MVP Watch - Top 5

Fresh Prince

Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans, 24.9ppg, 12.9 rpg, 4.4bpg)
James Harden (Houston Rockets, 25.1ppg, 7.5apg, 6.4rpg)
Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors, 24.9ppg, 6.6apg, 5.8rpg)
DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings 22.1ppg, 11.2apg)
John Wall (Washington Wizards, 20.0ppg, 9.0apg, 2.6spg)

Notable Mentions

Dwight Howard (Houston Rockets)
Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies)
Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors)
LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Chris Bosh (Miami Heat)
Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers)

My MVP watch has been changing by the game as guys feel their way into the season. Some are starting to cool off, others are proving they are the real deal and a few perennial contenders are playing solid by NBA standards but failing to produce at their expected level.

I’ll start with the 21-year old Anthony Davis who in my mind is the MVP thus far. MVP for me means the guy who contributes most to his team success, it doesn’t necessarily have to be the best player on a good team or someone who is clearly the best player on the planet. Davis is putting up monstrous numbers, including his season debut where he nearly recorded a triple double with points, rebounds and BLOCKS. It’s impressive how good this guy is already and with a bigger frame, an improved face-up game and a solid season under his belt, the unibrowed big man is the man to beat so far.

James Harden and Stephen Curry are two offensive maestro’s who can score in a number of ways and have started the season nicely for their respective teams. Both are surrounded by talent and also have MVP calibre sidekicks in Dwight Howard and Klay Thompson. The sheer numbers they are putting up alongside their current team’s form put them straight into my MVP contention.

Former Kentucky teammates John Wall and Demarcus Cousins are doing a great job of leading their respective teams. While I see Washington and Sacramento at different stages (Washington as a genuine contender, Sacramento as a low-seed playoff hope) both Wall and Cousins are putting up good numbers while anchoring their squads. Wall is without his sidekick Bradley Beal and while his points may dip once the 2-guard returns, Wall has proven that he is an all-star point guard who at this stage is one of the best in the game. Cousins has improved his effort on the defensive end and is proving a solid anchor on a staunch Sacramento defense.

Nighthawk

Anthony Davis (NO) 24.9 ppg , 12.9 rpg , 4.4 bpg

Anthony Davis has been phenomenal to begin the season and has to be the early leader for MVP. His numbers are simply great, he is the league leader in blocks and rebounds and leads those categories by one full stat line and is 4th overall in points per game. For a 21 year old in his 3rd year his numbers and his play has been something special to watch and he currently has his Pelicans team on the rise.

Klay Thompson (GS) 24.7 ppg , 3.1 rpg , 3.1 apg

Klay Thompson has started the season off with hot shooting and hasn’t looked back since. His Warriors are sitting at 6-2 and one of those losses came when Thompson didn’t play and the other coming on a 29-point performance in a loss against the reigning champs Spurs. Thompson, fresh off a new big contract has lived up to expectations so far and the Warriors are looking like title contenders because of it. I have Klay Thompson second equal with James Harden at this point.

James Harden (HOU) 25.1 ppg , 7.5 apg , 6.4 rpg

James Harden sits second equal on my list with Klay Thompson and judging by his numbers there shouldn’t be an argument. Harden is a player who always has question marks next to his name and his early start should put those questions to rest for a little while as long as his play keeps up. He’s currently putting better overall numbers than LeBron James and has his team in a better spot as well as his Rockets sit at 7-1.

Standouts

Fresh Prince

The Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors have all started the season strongly and each look the part as new contenders in their respective conferences. The healthy looking return of Dwight Howard has strengthened a Houston defence (even with James Harden's poor efforts on the defensive end). Memphis are a team that knows each other well, led by a solid frontcourt of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol they are looking another year stronger and a real contender in the west. The Raptors are another team who has a familiar squad with some playoff experience. They will be looking to learn from their season last year in which they earned some respect from many around the league.

