PARIS (George Eddy's International Show) - There are an inordinate amount of worthy candidates who are mostly all-around, high-scoring guards who represent quite well what the NBA has become in the last decade - a league dominated by guard play.

The recent retirement of Steve Nash reminds us to what point he has influenced the last decade and the style of play in the NBA. Of course, eliminating hand-checking and the invention of sports analytics has accentuated the importance of quickness and fundamentals in the modern game and guards who can shoot and pass efficiently are the new kings of the hill. 

Nash, a two-time MVP who ranks third in the all-time assists' list, along with being an all-around great person, has a rosy future as the head of Canadian basketball or as an NBA head coach if he chooses to do so. Who better than him to lead the charge for an uptempo NBA contender with his eternal positive attitude and team concept?

When you look at the favorite for MVP this season, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, you see a younger version of Nash who uses speed, movement and technique to overcome his lack of muscle. Never has John Wooden's famous dictom "speed beats height", been so true.

Curry is the favorite because he's the leader and best player on the best team in the NBA, by far. He's elegant, efficient (4th in Player Efficiency Rating - PER), spectacular to watch so he fills seats, and he's improved considerably on the defensive end this season. What more can you ask for from an MVP, especially with Kevin Durant hampered by injuries all season? The way he shares the glory with Klay Thompson and his other teammates is exemplary!

A good case can also be made for James Harden who has put the Houston Rockets' offense on his back and carried them towards elite status in the Western Conference. He's second in scoring and fifth in PER and, as his General Manager Darryl Morey often points out, he is the player that generates the most offense in the league.

Harden's qualities remind us of his former teammate, Russell Westbrook, the leading scorer in the NBA and author of 10 triple-doubles who carries the Oklahoma City Thunder team with his incredible athletic exploits and prolific production which makes Russell a top MVP candidate, too. Harden has better shooting percentages and his team wins more than Westbrook's, who as an unbridled physical phenom, has a decided tendency to overdo things!

Two veteran players that seem a bit under-estimated this season in the MVP race are LeBron James and Chris Paul. We've become accustomed to their continuous excellence similar to Tim Duncan during his career. Both players can just take over a game when their team needs them to and their success will be more measured by a long run in the playoffs rather than an MVP trophy.

The way LeBron has transformed himself from pure physical phenom into an unstoppable all-around winner and high percentage shooter through hard work, similar to Michael Jordan, is stupefying to me! He can literally play all five positions and his uniqueness will stand out in our minds for years to come.

I am convinced that the likeable Curry will be MVP but in second place I would like to propose Anthony Davis, who is leading the league in PER, especially if the New Orleans Pelicans beat out Oklahoma for the eighth playoff spot in the West. People will say he is young and too often injured, which is true, but his performance level is outstanding! Recently he almost had the fifth quadruple-double in NBA history and he's the top shot blocker in the league so he's plays hard on both ends of the floor. He's the modern, more mobile and athletic version of Duncan. If he's not the MVP this season, he will be the MVP several times in the near future!

George Eddy

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

FIBA takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.