James Harden of the Houston Rockets wasn't voted into a starting backcourt spot for the upcoming All-Star Game, and while it remains to be seen if he'll start in Kobe Bryant's place, a former teammate has a bigger honor in mind: NBA MVP.
"He's the best player in basketball right now," Dallas Mavericks forward and former Rocket Chandler Parsons said of Harden Wednesday, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "The scouting report is focused in on stopping him and you see he's still getting 30 a game."
Parsons and Harden have apparently buried the hatchet since last summer, when Parsons switched Texas teams in free agency. Harden insinuated the Florida product was merely a "role player," with Parsons calling the statement "ridiculous."
Harden leads the NBA in scoring going into Wednesday's action at 27.6 points per night. Aside from carrying the load offensively, with Dwight Howard missing a career-high 14 games (including Wednesday) so far this season, Harden's defensive improvements are noteworthy.
A season-long debate is evolving as to whether Harden or Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors is more deserving of the MVP award. Here are their pertinent statistics going into Wednesday:
| Player | FG% | 3P% | PPG | APG | PER | WS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harden | 45.5 | 38.5 | 27.6 | 6.7 | 27.9 | 9.9 |
| Curry | 49.1 | 39.1 | 22.8 | 8.2 | 27 | 8.3 |
