Any chance that Derrick Rose would repeat as MVP is over. The point guard has missed more than 30 percent of Chicago's games with a variety of injuries, and the Bulls have done just fine without him. With about a month left in this abbreviated season, here are our top 10 remaining candidates, which include three sets of teammates.

(Rankings and stats through Wednesday, March 21.)

Kevin Durant's having his best season? Well, so is LeBron. His offensive efficiency is off the charts, while his rebounding and defense have been outstanding. The key has been LeBron's willingness to develop his post game and use his size and strength closer to the basket. People used to say he'd be unguardable if he ever did that. He's proving them right.

Durant is having his best all-around season and is a solid No. 2 on this list, but it's hard to make a convincing case why he deserves the MVP. He's scoring, rebounding and winning, but not more than LeBron is. Meanwhile, LeBron is passing, shooting and defending better than Durant. To burnish his credentials, he'll need some "MVP moments" over the next month.

Now that he's sure to spend the entire season with the Magic, it's safe to call Howard a legit MVP candidate. After all, he's had a tremendous season, if you don't count unnecessary free-agency drama and awful free-throw shooting. The drama's over, at least until summer. Better foul shooting and a late run by Orlando could garner Howard serious MVP consideration.

You may not have noticed, but Parker has been the league's best point guard this season. Averaging 20 points and a career-high 8.0 assists, he's carried the Spurs to the second-best record in the West. He scored at least 25 points in five straight games earlier this month but injured his hamstring in Wednesday's game against the Wolves. San Antonio better hope it's not serious.

Give Bryant credit for playing through injuries, logging heavy minutes at age 33 and leading the league in scoring. But man, stop shooting so much! Kobe's launched some 200 more shots than anyone else in the league and made just 42.8 percent of them, which would be his worst marksmanship in 14 years. With Andrew Bynum (57.9 percent) and Pau Gasol (50.8 percent) around, maybe a slightly less itchy trigger finger would benefit Kobe and the Lakers.

Let's face it. Westbrook isn't the most complete point guard around. He has just three 10-assist games this season. He probably should be a better rebounder and defender, given his athletic ability. Still, the guy can flat-out score. He's fifth in the league at 23.9 ppg and has 11 30-point games. More important, he's winning. In other words, he's doing what Derrick Rose did last season. (With, admittedly, a little more help from one of his teammates.)

It's not Love's fault the Wolves are falling out of playoff contention. Blame Ricky Rubio's season-ending knee injury for that. But strong MVP candidates don't play on lottery teams, so Love's monster numbers (25.9 ppg, 13.7 rpg) only take him so far.

For a while, it looked like Paul would turn the Clippers from a lottery team to a title contender. But despite his generally stellar play, the Clips have been a .500 team since Feb. 1 and have squandered their Pacific Division lead. A late rush could make Paul a top-five candidate again, but a championship seems increasingly unlikely.

Wade missed nine games with injuries in the first half of the season, but he's gotten healthy and worked his way into the MVP conversation. His overall numbers (22.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.8 apg) are below his lofty standards, but they're still pretty darn good. He's also become Miami's closer at the end of games.

Bynum has been in beast mode over the last few weeks, averaging 26 points and 13.8 rebounds over one six-game stretch. Now averaging 18 points and 12.7 boards for the season, he's established himself as the league's second-best center and may be the Lakers' star of the future, after all. Who needs Dwight Howard?