NBA MVP Rankings: Kevin Durant has benefited from flying solo

RANK	PLAYER	RUNDOWN	LAST
1		KEVIN DURANT, F, OKLAHOMA CITY: We’ve now established the only two people who can stop him from scoring 30: Scott Brooks and Trevor Ariza. His current PER of 31.13 would rank him in the top 10 all time and puts him in the LeBron-Jordan-Wilt stratosphere. The Thunder are 16-6 since Russell Westbrook went down.	1
2		LeBRON JAMES, F, MIAMI: With 34 points, last week’s home loss to OKC wasn’t his fault. But it also made obvious that the four-time winner is runner-up thus far. With a PER of 29.1, it’s worth noting that the last time he was under 30 was 2010-11 (27.3), also the last time he didn’t win MVP and his team didn’t win the title.	2
3		BLAKE GRIFFIN, F, L.A. CLIPPERS: Chris Paul could be back this week, which could derail Griffin’s campaign a bit – especially since he has powered the Clippers to a 12-5 mark without the game’s best point guard. Griffin has scored 25-plus points a dozen times and averaged 4.4 assists in that stretch with no clear second option.	5
4		PAUL GEORGE, G-F, INDIANA: In six games since dropping 36 on Sacramento, he has averaged 16.2 points on an ugly 32 percent (33-of-103) shooting, including 7-of-35 from the arc, while Pacers have gone 4-2. Rebounding and D still there every night, but All-Star snub Lance Stephenson has been Indiana’s MVP lately.	3
5		TONY PARKER, G, SAN ANTONIO: Snapped out of a brief funk with 32 points and nine assists in Monday’s win at New Orleans, the first of nine in a row on the road. Prior to that, Spurs had gone 2-3 while Parker – still nursing a groin injury – averaged 15.4 points, shot 43.6 percent and took just 16 free throws.	7
6		LaMARCUS ALDRIDGE, F, PORTLAND: Another guy from a team in a rough patch; Blazers have lost five of eight, although it’s hard to lay blame with Aldridge. Portland’s problems have been a porous D and cold shooting, and LA has gone for at least 20 points and 10 boards 10 times in the last 12 games.	4
7		JOHN WALL, G, WASHINGTON: Bounced back in second half of win over OKC and directed win over Portland to get the Wizards above .500 for the first time since Oct. 31, 2009. Numbers aren’t spectacular, but willingness to accept blame and criticism for team’s fortunes – even from his coach – are a model for a franchise player.	9
8		GORAN DRAGIC, G, PHOENIX: Be honest: When Eric Bledsoe went down, you thought the Suns were done, especially after losing five of their first seven without him. Enter The Dragon, who has directed Phoenix to an 8-3 mark since by averaging 22.4 points, 6.0 assists and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 58 percent.	–
9		STEPHEN CURRY, G, GOLDEN STATE: Clearly the best player on the Dubs, who are clearly a good team. But despite Steph’s 29.0 points and 8.4 assists in the last 10 games, they are just 4-6 with home losses to Denver, Minnesota, Washington and Charlotte. And how about playing the other end of the court every once in a while?	–
10		AL JEFFERSON, C, CHARLOTTE: The Bobcats somehow went 4-3 without motorman Kemba Walker because Big Al put them on his big shoulders, averaging 26.9 points and 12.2 boards while shooting 52 percent. Then he added 30 and 13 in a win at Oakland. Did Michael Jordan really make the East’s best free agent signing?	7