Carlos Boozer Leads NBA MVP List

Utah Jazz star is best early-season NBA MVP candidate

Dec 10, 2006

The Utah Jazz keep winning and Carlos Boozer continues his amazing play, placing him at the top of Suite101's weekly NBA MVP Watch. Check out our top 6 MVP candidates.

Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz -- Another good week for Carlos Boozer and the Utah Jazz, and Boozer has gone from our second tier all the way to the top of our NBA MVP Watch. Boozer is scoring nearly 23 points per game and is second in the NBA in rebounding at 12.3 per game. The big man is also dishing out 3.3 assists per night and shooting over 58% from the field. Plus, his Utah Jazz team is an NBA-best 15-5.
Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns – Nash has powered the Suns to nine straight wins, and he recently scored 42 in a double-overtime win over New Jersey. The two-time defending NBA MVP is on track for a third straight MVP win. He leads the league in assists at nearly 12 per game. As long as he's passing and Phoenix is winning, Nash will be a steady candidate for NBA MVP.
Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic – The NBA MVP will come from a winning team, and even though Howard's scoring and his youth (he's just 21) may keep him from getting enough votes, we love his all-around game. Howard's numbers keep getting better. He is a steady 18 points and league-leading 13 rebounds per game. Plus, he shoots a sick 61% from the field. And Howard's Magic team is an NBA Eastern Conference-best 15-7.
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers – The Cavaliers won a couple of games last week, and LeBron James put up his usual fat numbers, so he moves up one spot on our NBA MVP Watch list. If Cleveland can figure out its rotation and learn to hammer bad teams, the way it destroyed Indiana recently, LeBron should be at the top of this list by season's end.
Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets -- The Nuggets are a very surprising 11-7, and Carmelo Anthony has done nothing to drop him out of our NBA MVP Watch list. He's second in the NBA in scoring at 31 per game, and he's shooting 52% from the field. His 4.3 turnovers per night, however, drop him a few spots on our list.
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers -- Kobe is getting less attention than ever, which is surprising since he's having one of his best seasons, and his Los Angeles Lakers are winning. Bryant has cut his shooting back (18 attempts per game), but he's a much better floor leader, and he's making more shots -- hitting nearly 50% per game. At 26 points, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game, while leading the Lakers to first place in the NBA's Pacific Division, Kobe Bryant is very deserving, so we added a sixth spot in our NBA MVP Watch, just for him.