Race to the MVP Ladder | NBA.com Page 1 of 12 Skip to main content NBA.com, Official site of the National Basketball Association Link to NBA.com NBA Global Tickets Teams Eastern Conference Atlantic Boston Celtics Brooklyn Nets New York Knicks Philadelphia 76ers Toronto Raptors Central Chicago Bulls Cleveland Cavaliers Detroit Pistons Indiana Pacers Milwaukee Bucks Southeast Atlanta Hawks Charlotte Bobcats Miami Heat Orlando Magic Washington Wizards Western Conference Southwest Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets Memphis Grizzlies New Orleans Hornets San Antonio Spurs Northwest Denver Nuggets Minnesota Timberwolves Portland Trail Blazers Oklahoma City Thunder Utah Jazz Pacific Golden State Warriors Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Lakers Phoenix Suns Sacramento Kings Scores & Schedules News http://www.nba.com/mvp-ladder/2012-13/index.html 12/14/2012 Race to the MVP Ladder | NBA.com Page 2 of 12 NBA Headlines Transactions NBA.com Writers News Archive RSS History Daily Ref Assignments Important Dates More 2013 All-Star 2012 Playoffs 2012 Draft Blogs Hang Time Blog Hang Time Podcast All Ball Blog Ten Before Tip CharlesBarkley.com MikeFratello.com NBA.com Ladders Rookie Ladder Dunk Ladder Top Plays Ladder Kia MVP Ladder Video All Videos Highlights Top Plays NBA TV Editor's Picks TNT OT Video Rulebook More Fantasy NBA Rooks The Association History Players Players Coaches Team Rosters NBA Rooks Kia Performance Awards More Legends Historical Player Search Standings By Division By Conference http://www.nba.com/mvp-ladder/2012-13/index.html 12/14/2012 Race to the MVP Ladder | NBA.com Page 3 of 12 More Streaks & Last 10 Ahead & Behind Margin & Stats 2011-12 Standings 2010-11 Standings Season Recaps Stats Sortable Player Stats Sortable Team Stats Scoring Leaders Rebounding Leaders Assists Leaders Blocks Leaders Steals Leaders All Stats Categories +/- Stats More Advanced Stats Team-by-Team Team Splits Mobile NBA Mobile Products NBA Game Time Connected LEAGUE PASS Mobile More Custom Covers & Cases TV National TV Schedule NBA TV NBA on TNT NBA on ESPN NBA on ABC International TV Schedule Canadian TV Schedule More NBA Fan Night The Association Open Court Inside the NBA TV Companion Connected TVs League Pass LP for TV Activate LP for TV Watch Live Games LP Broadband LP Mobile International LP Broadband http://www.nba.com/mvp-ladder/2012-13/index.html 12/14/2012 Race to the MVP Ladder | NBA.com Page 4 of 12 LP Audio More Help Store Jerseys Mens Kids NBA4HER Custom Shop Headwear Basketballs Footwear What's Hot Auctions NBAGameworn.com Shop Photo Store NYC Store Fantasy NBA.com/Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Basketball Fantasy Video Fantasy Blogs NBA Fantasy on Twitter Search NBA.com Submit Logout Jon | Like 15m 6.3M followers http://www.nba.com/mvp-ladder/2012-13/index.html 12/14/2012 Race to the MVP Ladder | NBA.com Page 5 of 12 1.5M Link to NBAStore.com Main content Race to the MVP Ladder The Race to the MVP Ladder walk away with the Maurice Podoloff Trophy award). The rankings are written by HangTime blog have an Sekou, Smith Shaking Off Current Rankings Rank Critics One By One 1 Dec. 14 -- Few players in basketball inspire debate the way Hawks 2 forward Josh Smith does. 3 Folks either love or hate his game. 4 It's been going on this way from the moment he set foot on the stage 5 at Madison Square Garden on Draft night in 2004, when the hometown Hawks selected him with the 17th pick and ESPN analyst 6 Jay Bilas dropped that hard-to-shake label on him. 7 http://www.nba.com/mvp-ladder/2012-13/index.html 12/14/2012 Race to the MVP Ladder | NBA.com Page 6 of 12 "If you had to pick which guy was most likely to be a bust in the Rank Status Player first round, it would be this guy," Bilas said. "He has no right hand, 8 NR Tim Duncan and he can't shoot." 9 Stephen Curry Smith has been fighting that characterization one way or another since he's been in the league, being skewered for his perceived 10 NR Rajon Rondo shortcomings when he doesn't play the way fans and pundits want, yet producing in ways that few players can match. He is well on his way to becoming one of just 24 players in league history to reach 10,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, 2,000 assists and 1,000 blocks and just the ninth player to do so with one team, joining a list of Hakeem Olajuwon , David Robinson , Patrick Ewing , Karl Malone , Julius Erving , Tim Duncan , Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett . (Both Shawn Marion and Rasheed Wallace could join this list this season, but not one of the guys who have done it with one team.) That's pretty lofty company for a guy picked as the most likely first- round bust of his class. Smith joins another elite list this week, making his season debut on the Kia Race to the MVP Ladder fresh off an Eastern Conference Player of the Week nod. The Hawks, winners of 11 of their last 13 games, are shoving their way into the top three of the Eastern Conference playoff chase. Smith is averaging a team-leading 17.