Welcome back to the MVP rankings, James Harden — even though guys on sub-.500 tams usually should have no mention in MVP discussions.
We grant you leniency here, Mr. Harden, because the season is less than three weeks old and despite the inherent silliness of starting an MVP conversation so early, that is exactly what we have decided to do on this site every single Sunday throughout the season.
I have been an official MVP voter for several consecutive years now, so the only ranking that will matter is the one that goes on my ballot e-mailed to the NBA office the morning after the final game of the season (if I am granted voting privileges again. But these rankings will keep y’all abreast of how I am feeling about certain guys, and the merits behind their ranking, throughout the course of the season.
Until then … Noon, Eastern time (if not earlier, like today).
Every single Sunday. OK?
We are publishing our first edition of the Most Improved Player rankings tomorrow. We’ve been rankings the rookies since the preseason, and those get published every Thursday. We also have Mark Heisler, who has been inducted into the media wing of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, doing team by team Power Rankings every Wednesday. Those, too, are meaningless — but still fun, as Mr. Heisler will often point out while he overrewards and overpunishes teams on a week-to-week basis, but never in a hostile fashion. Mark is too nice of a guy for that. Oh, and we do Euroleague Rankings, too.
OK, that’s enough disclaimer material.
Onto the rankings …
Please leave OJ on the MIP list. I’m happy to see the change of scenery giving him a little more shine, but despite the great 3pt shooting, he is below average for off rebounds, def rebounds, assists, turnovers, blocks, and steals. There is no way he is more valuable than Chris Paul.
I don’t know how anyone can not make LeBron an auto #1 right now, but I understand that it would be boring to have one guy as #1 for the whole season.
The Timberwolves with all their injuries are like a 1 or 2 win team right now without Kirilenko. Check out his box score every night, wow.
KD has to be between 2 and 4. His slight decrease in scoring is due to a decrease in shot attempts, not a decrease in shooting percentages. Add to that he has increased his rebounding, assists, blocks, steals and decreased his fouls. That gives you a guy that is above average at everything. Incredible.
wow, i usually like your rankings….not this time. Melo should be five or six. But time will tell on that one. Zbo gets my vote right now. Marc Gasol an honorable mention. Brandon Jennings is my #2. LBJ third and Rondo fourth. The thing is, Faried has played as well as anyone, but that team is awful right now. I think they’ll improve but how does one rate him? I think Harden isnt even in my top ten. Maybe you missed last night’s game. And then there is Chris Paul…..I d have him ahead of Durant even right now. And certainly ahead of mayo.
Ridiculous. Chris Paul has one of the highest PER’s in the league. He’s the legit MVP candidate. Jamal should be an All-Star if he keeps this up, but Paul is proving he’s the best player in all of LA.
Right now, Nicholas Batum is better than O.J. Mayo. They’re both playing their best of their career right now, but Batum is not only putting up numbers offensively, he’s been a beast defensively, and in far more impressive fashion than Mayo.