Competitive Landscape of the NBA

After all the injuries, deadline trades and veteran signings, let take a look at the competitive landscape of the league with around 20 games left for the season:

WEST:

Despite losing Andrew Bynum, the Lakers remain the favorite to win the West. Pau Gasol is more comfortable with the team after a full summer of practice, and Trevor Ariza is the energy guy that they have been looking for. Frankly, even without Bynum, I don’t think Phil Jackson worries about the Spurs much. Their goal is to win it all. Now, with the uncertainty arisen by KG’s injury, and with their own improved roster, the Lakers should be more confident when facing the Celtics this time around. As for the Cavs, the Lakers swept them this season, including a convincing win in Cleveland (Kobe sick, no Bynum) last month. They should not be scared by the Cavs should they meet them in the Finals. Yup, so far they looks like to be the favourite to win it all too.

The Spurs is at #2 but actually there’s quite some distance from the Lakers. Manu Ginobili will sit out the next 2-3 weeks, Caoch Greg Popovich is determined to give him as much rest as they can, so that Ginobili can be 100% in the playoffs. Newcomer Roger Mason is a pleasant surprise and Matt Bonner is probably the best scoring big men teammate Tim Duncan has ever had since the Admiral, but as I said many times, their defense has worsened quite considerably. Both Mason and Bonner are inferior defenders, and adding the fact that Bruce Bowen can no longer run with the opponents’ ace scorers, the Spurs might not have their famous suffocating defense on hand. I mean, how can the Spurs stop Kobe, Gasol and Odom at the same time? The addition of Drew Gooden is nice, but if you think he is the difference-maker, you probably should not be driving, cuz you've taken too much drugs.

No. 3 to No. 7 (Rockets, Jazz, Hornets, Blazers, Nuggets) are just 1 game apart. Yup, they are that close. The Rockets, now at #3, lost T-Mac for the season, but I think they did well by getting away the unproductive but aging Rafer Alston while adding a young and promising Kyle Lowry. Without T-Mac, they might remain competitive in the regular season, just like last year. But let's face it, their most problem is not talent but the lack of leadership. No one in the team can provide that, and please don't get me started with the "leadership" of Ron Artest. They stay no chance of beating the Lakers or the Spurs and if they maintain at #3, a second round exit is a likely outcome. They should, instead, focusing on the future, especially of Artest, who will become a FA this summer. He has been playing extremely well in the abesnce of T-Mac though.

The Jazz (#4) is the dark horse in the West. I’m not saying that they can beat the Lakers, but if healthy, the Jazz will be a serious threat to the Spurs, not to mention the Hornets and the Rockets. Carlos Boozer is back (however was out again in the last game), AK47 is also back and D-Will is healthy and once again playing like an all-star. They had been 8-2 for the last 10 games, and have just taken over the Northwest Division from the Nuggets. This is a well-coached team that went to the Conference Finals 2 years ago. They are as tough as steel and nobody would want to face them in the playoffs. While it’s remote to say that they can upset the Lakers, but anything other than that is entirely possible.

Perhaps the term "blessing in disguise" best described the Hornets. The non-trade of Tysan Chandler simply made them closer and stronger together. After struggling for the entire season, they are back on track again. CP3 and David West are playing like all-stars again. The chemistry is once again great and the team is in the zone. But the on-and-off injury of Tysan Chandler will be the determining factor on their success. If they really finishes at #5 as they are right now, they would have a tough matchup against the Jazz. I think they'd rather see the Rockets.

Everybody loves the Blazers (#6) and they are for sure young and lovable. I love them too and like everyone else, I love Brandon Roy. I’m glad that the rumored Vince Carter-Raef Lafrentz didn’t go through, but it’s a shame that they failed to make use of Lafrentz’s expiring contract to make any meaningful move before the trading deadline. The health of Greg Oden will forever be a concern, and so long as Oden has not been fully developed, the Blazers will remain just as a "first-round and out" team.

The Nuggets, once #3, had some recent struggle and the super intense competition in the West immediately sent them to #7. Say whatever you want about Billups, and they certainly are a better team than with Iverson, but I genuinely believe that this team is not as good as their record shows. Billups is good, ‘Melo is one of the league's top scorers and Nene has been a rare combination of size and athleticism, but others, namely Dahntay Jones, Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith etc are all mediocre at best. If they can't regain the division title thus home court advantage in the first round, another early playoffs exit is the likely outcome.

