Kobe Vs. LeBron? I Choose... Durant?

   There's nothing like the end of October. Leaves falling, Pies baking, and people dumber than Mike Dunleavy trying to make their predictions for the NBA MVP Award. While it remains fairly obvious that the '09-'10 MVP race will be closer than ever, discussions lurk as to who will be relevant in these trophy talks come May. Will it be Kobe? Lebron? Wade? Luke Ridnour? No, No, No, and Absolutely Not. The two superstars that will be battling it out for this years NBA MVP will be the young Kevin Durant and the Danny Granger, who will finally get some time in the spotlight after flying under the radar for 4 years. Yes, Lebron is an absolute stud and Kobe may be "hungry as ever," but I will give you 3 reasons why Durant and Granger will be the two leading MVP vote-getter when it's all said and done.

1. Supporting Casts- While Kobe and LeBron have some of the best supporting casts in basketball, Durant and Granger will have to carry the load for their respective teams. Granger will have to put the lowly Indiana Pacers on his back, with a Point Guard that can't stay healthy and a frontcourt whose necks resemble a stack of dimes. Granger will have to score like the Jonas Brothers at an 8th Grade slumber party if they want to even think about the postseason. Durant, on the other hand, has more statistical help, but remains the young leader of an even younger team. He has the responsibility of showing his teammates how to win games at the NBA level and remain productive on the floor

2. Dominance- Few scorers in the league were more productive than Granger and Durant at the end of last season. Durant failed to break 20 points a mere 4 times after January 4 and Granger averaged 31 ppg in March. If they continue to pull down boards and drop a few dimes each, we will not be able to ignore them in the late season MVP talks.

3. Wins- With Durant and Russell Westbrook starting to mesh in OKC, the Thunder could have at least a 20 game swing from a year ago, and if Granger continues to play like a stud, the Pacers could be in contention for a playoff berth. With these accomplishments after last seasons atrocities. Durant and Granger are bound for top-5 spots in the MVP voting with that kind of season.

Sure, Lebron will average 30, 7, and 7, and Kobe will lead the Lakers to a 65 win season, but in the MVP race, I'm sticking to my boys Granger and KD. Sure, laugh at me now, but I promise I will rub it in your face in June when we have the youngest NBA MVP of all time (with Granger finishing a close second of course.)