2013-14 NBA MVP Odds and Predictions: Favorites, Contenders and Sleepers

2013-14 NBA MVP Odds and Predictions: Favorites, Contenders and Sleepers: While the Miami Heat have been busy establishing a team dynasty, LeBron James has been busy establishing a personal run of dominance. The Heat roll into the 2013-14 season having won back-to-back titles, and James has won back-to-back MVPs. James has actually the award in four of the last five seasons, joining Bill Russell as the only players to win four MVPs in a five-year span. Not surprisingly, James enters the 2013-14 NBA season as the frontrunner for MVP honors once again, but there is a long list of players waiting to step up and claim the award if James were to falter. With that in mind, here is a closer look at the top contenders for the NBA MVP Award heading into the upcoming NBA season.

The Favorite

He has won the MVP Award in four of the last five seasons, including two straight, and Miami Heat forward LeBron James shows no signs of slowing down. Let’s face it. The guy is the best all-around basketball player alive. He can defend any position on the court at an elite level, and he leads the two-time defending champs in points, rebounds and assists on a nightly basis. The scary thing is that James is becoming more efficient in nearly all facets of the game and is turning the ball over less. Believe it or not, his best could still be to come.

Other Contenders

While he just missed out on his fourth straight scoring title, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant did log career highs in just about every other category. The guy is probably the most versatile scorer in the NBA, and he is also the best player on one of the league’s best teams. It is pretty much a given that Durant will score around 30 points per game and do so at an incredibly efficient level. If he can sprinkle in enough game-winning buckets and other memorable performances, he could finally land himself MVP honors.

Until an injury late in the season, San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker was putting together a nice MVP campaign last season. After all, he just keeps taking on a bigger role for a perennial contender that just keeps winning around 60 games per year. He has always been one of the more efficient backcourt players, and in recent years, his point and assists totals have both been trending upward. If Parker can carry the Spurs to the top of the West once again, he will be in the mix.

Considering point guard Chris Paul is the most important player for the Los Angeles Clippers, it is only natural that he be in the MVP conversation. Paul is the floor general for the Clippers’ offense, and he knows when to look for his shot and when to get his teammates involved. He is also one of the top thieves on defense in the NBA. The Clippers will go as far as Paul takes them, and if that happens to be to one of the best records in the league, an MVP Award could be in his future.

He was the only player not named LeBron James to earn a first-place vote in the MVP balloting last year, and Carmelo Anthony’s role with the New York Knicks should ensure that he is in the conversation again in 2013-14. After all, he is pretty much the only player on the team that can create his own shot, making a second consecutive scoring title a real possibility. If Anthony can keep the Knicks among the top teams in the Eastern Conference and just fill up the box score a little more, an MVP Award isn’t out of the question.

The Sleepers

By bursting on to the national scene in the Eastern Conference finals, Indiana Pacers forward Paul George has set himself up for a potential MVP run. Of course, it also helps that he is one of the best two-way players in the NBA, and he is probably the best offensive weapon and defensive stopper for an Indiana team that should be a contender for a championship in 2013-14. George’s numbers have improved every year of his career, and if the trend continues, he could find himself earning MVP honors sooner rather than later.

After opting to sit out all of last year, Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose will return to the court in 2013-14. By the way, he is also the youngest player in NBA history to win the MVP Award, and he is the only guy not named LeBron James to earn the honor in the last five years. At his best, Rose is an explosive scorer and relentless closer. While he may have to shake of some rust, Rose will likely waste little time becoming the top offensive weapon for Chicago. More importantly, the Bulls should waste little time becoming one of the best teams in the NBA with Rose back at the point.

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