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.4 steals, as Atlanta, at 14-6, is tied with the NBA- and Southeast Division-champion Miami Heat. "He's impacting games in every way imaginable and doing it as the team leader, a role some of us weren't sure he was capable of handling when they traded Joe Johnson to Brooklyn," said a Western Conference executive. "I'll be the first to admit that I've had to throw away some of my old notes on him. He's grown up a lot. He's matured over the years and he's really settled into his game in ways that have been great for the Hawks." Oh, and as for Bilas' lick about Smith being a poor shooter? For years, the data backed that up -- particularly Smith's 3-point shooting (he'd never shot over 33 percent before this season). Hawks fans, innocent basketball bystanders, analysts and basketball purists around the globe have been groaning for years when they see the 6-foot-9 lefty line up a 3-pointer. This season, Smith is shooting an outlandish .433 (13-for-30) from deep, in the same neighborhood as Hawks specialist and 3-point leader, Kyle Korver (.438). None of it surprises Hawks coach Larry Drew , who has been with Smith every step of the way in his NBA career, first as an assistant coach and now in his third season as the Hawks' coach. "He is certainly a player, one of the few players, who can impact the game on both ends of the floor," Drew said. "But as a young man I'm http://www.nba.com/mvp-ladder/2012-13/index.html 12/14/2012 Race to the MVP Ladder | NBA.com Page 7 of 12 proud of how he has matured. I notice something different about him every year we come back. You can see that he is going to take every challenge I throw at him. That is who he is." The next five: Russell Westbrook , Oklahoma City Thunder; Tony Parker , San Antonio Spurs; Al Jefferson , Utah Jazz; David Lee , Golden State Warriors; Monta Ellis/Brandon Jennings , Milwaukee Bucks Falling out: Deron Williams , Brooklyn Nets; Tony Parker , San Antonio Spurs; Jrue Holiday , Philadelphia 76ers Got something to say about this week's Race to the MVP Ladder? Give us a shout ! 1 Carmelo Anthony : New York Knicks LAST WEEK: 36.3 ppg | 4.7 rpg | 1.3 apg Anthony has come a long way since Linsanity, that stretch last year when Knicks fans were actually questioning whether he should step aside and let Jeremy Lin lead New York. Anthony is a legitimate threat to shake up the MVP race everyone thought would be a two-man competition. He's setting the table every night for IN LAST WEEK'S GAMES: the best team in the East (36.3 points on .566 shooting from the floor, .550 from deep, in the Scores 30 on Lakers (Dec. 13) past three games). He had 30 on 10-for-15 shooting in just 23 minutes (sprained ankle) in the Leads rally vs. Nets, scores 45 win over the Lakers last night. Minus injury this (Dec. 11) season, he's been unstoppable. Has 34 against Nuggets (Dec. 9) > Anthony's stats & bio 2 Kevin Durant : Oklahoma City Thunder LAST WEEK: 25.7 ppg | 5.7 rpg | 4.0 apg Durant is putting together one of those mercurial seasons that other superstars wish they could and somehow he seems to be doing it without much national fanfare. He's scoring (27.3), rebounding (8.5) and facilitating (4.3) for the Thunder in the same way the reigning MVP does for the Miami Heat. The Thunder aren't having IN LAST WEEK'S GAMES: any trouble putting teams away, though. They've won 17 of their past 19 games and nine straight Scores 35 vs. Hornets (Dec. heading into tonight's game against the Kings. 12) Thunder roll Pacers (Dec. 9) Goes for 36 vs. Lakers (Dec. 7) > Durant's stats & bio http://www.nba.com/mvp-ladder/2012-13/index.html 12/14/2012 Race to the MVP Ladder | NBA.com Page 8 of 12 3 LeBron James : Miami Heat LAST WEEK: 27.3 ppg | 5.0 rpg | 6.0 apg LeBron hasn't had to go through the sort of three -man MVP shuffle he's dealing with this season in quite some time.