The Mavs are playing better after the All-Star break, even without Jason Terry. With JT back, they should only be better. Although they are safer to make the playoffs now that the injury of Amare has pushed the Suns out of the playoffs picture, I don’t think they will be able to go any further. They just don’t defend well, as simple as that. They stay no chance of getting past the first round.

The Suns is an unlucky team. Just when things were turning around after the firing of Terry Porter, Amare went down. With Nash, J-Rich and Shaq, they remain as a solid team, but falling behind the Mavs by 4 games, it will be super tough for them to just make the playoffs without Amare. A huge blow to such a talented team. Anyway, the last playoffs spots will only grant them the rights to face the Lakers in the first round. I’m not sure it is worthy to do. Why not go to the lottery and try to get a better rookie this summer?


EAST:

Yes, the injury of KG (2-3 weeks) is a huge blow to the Celtics, and they might eventually end up at #2 in the East as a result. Yes, we saw how they beat the Cavs last weekend without KG, but we all know how important home court advantage is to the Celtics. Remember the horrible 6 consecutive road losses in last year’s playoffs? However, this is just a minor issue here. A more imminent problem is that this year’s Cs is not as deep as last year, and they don’t have a Posey or PJ Brown on the bench. Recent signings of Marbury and Mikke Moore help, but you will not confuse them with Posey and PJ Brown. Backup big men Big Baby and Leon Powe played well recently in the absence of KG, let's hope they could starting building up confidence. But at the end of the day, the Cs rely heavily on KG. If KG is anything but 100% when comes playoffs time, the Celtics will have trouble winning any frontcourt battle.

The Cavs was hit by injuries early on but now they have their full squad back. Big Z (Ilgauskas) is healthy, and Delonte West is back too. Yes, the Cavs were not able to pull a Shaq trade before the deadline, but they look like a legit contender right now. With the problems the Cs are facing, the Cavs have a good chance to win the conference this year. Adding Joe Smith is great, only is that he cannot replace Big Ben in the defensive end (yes, even the 2009 version of Big Ben). Last Friday's defeat in Boston is demoralizing, but nobody is hungrier than this team. They are young and dangerous. Oh and by the way, they have a player named LeBron James.

With Jameer Nelson’s season over, and despite the addition of Rafer Alston and Tyron Lue, the Magic are not figured to be a contender anymore. With 20 games left, they should be able to maintain their lead in their division and thereby locking up home court advantage in the first round. But what's next? They can't beat Celtics or Cavs anyway.

The Heat is a dark horse. I like their decision on sending the Matrix to Raptors. Jermaine O'Neal finally filled their big hole in the middle. They also added valuable role player Jamario Moon. With Wade playing like a MVP, the Heat, right now at #5 and is likely to start the first round on the road, could pull any upset against the Hawks or even the Magic. I’ve learnt that, with Wade, anything is possible. Rookie coach Erik Spoelstra needs to control and maximize the output of such a talented team. Is he up to the challenge?

After staying at the top in the East for years, the Pistons finally started to fall. Don’t blame Iverson, they would have gone south with or without the Billups-Iverson trade, although the trade for sure has speeded up the process. Let's make it clear, they took Iverson not because of his talent, but his expiring contract. I hate the Rip Ham coming off the bench experiment. Rip Ham, as we can see, is clearly more effective starting. You should never make roster decision simply because you don't want to upset the huge ego of an expiring contract (aka Iverson). People say they are experienced and talented, and it will not be a surprise for them to upset the Magic or the Hawks in the first round. But on second thought, you should never underestimate the potential damage on the team morale by the Iverson debacle. With a shaky morale, I don't see them pulling any upset in the playoffs, which would require a lot of confidence and determination. Their focus should be on this year’s and next year’s summer.

The Hawks and the Sixers are basically locked to the playoffs. Both teams have incomplete rosters and will just have a brief appearance in the playoffs.

