by William Menna

Created on: January 05, 2010   Last Updated: January 07, 2010

Approaching the midpoint of the 2009-2010 NBA season, the race for the Most Valuable Player award is wide open with more than a dozen legitimate candidates. Among the leading contenders are four former MVP winners, led by last season’s Most Valuable Player.

LeBron James, the NBA's MVP in 2009, is again one of the top 2010 NBA MVP candidates. LeBron James does it all for the Cavs. Through 36 games, he is scoring 29 points (third best in the league), grabbing seven rebounds, dishing out eight assists (seventh), and nabbing 1.5 steals per game. 

James is knocking down 1.7 threes per contest while shooting 50 percent from the field. The only real knock against James is his high turnover rate, a side-effect of being the absolute focus of the Cavs’ offense. As the leader of the central division-leading Cavs, LeBron James is the best of the 2010 NBA MVP candidates.

Steve Nash is up to his old tricks, leading the Suns to one of the best records in the west. Steve Nash leads the league in assists with 11.2 per game and free throw percentage, hitting a league best 93.4 percent from the charity stripe. 

He adds 18.4 points, three rebounds, and 1.7 threes per game while shooting 54 percent from the floor, the best percentage of any guard. Nash has the Suns playing .600-plus basketball and is a leading 2010 NBA MVP candidate.

Kobe Bryant is leading a balanced Lakers team that has amassed the top record in the west through the first two months of the season. Kobe Bryant is the NBA’s top scorer in 2009-2010, averaging 30.2 points per outing. 

He adds 5.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.0 steals (third in the league) per game while shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 84.9 percent from the line.

Kevin Durant hasn’t taken long to assert himself as one of the best players in the league. His performance and leadership for the Thunder now makes him one of the rising 2010 NBA MVP candidates. 

Oklahoma City has gone from finishing 36 games below .500 in 2008-2009 to four games above .500 and contending for a playoff spot in 2009-2010. Kevin Durant is the league's fourth leading scorer with 28.4 points per contest. 

He is adding seven rebounds, three assists, 1.5 steals, and nearly a block per game. Durant is hitting 86.4 percent of his free throws, ranking seventh in the NBA.

Carmelo Anthony is leading the Nuggets to the best record in the northwest division and he is forcing himself into the discussion of 2010 NBA MVP candidates. 

Carmelo Anthony is averaging 30 points per game, second only to Kobe Bryant, while shooting 47 percent from the field and 86 percent from the line (tenth best in the league). Anthony adds 6.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.

Other 2010 NBA MVP candidates include Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks, Dwight Howard of the Magic, Dwayne Wade of the Heat, Tim Duncan of the Spurs, Chris Bosh of the Raptors, Brandon Roy of the Blazers, Joe Johnson of the Hawks, Deron Williams, of the Jazz, and Tyreke Evans of the Kings.

Learn more about this author, William Menna.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.