Dirk Nowitzki bumps Amare Stoudemire out of first in my NBA MVP Power Rankings here at TSJ for week seven of the season. Nowitzki has the Mavericks surging as they have won sixteen of their past seventeen games. Derrick Rose rises to second as he has the Bulls soaring in the Central Division with Manu Ginobili right behind as the breath-taking force behind San Antonio’s season-long surge.
Don’t worry, Amare - you are right there with them!
This remains one of the toughest years in recent memory to choose an MVP - there are no landslide cases so far and because LeBron James and Dwyane Wade play together, and likewise Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, those guys are on the outside-looking-in.
Come to think of it, this is also the case for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
I’ll provide commentary and statistics for the top five.
Click on each player’s name (bold) to view their career statistics via Basketball-Reference.com.
Also check out our NBA Power Rankings HERE to see where each star’s team ranks.
**1. Dirk Nowitzki - Dallas Mavericks **
GP
FG%
FT%
SPG
BPG
RPG
APG
PPG
28 .544 .876 0.7 0.8 7.6 2.4 24.5
Dirk Nowitzki has simply been on fire all year and recently passed Larry Bird for 25th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. He has the Mavericks sitting at 23-5 with quality victories in the past three weeks over the Heat, Magic, Jazz, Spurs, and Thunder.
Dirk is shooting a career-best .544 from the floor and continues a career-long tradition of not turning the ball over often (2.3 per game).
2. Derrick Rose - Chicago Bulls
GP
FG%
FT%
SPG
BPG
RPG
APG
PPG
26 .461 .768 1.0 0.7 4.4 8.4 24.3
Rose has been magnificent leading the Bulls to their current 18-9 record that includes recent wins over the Thunder and Lakers.
The Bulls have won nine of ten including Tuesday’s 121-76 beatdown of the 76ers - Rose scored 22 points and recorded twelve assists in just 29 minutes that night.
The return of Boozer has put Chicago thinking title for the first time since the MJ days.
3. Manu Ginobili - San Antonio Spurs
GP
FG%
FT%
SPG
BPG
RPG
APG
PPG
28
.455
.880
1.8
0.4
3.6
4.9
19.8
There are few players in the NBA who can deceive you as much as Manu based on stats alone. While his numbers don’t jump out at you as spectacular his influence on both ends of the court, effort and intensity, and playmaking ability within coach Popovich’s offense can no longer be denied.
The Spurs sit at 23-5 and a healthy, starting Manu is a major reason why.
4. Amar’e Stoudemire - New York Knicks
GP
FG%
FT%
SPG
BPG
RPG
APG
PPG
29
.526
.789
0.9
2.1
9.3
2.4
26.4
After running off a stretch of thirteen wins in fourteen games the Knicks have dropped three of four but did defeat the Thunder on Wednesday night to stop the bleeding.
Despite the losing streak Amare deserves a top-five berth here - he scored more than thirty points in nine consecutive games and has the Knicks vying for their best record in the regular season since Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell raced along the MSG court.
GP
FG%
FT%
SPG
BPG
RPG
APG
PPG
30
.464
.856
1.3
0.2
4.0
9.6
22.4
Williams has the Jazz sitting at 21-9 and, while his shooting has been subpar recently, I have doubts that there is a better all-around point guard in the game right now than Deron.
His scoring ability has driven opposing teams nuts so far and he’s a much better rebounder than most suspect.
He’s also the catalyst behind Utah’s 8th ranked offense and has helped Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson have excellent offensive seasons. He runs the pick-and-roll as well as anyone today.
6. Russell Westbrook - Oklahoma City Thunder
Westbrook has really come into his own this season. While his scoring has dipped slightly in recent weeks don’t let that fool you into thinking he hasn’t been as dominant - Kevin Durant has finally found his shooting touch and Jeff Green has played well.
7. LeBron James - Miami Heat
If not for your partnership with Wade you’d be much higher. After a very rough patch to begin the season Wade and James have formed a pretty awesome tandem, especially on defense, and their performance will only become better with time.** **
** **
8. Kobe Bryant - Los Angeles Lakers
Bryant has turned it up a notch since the Lakers four-game losing streak. While Gasol’s insane start to the season hasn’t been sustained Bryant has kept up his usual excellence and with Bynum back the Lakers look complete.
9. Kevin Garnett - Boston Celtics
The driving force behind Boston’s defensive juggernaut. Garnett is posting excellent numbers in limited minutes and grabbing boards at his highest rate in years. What a difference a healthy Garnett makes for Boston.
**10. Dwight Howard - Orlando Magic **
I hate putting you this low but until Orlando starts winning you drop into tenth. Here’s hoping, for your sake, that Orlando’s new acquisitions make a smooth transition to help you out.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
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**Chris Paul, Hornets - **I’m sure others will not understand your absence in the top-ten but I have you in eleventh - really 10B.
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**Steve Nash, Suns - **Where in the world would Phoenix be without you and Grant Hill?! I’d be very afraid to watch.
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**Kevin Durant, Thunder - **With each passing day you are looking like your old self and a top ten berth might not be far behind.
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Blake Griffin, Clippers - I don’t care how terrible his team is - watch this guy play once and you’ll want to watch the Clippers all year.
Come join us in the forum by CLICKING HERE to debate with us over who the NBA MVP is so far.
That’s it for this week - enjoy watching LeBron and Kobe go at it on Christmas!