National Basketball Association

2014-15 NBA MVP Predictions

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 1:10 a.m. ET

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The 2014-15 MVP award was supposed to be a two-man race, but with Kevin Durant's broken foot, it's now LeBron James' trophy to lose. Or so logic would dictate. But, for argument's sake, what if the field is wide open now? Isn't this the ideal opportunity for a dark horse candidate to craft the perfect narrative and steal the spotlight?

No one knows the full reprecussions of Durant's injury yet, but our experts took their best shot at sussing out the complicated MVP race. They used the standard voting rules -- ranking candidates one through five, with No. 1 getting 10 points, No. 2 getting 7 points, No. 3 getting 5 points, No. 4 getting 3 points and No. 5 getting 1 points -- to determine the following order.

(Of note: The analysis is pre-Durant's injury.)

Here are the results:

Others receiving votes: Stephen Curry (4 points), Dwight Howard (4 points), James Harden (2 points), John Wall (1 point)

Richard Calhoun: Anthony Davis is a dark horse candidate to win his first MVP award. The University of Kentucky product has improved significantly since entering the league in 2012 and is only continuing to get better. This summer, at the FIBA World Championships, Davis showed how dominant of a force he can truly be. He has an offensive game that extends past the free throw line and he causes complete havoc on the defensive end with his massive wingspan and instincts. If Davis can lead the Pelicans to a high seed in the playoff picture, then there is a possibility that the award could be his. Fear the brow!

Thomas Massimino: The youngest member of the group, Davis hopes to become the second Chicago-born 22-year-old coached by John Calipari and coming off a FIBA World Cup championship to take him the NBA's most prestigious honor. Davis is a beast and should only improve on his 21 PPG, 10 RPG and 3 BPG averages, and once again be a lock for the All-Star Team. The biggest hurdle in his MVP campaign is if can he lead the Pelicans to the playoffs this season. If the answer is yes, expect Davis' name much higher on this list come voting time.

John Wilmes: Anthony Davis is the future. A 6'10" destroyer with a wingspan in the neighborhood of 7'8", his know-how in the paint has been the only limitation to his game over the last year or so -- and the 21-year-old is learning quickly. A summer spent with Team USA's crack FIBA coaching squad means Davis' understanding of the game has hit an advanced curve, and 2014-15 could be the year he starts putting all of his terrifying skills together for an MVP run in earnest.

Michael Pina: It's only natural to think Blake Griffin will contend for the MVP trophy this season. Coming off a year where he finished third in the voting behind Kevin Durant and LeBron James, the 25-year-old chunk of marble should only be better in his second stint with Doc Rivers on the sideline. Griffin is already masterful in so many different areas, but is expected to get better where he's weak. The mid-range jumper is solid, but not a first-class weapon. The defense is effective, but not consistently feared. Only one or two players have a legitimate shot at stealing the MVP away from LeBron James or Kevin Durant; if Griffin can continue to sand out the edges of his game this season, he'll be one of them.

Jordan White: Last year, during Chris Paul's prolonged absence, we got an eyeful of Griffin's true capabilities. The line of thinking that he's "just a dunker" isn't just cliché, it's flat-out wrong. He's improved massively on both ends of the floor, especially on offense, to the point where the offense ran through him a great deal. If Griffin can sustain the sort of numbers he put up without Chris Paul for an entire season and leads the Clippers to the Western Conference finals (or beyond), Griffin could be the first MVP in Clippers franchise history.

Buha: LeBron James and Kevin Durant have clearly been the NBA’s top two players over the last few seasons, but there has been rampant debate over the No. 3 spot. Let me clarify: It’s CP3, and it has been for the last half-decade. Paul is not only the game’s best point guard -- he’s one of the best floor generals of all time. The only blemish on his résumé is never advancing past the Western Conference semifinals, which has more to do with roster talent, coaching and matchups than Paul’s playoff performance (it’s elite, mind you). The only issue -- and it also applies to Griffin -- is that the two superstars will probably take votes away from each other. That said, if the Clippers can squeak out a top-two seed or 60-plus wins, and Paul remains healthy, he'll be in the mix.

Massimino: With all due respect to what Russell Westbrook might think of himself, CP3 is simply the best point guard in a point-guard league. Few players can score, pass and defend the way Paul can. Other 1's are bigger and some are more athletic, but an easy argument can be made that outside of LeBron, no one player is asked to do more for his respected team. What knocks him down to third is the simple question of how valuable can Paul be if he cannot lead his team to a conference finals? That obviously won't be answered during the regular season, but a surprise top-two seed in the West will certainly help his cause.

Wilmes: Winner of last year's MVP trophy, Kevin Durant has little left to prove about himself. It goes almost without say that a championship is the next, and only, remaining accomplishment on his storied list. If Durant eases off the regular season pedal in Spurs-ian fashion in order to preserve his performance for the spring, don't be surprised. But there's nothing he could do, short of getting hurt, to keep himself off of this short list.

White: No voter fatigue here. With LeBron's numbers likely to take a dip (though, perhaps be more well-rounded) and Durant at the peak of his powers, this award is KD's to lose. His scoring may not be as prolific as last season, but his other numbers -- rebounds, assists -- should rise. Plus, he has the benefit of being the best player on what will likely be the best team in the West, if not the NBA.

Calhoun: Let’s be real. Is there anyone in the NBA that is better than LeBron James? The man can score and defend as well as anyone, and is just more athletic than everybody else. Although Kevin Durant ended his MVP streak last season, King James will come back with a vengeance. Since making the decision to leave Miami, LeBron has shed weight and recruited arguably the strongest supporting cast he’s ever had. Now that the King has returned home, he has something to prove to the city of Cleveland. An MVP would be just one of many trophies he’d like to have this year.

Pina: It isn't every season that the world's best player switches teams, and gets a whole new supporting cast to prop him up for a championship run. But so goes LeBron James, who's as dominant as ever heading into his 12th NBA season. James is flanked by Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving instead of Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade; it's world class modernization, and there's no reason he won't continue on as a do-everything universe-crusher. Betting against this dude is never smart.