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The latest 2011-2012 NBA MVP power rankings have been published by SB Nation's own Tom Ziller, Miami Heat forward LeBron James continues to lead the pack. Overall, the top three players on the list didn't check this week, as James, Thunder forward Kevin Durant and Lakers guard Kobe Bryant held their places.
Last year's MVP, Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, probably won't repeat and take the award home again this season, but Ziller still has him ranked No. 7 overall.
Should the Bulls be forced to play without Luol Deng for a stretch (which isn't obvious thanks to Chicago's Belichickian secrecy on injuries), Rose will become even more important as his offense will be needed to counteract certain defensive slippage. Thankfully, Rose has shown a wonderful ability to step up from his already mammoth production when needed.
Rose has missed some time this season with a turf toe injury, although that hasn't stopped Chicago from having the league's best record so far. Even without being totally healthy, he continues to be a major asset and one of the best players in the NBA.
The rest of Ziller's top 10 includes Orlando's Dwight Howard at No. 4, Minnesota's Kevin Love at No. 5, Houston's Kyle Lowry at No. 7, Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge at No. 8, Cleveland's Kyrie Irving at No. 9 and Los Angeles' Chris Paul at No. 10.
Be sure to stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for updates and recaps of the Chicago Bulls all season. For in-depth coverage, visit Blog a Bull. And for more NBA analysis and news, head over to SB Nation Basketball.