Tony Parker has his own cheeseburger and a No. 2 spot in latest MVP rankings

RANK	PLAYER	RUNDOWN	LAST
1		KEVIN DURANT, F, OKLAHOMA CITY: He got a firsthand look at the other player who 5 years from now will be one of the two best players in the NBA. Kyrie Irving burned the Thunder for 13 points in the final 2:52, negating Durant’s 13 points in the fourth for the Thunder. Durant finished with 32, and the Thunder finished 10-5 (after starting 7-1) in a 15-game stretch in which 12 were road games. As good as KD is, the Thunder have a ton riding on Good Westbrook vs. Bad Westbrook.	1
2		TONY PARKER, G, SAN ANTONIO: Before Duncan went down in a heap Saturday night, the Big Fundamental also had missed five of the previous six. In those 5 games, all wins, Parker scored 23-24-23-31-22-19 and shot 51-for-83 from the field. That’s like … dang. But as we were all reminded last week in this fantastic, must-read column by Jan Hubbard, Parker will forever be unappreciated by most MVP voters. This Duncan situation might be what pushes him to another echelon.	2
3		LeBRON JAMES, F, MIAMI: To repeat a line verbatim from last week: I have nothing negative to say about the guy. But after what he did last spring and summer, I hold him to a higher standard. I told you to check back a week from now when he has completed a four-game road trip through Boston, Brooklyn, Indiana and Toronto, and if he returns home 1-3, he ain’t rising above No. 3. He closed like a monster Sunday (what’s with Terrence Ross shooting all those airballs in final 3 minutes?) in Toronto for a 2-2 trip.	3
4		CARMELO ANTHONY, F, NEW YORK: We said two weeks ago this was shaping up as a three-man race, with ‘Melo still having a chance to fill it out into a foursome. And while we’d like to see just a smidgen of consistency from his team, getting a 10-for-10 night from Amar’e against Sacto, and having back Ray Felton is starting to get them there. He scored 20 or more in 31 straight games, a franchise record. Would have been playing for Woodson at ASG if Miami had lost Sunday.	6
5		CHRIS PAUL, G, LA CLIPPERS: His team is 2-6 in its last eight, the latter seven of which have come with him in street clothes. Not that an injury merits a demotion, but it also gives others (i.e. ‘Melo) a chance to move up. Only a prolonged absence could knock him from the Top 5. And if that absence extends through this 8-game Eastern swing (1-2 so far), it ain’t getting him back into the Top 4.	4
6		PAUL GEORGE, G-F, INDIANA: Nominations for Most Improved Player are now closed, eh? The highlight of another magnificent week was their thumping of the Heat in a statement game Friday night. Think about this: How much more of a dangerous player is he going to be once Danny Granger, who has returned to practice, is ready to go? Listen to what Donnie Walsh had to say about that.	5
7		KOBE BRYANT, G, LA LAKERS: Who is this guy? Assist totals the past six games (five of them wins): 14-14-11-9-8-5. That’s 65 assists in a span in which he made 37 buckets. Try to name a player who has changed his game so thoroughly in such a short span with such positive results. OK, Paul Pierce. But Truth’s body of work post-Rondo is not as large.	10
8		LUOL DENG, F, CHICAGO: More than anyone (aside from relentless coach Tom Thibodeau), this guy has been the main reason why the Bulls have remained hiding in the bushes while we all await the return of Derrick Rose. Not to steal Deng’s fire, but what other coach ever got so much out of Nate Robinson? Deng may be the most underappreciated player in the All-Star game, and he’ll probably put up a quietly efficient 17.	7
9		DAVID LEE, F, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: Welcome back, David. Last time he made these rankings, we noted there were 12 guys in the NBA averaging double-doubles in points and rebounds, but this guy had done it 22 times – 2nd most behind Zach Randolph. There are now 11, and Lee is up to 31 – three more than 2nd-place Z-Bo. If there is a basketball God, he will allow Steph Curry and Andrew Bogut to play the rest of the season injury-free. Dubs fans have served more than their share of purgatory time.	–
10		KYRIE IRVING, G, CLEVELAND: The most spectacular player to watch in the NBA. I’ll leave it at that for this week, and turn the floor over to his new teammate, Marreese Speights, who said after watching Kyrie beat the Thunder: “He’s a killer. I knew a little about him, I didn’t know THAT.” If anything merits a #KDIsNotNice hashtag campaign by Nike, it is that comment right there.	9