The Bulls were quite busy last month making trades. They finally found a legit center in Brad Miller, got rid of Larry Hughes and Gooden, and added a young swingman (John Salmons). Yes, they miss Nocioni and his toughness, but this is a talented team mixed with youth and experience. They got size and athleticism. They have legit scorers and have partially alleviated the logjam in the guard positions. If I don’t look at the coach’s name, I will in no doubt picking them to get into the playoffs. I am still having problem connecting the words “coach” and “Del Negro”.

The Bucks play surprisingly good without their starting center (Andrew Bogut) and their franchise player (Michael Redd). They are now at #9 and are not far behind the Bulls (1/2 game). But the Bulls had a huge win last Friday over the Bucks, and gave the Bulls a tie-breaker. Kudos to the Bucks, and coach Scott Skiles, frankly, for playing hard in such an injury-plagued season.

The Nets failed to ship Vince Carter before the deadline. That’s a real shame, frankly. Consider this: this team is young, so young that they will unlikely make the playoffs any time before 2010 (although they are just 1 game behind the Bulls). Vince, now at 31, has no real business playing for a lottery team, except for the money. What they’ve been doing, is getting as much salary cap as possible for the impeding 2010 megastars sweepstake, and Vince’s contract won’t expire until 2011 the earliest. When 2010 comes, Vince will already be 34. The problem is, nobody wants Vince’s contract.

The Bobcats, just like other teams under Larry Brown in the first season, struggled in the first half but finally played some solid basketball in the second half. Yes, Larry Brown loves making roster moves but it's hard to argue against their solid plays recently. Seems like he finally has found a viable rotation: Felton, Raja Bell, Gerald Wallace, Diaw and Okafor starting, while DJ Augustin, Radmanovic and Diop off the bench. With just 1 game behind the Bulls, it would be a huge accomplishment if they could get into the playoffs.

The Knicks can continue dreaming of the playoffs.

2009 Jan monthly review

EAST

Atlanta Division

Boston had won 11 straight after the embarrassing mini-slump during late Dec to early Jan. They returned to the top of the league again. Good thing is, Ray Allen has been playing like an all-star; bad thing is, Ray Allen was snubbed from the All-Star Game.

Toronto struggled without Jose Calderon, losing 7 straight. But during such losing stretch, they got some strong performance by Andrea Bargnani. Not just shooting the 3s, Bargnani was scoring (19.8 PPG) and rebounding (6.2 RPG). I still think the Raptors have a decent roster, esp. an enviable big man rotation of Bargnani, Bosh and O'Neal. They should be a better team.

Finally, we sawIguodala getting back into his old shape, and Philly were winning games and getting back some respect . But who would have guessed before the season that Elton Brand is coming off the bench and yet struggling mightily? Ladies and gentleman, your 2008 high priced free agent signing!

Central Division

Whenever Cleveland were flirting with the idea of being the best team in the league, they would inevitably lose some games, such as those two losses to fellow contenders, Lakers and Magic. Give credits to them though, as people are overlooked by the fact that they are having a perfect home record (22-0 and running) without two starters: Zydrunas Ilgauskas (just been back) and Delonte West (back around All-Star Weekend).

The Pistons had a horrible 6-9 record in January and has lost 7 of the last 10 games. I don’t know how to put it. Yes, you can blame Iverson, for obvious reason. Maybe Rip Ham's injury too. But what is more disappointing is the overall lack of effort. I watched a Pistons game last month, they simply had no energy at all. They just don’t fight. Period. Oh and BTW, do you know that they were actually the only team among the top 8 teams in the East with a negative point differential (-0.2) ?

The Bucks really had bad luck. Just when Andrew Bogut came back from injury, and they finally started to show some life by winning games, Michael Redd blew his knee and torn his ACL and MCL. Season over. Sad.

Southeast Division

Couldn’t think of a bigger month for the Magic: wins over top teams like Spurs, Lakers and Cavaliers, briefly topped the league with a 33-8 record, and then three players named to the All-Star Game (although unjustly). They have a relatively easy schedule in Feb, see if they can regain the #1 spotlater on.

A 8-7 Jan record is all the Bobcats need to gain respects from the league. Well, maybe I should also mention that those wins include over powerhouses like Celtics, Blazers, Suns, and yes, the Lakers. Who would even question Larry Brown again? Yes, just like in his past stints, he made major roster movements the very first season he arrived town, but you can’t deny that the team has improved substantially and Diaw has been playing like an all-star after coming to Charlotte.

