LeBron James, Blake Griffin, Kobe Bryant and Each NBA Team's MVP Thus Far
Now that every team has played at least half of its schedule, it's time to take a look at who has been the most valuable player for each and every NBA team.
The big names like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant will be present, but you may be surprised by some of the other choices.
As always, feel free to leave a comment suggesting another player. And please note that all stats are accurate through January 27, 2011.
Atlanta Hawks: Al Horford
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Al Horford has played in 44 of the Atlanta Hawks' 46 games this season and has been a large part of their success.
In his 34.6 minutes per game, the center is putting up 16.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.1 blocks. His PER thus far has been 22.6, by far the highest on the team.
More telling than anything else was the Hawks' performance in the first game that Horford missed with an ankle injury. Without the former Florida Gator, Atlanta scored just 59 points in a blowout loss against the New Orleans Hornets.
Boston Celtics: Kevin Garnett
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At the beginning of the season, it didn't look like anyone would be able to take this honor away from Rajon Rondo. But now that the point guard's assists are down to "just" 12.9 per game, he's fallen slightly behind No. 5.
Kevin Garnett appears to be a completely different player than he was last year during the regular season. He's full of energy and intensity, just like always, but he's producing in a big way.
Garnett has played in 35 games this season, logging 31.1 minutes a game. To earn his PER of 21.5, the power forward is averaging 15.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.
Charlotte Bobcats: D.J. Augustin
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Running the point for Michael Jordan's team this season has been the vastly-improved D.J. Augustin.
His 17.4 PER leads the team and he's logged 34.6 minutes per game while playing in all 44 of the Bobcats' clashes.
Augustin is averaging 14.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.1 blocks per game while he's on the court.
The Bobcats are just 19-25 right now, but they've found their point guard of the future in Augustin.
Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose
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Not only has Derrick Rose been the best player for the Chicago Bulls, but he may also be the MVP for the entire NBA at this point in the season.
The point guard has been absolutely sensational this season and seems to be able to score at will, even though he's content to distribute the ball with great efficiency.
Rose has played in all but one of Chicago's games and averaged 38 minutes per game. In that time he's averaged at least one SportsCenter-worthy play, 24.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.8 blocks per game.
If you haven't watched Rose play yet this season, do yourself a favor and turn on the next nationally-televised Bulls game.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Antawn Jamison
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No player has really stepped up to fill the massive hole left when LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, but Antawn Jamison has come the closest to achieving that gargantuan task.
Jamison has played in all but three of the Cavaliers' games and has been on the court for an average of 31.5 minutes in each one.
His PER of 16.9 trails only Ramon Sessions among the Cleveland players, but the quantity of Jamison's work makes up for the smaller dose of slightly higher quality that Sessions has provided.
Jamison has averaged a team-leading 17.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks per game for the eight-win Cavs.
Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki
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There's no denying that the German power forward has been the best player on this Dallas Mavericks squad.
Dirk Nowitzki has missed nine games so far this season and his team went just 2-7 without him. When he's playing, the Mavericks have gone 27-8. That is an absolutely huge difference.
Nowitzki has been on the court for an average of 34.7 minutes and is putting up 23.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.
Denver Nuggets: Nene Hilario
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It may seem blasphemous to not have Carmelo Anthony in this spot, but Nene actually has a higher PER (21.4 to Melo's 20.5) and hasn't been an off-court distraction.
Nene has played in all but five of Denver's games and is averaging 15.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks.
The center is also turning the ball over 0.9 times fewer per game than Anthony is.
Detroit Pistons: Rodney Stuckey
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The third-year point guard from Eastern Washington is enjoying the best season of his fine career.
He's become as much of a star as one can be while playing on a 17-win Detroit squad with some aging big names of the past like Tayshaun Prince, Ben Gordon, Rip Hamilton and Tracy McGrady.
Rodney Stuckey is averaging 15.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.1 blocks per game. His points, assists and steals all lead the Pistons.
Golden State Warriors: Monta Ellis
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Monta Ellis is up there near the NBA lead in both tattoos and points scored.
As someone with a professed man-crush on Stephen Curry, it was tough for me to make this call, but I do believe that Ellis has been more valuable that Curry this season because of the injury-riddled season that Curry has fought his way through.
The shooting guard is averaging 25.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.2 steals and 0.3 blocks per game. He's also playing 41.1 minutes in each contest and has yet to miss a game.
