Season Preview: MVP

the nba season is barely two days old and joe's atlanta hawks unsung hero was has already been cut. so in order to ensure that we get some of our uninformed predictions right this year, we decided to make so many uninformed predictions that it's impossible that we don't get a few of them right. at which point we will gloat and tell you how we told you so. here are our 2007-08 manchurian valuable player candidates.

Dhivy:
10. kevin durant - his team won't win enough, but he's already a player you have to gameplan for
9. jason kidd - no one impacts a game as much as he does while shooting as little
8. chris paul - the hornets will be a good story this year, and he's the face of the franchise
7. dirk nowitzki - can score from anywhere, but his leadership is still a concern
6. tim duncan - quietly the most efficient all-around player in the league
5. kobe bryant - who boos their team's best player during pre-game intros? hollyweird, indeed.
4. gilbert arenas - he has never missed a last second shot in his career. ever.
3. dwyane wade - if he ever learns to shoot threes, he's unguardable.
2. lebron james - he's basically the only option on his team and he'll still carry them to the best record in the east
1. yao ming - rick adelman's system will maximize yao's outside shot and passing

Joe:
10. Stephon Marbury - Yeah yeah, I know its a blatant homer pick, but it's only logical that when the Knicks are the best team in the league, it goes to their most important player.
9. Tracy McGrady - A shoo-in to be in contention, but his back is also a shoo-in to act up.
8. Dirk Nowitzki - The sports writers will keep his name in the running for a while, before they remember they made a HUGE mistake last year.
7. Kevin Garnett - Similar to Dirk, he is not reliable in clutch/pressure situations, but with confidence in his team he should be able to put up huge numbers.
6. Gilbert Arenas - I wasn't going to rank Gilbert this high but then I saw him make this quote before the Wiazards take on the Celtics in Boston's home opener:

So listen here. On November 2nd, we're going to go into that building, we're opening up Boston. Right now I'm telling the Boston fans: You guys are going to lose. It's not going to be a victory for Boston. You might as well just cheer for me, because Boston isn't winning in Boston for the season opener. I'm sorry.

5. Carmelo Anthony - One of the most unstopable scorers in the league, and will take on a bigger leadership role.
4. Jason Kidd - Heading into the twighlight of his career with a team as good as it's going to get in the forseeable future, Kidd will continue to contribute everything
3. Tim Duncan - The model of consistency, expect 26 and 12 along with a stellar team record.
2. Lebron James - Mr. Do-everything for the team, especally with all of the contractual problems in Cleveland. If Lebron leads them to a respectable season and the playoffs, he will be completely deserving of the MVP honor.
1. Kobe Bryant - I think its a win - win with Kobe, to maxamize his levergae Kobe will go on the greatest scoring spree ever witnessed if he stays in L.A. If he is traded, to make sure, it's justified he will just dominate wherever he goes.

Quang:
10. dwyane wade - keeps getting better, also keeps getting injured.
9. dwight howard - he's currently on pace to block 164 more shots than he misses.
8. dirk nowitzki - no player is more important to his team. other than the next seven players. and some other ones i'm forgetting.
7. gilbert arenas - once he's fully healthy, the seven threes he missed in his first game will be the only ones he misses on the year.
6. amare stoudemire - i refuse to include more than one sun on my ballot and i think stoudemire is going to have a better year than nash. or at least one with more dunks.
5. tim duncan - constantly overlooked. even as you read this, i'm overlooking him.
4. kevin garnett - the big three are going to be pretty intimidating this year and since garnett's the tallest, he'll probably have the best year.
3. carmelo anthony - all the pieces are in place for a big season. especially if those pieces keep him from hitting someone again.
2. kobe bryant - unlikely he maintains his current 45 points per game average. he'll probably finish the season in the 65 ppg range.
1. lebron james - somehow got a team with damon jones into the finals last year. hopefully this year, he'll somehow get a team with damon jones to cut damon jones.