There's plenty to admire about each MVP contender

Well, that didn't last long.

After a week out of the top spot, LeBron James has retaken the No. 1 position in the Race to the MVP. It's almost as if LeBron left his seat just before the end of the third quarter to get some food before the concession stand closed, only to return to his seat to find it occupied by Kobe Bryant.

How awkward.

And it may get even more uncomfortable to move these two back and forth as the season heads toward the April 15 finish line. But as we noted in last week's column, that's how close the race has become between LeBron and Kobe. Also, if you read the R2MVP Daily, where we talk about individual performances, you'll have noticed we've come to realize that Dwyane Wade is playing some of the best basketball of his career, and thus some of the best basketball in the NBA right now.

Should he move into the top two at some point? How would that upset the natural order we've carved out for ourselves below?

As with everything in the Race to the MVP, a player's beauty is in the eye of the smitten fan. For some, LeBron is the NBA's future. For others, Kobe is the epitome of passion and grace, and as a player, has no flaw. Then there are those who see Wade as a great story, a player who has returned from injuries stronger and more determined.

Or as some of our more dedicated fans e-mail: "Why can't you appreciate LeBron's or Kobe's or Dwyane's attributes? Why don't you like him?"

I'd like to think it's always been about performance when I rank the players. Of course, there is something in each of the players in the top 10 that draws out the fan in me.

How can one not be amazed by LeBron's rush to the rim late in the fourth quarter against the Heat? He threw it down so hard that veteran reporters who have covered James for nearly a decade say that's the hardest they've ever seen him dunk.

How can one not be amazed by Kobe's pursuit of perfection and the level of dedication he demands from his teammates? And in that pursuit, how his teammates raise their game to meet his? You may not like his personality -- and some don't -- but you must respect his will to win.

You also must respect that Kobe's game may be the most complete of any player in the top 10. He can go left, he can go right, he can post up, he can shoot the fadeaway, he can shoot the three. He can score in traffic, he can handle in traffic, he's an excellent passer, he's an above average rebounder, he's a sick defender and he's growing into a leader. His desire to do everything -- because he can do everything -- used to be his fatal flaw. As a 13-year vet, has he learned that he doesn't need to do it all?

How can one not be amazed by Wade's ability to take a beating and yet still manage to carry a team on his back? Or that, at 27, he's improved his defense so much that he's now considered elite?

How can one not be amazed by Dwight Howard's strength or Chris Paul's speed and court vision? Or by Tim Duncan's consistency, Chauncey Billups' steady leadership, Brandon Roy's bright future or Yao Ming's soft touch?

As impossible as it may seem, we see the best in these guys and the best of these players because they are the best. So, is there any hate or dislike?

There's no room. Not with all the excellence to appreciate.

E-mail us your thoughts at RacetotheMVP@gmail.com.

Line of the Week: Dwyane Wade, Feb. 28: 46 points, 10 assists, eight boards, four steals and three blocks vs. New York in a 120-115 win.

Wade scored 24 of his 46 points in the fourth quarter as the Heat stormed back from a 17-point defecit.

Rise of the week: Deron Williams (back into the top 10)
Drop of the week: Dirk Nowitzki (out of the top 10)

RACE TO THE MVP :: TALE OF THE TAPE 28.5 PPG 28.1 7.4 RPG 5.5 7.0 APG 4.9 1.7 SPG 1.3 1.2 BPG 0.4 .492 FG% .474 .772 FT% .868

LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers :: Team Record: 48-12 Last Week's Rank - 2 Thanks to an incredible week for him and the Cavs (4-0 after a horrible loss in Houston on Feb. 26), LeBron returns to the top spot. The night after his 21-point, one-board, assist-less atrocity, it seemed as if something within James clicked. Statistically, his 30-point, 14-board, four-assist night in the Cavs' 97-86 win over the Spurs in San Antonio wasn't his gaudiest line of the season. But the aggression and efficiency with which he channeled that determination seemed to be a turning point in the season for him, and possibly the Cavs. How does one bounce back from a horrible defeat? Do everything you can to make sure something like that never happens again. Save for the narrow 88-87 win over the Hawks in Atlanta on March 1, it appears LeBron and the Cavs could get on a roll.

Kobe Bryant L.A. Lakers :: Team Record: 49-12 Last Week's Rank - 1 It was a rough week for Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Sure, they pummeled the Grizzlies on Tuesday, but prior to that easy win in L.A., they had dropped a game to the Nuggets, then another one to the Suns. It was only the third time all season the Lakers had dropped back-to-back games. Kobe did his best to prevent that second loss, going off for 49 points on 18-of-38 shooting. Bryant and Pau Gasol have done their part to keep the Lakers chugging along with an NBA-best 49-12 record, but it seems as if the rest of the Lakers have hit a wall. The three days between the Memphis win and Friday's game against a struggling Timberwolves crew should do the Lakers and Bryant some good. And hey, every time I drop someone in the rankings, they go off. Lakers fans, you can thank me if Kobe goes for 50 on Friday.