I was checking the Heat’s roster the other day, and was shocked that the roster was absolutely D-League level. That is, other than D-Wade. Did Wade know, back when he was signing the extension in 2007, that he would be starting along with a second-round rookie (Chalmers) and an undrafted rookie (Joel Anthony), a limping Matrix and Haslem? And I will never understand why it took 40+ games for Coach Erik Spoelstra to realize that they are better off starting a 7-footer at C (Jamaal Magloire) than a 6’9” rookie (Joel Anthony). Amazing.


WEST

Northwest Division

It is really a bad month for Carmelo Anthony: broke his shooting hand, missed 10 games and then was snubbed from the All Star Game. Can’t say these three things are not connected. Luckily the Nuggets still managed to maintain its lead in the division (by 1.5 game over the Blazers).

Bad news for Portland: starting PG Steve Blake is out (separate right shoulder). Good news: backup Sergio Rodriguez and rookie Jerryd Bayless fitted in admirably. They were able to take advantage of an easy schedule and posted a 9-5 record in January. We have seen the potential of Oden, his most immiment need is to solve the foul-prone problem.

I think Utah Jazz is heavily underrated, just like his coach. Yes, they are at #9 in the West, but just 1/2 game behind the Suns. They have played without Boozer since Nov 19, and have gone through various injuries of D-Will, Okur and Millsap. Latest is that AK47 had an ankle surgery and will be out for at least 3-4 weeks. Yes, without AK47 it will be even harder for them to get into the playoffs, but people should never overlook the tremendous effort that D-Will and Jerry Sloan have put in.

The Wolves showed some signs of life when they posted a 10-4 record in Jan, prompting the media flirting with the idea of naming Kevin McHale a COY candidate andAl Jefferson being an All-Star. Slow down, fellows, not too soon. I think the recent success has more to do with shifting Randy Foye from PG to SG. And I agree that, although it’s not a big deal, Kevin Love not participating the Rookie Challenge is a real snub.

OK, the Team-formerly-known-as-Sonics reached 11 wins and is no longer the worst team in the league. Bravo.

Pacific Division

The coming-out party of Andrew Bynum (42 pts, 15 rebs) against the Clippers provide something to look forward to, only is that Bynum sprained his right knee (as opposed to his surgically repaired left knee) in the game against the Grizz on Jan 31. He will be out 8-12 weeks, which is a huge blow to the team. Feb will be a challenge for the Lakers, who will play 9 out of 13 games on the road, including stops at Boston and Cleveland.

You actually feel bad about the Clippers. No, really. With Baron Davis, Zach Randolph, Chris Kaman, Marcus Camby, Al Thornton and rookie sensation Eric Gordon, who would have expected them to be dead last in the league? Yes, blame injuries. But it is entirely acceptable if you suspect that all these players are taking their time slowly nursing their injuries instead of rushing back.

The Suns is a mystery. They are flat out mediocre. Well, at least they can’t blame Shaq, who’s been averaging 19.8 PPG and 9.0 RPG in Jan. Amare also averaged 19.7 PPG and 7.1 RPG, while Nash’s number is also respetable: 12.7 PPG and 11.9 APG. So what exactly is wrong with them? I don’t think they know the answer either. Guess that's exactly their problem: clueless. No more SSOL (Seven Seconds Or Less), but then they can’t excel in conventional setup. Guess they are real lost.

Southwest Division

Now standing firmly at #2 in the West after the win over the Hornets, the Spurs had a strong Jan, despite their worst loss of 87-109 at Philly. It is no coincidence that the Spurs started to play better defense and Manu Ginobili is regaining his all-star form.

I think the Rockets faced more injuries than the Jazz, only is that the Rockets have a deeper roster. Coach Rick Adelman deserves all the props by posting a respectable 29-19 record despite all these injuries. However, even assuming all the players are healthy, say after the All-Star Game, how could they generate optimal chemistry comes playoffs time when they have played so few games together?

The Hornets are not the same without Tysan Chandler. CP3 has boosted his scoring and rebounding in the absence of Chandler. But they could not win that way. For the 7 games when CP3 scored 30 or more pts this season, they only won 3 of them. The problem is, even before the injury, Chandler was not the same player as he was last year. He didn't rebound hard and block enough shots. What happened to him during summer? Some heart transplant?

