Up In the Air

A lot has changed within the past few weeks: the Lakers' acquisition of Pau Gasol has proven to be the best in-season decision of the year, the Suns have realized just how much they're going to have to change with Shaq in the lineup, the Celtics have begun dropping games left and right to Western Conference teams, and the Rockets have crept up on the rest of the league by winning 12 in a row. Forget everything you thought you knew about the 2007-2008 NBA season, because whether it's the fact that the superstars are smelling playoff time or simply the excitement of some deadline (or near-deadline) deals, the scene for the NBA Finals has never seemed so uncertain.

There's the Celtics. I'm a die-hard, so don't think I'm going to let a few losses cloud my memory of the early months of the season when the C's were thinking 70. Because disappointing West coast road trip or not, Boston remains a legit title contender and is happy to see KG back in the lineup. The absence of the star forward allowed Rajon Rondo to find his niche in the offense, and I'm pretty sure the starting point guard has never felt so confident in his game. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen remain a little inconsistent, but when they have their good games it's something beautiful (the two combined to go 19-22 from the field on Sunday). Bench role-players like Glen Davis, Leon Powe and James Posey seem to be right on track and the team is building up steam again.

...and the Lakers. I hate to see Kobe eating up the spotlight in LA (like usual), because it's really the presence of Gasol in the paint that has done the team so much good. 9-1 since the big Spaniard entered the lineup, and the best team in LA hasn't looked so good since Shaq was roaming around underneath the basket. If all of that doesn't frighten you, think about this: the double-double youngster Andrew Bynum has yet to even return from his injury. Goosebumps.

...the Pistons and the Spurs. We'll probably have to wait a good three years before we can stop considering these teams yearly title contenders, maybe even longer than that. Both have experience, but some newfound pieces (Amir Johnson in Detroit, Kurt Thomas' addition to San Antonio) have lit a fire under the rest of the teams and both find themselves in second place in their respective conferences. Don't be surprised if Tim Duncan and Chauncey Billups step it up come playoffs time. I know I won't be.

...and please don't forget the Hornets. I've been with these guys all year. I still think Chris Paul is a top-3 MVP candidate, even if he doesn't have the big name to pull it off. Meanwhile, David West is one of the most underrated player in the NBA (his numbers look remarkably like Chris Bosh's, people), and Tyson Chandler is just a notch below Marcus Camby on the "long-armed, defensive centers who seem way too skinny to pull down 12+ rebounds a game"-o-meter. Don't write this young, talented squad off, because I have a feeling Paul wants to prove that he can turn up his game a la Duncan when the playoffs start up.

Don't get me wrong: the Jazz, Suns, Mavericks, Magic and Rockets are all looking to make their move on the rest of the league, it's just too uncertain at the moment. Playoff time can't come soon enough.

Marion to the Heat; Shaq Involved

First things first: none of the headlines for this trade should feature the words "Shaq to the Suns". In fact, any variation on that phrase (that includes "Suns acquire Shaq", "O'Neal heading out West" or the horrific "Sunny Day for the Diesel") deserves to be immediately discredited. Shaq is not the best player in this deal, and the last time I checked it is the best player who should get the headline when a blockbuster goes down (Pau? KG? Iverson?).

This is why I will begin by focusing on the Shawn Marion end of the trade, the good side.

This acquisition is fantastic for the Heat. In Marion, they get a proven defender and offensive contributor, an athletic forward and an overall excellent piece to go alongside Dwyane Wade. Together, the two will provide Miami with one of the most versatile and talented duos in the league, and they've got a good shot at climbing out of the East's cellar before the season is up.

Marcus Banks, a little gem in the deal, should be a solid backup point guard who has had a good amount of practice since entering the league (that's what playing behind Steve Nash will do to you). He can play behind Jason Williams until he's comfortable enough to take over the starting spot.

Overall, the trade benefits the Heat immensely: they give up the constantly-injured O'Neal, who has done little for the team for about a year, they gain a fantastic player in Marion and a solid backup point guard in Banks. This might just be a good opportunity for Miami to turn things around.

I wish I could say the same for the Suns.

