MVP WATCH - Week 8

	TEAM	WHY	WHY NOT	STATS
Lebron James PER 29.81 MVP	-	Could you have a MVP race without Lebron in it? Probably not! The Cavs have been a little slower out of the gate than most but are firing right back up as GM PK has found the trigger point. Lebron is of course the key to all of it and has been for years in Cleveland. With Parker finally slowing down a bit, he's even arguably more important to this team. #BaringLeBrontOfThePressure	When you look at James' numbers, they're simply not on the same page as some of the guys on this list. In the end, the voting tends to come down to numbers as much as anything and that will hurt him. His influence on the team, a game, can't be measured just by numbers, but that doesn't reflect on a stat sheet.	PTS REB AST STL BLK
Carmelo Anthony PER 18.71 MVP	-	There is absolutely no doubt that the Wizards are even hovering near that 8th playoff spot in the East entirely because of Melo. And that my friends screams MVP. That Wizards roster is entirely on Melo's back and has been all year with holes and scraps all over the shop, yet he's putting up a really nice line and is being pretty damn efficient for a volume scorer while doing it. #HowMarshCanTheMeloDo?	The Wizards are probably only hoping to scrape into the playoffs, and while Melo is the MVP of that team and the reason they will make it if they do, is that enough to give him the season award when his numbers also don't jump right off the page compared to others on this list, in teams that are going to go alot deeper into the race.	PTS REB AST STL BLK
Kevin Durant PER 33.91 MVP	-	KD is without a doubt the heart of the Celtics and lives in the heart of their GM. There's no doubt he's the teams MVP, but is he the league's? He's dropping 28 points, 7 boards and 3 assists, shooting it above 50%, nearly 50% from deep and only committing 1.5 turnovers! That's ridiculous efficiency for a high usage wing, and he's been doing it in a talented, but, according to their GM, under performing team. #NowYouKnowYouKDCs	The Celtics have arguably been a little disappointing compared to the team they were last year. That's a little to do with a struggle in FA and moves that didn't quite work out. But has KD then actually been able to carry the team as well as you might expect? Has the supporting cast really been that bad? They're re-tooled now, and we'll see if that takes them to new heights that KD and the old cast were "struggling" with.	PTS REB AST STL BLK
Stephen Curry PER 40.47 MVP	-	Don't look now, the Bulls are 6th in the East with 20 wins...last season they had 19 wins FOR THE YEAR! And why is that? Steph Curry. The roster around Curry gels, they're good at they're roles but Curry is the star, leader and stud and he is the reason why this team is flying and not falling. How do we tell? He's leading the team in points, assists and nearly steals and a +/- of 3.7...which 1.4 above any other player on the roster. #TakingItOneStephAtATime	Are his numbers as good as the others above him? Does it matter? The Bulls are down the standings a little and might not have a legit shot at winning it all, which might play on voters minds. That's a dangerous sentiment however. If you're there, you have a chance.	PTS REB AST STL BLK
DeMarcus Cousins PER 18.23 MVP	-	Boogie is the #2 Ranked NLL player in the league behind the man who is everyone's favourite for this end of season reward. His numbers could arguably be more impressive than that of Davis and it could definitely be argued that he would be more of a loss if he were to miss time as being the stud in a deep team that is fighting to secure a place in the Playoffs compared to Davis' league leading squad. #BoogieNets	Boogie is getting it done, but his team remains in the 7th seed and could still have a chance to fall out of the race, all be it the trend being the opposite. The talent around him while deep in role players, isn't on the same level as himself so he's putting up big numbers because he has to also. Of course, #2 in the league PER could be seen to debunk that theory as his efficiency hasn't dropped.	PTS REB AST STL BLK
Paul George PER 31.67 MVP	-	The Wolves have clicked. For years they were on the brink of doing so, and under new management they're here, and PG13 is the leader of the squad statistically and vocally. His +/- lead for the team is literally unparalleled with 6.1, while newbie Wes Matthews has 4.8 (but only 6 games) and no one else who has played more than 6 games has a +/- higher than 2.2. That is the importance of this man to the Wolves. Would they be where they are without him, no. #RatedPG13PaulGeorgeRequired	The major change in Minny from last season is a legitimate big man in Brook Lopez. We saw what the team could do without such a presence and it unfortunately wasn't the right mix. So while George is putting up a great season and carrying the team, is his effectiveness directly proportional? And does that even mean he's not worthy?	PTS REB AST STL BLK
Kyrie Irving PER 33.90 MVP	-	He's the top performing player for the top team in the East despite having to share the backcourt and ball with James Harden and he is legitimately outplaying him too. 25 points, 10 assists, 39% from deep and 84% from the line, with the teams top PER. Kyrie has been phenomenal this season upping his scoring by 8 points and assists by over 5 per game to be in this conversation without a doubt. #SwervingWithIrving	He's putting it all together, but would he be doing so without the depth around him? Dwight inside so you can't cheat on on D. Millsap all over the place and of course Harden. Defenses can't look to focus on one guy. Of course, that's great team building and not Kyrie's fault, but maybe the "Knicks would be right up there regardless" thought means his votes are held in check.	PTS REB AST STL BLK
Anthony Davis PER 28.28 MVP	-	Davis has to be the front runner for MVP, just has to be. The Spurs are leading the league with a record of 29-6 and the difference has simply been Brow has arrived. He'd be in the conversation for MIP too having jumped from 16 points per game to 28 points per game. 28 points per game, 10 rebounds, a full stat line and league leader in PER. What does this equate to? M. V. P. #OneTeam29Brows	Are the Spurs that bad without Anthony? Honestly, we don't know. This week in fact is the first week where Davis is missing time and immediate results saw a strong win over over the Lakers. 1 game is the smallest of sample sizes though. Our guess is Davis is the difference.	PTS REB AST STL BLK
Harrison Barnes PER 16.01 MVP	-	Would you look at this! The Warriors are well and truly in the playoff only a year removed from being completely neglected and a shambles, and staying true to their young wing in Barnes has been a major factor. The man is now in the MVP conversation. What pundit would have picked that? Not only is he here, but he deserves to be here while efficiently leading his team big in points and PER. Amazingly, for a .500 team, he's the only starter who posts a positive +/-, thus is his importance. #GoldenStateGarrison	It might come down to a numbers game again with Barnes. His numbers don't leap at you. His efficiency is down compared to others and he's part of more a unit that has gelled than that of a big game star. That said, he's growing!	PTS REB AST STL BLK
Karl-Anthony Towns PER 25.97 MVP	-	Don't look now but the Bucks are #2 in the East, #3 record in the league and the team has nearly been handed from Russ to the 2nd year big man. KAT leads their PER, leads their scoring, boards, blocks and #2 to Russ in steals. He's also shooting it an ungodly 58% including 53% on 3 attempts a game from deep, from the C position! Yet, still dominates the paint too. Monster. #TheKatHasClaws	Is he the main man on the team just yet for real? He's a team leader in the most cats, but as a kid still and with a dominating presence such as Westy in the stable, he isn't the one fronting the media and putting the team on his back in the big moments, just yet. His role is arguably still a backseat to the Russman, and that will shine through to the voters.	PTS REB AST STL BLK