Most Valuable

It's really hard to define "Most Valuable Player". Is it simply the best player in the game, the guy who can put the best stats on the board? Is it the guy that does everything he can to make his team win, even if the statistics don't reflect it? Is the player who means everything to his team, leaving them lost and confused when he's off the court?

Right now, Dwight Howard is all three. Statistically, he's venturing into Shaq-circa-2000 territory: 22.2 points, 14.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 57.5% from the field (and, just to be fair, terribly from the line). His Orlando Magic are 10-3, partially due to the addition of Rashard Lewis but mostly because of Howard's strong play. Unless he gets injured this season (knock on wood), we're not going to have to see how the Magic play without him. However, and Maurice Brooks of NBA.com's Race to the MVP can back me up on this, Dwight is in it to win it.