NBA Power Rankings: Derrick Rose and the Top 10 MVP Candidates
The 2010-11 NBA season is just about over which means individual awards will be handed out soon.
Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved are all nice awards to receive.
But the biggest honor is the Most Valuable Player Award, simply known as the MVP. This award isn't necessarily given to the league's best player, but the player who is most valuable to his team.
Here's a look at the league's top 10 candidates to take home the regular season's best individual award.
Let's begin.
10. Kevin Love
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Kevin Love for MVP? The same Kevin Love who plays for the 17-62 Minnesota Timberwolves?
In the NBA, players don't win MVP if they play for a bad team, but Love's stats this year are simply crazy. His 20.2 points per game is solid, but 15.2 rebounds is sort of Dennis Rodman-like.
And Love impressively broke Moses Malone's 32-year record of consecutive double-doubles in a single season.
Baseball's Andre Dawson and Alex Rodriguez both won MVP on last place teams so why shouldn't Love get some MVP love? No pun intended.
9. Rajon Rondo
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Rondo is second in the league in both assists (11.2 apg) and steals (2.20 spg), and made his second straight All-Star appearance this past February.
The former Kentucky Wildcat has surprised fans and experts across the nation over the past few years as he's jumped from a late first round draft pick to one of the top point guards in the NBA today.
8. LaMarcus Aldridge
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With the injuries of All-Star Brandon Roy and former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Camby, you would think that the Portland Trail Blazers wouldn't be in the playoff hunt.
But with 2011 All-Star snub LaMarcus Aldridge becoming the go-to guy, the Blazers are one of the Western Conference's best ball clubs.
Aldridge is averaging 21.8 ppg and 8.7 rpg, both career-highs. He won't win MVP this year, well all know that, but without him, Portland would certainly be in bad shape.
7. Dwyane Wade
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When LeBron James arrived in South Beach last summer, Wade perhaps fell from the Miami Heat's most talented player to the their second.
However, Wade is still a MVP candidate.
The 2006 NBA Finals MVP is currently the league's third leading scorer with 25.7 ppg and has played a huge role in the Heat's climb to title contender.
Wade has never won a regular-season MVP, but if he continues to play like he usually does, he just might win one in the future.
6. Kevin Durant
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Durant is doing it again.
Th Oklahoma City Thunder's franchise player is leading the entire league in scoring for the second consecutive year.
That's pretty amazing since the NBA is filled with so many gifted scorers such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony.
More importantly, he has led his young Thunder squad to back-to-back 50-win seasons.
With Durant in the mix, OKC will likely become title contenders in the not-so-distant future.
5. Kobe Bryant
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It's rather strange that Bryant, possibly one of the top 10 greatest players in NBA history, only has one regular-season MVP award on his resume.
Oh well, he does have two NBA Finals MVPs, which definitely means a lot more.
Bryant has lost a step or two, but is still considered the best or second best player in the league. It just depends on who you ask.
He has his Los Angeles Lakers the at the same place they're usually at, which is amongst the league's elite.
This June, Bryant will look to power the purple and gold to their second three peat.
4. Dirk Nowitzki
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Nowitzki has had the greatest NBA career of any European player ever. And the 2007 NBA MVP is enjoying yet another memorable season in Dallas.
Putting up 23 ppg, Nowitzki has led the Mavs to the third-best record in the West.
Can he finally carry them to a title?
3. Dwight Howard
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Where would the Orlando Magic be without Howard's presence in the inside?
"Superman" is without a doubt the best big man on the planet. He ranks among the league's top three in rebounds (14.1 rpg), blocks (2.39 bpg) and field goal percentage (.596).
And in addition, he's putting up a career-best 23.1 ppg, which is 10th best in the league.
Howard may very well net his third straight Defensive player of the Year award.
2. LeBron James
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If James were to win MVP this year, he would become the first player in NBA history to win the award three consecutive years since Larry Bird did so in 1986.
You could make a case for James to win it again as he's averaging 26.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 7.0 apg. He's not going to become the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double in a season like some predicted, but he has MVP-type of numbers.
Let's see if he can have a MVP-type postseason and lead the Heat to a championship, which would be the first of his career.
1. Derrick Rose
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They should just go ahead and give Rose the MVP award now.
Sure, the season isn't over just yet, but everybody knows the Bulls superstar point guard is the most deserving of the honor.
Despite injuries to big men Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, the Bulls still own the top record in the Eastern Conference.
Why?
Well, it's not because of the play of Keith Bogans or Kurt "Big Sexy" Thomas. It's because of Rose's roughly 25 points and eight assists per game.
D-Rose has went from a really good rookie to an All-Star sophomore to the NBA's runaway MVP.