James Duel With Wade, Heat Watch highlights from the memorable MVP duel between LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on March 2. Kobe's 49 Not Enough Kobe Bryant poured in 49 points, but it wasn't enough as the Suns claimed a 118-111 win on March 1.

3. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat | Team Record: 32-28 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 29.3 5.0 7.5 2.2 1.4 .489 .764 Last Week's Rank - 4 Sadly, I didn't have the guts to vault Wade over Kobe into the No. 2 spot. Wade is becoming a more proficient distributor as he set his career high in assists with 16 on Feb. 24. Eight days later, he matched that career high against Phoenix. Playing the Suns will boost the assist totals. Also, he's becoming one of the best -- if not the best -- shot-blocking guards in NBA history. Though, D-Wade, we do ask you to lower your turnovers. Thanks.

4. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic | Team Record: 44-16 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 20.9 14.0 1.2 1.0 2.9 .571 .599 Last Week's Rank - 3 To pull out an old relationship line: It's not you, Dwight, it's me. I'm the one who pushed D-Wade past you in the Race to the MVP. I know you didn't do anything to deserve Wade going all Nate Robinson on you in the standings. Wade is just playing that well. But keep doing what you're doing, especially on the defensive end. That Defensive Player of the Year award is there for the taking.

5. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets | Team Record: 38-22 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 21.4 5.3 11.1 2.7 0.2 .494 .852 Last Week's Rank - 5 It's nice for Paul to have a healthy, happy Tyson Chandler back in the fold. The rangy 7-footer helps make some of Paul's assists -- the ones of the alley-oop variety -- look easy. Of course, Paul has a lot to do with it: weaving his way through traffic, dekeing defenders and then throwing a perfect pass to a place where only Chandler can get it. Paul has 56 dimes in the last four games, including a 20-assist game against Milwaukee on Feb. 27.

6. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs | Team Record: 40-20 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 20.5 10.7 3.8 0.6 1.8 .513 .699 Last Week's Rank - 6 It was a gruesome week for Duncan and the Spurs. TD wasn't around last Friday to prevent LeBron's bounce-back game, and in the three games he did play this week, Duncan was only 20-of-47 from the field. Though you really can't blame the Spurs for going 1-2 in those games. All three were on the road. Since Jan. 16, the Spurs have played six home games ... and 17 on the road.

7. Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets | Team Record: 40-22 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 18.6 2.7 6.1 1.4 0.2 .422 .908 Last Week's Rank - 7 Billups and the Nuggets had an emotional week. First, Carmelo Anthony was suspended for the game in which Billups returned to Detroit. And then in Detroit, Billups received a rousing ovation from the Pistons faithful, scored a season-high 34 points ... and lost. The Nuggets bounced back well on Thursday with a win against division rival Portland.

8. Brandon Roy, Portland Trail Blazers | Team Record: 38-23 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 22.7 4.7 5.1 1.1 0.3 .482 .819 Last Week's Rank - 8 The Trail Blazers snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Pacers on Wednesday thanks to Roy, who hit two game-winning freebies with 1.7 seconds remaining. Beating Indiana sapped Roy and the Blazers the next night in the Mile High Denver environment. Portland's youngsters eventually will learn to manage both ends of back-to-backs such as these.

9. Yao Ming, Houston Rockets | Team Record: 39-23 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 19.8 9.5 1.7 0.4 1.8 .546 .871 Last Week's Rank - 9 Yao has been getting it done on the defensive end (15 blocks in the last four games) and at the stripe (a perfect 19-for-19), but it was a blah week for the Rockets, who lost in Chicago and in Utah. It doesn't get any easier for Yao or the Rockets as they host the resurgent Shaquille O'Neal and the Suns on Friday night.

10. Deron Williams, Utah Jazz | Team Record: 34-23 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 18.7 2.7 10.6 1.0 0.2 .468 .834 Last Week's Rank -- 10 This spot is hot in two ways: One, fans love to comment on guys moving into and out of the top 10; and two, there are a lot of players on the fringes of the race who deserve recognition. This week's No. 10: Deron Williams, who coincidentally, was our first No. 10 this season. He's had double-digit assists in 17 of his last 20 games, including 20 against the Warriors on March 3. Oh, and the Jazz have won nine straight.

Outside Looking In (OLI)
11. Pau Gasol
12. Dirk Nowitzki
13. Kevin Garnett
14. Devin Harris
15. Paul Pierce
16. Ray Allen
17. Tony Parker
18. Carmelo Anthony
19. Shaquille O'Neal
20. Joe Johnson