NBA: 3 Weeks In

Here's a quick look at the NBA season just 3 weeks underway.

Boston (10-2) and the L.A. Lakers (8-1) looked poised to meet again in the NBA Finals. Kobe's being Kobe, a healthy Andrew Bynum gives the Lakers much needed muscle, and Trevor Ariza has looked solid.

The Celtics back in the Finals? Don't tell that to Lebron James. Bron-Bron has the Cavs (9-2) looking better than ever and is solidifying is spot as the best on the planet. So far this year, Lebron is averaging just under 30 a game to along with 8 rebounds and 7 assists per. Freakin sick!

The biggest news? The Iverson/Billups trade. Joe Dumars and the Pistons look to be rebuilding, but don't look now, Detroit is sitting pretty at 7-3 and handed the Lakers their only loss of the season at the Staples Center.

Is it me or does Allen Iverson truly represent the perfect Piston?

As for Denver? Chauncey Billups looks comfortable to be back home as the Nuggets are 5-1 since the trade. And George Karl could not be happier.

"There are less bad plays, more solid plays," Karl said. "I think the wasteful, cheap possessions that we used to have 10 to 15 a game, they don't exist very much anymore."

Two teams looking to build off their momentum last year in the playoffs-Atlanta and Philadelphia. Looking for the missing piece of the puzzle, the 76ers acquired Elton Brand but have started of slow, sitting at 5-5.

As for the Hawks, Atlanta came storming out of the gate at 6-0 and were a last second Paul Pierce game winning shot away from beating the Celtics at the Garden. Something Atlanta failed to do last year in the Playoffs. That loss must of had some effect on the Hawks as they have now dropped 4 straight to drop to 6-4.

The injury bug is killing the Washington Wizards. Gilbert Arenas and Antonio Daniels have both spent significant time on the bench. Arenas has yet to suit up this year as Washington (1-7) could be in for a long season.

Delightful surprises?

Both Miami and the New York Knicks at 6-5. The Knicks! That's right, the Knicks! They won 23 games all of last year! See what happens when you exile Isiah and Stephon.

The Heat aren't really a surprise, considering how Dwyane Wade played in the Olympics. The trio of Wade, Michael Beasley and Shawn Marion are a fun team to watch, they should only get better as the season progresses. If only they had a decent bench.

Give Derrick Rose the NBA Rookie of the Year trophy already. The Bulls' offense is totally set up for Rose to run and he's the perfect fit. D-Rose is averaging 19.5 ppg, 4.8 boards and 5.9 assists. Pretty amazing considering the kid just graduated from his teen years.






Moving across to the Western Conference.

We've already covered the Lakers and Nuggets.

So what about the LA Clippers and their big move bringing Baron Davis back home? Elton Brand leaving LaLa land wasn't part of the plan and the Clippers are downright dismal, 1-9.

The Phoenix Suns (8-4) have really been flexing their muscles of late and Shaq Daddy is showing he still means business.

Utah should win the Northwest Division and would be a serious contender for the Western Conference Crown if they could should figure out how to play outside of Salt Lake City.

Portland finally gets Greg Oden on the court and will definitely make some noise and probably make the playoffs. But their still too young to be a contender.

As for Oklahoma City and Kevin Durant? After landing a professional franchise, Okie City has little to get excited about this year, 1-10.

An unsung rookie to watch out West is Golden State's Anthony Morrow. Morrow, undrafted out of Georgia Tech, is finally getting some minutes and has led the Warriors to consecutive victories over the Clippers and Trailblazers, scoring 37 and 25 respectively.

The Southwest Division has to be the toughest in all of basketball.

After acquiring Ron Artest, Houston looks to be serious contenders in the Western Conference. At 7-4 and on top of the division, the Rockets took a blow Monday night when Artest, McGrady and Yao all went down with injuries. The extent of the injuries doesn't seem severe, but the health of T-Mac and Yao has always been a huge concern.


New Orleans (5-4) has gotten off to a somewhat slow start, but Chris Paul has still been on fire. Paul, one of the best overall players in the NBA, can lay claim to breaking a record previously held by Oscar Robertson. In his first 7 games of the year, Paul finished with at least 20 points and 10 assists, breaking Robertson's previous record of 6 to begin a season.

Age, Josh Howard's off season habits and Mark Cuban's scandal with the SEC may all be playing a part in Dallas's (4-7) slow start. In need of a good joke, look toward the Mavs.

Poor San Antonio. I don't really mean that. First Manu Ginobili's brittle body, and now Tony Parker has free time to spend with his hot ass wife. The Spurs started 2-5, but don't look now, Timmy's managed to lead them to 3 straight victories and they've crept back to .500.

As for Memphis? Well, I'm not even gonna talk about the Grizz. Except Rudy Gay looking nice and O.J. Mayo averaging just over 20 a game, including back to back 30 plus games.