MVP Race: Early Season Leaders

RealGM is taking a quick look at some of the top MVP candidates early in this 2014-2015 season. These rankings are preliminary and we know there will be dissension among the ranks about who deserves to be where. Voice your opinions in the comment section. Do so with pride and an even head!

1) James Harden – G – Houston Rockets

Harden has to be considered the leader in the club house right about now. After coming off a CSL championship series appearance, he’s proving that the talk about him being a top-3 player in the league was no fluke. He’s currently averaging 36.8 points a night at an astonishing 63.6% shooting from the floor. We thought Kevin Durant’s scoring prowess and efficiency last season was amazing, but Harden’s numbers this year trump that easily.

2) Ricky Rubio – G- New York Knicks

The straw that stirs the drink in NYC, Rubio’s play has elevated this team to the upper echelon in the Eastern Conference. Jamal’s persistence in getting his guy has paid dividends as The Maestro is averaging 17.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and a league-leading 14.0 assists per game. He is also second in the league in steals at 3.6, just one-tenth of a point behind Chris Paul. We value wins with our MVP candidates and Rubio has the Knicks winning. If he keeps it up, could he come away with the award?

3) LeBron James – F – Indiana Pacers

New team, same results. LeBron is still putting up monstrous numbers as we all expected. With current averages of 33.8 points, 6.3 assists and 5.9 boards to go with 2.3 steals, he continues to impact the game on both ends of the floor. He has the ability to play four different positions and his recent stint at PG for the Pacers has to scare the league. As the Pacers continue to tinker with lineups and strategies, LeBron’s MVP candidacy will most likely continue to climb as well.

4) Kevin Durant – F – Miami Heat

The reigning MVP is averaging 36.4 points a game and shooting at almost 52% from the floor. How the hell is he fourth in the rankings? Like we said earlier, wins are a valuable commodity in these rankings and the Miami Heat just aren’t getting it done despite Durant’s numbers. He needs to take this team to the next level if they plan on getting back to the playoffs, let alone three-peating.

5) DeMarcus Cousins – C – Atlanta Hawks

The big man putting up the best numbers in the league, Cousins has to be on the MVP watch list. He leads the league in PER (was at 40.0 last time we checked) and is doing it at a highly efficient rate. Add in his 2.1 steals and 2.1 blocks with stellar defensive numbers and you have yourself a handful in the paint. BlackIce has done some serious wheelin’ and dealin’ in 2+ seasons here at CSL, but we can’t see any reason he would move Cousins.

Good idea. And I think you've got the general candidates who will be there until the end, except for....

Man, we've got some insane superstars in this league. I doubt Rubio keeps it up for a full season, but damn he's hot right now.

Great rankings, though I would not have put Durant right now. MVP is based more on team success and the Heat have been playing .500 ball even with Durant dominating.
I loved those wiretaps next to Rubio's image!

Maybe Paul, Bynum take Rubio and Cousin's spots if their teams take a leap but I think this will be the All-CSL 1st Team when it's all said and done.

Rubio
Harden
Durant
Lebron
Cousins

Really solid rankings and good explanations. Rubio is the heart and soul of the Atlantic leading Knicks and Harden is having a historical season. Should be a photo finish.

It's still early in the season, but truth is Rubio's start of the season is been insane so far.
I was his biggest supporter this summer, but he's still playing above the high expectations I was predicting.

The first game as a Knick with a triple-double and the W against Rose and the East leading Bulls, the 27 asists game against his former team in Minnesota, leading the league in asists and steals for some time.. and of course the teams great play under his guidance.

I really appreciate the consideration of including him in the talk. We don't know if he'll be able to keep it up and continue guiding the Knicks high in the standings, but we'll keep dreaming about it. Who knows, it's already 15 games into the season, and it's starting to look less like a coincidence or a lucky strike after each game...

Rubio wrote:Obviously first and only thing in my mind is to carry the Knicks as high as we can. But this type of recognitions mean that we're doing good our job, and they're obviously welcomed. Following my biggest fan Steve Nash's steps and getting the MVP would be  dream come true, but more importantly the indication that the Knicks are back on top of the league which is the first and only goal. So we'll keep on working to put the Knicks as high as we can!

This is awesome. I was actually working on one myself as well but it looks like you beat me to it! Great analysis though, I like it a lot.

Great article. Interesting that 80% of these MVP candidates are in the East

Houston appreciates the Harden ranking etc but my vote is for Ricky Rubio, simply amazing thus far.

Also I wanna click on some of those links in the article so bad... Great work Rizzo.

WillyJakkz (HOU) wrote:Also I wanna click on some of those links in the article so bad... Great work Rizzo.

Lol thanks. I want to learn how to make an interactive graphic like that where you can actually click on the links and go to the article.