Before we kick off this edition of the rankings, a big thanks to all who participated, and to Alex from Brewhoop for letting the HQ host this time around. With the holidays in full swing, we still had a solid turnout and this week’s voters included:
-Mike from Bullets Forever
-Joshua from 3 Shades of Blue
-Jeremy from Pickaxe and Roll
-Brett from Peachtree Hoops
-Jeramey Jannene from The Bratwurst
-Fish from Dallasbasketball.com
-Don Landrigan from With-malice.com
-Jeff from Slam Dunk Central
-Ben Golliver from Blazersedge.com
-Dinoblogger from Dinonation
-Ben from 3rd Quarter Collapse
-John from Red’s Army
-Ryan McNeill from Hoops Addict
-David from The Dream Shake
-Rohan from At The Hive
-College Wolf from T-Wolves Blog
-Ourselves here at the HQ,
-and the aforementioned Alex from Brewhoop.
Votes were given from 10 (top) to 1 for the MVPs, and from 5 (top) to 1 for the rookies.
So let’s get cracking with the young bucks:
5. DJ Augustin:
-I love me some D.J Augustin. He has been on my list all year and he is not leaving it. D.J is a smart kid. He got help from T.J Ford and Steve Nash when he was coming into the league. It Shows. Dinonationblog
-Larry Brown still lets him play. That's a huge sign. The Dream Shake
-What’s been happening lately? Is it the Rookie Wall, or a small slump? I’d guess a "slump," being that he has proven he can play with the big boys. T-Wolvesblog.com
4. Marc Gasol:
-The "tough Gasol" has proven to be a physical presence in the paint, as Tim Duncan found out over the weekend when the former MVP fouled out of the game. 3 Shades of Blue.com
-Robin to Mayo's Batman, Gasol presents a physical presence that the Grizzlies need. With-Malice.com
-He is a tougher more physical version of his brother. Slamdunkcentral.com
3. Rudy Fernandez:
-Perhaps Nate McMillan isn't making the most of Fernandez's abilities as a playmaker. I don't care. I could watch him drain three-pointers all day and not tire of it. 3rd Quarter Collapse
-Starting to get a little arrogant for a rookie. I like that in a basketball player. The Dream Shake
-Fernandez just made our cut at the HQ for the top 5, which speaks volumes about how good this rookie class is. RaptorsHQ
2. Derrick Rose:
-He's the best bet to be a Hall of Famer of this draft class. 3 Shades of Blue.com He may have saved Ben Gordon's career with the Bulls. This is the player Chicago thought they were getting when they drafted Jay Williams. Slamdunkcentral.com
-Chuck Swirsky has no doubt given him some annoying nickname by now. But hey you can count on his vote for ROY just ask Brandon Roy and Andrea Bargnani. Dinonationblog
-How scary would a back-court of Rose and Tyreke Evans have been at Memphis this year? RaptorsHQ
1. OJ Mayo:
-Rookies are not supposed to be this composed and efficient. He's mature far beyond his years. 3 Shades of Blue.com
-Memphis... want Mayo on that? OJ's surpassed Rose, and has Memphis as a better team now than Rose's Bulls. With-Malice.com
-How you like him now T-Wolve Fans? Brandon Roy was the first and Mayo will be the second ROY you traded away. Maybe that is why you stink. Just a thought. Dinonationblog
Others getting votes: Brook Lopez, Russell Westbrook, Joey Dorsey, Mario Chalmers, Michael Beasley, Greg Oden, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Marreese Speights.
Most Valuable Player
10. Devin Harris:
-Vince Carter is playing some great ball, much to our chagrin, but it’s Harris that has this team in lead for "surprise team of the year." RaptorsHQ
-For what he did to the Mavs alone. And then he went back to his apartment. Where he lives. You know, the same place Jason Kidd used to live in Jersey. Ironic, eh? Dallasbasketball.com
-Mark Cuban may have traded a way 2-M.V.P's if Devin Harris keeps playing like this. That stings even more than a charge of insider trading. Dinonationblog
9. Kevin Garnett:
-Next time you are running on the beach to workout, take a hard right into the Pacific Ocean and just keep going. Maybe you'll make it to Hawaii. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! Just please leave the NBA. kthx. www.blazersedge.com
-ABC did present some great games on Christmas Day, but can we stop with the ridiculous KG "I am Splinter" montages? RaptorsHQ
-The Celtics, with the league's best record and record-setting start, need MVP representation. Garnett's numbers aren't too gaudy, but he nonetheless leads them in PER, and he is once again their defensive anchor. 3rd Quarter Collapse
8. Dirk Nowitzki:
-Just quietly, Dirk's playing very, very well. And so's Dallas. Problem is, so are Houston, New Orleans and San Antonio. With-Malice.com
-Call it a courtesy vote for the player leading a team I didn't expect to seriously contend for a playoff spot this season, or call it a consolation prize for his ridiculous suspension for "hitting" Matt Harpring in the face a few nights ago. Either way, Dirk deserves dap. 3rd Quarter Collapse
-He’s so quietly in fourth place for points per game average that I almost forget he still played in the NBA. T-Wolvesblog.com
7. Brandon Roy:
-You can see this young man getting better every time he is on the court. Who knows if Oden will ever reach his potential, but the Blazers have an All-Star in B-Roy. Slamdunkcentral.com
-A little bit humbled after his 52 point explosion but is now sporting a new racing stripe haircut that hopefully will finally convince commentators everywhere that he is not, in fact, slow. www.blazersedge.com
-I traded him from my fantasy team because I am trying to model it after the Timberwolves. T-Wolvesblog.com
6. Tim Duncan:
-Timmy just became the sixth player in NBA history to record a career 18,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 2,000 blocked shots.
