Whens
the last time you thought of a big man winning the MVP before this year?
Probably not since Shaq or Tim Duncan (no disrespect to Dirk). The NBA has, in
recent years, evolved into a “small man’s” league. Small forwards and guards
have won most of the recent MVPs from Steve Nash to Kevin Durant. Dirk may be a
power forward, but his style of play isn’t really a big man’s game. Guards and
small forwards have been the talk of the NBA, heck, even Dwight Howard wasn’t
considered the best on his Houston team to many last year. Post play has been
considered an afterthought in a league that had traditionally been known to
build around big men.
This
notion, however, may be changing this year, especially in the West. There are
many big men MVP candidates with the past three winners; Rose, LeBron, and
Durant, either battling injury or struggling to adjust to new teams. This has
opened the door for a whole new group of candidates to emerge, among many of
which are big men. Anthony Davis may be the leader for the MVP award after
improving his already impressive play from last year. He is a defensive anchor
who is scoring points in bunches as well this year and will probably win the
MVP if his play and stats results in more wins for his team. Dwight Howard is
co-leading Houston with James Harden to an 11-3 record. Houston was considered
an afterthought after the loss of Chandler Parsons, but Howard and Harden,
along with the help of some solid role players has brought Houston to title
aspirations.
Two
other big men that may be more surprising may be Marc Gasol of the Memphis
Grizzlies and DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings. Gasol has been a
defensive anchor to a Grizzlies team that struggled last year without him. Now
that he’s been playing in full this year, Memphis finds themselves atop the
Western Conference. Gasol is proving that his presence made all the difference
from last year to this year and that’s what makes him an MVP candidate.
Lastly DeMarcus Cousins is probably the most surprising MVP candidate. He has always been considered a top-notch NBA talent, but many always questioned his maturity and if he could last in the league if he didn't improve the mental aspect of his game. This year, he seems to have done that , even restraining his coach from getting a technical foul in order to win a close basketball game. He's upped his statistics from a year ago , and most importantly , has Sacramento in the playoffs as of right now early in the season.
Of course, the big question is if these players can keep up this play thoroughout the season. If they do, one of them may be the holder of the MVP trophy on the big man once again as it has in the past. The West has many other big men MVP candidates including Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Tim Duncan as well. We can't guarantee that a big man will win this award if LeBron and Cleveland pull their act together, but one thing is for sure, the NBA BIG MAN IS BACK.
Lastly DeMarcus Cousins is probably the most surprising MVP candidate. He has always been considered a top-notch NBA talent, but many always questioned his maturity and if he could last in the league if he didn't improve the mental aspect of his game. This year, he seems to have done that , even restraining his coach from getting a technical foul in order to win a close basketball game. He's upped his statistics from a year ago , and most importantly , has Sacramento in the playoffs as of right now early in the season.
Of course, the big question is if these players can keep up this play thoroughout the season. If they do, one of them may be the holder of the MVP trophy on the big man once again as it has in the past. The West has many other big men MVP candidates including Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Tim Duncan as well. We can't guarantee that a big man will win this award if LeBron and Cleveland pull their act together, but one thing is for sure, the NBA BIG MAN IS BACK.