This year more than most, the odds to win the MVP award are going to be tight in the NBA. There are a number of candidates that could ultimately go on to win the award, and here at Bankroll Sports, we’re taking a look at some of the top contenders right now and where they currently stand in the chase for the most illustrious individual honor in the NBA.

The new favorite to win the MVP award this year is Kevin Durant (Current NBA MVP Odds: 1 to 1.40 at BetDSI Sportsbook). Durant is the league’s leading scorer at 29.6 points per game this year, a solid point ahead of the field. He is a fantastic shooter that is likely to win the NBA’s scoring title once again, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he is going to win the MVP award. Durant has won the scoring title before, but he has never been the league’s MVP. However, with G Russell Westbrook hanging around as really his only helper on his own team, the writers might give Durant the benefit of the doubt this year now that G James Harden is gone.

It still goes without saying though, that LeBron James (Odds To Win 2012-13 NBA MVP Award: 1.20 to 1 at BetDSI Sportsbook) is capable of winning the MVP award this year. It’s not new news for LeBron to be a contender for the MVP, knowing that he has been the MVP three times already in his career. James is still the leader of the Miami Heat, and there isn’t a player in the league that is more dynamic than he is. King James is averaging 26.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game, and he is playing almost 39 minutes per game as well. If this were purely a statistical competition, James would be the winner of the MVP award just about every year. We think that LBJ clearly has the best price of all of the MVP contenders this year.

Aside from these two men, there really isn’t a lot to back in terms of MVP candidates this year. This is the first time in quite some time that we don’t think that Kobe Bryant is truly a contender for the award, though he is still listed at 30 to 1 to take the honor. Instead, the only other legit contender right now is the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony (NBA MVP Lines: 10 to 1 at BetDSI Sportsbook). Melo is second in the league in scoring at 28.5 pooints per game, and he is really putting the Knicks on his back and carrying them to the Atlantic Division title in all likelihood. Every time that New York plays a big game, it seems like Anthony is the man right in the thick of it all. We would like to see Anthony put together some more double-doubles, knowing that he is only averaging 6.2 boards per game, but we know that he has done a great job as a clutch performer this year. If there were ever a season that Melo was going to win the MVP award, this would be the year for that to happen.

NBA MVP Odds @ Diamond Sportsbook (as of 2/3/13):
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Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks) 10 to 1
Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers) 20 to 1
Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) 1 to 1.40
Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) 30 to 1
LeBron James (Miami Heat) 1.20 to 1
Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) 50 to 1
Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) 50 to 1

Bovada.lv has a plethora of NBA props posted about the phenom that is Jeremy Lin with the New York Knicks. Today, we join in the fun of Linsanity and make our Jeremy Lin predictions for the rest of the 2012 season.

Of course, we know that the first prop that is offered by Bovada Sportsbook is a bit absurd. Lin is listed at +3000 to win the MVP Award this year. Sure, if the Knicks continue to win virtually every single game that they play with the Harvard grad running the point guard spot, Lin would all of a sudden become an MVP candidate. In the end though, this is still a team in which at best, he is going to finish third in scoring behind Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. Linsanity is big… but it’s not quite that big.

More realistic is the prop that asks the question whether Lin will hit another game-winning shot with all zeroes on the clock like he did against the Toronto Raptors earlier this week. The odds of +350 aren’t all that great, but we definitely could see it happening. It is clear that Lin, assuming that he can keep this up, is going to have the ball in his hands in some crucial situations. There is a big question though, as to where Melo falls into place in this situation. It’s obvious to say that there aren’t that many games that come down to the wire that require a last shot to win a game. Anthony is one of the best closers that the game has had over the course of the last decade though, and if he wants the ball in his hands, he is probably going to get it. We could see this happening, but in the end, it would take a lot more luck than anything else just to get Lin in that situation for a second time this year with the ball in his hands to win a game at the gun.

And of course, the question still exists as to whether or not the Knicks are going to make the playoffs. They clearly weren’t all that great of a team before Lin came into the fold, and they haven’t lost since that point. Bovada is offering -500 on the fact that the Knicks are going to make the postseason, and we actually think that those are tremendous NBA odds.

Look at the East. The Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls are obviously fantastic teams. The Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, and Atlanta Hawks have gotten off to great starts. The Boston Celtics should at least be a competent team the rest of the way. That still leaves one more spot to be filled by the rest of the garbage that is the Eastern Conference. It is clear that the Charlotte Bobcats, Washington Wizards, New Jersey Nets, Toronto Raptors, and Detroit Pistons are going absolutely nowhere, which really just leaves the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Milwaukee Bucks to contend with the Knicks. We really don’t even need to factor in the fact that the Sixers are playing above their means, as are the Hawks, and the Magic are clearly going to be trading Dwight Howard before the end of the season as long as GM Otis Smith doesn’t fall asleep at the wheel. The Knicks virtually have to make the playoffs, and it really doesn’t even have all that much to do with Lin calling the shots. They are too talented with Melo and Amare Stoudemire to not make the postseason as long as both of these men stay healthy.

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Dirk Nowitzki Over/Under 26 Points – It’s no real surprise that the ball is running through the hands of Dirk when the Mavericks have possession. In the Western Conference Finals, he had three games with more than 26 points, one with less than that, and one with exactly 26 points. Nowitzki has really been incredibly dominating at times, especially down the stretch in close games. There is no way that Head Coach Rick Carlisle is going to take the ball out of his hands as long as the game stays competitive, and as long as you’re a believer that this one will be interesting down to the wire, there is no way that you can do anything but go with Nowitzki Over 26 Points -115 @ 5Dimes Sportsbook

Tyson Chandler Over/Under 16.5 Points + Rebounds – Chandler had a heck of a tough battle in the second round of the playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even still, he had at least 13 rebounds in two of the five games, and he had no fewer than eight in the series. Offensively, thing were tough with Kendrick Perkins and Nazr Mohammed on his backside, and his point production was slashed. Sure, we know that Chandler isn’t one of the top options on the floor, but he does have a lot easier time going into the paint against Joel Anthony and some of the other Miami bigs than he did in the last series. He had at least 18 points and rebounds combined in three of the final four games against the Thunder, and there is no way that we can see him not going past this number. Our NBA prop picks on this one are calling for Chandler Over 16.5 Points + Rebounds -115 @ 5Dimes Sportsbook

Shawn Marion +7.5 Points vs. Chris Bosh – This is quite the interesting prop, because we know that Bosh has had a ton of consistent games over the course of these playoffs, whereas Marion has really been hit or miss. But let’s dig just a tad further. We have seen Marion get to at least seven points in the last six games in the postseason, and we know that he averaged over a dozen points per game in the regular season. Bosh has had at least 20 points in four out of five games, and at home in these playoffs, he has really been absolutely remarkable. The difference here though, is that he is going to have his hands full with the likes of Chandler and Nowitzki in the paint. We do tend to believe that Bosh will outscore Marion, but if the vet starts to catch fire from the outside, Bosh stands no chance on this NBA prop pick. Go with Marion +7.5 Points vs. Bosh -125 @ 5Dimes Sportsbook