It's hard to tell exactly what Steve Kerr was thinking when he pulled the trigger: O'Neal is aging, doesn't fit the Suns' style at all, and needs to be repaired every month or so. Steve Nash will get agitated when he finds empty space beside him on the fast break, Amare Stoudemire will lose even more touches on offense (Shaq needs the ball a lot more than Marion did) and he will drag down the Suns every single possession. If Phoenix wants a championship, they're going to have to go in a completely different direction. It's time for the "run-and-gun Suns offense" to be an element of the past.

All-Star Picks: Western Conference

This is way late, I've been slacking and I apologize. The starters have already been chosen, but I'm still going to put down the guys who I think should be starting the game this year in New Orleans.

STARTERS

Guard: Chris Paul, Hornets
I know everybody's all high on Kobe for MVP this year, but I still think Chris Paul deserves to be on top simply because he is doing the same thing Steve Nash did in Phoenix when he got the award, just with less talent and some defense. Paul's statistics are off-the-charts, and the Hornets have been hot as of late and lead the Western Conference. What more can you ask from a 22-year-old?

Guard: Kobe Bryant, Lakers
This, like the Chris Paul pick, was an easy choice for both me and the voters. Not only is Kobe the most popular player in the league, but he's finally doing something with the talent in LA and deserves the starting shooting guard spot more than ever.

Forward: Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets
'Melo has quietly been doing his usual thing over in Denver, but the Nuggets stand at 26-17 and lead the Northwest Division. At the moment, his averages of 25 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists are worthy numbers of a starting spot in New Orleans.

Forward: Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
For some reason, people always seem to forget about the Mavericks. At 30-13, Dallas has the third best record in the West, and although Dirk's numbers have slipped a bit he remains one of the league's best players. After all, he is the MVP.

Center: Amare Stoudemire, Suns
Even though the West has a plethora of talented centers to offer, Stoudemire's work in Phoenix has been fantastic and he is more athletic than any big man in the league. Plus, since Nash won't be starting, the Suns deserve somebody starting this game.

RESERVES

Guards:

Allen Iverson, Nuggets
It's a comeback year for AI, even though he never really fell off the radar. He's still chasing Kobe and LeBron for that scoring title.

Steve Nash, Suns
Honestly, what would this game be without Nash on the team?

Forwards:

Carlos Boozer, Jazz
The Jazz might be a disappointment, but Boozer is still putting up huge numbers and carrying the team.

Tim Duncan, Spurs
See Steve Nash comment.

Center:

Marcus Camby, Nuggets
Camby's defense has been off-the-charts, and his 14.4 rebounds per game rank second in the league.

Wild Cards:

Shawn Marion, Suns
Although Marion's scoring has been down, he's still a great defender and rebounder.

Brandon Roy, Blazers
A bit of a surprise here, but Roy has been playing like an All-Star and is carrying the young Portland team to the playoffs.

All-Star Picks: Eastern Conference

My long-awaited All-Star picks are finally finished, and I've made sure to throw in a few surprises. Remember, my selections for starters have nothing to do with fan voting thus far, so a few of my choices for starters might end up as reserves due to the naive mind of the common fan. No offense.

STARTERS

Point Guard: Chauncey Billups, Pistons
Billups seems to consistently fly under the radar when it comes to the All-Star selections, and I'm not sure why. The Pistons are as popular as an Eastern Conference team can get, and they're having their best season since they chased 70 wins in 2006. Billups is undoubtedly the leader of his team, consistently throwing up 17 points and 7 assists and always coming through in the clutch. For some reason, Billups has found himself the sixth most popular guard in the East, but if you remove Jason Kidd (Nets aren't a good enough team) and Gilbert Arenas (injured, people) from the competition you have Chauncey left as the top floor general of the bunch. Unfortunately, we just can't do that.

Shooting Guard: Dwyane Wade, Heat
Without a doubt the most difficult name I've had to put on this list. I have nothing against Wade, he deserves a trip to the All-Star game every year in my book, but the Heat are so God-awful that I'm finding it hard to vote for one of their boys. Wade's numbers have dipped a bit: 24.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 47% from the field, but that doesn't change the fact that he is easily the most talented shooting guard in the Eastern Conference and deserves to be rewarded. He may not be able to carry the slow, aging Heat like he did back in '06, but he's giving it his best shot. And really, how much more could you really ask for?

