.

Parker ranks seventh in the NBA in assists per game at nearly eight a contest as well as scoring over 18.5 points.

Parker is a huge reason why the Spurs are even in the loss column with the Bulls for the best record in the NBA. Without a doubt the best player on the best team deserves consideration for the MVP.

Are the Spurs the best team? That question is up for debate, but what isn't is Parker's MVP credentials.

4. Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers

Although Rondo, Parker and Westbrook are elite point guards (as well as Steve Nash and Derron Williams), for my money, the best NBA point guard is none other then CP3, Chris Paul.

When the trade to the Lakers fell through and Paul saw himself heading to the other team in LA, NBA fans everywhere knew instantly that the Clippers had become one of the best teams in the Western Conference. 

Paul has not disappointed. He averages nearly 20 and 10 a game (19.3 points per game, 9.0 assists), and has been exactly what the Clippers needed to complement Blake Griffin.

The Clippers have a chance to get as high as the No. 3 seed in the West, and it is in large part thanks to the play of Chris Paul. 

3. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

At age 33, Kobe Bryant has proven once again this season that he is still one of the best basketball players in the world—if not the best.

Bryant currently leads Kevin Durant by .1 points per game for the NBA scoring title at almost 28 a game. He has led the Lakers currently to the No. 3 spot in the West, and he has a chance to win his sixth NBA title this season, which would match Michael Jordan.

Kobe has done all of this without the services of Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson, who has been with Bryant through each of his five NBA championships. He has also had to play without Lamar Odom, and for much of the year Derek Fisher, two of the Lakers' key players during their finals runs.

And that's not to mention Pau Gasol's fragile psyche after almost being traded in the offseason, and Andrew Bynum's constant maturity issues.

With all that, the Lakers still are a dark horse to win yet another NBA Championship, and it's all thanks to Kobe Bryant, which puts him right in the thick of the MVP discussion. 

2. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

Deciding between one and two on this list was very difficult, but in the end I decided to go with the Oklahoma City Thunder's superstar Kevin Durant as this year's runner up.

Durant continues to show why he is possibly the best offensive player in the game today, as he has the ability to shoot from anywhere in the gym, as well as attack the basket, and is almost impossible to guard with his 6'10'' frame. 

Durant is averaging 27.8 points a contest, as well as a career high eight rebounds. His team also has been the best team in the West for most of the season (although they recently have fallen behind San Antonio), and Durant has shown not only the scoring ability on the court but the necessary leadership to be the best player on a championship team. 

1. LeBron James, Miami Heat

I am no fan of LeBron James, but I simply cannot deny that he is the most deserving player of the 2012 NBA MVP award.

LeBron's numbers are consistent with what he has done throughout his career. Scoring at over 27 points a game, eight rebounds and six assists, he is the total package player in the NBA. 

He also has shown the capability of bouncing back after his disastrous finals appearance last year. James has been a man on a mission, at least in the regular season.

While it remains to be seen if he can vanquish his demons in the postseason, the MVP award is a regular season award, and in my mind LeBron has done enough to win his third MVP this season.