December monthly review

EAST

Atlanta:

• The Celtics ended their 19-game winning streak with two consecutive losses one to the Lakers in the Christmas Showdown and one to the lowly Warriors, and then ended the year with yet another loss in Portland. At 28-5, they are still on pace to win 70 games this season, but we can simply stop all the invincibility talks. We have seen their weaknesses: one is the relaxed defense, probably due to complacency and cockiness, which can easily be corrected; another one is the thin bench, which is a more critical issue to be dealt with. (Posey, anyone?)



• The once surprising teams, the Knicks and the Nets, gradually came back to reality. Say whatever you want about D’Antoni, but let’s face it, with such a roster, there’s no way that they can have a winning record, no matter how pedestrians like Duhon, Harrington and Nate Robinson, have been posting stats like all-stars. As for the Nets, please, other than Devin Harris and Vince, they have no one else scoring. How could you expect a team which starts Bob Simmons, Yi and rookie Brook Lopez in the frontcourt to win? And please, NO NOT VOTE FOR YI!



• Sam Mitchell was fired, and the Raptors kept on losing. Well, at least I can see some improvement here: that the Raptors had fewer blowout losses under Jay Triano. They need to play some real defense in order to win.

Central:

• The Cavs managed to blow out opponents early in December but gradually fell back to reality around Christmas, when they narrowly escaped a win over the Wizards at home. They finished the year with the second best record in the league, but I think the record is inflated because their opponents this month were just too weak (other than the wins over the Nuggets and the Rockets). If they are smart, the loss in Miami should serve as a wakeup call to this arrogant bunch. People say LBJ’s defense has improved substantially. I would love to see how good it is but I have yet to watch a Cavs game.



• The Pistons finished the year with a 5-game winning streak, last three of which without Rip Ham. In Dec, the Pistons had one subtle but crucial move: they re-signed Antonio McDyess. With Dice on the bench, they could afford to start Rodney Stuckey at PG, and shift Iverson, which had been struggling to pretend to be a PG, to his natural SG position and Rip Ham at SF. Furthermore, the Pistons are now dangling with the idea of starting Amir Johnson and let Rip Ham (when he comes back from injury) come off the bench. This would (1) size up their frontcourt and (2) further boost up their bench scoring. I like this idea and I’m seeing the Pistons to get better in 2009.



• We saw Derrick Rose’s scoring and FG% came off in Dec, as the opponents no longer gave him any rookie treatment and focused on stopping him. Maybe it’s time for him to learn to run the offense and focus on passing.

Southeast:

• Orlando Magic has quietly posting up wins after wins and recently people start talk about them being included in the Elite Four (Celtics, Cavaliers, Lakers and Magic). Their point-differential (+7.4) was the fourth best in the League. They put up some quality wins in Dec, over the Lakers, the Spurs, the Blazers and the Hornets. Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis have been scoring at will. Stan Van Gundy for COY?



• Atlanta Hawks has become the Giant-beater in Dec. During the month, they beat the Cavs, the Nuggets, the Heat and narrowly lost to the Celtics. No. 4 in the East and a 21-10 record sounds a bit surreal to them. To maintain their standing, they must continue playing hard to fend off any challenge from the Pistons. Last but not least: Joe Johnson for All-Star!



• Don’t get over-hyped by their win over the Cavs in New Year Eve, the Heat is still a mediocre team with two rookies starting and is severely undersized. I like the idea of benching Beasley and starting Joel Anthony at C. They will see a tough January schedule which features a 7-game road trip and also meetings with the Magic, the Nuggets, the Lakers, the Celtics, the Hawks and the Mavs. D-Wade has been playing like a MVP but will never win the award.

WEST

Northwest:

• The Nuggets are leading the division, but I have yet to be convinced that they are an elite team. I don’t see any quality players after Billups, ‘Melo and Nene. J.R. Smith has been hitting 3s of late but he’s too one-dimensional. Now tied with the Spurs and the Rockets at #3 in the West and after Billups’ honeymoon period of, I expect them to fall in 2009.



