Derrick Rose NBA MVP: Are LeBron James, Dwight Howard as Worthy for the Award?

A report from ESPN suggests Derrick Rose has already been confirmed as the NBA's Most Valuable Player for season 2010-11.

This article aims to take nothing away from the Bulls superstar.

Rose, and the Bulls, were simply unstoppable through the regular season, gaining further momentum with every passing month.

The obvious point of contention, however, are the grounds on which MVP voting is based.

As far as I can tell, voters are inclined to side with one of the following three schools of thought.

The first being that the league MVP is simply the player who puts up the greatest numbers through the regular season—a guy who always stands out on the box score, and finds himself among the statistical leaders in a handful of categories.

The second school of thought is that a true MVP finds himself on a team with a stellar season record. Kevin Love may have returned all-star numbers but the Timberwolves went a miserable 17-65. How truly valuable can a player be when his franchise owns the worst record in the league?

Finally, and this is an ideology Stan Van Gundy readily subscribes to, is the suggestion that the league's most valuable player is the one who influences the most possessions. A player, who while getting his customary five minutes rest at the start of the second period, watches helplessly as his team is undone by a 10-0 run.

Last year, it didn't matter where you went to school, you got the same answer.

LeBron James was statistically unrivalled. The former Cavalier averaged 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists a contest. The Cavs finished the regular season with the league's best record and "King James" led the league in efficiency. Without James, the 2009-10 Cavaliers wouldn't have beaten, well, this year's Cavaliers.

This season it's not so crystal clear.

Subscribe to the first theory and James is again your league MVP. In the modern era, James is statistically peerless. No forward dishes as regularly. No guard rebounds as heavily. All the while, LeBron still runs Durant close for the league's scoring title.

Rose's numbers are significantly improved, but not in the same ballpark as James. Allen Iverson was the last MVP to shoot under 45 percent from the field, and that dates back 10 years.

What does tip the scales in Derrick Rose's favour is the Chicago Bulls' superb season record. Only once in the past 20 years has the league MVP's team not taken a top-two seed in their conference. That was back in 2005-06 when Steve Nash's Phoenix Suns placed third in the West before bowing out in the conference semifinals.

Through the regular season, Derrick Rose was the best player on the team with the best record.

Makes sense. Right?

Not so quickly, advise those who subscribe to the final theory.

It's not implausible to suggest Dwight Howard is the most active player on an NBA court at any given time. Offensively, Howard battles for position, catches it in the post and either goes to work or dishes back out to any one of the Magic's many perimeter shooters. Time to then set a pick, jostle for ground or chase an errant jumper off the iron. Defensively, Howard is just as busy, protecting the rim, swatting floaters and keep low-post threats out of the paint.

You don't have to be Stan Van Gundy to know Dwight Howard does a damn fine job of all of this.

But just how valuable is Howard to the Magic?

Fighting illness in early December, Howard missed a meeting against the Milwaukee Bucks. Andrew Bogut dropped 31 points and 18 rebounds on the Magic and the Bucks were never challenged. The same two teams met a month later and a healthy Howard kept Bogut to six points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes. Howard had 28 and 13 for good measure.

On the basis of one example, this is no doubt a simplistic view. But a case in point nonetheless. Howard's value to the Magic is almost immeasurable.

Howard has been acknowledged as the game's best defensive player for the third straight year. While maintaining this defensive excellence, he improved his regular-season scoring average from 18.3 to 22.9 points per game and pulled down an extra 25 offensive rebounds in four less games.

What more can one man do?

All things considered, LeBron James and Dwight Howard are as deserving of the MVP award as Derrick Rose.

Unless the NBA does something crazy, like awarding Dirk Nowitzki the MVP award, voters can't get it wrong.

Forget recent history. There is no clear-cut winner this time around.

It simply comes down to where you went to school on this one.