November 4, 2008 – Dr. Dime
**UPDATE** The NBA on Monday May 4th, 2009 Announced Lebron James as the 2009 NBA MVP. Click here for details.
After three games it’s apparent that some NBA players are going to have a better chance than others at winning the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Betting the ‘futures’ or predicting who will win awards in the future, requires a sense of the players that will be able to keep themselves going well into the middle and later parts of a full NBA season. Some players who get hot early, like Joe Johnson for the Atlanta Hawks for instance, have no chance of taking home the MVP trophy.
Other player that might not appear ready to give their best could find themselves in a situation that allows them to flourish.
Below is a list of the top ten MVP betting interests this season in the NBA. I’ve also listed what I consider to be fair betting odds. With that said, you should know I wouldn’t put a future wager on any one of these players unless you were able to get fair odds.
After going through the players list below, if you think you have a couple solid choices, then head down to a sports betting website and get started on basketball betting. Let me know in the comments below who your choices are, and not just your favorite player, but who YOU would lay your hard earned money down on for MVP this year…
Interests and Odds to Take Home the NBA MVP Trophy in 2009
1. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, 2.5 to 1 odds Bryant is the best. No doubt. Sure, he might not score more than some others. He might not rebound more than some others. He might not dish out more assists than some others, but he’s easily the most complete awe inspiring player in the world. He’s also the one player that every single NBA coach would want taking the final shot at the end of a game.
2. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers, 3.5 to 1 odds The league is dying to give an MVP to LeBron. Now that the Detroit Pistons have given up the farm by trading for Allen Iverson, the Cavs only need to take down the brilliant Boston Celtics in order for LeBron to win the MVP. Yeah, that’s not going to be an easy for King James and his knights.
3. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets, 5 to 1 odds If Paul continues to emphasize creating and not scoring, then he could surpass LeBron James as the guy most likely to win the MVP award after Kobe. Paul has been playing with more discipline so far this season. That’s a good sign that he has what it takes to get the job done.
4. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs, 6 to 1 odds Duncan is averaging close to 30 points so far early in the NBA season. He’s a former winner of the award and wouldn’t it make sense for the Spurs to make a title run…again? Duncan knows that more is expected out of him this year than in years past. He could pull an upset.
5. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic, 8 to 1 odds The man-child made some boo-boos over the summer by acting like an idiot. Don’t worry, Dwight. We’ve all done that. He’s still the best thing Orlando has seen since Shaq and he is leading the league in rebounds. The Magic should be better which means that Howard’s chances of winning the MVP are better.
6. Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics, 11 to 1 odds Out of the big three in Celtic land this is the guy that makes things happen. He’s a defensive stalwart in a league full of scorers. That separates him from the rest. Also, is there a human being on this planet that doesn’t like Kevin Garnett? He could be the man this season.
7. Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns, 14 to 1 odds Notice that Nash didn’t make this list? There’s a reason. Stoudemire is easily the best player on this team right now. He needs to play better defense before cracking the top six, but he might just do that because Terry Porter knows what he’s got. If he gets better defensively, then watch out. He can pretty much score at will.
8. Derron Williams, Utah Jazz, 18 to 1 odds He’s arguably the best point guard in the NBA right now, knows how to play under control, and has improved his jump shot. He’s also a big guy and he plays on a team that everybody knows has a shot to make it to the NBA Finals this season. He’s got the goods.
9. Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets, 25 to 1 odds For years the NBA, and NBA writers, have wanted to give the MVP award to T-Mac. The problem is that T-Mac, as great as he is, hasn’t been on a sure fire playoff contender. Well, he’s supposedly on one right now. Will it be enough for him to secure the MVP? Probably not but he’s not the worst stab in the world.
10. Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat, 40 to 1 odds Unless someone sneaks onto this list that I haven’t noticed already, Wade is the final guy to think about making a wager on. Why? It’s a come back year Wade who was absolutely fantastic over the summer in the Olympics. If the Heat make the playoffs, then Wade jumps up quite a few spots on this list.