Let’s throw him this bone, shall we? Dallasbasketball.com
-Wow, that didn't take long. Back in the division lead. Fantastic. Another exciting year of Spurs playoff basketball coming at us. www.blazersedge.com
-Timmay finally got his Skyler back (i.e., Manu and Frenchy). As a Rockets fan, I hope the Spurs of the Underworld still fall short of the Lalapalalapaza festival (i.e., the NBA Finals) The Dream Shake
-Is he really getting better at age 32? Call him the Barry Bonds of basketball. Oh, minus the steroids. At The Hive.com
-Would people be offended if I suggested his renewed vigor and longevity is due to steroids? Or, I guess maybe he really is just that good… T-Wolvesblog.com
5. Dwight Howard:
-The man-child leads the league in rebounding, shot-blocking and causing opponents to wet their beds. 3 Shades of Blue.com
-The Dwightmare continues to astound. To borrow a parlance from And1, he's half-man, half-amazing. With-Malice.com
-I would pay anything to see him go up against Russell or Chamberlain in their prime. Slamdunkcentral.com
-What's nuts is he's still raw. He can still get so much better. RedsArmy.com
4. Kobe Bryant:
-He took the first month of the season "easy", but has really turned it up in the last few weeks. He's scoring more efficiently, getting to the free throw line more often and has increased his rebounding numbers. 3 Shades of Blue.com
-That old black mamba has me in it's spell... ok, I'm no Ol'Blue Eyes, but Kobe Bryant finally has the Lakers all singing the same tune again. And it's a good 'un. With-Malice.com
-Merry Christmas. Your interview with Magic made me want to throw up. www.blazersedge.com
-A visit from his Canadian friend Cabbie will no doubt get the Kobster back on track to climb up the latter. Dinonationblog
-As good as Lebron has been, Kobe is showing that he can still be every bit as valuable when his team needs him to be. RaptorsHQ
-[expletive deleted] RedsArmy.com
3. Chris Paul:
-20.1 ppg, 11.4 apg, 5.2 rpg, 3.0 spg, .497 FG% -- sometimes the numbers just don't lie. He's frickin' ridiculous. 3 Shades of Blue.com
-Hey, CP3! National TV game! On Christmas! Everybody’s watching! Try to show up! Dallasbasketball.com
-The Hornets still look unconvincing, and that makes me unconvinced about Chris Paul. Which is terribly unfair. I mean... he's averaging 20+ points, and 11+ assists. But, what can I do? Meh... #3. With-Malice.com
-Although the Hornets have stumbled out of the gate this season--as of this writing, they are 17-9, or half a game behind the Hawks for the league's sixth-best record--Paul has somehow managed to improve. 20 points and 11 assists per game, on nearly 50% shooting from the field, make him an offensive juggernaut. He's not a slouch on the other side of the ball, with 4 defensive rebounds and 3 steals per game. And he gets these eye-popping stats on the league's slowest-paced team. 3rd Quarter Collapse
-Best assist rate in 18 years, best steals rate in 15, a better true shooting percentage than Steve Nash, leads the league in offensive efficiency, the third best rebounding rate by any point guard in the League, and leads the NBA in adjusted +/-. And ESPN continues to make dual Paul/Deron Williams covers... At The Hive.com
2. Dwyane Wade:
-Leading the league in scoring and 4th in steals, he has achieved career highs in both categories. He keeps plugging away, but he has to wonder if there is any help on the way, as he has more than doubled his next closest teammate in terms of scoring. 3 Shades of Blue.com
-Yes Miami is only 16-13, but they were pathetic last year when Wade was hurt. Slamdunkcentral.com
-It's true that the Heat have played the league's weakest schedule, and are only 4 games over.500 as it is, but Wade's individual statistics are simply too impressive to ignore: roughly 29 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block per game. From a 6'04" shooting guard. Absolutely insane. If he had anyone around him, he might stand more of a chance of winning the award. 3rd Quarter Collapse
-He really started laying the groundwork for this in Beijing. That was what we call "foreshadowing" RedsArmy.com
-We’re not sold on the Heat as a top 6 seed, even in the East, but without Wade this club would be challenging for the top pick in next summer’s draft. RaptorsHQ
1. Lebron James:
- The weeks keep changing, but one thing remains constant:
King James at the top of the mountain. 3 Shades of Blue.com
-One man title contender. Put him on any one of at least 26 teams in the league and they are instantly in the discussion. www.blazersedge.com
-King is all that and a bag of chips. He is going to win this race hands down unless something truly amazing happens. Dinonationblog
-The question now is becoming "how bad would LeBron have to be to lose the MVP?" Seriously... is there any more of an MVP lock right now? RedsArmy.com
-I am no longer a witness, but am instead the Judge. And he just beat my Rockets. The Dream Shake
-This is unanimous, right? Anyone that doesn’t put him #1 obviously has some kind of demento bone to pick, or an inferiority complex. T-Wolvesblog.com
Also receiving votes: Paul Pierce, Yao Ming, Chris Bosh, Chauncey Billups, Kevin Durant, Joe Johnson, Rajon Rondo, Amare Stoudamire, Paul Millsap, Tony Parker, Carmello Anthony, and…um…Andrew Bogut.