There are a lot of good arguments to be made in support of Dwight Howard's MVP case.  In the wake of his 40 point, 15 rebound, 6 block performance in a win yesterday over the Thunder, I figured I'd make mine.

First, of course, are the bevy of impressive categories in which Howard sits near the top of the league: Second in FG% and eFG%, tenth in TS% (ahead of leading MVP candidates LeBron James and Derrick Rose in all three); second in PER, nearly tied (26.7 to 26.5) with James; second in rebounds; second in blocks.

Over the past few seasons, it's generally been conceded that Howard is the league's best defender - playing the most important defensive position.  Advanced metrics tend to back this up: Howard leads the league in defensive win shares by a significant margin (5.4 to 3.9).

The argument against Howard's MVP case is that despite his prowess as a defender, a rebounder, and - more relevantly - an efficient scorer, he simply doesn't do enough to carry his team offensively to merit consideration as the league's absolute best.  After the jump, why I think that's not true.

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