After a long summer of lockout talks and cancelled games, the NBA season has already completed one third of its slate of games with much excitement remaining. Carrying the momentum of last year’s outstanding season, the 2011-2012 NBA season is in full swing with supporting enthusiasm from all of their loyal fans. With more NBA stars and talent than ever, there is tight competition for prestigious season awards such as Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year. If the season were to end at the one third games played mark, here is how these awards would most likely shake out.

*All stats accurate as of February 3, 2012 according to NBA.com*

Most Valuable Player Award

1. LeBron James- Much to the delight of Miami Heat fans, LeBron is enjoying debatably his best statistical season of his career while averaging 29.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, and 7.0 apg. His offensive production and his stellar defense have allowed the Heat to jump out to an 18-6 record in the eastern conference even with major time missed by Dwayne Wade.
2. Kobe Bryant- There was much talk before the season that Kobe’s window had close with age and lingering injuries. Kobe quickly quieted his critics as he is putting up a league best 30.0 ppg. Kobe is proving that he still deserves to be talked about as an NBA superstar even after fifteen seasons.
3. Kevin Love- After his breakout 2010-2011 campaign with his first All-Star selection, Kevin Love is showing that he deserves to be known as one of the league’s best players. He is leading his Minnesota Timberwolves team with both 25.3 ppg and 13.8 rpg. Not only does his low-post play and rebounding bring back memories of Kevin Garnett to Minnesota, he also is shooting an impressive 41% in three point shooting. Although his Timberwolves team owns a mediocre .500 record, Kevin Love brings an element to his team that few other players can in the league.
4. Derrick Rose- The reigning NBA MVP is back to playing at a superstar level after an injury-riddled start of the season. His 23.5 ppg and 8.0 apg has led his Chicago Bulls to a league best 19-6 record. Although he is only ranked number four on this list, his offensive production is starting to increase and he should be near the top of the MVP discussion by the end of the season.
5. Chris Paul- Chris Paul’s unbelievable ability to control the speed of a game and get his teammates involved has given him the slight edge over 2011 scoring champion Kevin Durant (the excellence of Russell Westbrook has also hurt Durant’s individual MVP discussion). Chris Paul is average 18.9 ppg and 9.1 apg, but the benefits of his game go way past statistics. He has led an often troubled Los Angeles Clippers team to the division lead and the L.A. spotlight with the help of teammate Blake Griffin. Although the Clippers team has had plenty of trouble over the last thirty years, Chris Paul has seemed to brought stability to the team as they seem to be ready for a long postseason run.

 Honorable Mentions- Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, Rudy Gay

Rookie of the Year Award

1. Kyrie Irving- The Number One pick in the 2011 NBA draft has proven to be the most consistent rookie thus far while leading all rookies in points with 18.1 ppg. He has become the face of a Cleveland Cavaliers franchise that can only go up and looks to have multiple all-star selections in his future.
2. Ricky Rubio- Although his shooting hasn’t always been consistent, Ricky Rubio has been more than impressive and has transformed the Minnesota Timberwolves into one of the most exciting teams in the league. He is leading all rookies in both assists and steals with 8.7 apg and 2.1 spg. This first year player out of Spain seems to have a ton of potential playing alongside Kevin Love for years to come.
3. MarShon Brooks- This late first round pick out of Providence has proved to be a solid offensive contributor for the New Jersey Nets averaging 14.8 ppg (second among rookies). Although he has recently been slowed with a broken pinkie toe, Brooks has showed to be one of the best offensive rookies with huge upside potential.
4. Kemba Walker- After being the star of the NCAA championship winning UCONN team, Kemba was the favorite to win 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year. Although he hasn’t quite taken over the Charlotte Bobcats as expected, he is still average solid numbers with 11.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, and 3.6 apg. Coming off a recent triple-double Kemba looks to possibly climb atop this list before the end of the season.
5. Brandon Knight- Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without Pine Crest alum Brandon Knight. As the season has gone on, Brandon has gotten better each game and is quickly improving his game. After averaging 12.3 ppg in January, he is averaging 15.0 ppg in February and is enjoying increasing minutes. Although Brandon is currently seen as a raw player by the Detroit Pistons organization, he could eventually be seen as the best out of the draft class in years to come.

 Honorable Mentions: Iman Shumpert, Kawhi Leonard, Isaiah Thomas