Houston Rockets: Kevin Martin
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Showcasing his durability and scoring ability throughout the 2010-2011 season, Kevin Martin has undoubtedly been the MVP for the Houston Rockets so far this year.
Martin hasn't missed a game and has put up 23.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.2 blocks per game.
His PER of 22.6 is 3.9 higher than the next best player on the Rockets, Luis Scola. I'm not counting Yao Ming because he only played in five games.
Indiana Pacers: Danny Granger
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The face in the picture to the left should be almost universally recognized by basketball fans, but not too many people outside of Indiana would recognize Danny Granger if he sat down next to them in a restaurant.
Granger, the league's most unknown superstar, is up to his old tricks yet again this season.
He's averaging 21.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks per game from the small forward position.
Granger has missed just one game this season and predictably, the Pacers lost by 19 points to the Chicago Bulls.
Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin
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Do I really even need to convince you of this?
Blake Griffin is a shoe-in for Rookie of the Year and may even garner a few MVP votes. He's made the Clipper relevant again and his stats are insane and only improving.
In addition to the highlight real dunks, Griffin is averaging 22.6 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.
There's no stopping him on a good night, and those happen quite often.
Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant
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At the very beginning of the 2010-2011 NBA season, Pau Gasol was the best player in the league and it wasn't even close. But since then, Gasol has slipped from his blistering pace and Kobe Bryant has continued to do what he's always done.
If you're curious, that's make other teams look silly as he dominates them and single-handedly wins games.
Bryant is averaging 24.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.9 assists per game. His PER is a ridiculous 24.8 right now.
He may not be the NBA's MVP right now, but he's definitely been the most valuable player to the Lakers thus far.
Memphis Grizzlies: Zach Randolph
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Rudy Gay might have been the one to get the huge contract over the last offseason, but Zach Randolph has been the player carrying the Memphis Grizzlies.
Just for comparison's sake, Gay has a PER of 18.4 and Randolph has a 21.7.
The power forward has missed four games, two of which the Grizzlies lost. When he's playing, Randolph has averaged 20.0 points, 13.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.3 blocks per game.
Not too many players in the NBA can average a double-double, yet Randolph is averaging 10 more points and 3.1 more rebounds than the minimum requirements for that.
Miami Heat: LeBron James
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When I started writing this article, I expected to struggle for a little while as I attempted to pick an MVP for the Miami Heat. I even started to rationalize the inevitable prospect of having to call Dwyane Wade and LeBron James co-MVPs of the team.
But then I actually looked at the numbers and realized that LeBron is currently standing head and shoulders above Wade.
Wade is averaging 25.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
James is averaging 25.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per game.
See what I mean?
Milwaukee Bucks: Andrew Bogut
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After a foot injury, Brandon Jennings fell out of contention for the Bucks' MVP nomination and made things quite easy for the Australian.
Andrew Bogut is blocking people so consistently this season that it seems as though he could block a free throw attempt. But that's not all Bogut has done this season.
The center is averaging 12.9 points, 11.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.7 steals and 2.7 blocks per game so far.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin Love
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There have been three games in the NBA this season where a single player has scored 30 points and grabbed 20 rebounds.
All three of those incredible performances were put on by Kevin Love.
Love is averaging 21.6 points, 15.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.3 blocks per game.
Do I really need to say anything else?
New Jersey Nets: Devin Harris
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There's no wrong answer when picking between Brook Lopez and Devin Harris to determine who's been the MVP of the New Jersey Nets this season.
Arguments exist for both players, but I personally think that Harris' is a little bit more convincing.
He's averaging 3.4 points fewer, 3.2 rebounds fewer, 5.9 assists more (that's the big one), 0.4 steals more and 1.4 blocks fewer per game.
His PER is 0.2 higher than Lopez's as well.
But Harris has the ball in his hands throughout the game and makes things happen, yet he has just 0.6 more turnovers per game, making his assist to turnover ratio of 2.5 much higher than Lopez's 0.6.
New Orleans Hornets: Chris Paul
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Chris Paul is having a season to remember and is leaving every other Hornet without a stinger when it comes to the MVP race.
Paul has yet to miss a game and is playing an average of 35.2 minutes in each one.
The talented point guard from Wake Forest is putting up 16.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 9.7 assists, 2.6 steals and 0.1 blocks per game.
Numbers don't always tell the whole story, but they do show that Paul has been a stud this year.
New York Knicks: Amar'e Stoudemire
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Despite the remarkable improvement from Raymond Felton in the Mike D'Antoni system that New York utilizes, Amar'e Stoudemire is running away with this title and inserting himself in the overall MVP race.