• The Blazers are just 1/2 game behind the Nuggets in the division. None of the games speak louder than their win over the Celtics at home on Dec 30. Without Brandon Roy, no less. While Roy is a locked All-Star, they have LaMarcus Aldridge as a not-so-small second banana. Oden’s minutes (and therefore his production) have increased recently and he played all games in Dec. Glad that he looks healthy so far.



• The Jazz has been badly hit by injuries. First Boozer, then Okur (now back), now Millsap. Kudos to the team hanging tough (now at #9 in the West) despite all these. Boozer will undergo microscopic surgery on his left knee and will be out for at least a month. Before the surgery, Boozer vowed to test the free agent market this summer. Now, how much would he be worth after the knee surgery? Did anyone say “karma”? I will never forgive him leaving Cleveland.

Pacific:

• Yes, the back-to-back losses in Florida (Miami and Orlando) are unforgivable, but the Lakers looked real impressive in the Christmas Showdown against the Celtics. Their defense remains questionable, yet they are the most talented and versatile team in the league. As proven earlier in Nov (and the recent game against the Celtics), they could stop opponents when they were determined to do so. Mark your diary: Jan 19, LBJ & the Cavs are visting La La land.



• At 18-12, you could hardly say that the Suns are “struggling”, but the cold fact is that they are 8th in the West with just 1/2 game over the Jazz. Yes, you can argue that they are just 2 games behind the #2 Hornets too. Anyway, the trade for J-Rich has addressed their need of perimeter scoring. They now have an upper hand to keep their playoff berth over the Mavs and the Jazz.



• I will never forgive the Warriors losing to the team-formerly-known-as-Sonics. C’mon, they are trying to make history by losing more than 71 games!

Southwest:

• The Southwest remains the toughest division in the league. Right now it features 4 teams which are on pace to win 50 games (Hornets, Spurs, Rockets and Mavs), and are just 2 games apart. The Hornets improved from 9-6 in Nov to finish at 19-9, thanks to a rather easy schedule. The two ugly losses against the Lakers and in Orlando around Christmas sure have raised some red flags for the second best team in the West. We have yet to see a completely healed Tysan Chandler.



• To say I’m worried about the Spurs is an understatement. As impressive as their record (20-11, tied 3rd best in the West) shows, they were just 4-3 against teams with winning record in Dec. They had unconvincing wins over weak teams like Wolves, Raptors, team-formerly-known-as-Sonics and Grizzlies (double OT at home), and an ugly loss to the visiting Bucks which allowed Andrew “white stiff” Bogut to have 20 pts and 14 rebs. Their point-differential of +3.1 is actually worse than that of the Nugget, Rockets, Blazer and Jazz. They will be seeing a lot of road games in the next couple of months including their famous Rodeo Road Trip in February. Now Oberto is injured, sigh!



• The Rockets had only one quality win (over the Nuggets) in Dec, which required a triple-double from T-Mac and a 32-pt effort by Yao. Then they strangely lost to the Grizzlies and Wizards. That’s why I’m always hesitant to name them as an elite team. They will start the year with a 5-game road trip, with meetings with the Hawks and the Celtics, followed by a 5-game homestand featuring 4 winning teams: the Lakers, the Heat, the Nuggets and the Jazz. Let’s see if we can tell who they are after that.



• Like the Hornets and the Spurs, the Mavericks benefited from a soft Dec schedule to end the year with a respectable 19-12 record. Of course, the absence of Josh Howard from late Nov to early Dec hurts, but still it’s beyond comprehension to be down by 29 pts against the Wolves at home and then needed some superhuman moment by Jason Terry to rally and win.

Observations after one month of action:

EAST

Atlantic:

The biggest news of course is the Knicks. Under D’Antoni, they started off great, with a record of 6-3 after 9 games (now 8-8), and people are prematurely talking about the playoffs (the record is misleading because the wins were over weak teams like Bobcats, Wizards, Grizzlies and the team-formerly-known-as-Sonics). Then they traded away their top two players, trash the coming two seasons to stay a chance to take LBJ and/or Wade, Bosh etc in 2010 sweepstake. That means sacrificing two seasons for an admission ticket to be a bidder. I’m not so sure it is the right thing to do, but seems like the New Yorkers fully embraced the trade and are seriously thinking of the welcoming party of LBJ. I just don’t get it. Luckily I don’t hold the Knicks’ season ticket.

