With the possibility that LeBron James and Dwayne Wade will cancel out each other’s MVP votes next season, the race has opened up a bit.
If Kobe Bryant stays healthy all season and the Lakers win the West, there’s a great chance he’ll win his second MVP award. If Kevin Durant picks up where he left off last season and the Thunder compete for the top spot in the West, he could win it. However, Dwight Howard may be the early favorite to win the award next season.
Howard is right on the cusp of his first MVP award; his only major weaknesses at this point are his propensity for getting into foul trouble, his free throws, and a relative lack of diversity in his post game. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Howard is working on the latter by working with none other than Hakeem Olajuwon this off-season:
Howard does seem very much engaged at the opportunity to work with Hakeem the Dream, one of the greatest centers in NBA history who developed a nice touch from the outside to complement his inside power.
“He made a comparison with a ninja and some other person who doesn’t care who they kill -- they just go out and do it,” Howard said during a Monday media session at his annual basketball camp for kids at the UCF Arena . “Basically what he was saying is that I have to become a person who is not afraid to do anything on the floor. And he said right now only certain parts of my game that I’m not afraid to do, but other parts I am. I have to be able to do all those things.”