The power forward/center is averaging an astounding 26.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.3 blocks per game.
It's hard to make the New York Knicks into a relevant team after their recent failures, but that's exactly what Stoudemire is doing.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Russell Westbrook
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It's tough for me to write this right after Kevin Durant exploded for a career-high 47 points, but Russell Westbrook has actually been more valuable to the Oklahoma City Thunder than the league's leading scorer.
John Hollinger agrees with me since Westbrook's PER of 23.8 is just barely higher than Durant's 23.7.
Durant out-rebounds and out-scores Westbrook, but the assists of Westbrook (8.4 per game) take the cake. The point guard's assist to turnover ratio of 2.2 is much better than Durant's 0.9.
Plus, the Thunder are 3-1 in games that Durant has missed.
This matchup is insanely close, but Westbrook is just barely ahead right now.
Orlando Magic: Dwight Howard
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Surprise, surprise.
Not only has Dwight Howard been by far the best player on the Orlando Magic, but he's yet again one of the top players in the NBA.
Howard has been an instrumental part in the Magic's success despite the roster turmoil around him thanks to the multiple trades.
The center is averaging 22.0 points, 13.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.2 blocks per game.
Philadelphia 76ers: Elton Brand
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Andre Iguodala's injury problems this season pushed Elton Brand to the forefront of the MVP conversation amongst the Philadelphia 76ers' eligible candidates.
Brand has averaged 14.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
The power forward has missed just one game this season and has been on the court for 34.7 minutes per game.
Phoenix Suns: Steve Nash
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Amidst trade rumors earlier in the season, Steve Nash has still been very good and avoided any sort of distraction.
No one else on the team has been even close to as good as the point guard.
Nash is averaging 17.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 11.0 assists and 0.6 steals per game. That's pretty impressive for any 36 year old.
And people say he's close to being washed up. Psh.
Portland Trailblazers: LaMarcus Aldridge
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With Brandon Roy's knees acting up yet again, someone on the Portland Trail Blazers had to step up. Before the season, I thought that Nicolas Batum would become the next star for the team, but that hasn't really happened.
Instead, Andre Miller and LaMarcus Aldridge have played even better than they normally have.
Aldridge though has been the man who has truly taken the team on his back. The power forward has played in every contest and is averaging 21.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.
Sacramento Kings: Tyreke Evans
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The Sacramento Kings may be the most disappointing basketball team in the NBA so far. With all the young talent on the team, the playoffs weren't out of the question before the season started.
But then they had to play.
No one has clearly distinguished himself as the best player on the squad, so Tyreke Evans gets this spot almost by default.
Evans has averaged 17.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.5 blocks per game.
San Antonio Spurs: Manu Ginobili
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The best team in basketball right now has somehow managed to trot the same five players—Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Richard Jefferson and DeJuan Blair—out on the court as starters in every single one of their games.
Of those, Ginobili has put together a marginally better season than the other four. His PER of 22.9 is higher than any other player's on the team.
The shooting guard has averaged 18.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.4 blocks per game.
Maybe coming off the bench wasn't the best idea after all.
Toronto Raptors: Andrea Bargnani
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This is another team where no one has really distinguished himself.
Andrea Bargnani has been the best of the rather mediocre bunch by averaging 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.
But while he's a great scorer, Bargnani doesn't play like a center and I think the team struggles at times because of that. He doesn't rebound well or play a very physical game.
Then there's the turnover problem. The Italian turns the ball over 2.5 times per game, leading to a putrid assist to turnover ratio of 0.7.
Bargnani has been the best player for the Raptors so far, but he has a lot of things to work on.
Utah Jazz: Deron Williams
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Was there any doubt that Deron Williams would be the man representing the Utah Jazz in this article?
The talented point guard is enjoying another fine season as he continues to stake his claim for the title of the best point guard in the league.
He's not quite there yet, but averaging 21.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 9.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.2 blocks per game is very impressive.
Washington Wizards: JaVale McGee
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All the John Wall supporters might find this selection blasphemous, but it's the correct one.
Wall will undoubtedly be the better player over the course of his career, but JaVale McGee's highlight-reel dunks and ferocious play have energized the team this season.
He's averaging 9.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.6 steals and 2.6 blocks per game.
Wall might have more points and assists, but he's far less efficient and turns the ball over a lot more.
Wall's PER is only 15.7 while McGee's is 17.7.
This could easily change by the end of the season, but for right now, the third-year center is more valuable.
