NBA MVP 2012 Rankings: How Kobe Bryant, LeBron James Stack Up in Final Rankings

With the 2012 NBA regular season officially over, the postseason we've all been waiting for is about to begin. While the games will garner the most attention over an extended period of time, it's hard to imagine anyone forgetting about the individual awards.

Specifically, the Most Valuable Player.

Two names that we thoroughly expect to be included in the MVP voting are LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Both are considered to be the game's best players, with LeBron taking home the awards and Bryant taking home the titles.

The question is, will that change in 2012? Here's a look at what to expect.

Honorable Mention: Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves

Apologies to those statistical enthusiasts who feel Kevin Love should be higher, but it's legitimately impossible to overlook the Timberwolves' decline. It's also hard to overlook the fact that Minnesota began its fall in the wake of Ricky Rubio's season-ending knee injury.

That's in spite of Love's greatest efforts and contributions.

He's been individually phenomenal, but if we're talking "value," it's hard to place very much on the leader of a 26-40 team.

Season Averages: 25.43 PER, 26.0 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 0.5 BPG, 37.2 3PT%

5. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bryant has been absolutely phenomenal this season, disproving any talk of his having fallen off. While many will likely write him off in the MVP voting after he sat out the Lakers' final game and ceded the scoring title, I feel this only strengthens his bid.

This isn't the most outstanding award; it's the most valuable. If we're talking value, we're talking about a player who will put his personal goals aside in pursuit of an NBA championship.

Considering Kobe Bryant has won two of the past three titles in the NBA, it's clear that there is no player more valuable to legitimate success than he. Strangely, he is destined to walk home empty-handed yet again.

Season Averages: 21.96 PER, 27.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.2 SPG

4. Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers

Chris Paul has been absolutely phenomenal in 2012, helping lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a drastic turnaround. After going just 32-50 in 2011, the Clippers have finished the regular season in fifth place out West.

At the heart of this success has been CP3. While some could argue that he's had better individual performances in previous seasons, his value is undeniable. He's an elite scorer, facilitator and defender, making him the complete package on a previously one-dimensional Clippers unit.

While Paul somehow lacks the name value that has catapulted Kevin Durant and LeBron James to the forefront of this year's MVP race, he is responsible for the greatest turnaround. While he doesn't top these rankings, he is the true definition of a most valuable player.

Season Averages: 27.08 PER, 19.8 PPG, 9.1 APG, 3.6 RPG, 2.5 SPG

3. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

From 2011 to 2012, Kevin Durant has made positive improvements to every piece of his stat line except for free-throw percentage and turnovers. That includes a leap from 6.8 rebounds to 8.0 per game, as well as 46.2 percent shooting in 2011 to 49.6 in 2012.

This is not the Most Improved Player of the Year award, though; it's the Most Valuable Player.

There's a reasonable argument against Durant, as he can hardly stake the claim that he's the Thunder's nightly leader, with Russell Westbrook having a nearly identical level of importance. Nevertheless, his play and production are what keep the Thunder intact, not to mention his unbreakable consistency.

Durant has done it all for the Thunder, and without him, it'd be hard to imagine OKC as the same team. His great season will be acknowledged, as will his third consecutive scoring title, but it will not win the MVP award.

Season Averages: 26.25 PER, 28.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.2 BPG

2. Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs

Over the course of the season, no individual player has been as consistently important to their team as Tony Parker to the Spurs. As the regular season comes to a close, that has yet to change.

Parker is posting career highs across the board, doing so in a new offensive scheme that has seen key players such as Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter miss extended periods of time due to injury. Nevertheless, Parker has been the catalyst who gets the Spurs offense going and the closer who makes sure they pick up the wins.

Finishing with the best record in the Western Conference isn't too bad on a resume, either.

Although he remains my choice for MVP, I cannot discredit what is likely. Tony Parker will, unfortunately, finish his stellar year without an award to show for it.

Season Averages: 22.05 PER, 18.3 PPG, 7.7 APG, 2.9 RPG, 1.0 SPG

1. LeBron James, Miami Heat

LeBron James is currently poised for his third career NBA MVP award. His play has backed up the hype, as he's continued stuffing the stat sheet. The only question is, do his statistics really decide how valuable he is to his team's success?

If we're speaking of the regular season alone, the answer could be yes. It could also be no, though, as his drive-and-dish tendencies build no team chemistry. They do create points off of open looks, but his teammates often struggle to find a role outside of "watch in awe." 

Nevertheless, LeBron has grown as a player. He's developed a much more reliable mid-range game and hasn't been as afraid to go after the basket with the game on the line.

Whether you like it or not, LeBron James is going to win the 2012 NBA MVP award.

Season Averages: 30.79 PER, 27.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 6.2 APG, 1.9 SPG