Teams On The Rise

Fresh Prince

Toronto Raptors (7-2) (5 game win streak)
Memphis Grizzlies (8-1)
Houston Rockets (7-1)
Golden State Warriors (6-2)
Washington Wizards (6-2)
Chicago Bulls (7-2)

Nighthawk

Memphis Grizzles (8-1 Western Conference)

The Grizzles are off to the best start in their franchise history and have been great on both sides of the ball. Their two big men in Gasol and Randolph have started tremendously well and Z-bo is averaging a double in 18 points and 12 rebounds and Gasol has been scoring well and averaging 22 points and 8.5 rebounds. Their depth has been what makes this team great in the early going and is showing that great team play triumphs individual play. We will see if they can stay healthy and keep this play up all year

Teams On The Slide

Fresh Prince

Philadelphia 76ers (0-8)
LA Lakers (1-7)
Denver Nuggets (1-6)
New York Knicks (2-7)

Nighthawk

Cleveland Cavaliers (3-3 Eastern Conference)

After the Cavs picked up the best player in the world this off-season and traded the number 1 pick to Minnesota for superstar Kevin Love to help them compete right away we all thought they would great right off the bat. They haven’t been what we expected to begin and sit with a sub par record. They are however learning quickly and are beginning to gel nicely and look to be heading upwards in the near future but a disappointing start for them nonetheless as a lot predicted them to be the best in east. They shouldn’t worry however as if you remember LeBron’s first year in Miami they struggled to gel in the early going starting 9-8 if I remember correctly but soon after turning it around and making the finals that year.

Performance Of The Week

Anthony Davis – 26 points, 17 rebound (9 offensive rebounds), 9 blocks vs Orlando Magic in season debut

Play Of The Week

Several standout plays which include a couple of game winning shots (notable Gordon Hayward vs Cavs, Lance Stephenson vs Hawks, Tobias Harris (Orlando Magic vs 76ers and Kemba Walkers clutch shots vs Bucks) a few thunderous dunks and a couple of acrobatic layups from Kobe Bryant. Standout for me however a filthy block from rook Nerlens Noel on James Harden.

Steven Adams Watch

8.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 27.7 mins per game

The young kiwi has had a solid yet uneventful start to his second NBA season. With the team now missing Kevin Durant and superstar point guard Russell Westbrook the Thunder squad have been riddled with injuries. The return of Reggie Jackson (Head nodding partner in crime) and Jeremy Lamb the Thunder are looking a little stronger but still missing their superstar duo. Adams has been solid so far putting up respectable numbers while starting all games so far this season. Playing alongside Serge Ibaka, Thunder coach Scott Brooks will be looking to form a solid defensive duo between the two when he proclaimed Adams as the season starter. I expect Adams numbers to increase over the next period as the Thunder look more settled with Jackson returning and as they can roll a few others back from injury, hopefully we’ll see some of those connections between Jackson and Adams paying off on the scoreboard.

Rookie Watch

It's hard to pick one rookie out of the bunch so far this season as they all have been off to solid starts but nothing spectacular for the most anticipated draft in 10 or so years. Second pick Jabari Parker is off to good start averaging 10 points and close to 6 rebounds and the Nets international rookie Bojan Bogdanovic is also averaging 10 points. The number 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins has also been solid and his play seems to picking up as he gains more and more confidence. His athletic freak teammate Zach Lavine only seems to be getting better with more minutes after leading point guard Ricky Rubio went down with a ankle injury.

Storyline Watch/Random thoughts

Cleveland Cavaliers

Love him or hate him LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers are going to be most talked about item in this season’s association. They’ve shown glimpses of what they’re capable of, they’ve shown that they are a work in progress and for me its pleasing to see that you can’t take three NBA superstars and form them into a contender overnight. Don’t worry Miami Cleveland fans, I don’t imagine the wait will be long before we see more of what we saw in the 3rd and 4th quarters against New Orleans, where LeBron and Kyrie teamed up for 30+ points and Kevin Love looked deadly from 3-point range. Remember the 8-8 start Miami started with at the beginning of Lebron’s tenure in south beach, hopefully this start is reminiscent and the Cavs can put it together and become a real contender by mid-season.

Derrick Rose/Kobe Bryant

How good is it too see these guys back on the court. Kinda makes you forget for a second we’re missing the reigning MVP in Kevin Durant. Seeing Derrick Rose back to his explosive antics and Kobe Bryant putting up 27+ per game is a joy to watch. Admittedly I’m a huge Kobe and Laker fan so I’m happy too see Kobe put up 25+ shots but its great to see these two back on the court and hopefully we’ll see plenty more of Rose as he gets back to 100 percent along some vintage Kobe Bryant.

Games to watch (All NZT)

Spurs @ Lakers on Saturday ESPN

Hornets @ Warriors on Sunday

Rockets @ Grizzlies on Tuesday

Bulls @ Clippers on Tuesday