The Sixers is the most disappointing team this season so far. This is the team that many “experts” tabbed to be one of the top Eastern teams. I think people were over optimistic about the coming of Elton Brand. The East is no longer weak nowadays. The Sixers have serious difficulty in scoring (second last in the East).

The Nets surprised everyone by staying at 2nd in the Division. Devin Harris has been a beast since his return from injury. Rookie center Brook Lopez has been sensational. Charlotte was supposed to pick him at #9 in the draft, but somehow they chose D.J. Augustin. Is MJ regretting now?

Central:

Bold prediction: barring any major injuries, the Cavs will win the division and LBJ will win the MVP award. They are 14-3 so far while they are second in point differential in the league (behind the Lakers). Interestingly, LBJ’s stats have gone down. Yes, the team is less reliant on him and they are now playing with confidence.

The Pistons made a bold move by trading away one of their best players, Billups, for Allen Iverson. The coming of A.I. has completely changed their game. Gone are their crispy passes and ball rotation. They are now relying more on iso plays. Will that make it better or worse? Well, Iverson have never had such a good supporting cast before, so I’d give them the benefit of the doubt for now. But at the end, what they are looking for is just salary cap release after this season.

I repeat, Derrick Rose is the future point guard of the league. I really can’t see his ceiling yet.

Southeast:

Atlanta started off the season a prefect 6-0 and eventually ended Nov with a more realistic 10-6 record. That’s still very impressive considering PF Josh Smith played just 4 games. The training camp with Bibby did help, but the stepping up of Marvin Williams is equally significant.

D-Wade has been playing like a MVP but the team is just mediocre. Yes, their rookies (Chalmers and Beasley) are talented, but they are just flat out undersized. Udonis Haslem at C and Beasley at PF? Geez. Haslem is just 6’9”, and he’s not at all bulky. Imagine him guarding Yao Ming, Shaq, DH-12 or even Kendrick Perkins. Yikes!

Wizards fired coach Eddie Jordan… hmm, well, nothing to add.

WEST
Northwest:

The Blazers have been the sweetheart of the league, and they shows that they are no fluke. They played 11 road games in Nov and still posted a 12-6 record, including wins over Spurs, Rockets, Magic, Hornets and Pistons. While Roy has been great, Oden’s production is gradually increasing as of late. I haven’t seen them play yet this year but looking forward to it.

The coming of Billups has really revived the Nuggets. They have found leadership and a floor general in Billups. They were 11-3 since his arrival. For sure it’s a good trade for them, but I’m not sure how far they could get, esp. if players with injury history, i.e. Nene and/or K-Mart, sit out a long stretch in the future.

The Jazz struggled due to the absence of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. Expect them to be strong again after thanksgiving.

Pacific:

The Lakers look invincible. They are leading the league in pt differential, a whopping +13.7. They have lost just once and don’t seem like they will lose another one in a near future. Like their last game against the Mavericks, down by 78-67 in Q3, they scored 17 unanswered points and turned the table over. By their second team, no less. Yes, they are THAT invincible.

The Suns do have a solid record of 11-7 for Nov. But they are no longer the elite team in the league. The revival of Shaq is for sure impressive, but if it is at the expense of a diminished output of Amare, or a disgruntled Amare, I’m not so sure it is the best way for the team to move forward. I mean, Stoudemire IS their franchise player in the future, right? If the team is not winning, why bother displeasing or discourage him?

The two teams that traded with the Knicks, Warriors and Clippers, didn't benefit much from the trade and they continue their losing, just like they usually do.

Southwest:

Finally, we see the Rockets rolling. Artest looks like to be the final piece of puzzle. Just imagine when Battier is back fully. However, I’m still not convinced that they could beat the Lakers. I think they need to have that edge or toughness in order to win it all. Yes, that should start from Yao.

The Hornets is somewhat disappointing. Hailed as the second best team in the West, they started off so-so and lost a few easy games, like the Bobcats and the Kings. CP3 is still an automatic 20-10 guy but it seems like they have cooled down after last year’s success. Tyson Chandler has just 8.2 PPG and 7.9 RPG, both lowest since coming to New Orleans.

Two ex-elite teams, Spurs and Mavericks, are likely to fight for the eight spot this season, sigh! And that includes two of my favorite players, Kidd and Duncan, sigh x 2!