Kevin Durant – Odds: 5/2 – This is actually my odds on favorite to win the award. He will likely lead the league in scoring again, and Oklahoma City has become the feel good story of the NBA. While last season’s playoff performance shouldn’t technically have any weight on this coming year’s award, we know that it does. Taking the Lakers to within a few seconds of a game 7 spoke volumes about how valuable Durant is, not to just the Thunder, but to the NBA, and that is ultimately what this award is about. It appears the oddsmakers at Bodog know this, because his 5/2 odds won’t offer a huge payout. Since Durant is my favorite to win the award, I obviously advocate a large bet here.
Kobe Bryant – Odds: 3/1 – This isn’t a bet I would consider making. While Kobe may be deserving of another MVP award (his only came in 2008), he isn’t getting any better, and just because the Lakers continue to win championships, doesn’t mean he is the odds on favorite. While I do think he has a great shot at winning this award, the voting takes place long before the NBA finals (where notching another championship against the Heat would push Bryant over the edge).
LeBron James – Odds: 9/2 – Lebron has a greater chance, according to Bodog Oddsmakers, of winning the award than Dwyane Wade. Here’s the way I see it: If the Heat become the premier team over the next few seasons, Wade will win it first, and then Lebron will be given another crack at an MVP award. There’s more to take into account than player performance, unfortunately, and I think an order of Wade first, then Lebron, seems more logical in light of the way the media thinks. I know, I know, I can’t exactly predict what hundreds of media members will think, but it seems to make sense. I would not bet on Lebron James, despite his seemingly good chances at winning it.
Dwight Howard – Odds: 13/2 – Well, Dwight has already won back to back Defensive Player of the Year awards; could this year be his first MVP season? Orlando has been a steady contender the last two seasons, both of which were 59 win seasons. If Dwight can get his scoring back up over 20 ppg, maybe up to 23, in addition to maintaining the rest of his statistics, and if Orlando can win 60 or more, he would have a great chance at winning this award. While the 13/2 odds aren’t offering a huge payout, they aren’t bad either. They are actually just about right on. This is a good bet, and given the circumstances with Bron and Wade both playing on the same team, it would seem the biggest competition is from Durant.
So in looking at the 4 favorites to win the NBA award Durant is obviously worth a wager and Dwight Howard is also worth a little something and may offer a little more value from a betting stand point. You can bet and view all the NBA MVP odds at Bodog.
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