Small Forward: LeBron James, Cavaliers
Here's one circumstance where team performance just doesn't matter. LeBron's numbers have been so unreal this season-29.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 2 steals and a block per game-that he should receive multiple MVP votes despite his team's poor playing. King James has solidified his place above Kobe Bryant as the most talented player in the NBA this season, whooping his Los Angeles counterpart in almost every statistical category. James will undoubtedly start in New Orleans come February, and there's nobody I can think of to take his place.

Power Forward: Kevin Garnett, Celtics
When was the last time that a single trade shifted the entire balance of the NBA? Even when Shaq went from the Lakers to the Heat, LA remained a decent team in the West and are now on their way to another playoff berth. The KG trade, however, has turned the Timberwolves from a mediocre team to the worst team in the league and the Celtics from a terrible team to the best team in the league. His ability to improve the performance of the players around him has been Nash-like, and his 19 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists per game remain some of the most versatile numbers in the league. Not to mention his defensive impact: the C's have gone from being the 9th best defensive team in the league to the best defensive team in the league, and I'm quite sure it wasn't the addition of Ray Allen that did so. All-in-all, I can think of few players that are more All-Star worthy, or MVP-worthy, than the Big Ticket.

Center: Dwight Howard, Magic
Guess who the last player to average 20+ points and 15+ rebounds while shooting 60% from the floor was. I'll give you a hint: he is arguably the best player in NBA history not named Michael Jordan. That's right, Dwight Howard has a shot to be the first player since Wilt Chamberlain to put up numbers like that, and he only just turned 22-years-old. I mean, his numbers are almost identical to Shaq's when he was 22, and Howard's team is emerging as one of the best in the East. It's scary to think what this kid is going to be doing in just a couple years' time, mainly because it's scary to think what he's doing right now. Without a doubt the best center in the NBA and a legitimate MVP candidate, Dwight Howard should be on everybody's ballot and deserves the trip to New Orleans.

RESERVES

Guards:

Jason Kidd
Kidd is as close as ever to averaging a triple-double, and has managed to turn Richard Jefferson into one of the East's top scorers with his remarkable playmaking. Too bad the Nets are still 18-18.

Richard Hamilton
Rip is having another consistent season for the successful Pistons, and despite a slight dip in his scoring he remains the team's top offensive option.

Joe Johnson
Don't look now, but the Hawks are one game back from being .500. And, in the East, that just might be enough to get them into the playoffs. Johnson has been a large part of that effort and his offensive abilities should land him a trip to New Orleans.

Just Missed the Cut: Michael Redd, Ray Allen, Jamaal Tinsley

Forwards:

Chris Bosh
Bosh hasn't been making much noise up in Toronto, with the Raptors having a slightly less successful season than last year, but remains a top rebounder in the East and a bright spot for the future.

Paul Pierce
Many are overlooking the effect Pierce is having over in Boston. Sure, KG has provided most of the energy needed to push this Celtics team into contention, but The Truth's 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists help carry the team night in and night out.

Caron Butler
Butler, who is lacking a good nickname and therefore will be referred to as "LittleBron", puts up numbers shockingly similar to the King from Cleveland: 21.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.3 steals. Oh, not to mention the fact that he has kept a Gilbert-less Wizards squad over .500 for the past month.

Just Missed the Cut: Josh Smith, Richard Jefferson, Hedo Turkoglu

Center:

Emeka Okafor
It's only fair to have Dwight Howard's 2004 draft class counterpart back him up in the All-Star game, plus Okafor's defensive prowess is matched by only a few centers in the league.

Just Missed the Cut: Rasheed Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskus

Regarding Powerhouses

The word "powerhouse" is hard to define. Is it simply one of the best teams in the league in any given year? Does a powerhouse have to be good for a certain number of years before it can be defined as such? Or is a powerhouse just a select group of teams, the Spurs, Mavs, Suns and Pistons, that seem to meet with success no matter what their record?

Personally, I think a powerhouse is confined within a single season. For instance, in the East, the powerhouses are Boston, Detroit and possibly Orlando: the three best teams in the conference. In the West, the usual teams could be considered powerhouses: the Spurs, Mavericks, Suns and...Hornets? If you call Dallas a powerhouse, I suppose you have to call New Orleans a powerhouse (the two have the same record). However, "the New Orleans Hornets powerhouse" doesn't sound right at all, does it?

I myself love the Hornets, I think they're one of the youngest and most exciting teams in the league. However, this image of "powerhouses" that all fans possess makes it nearly impossible for them to receive any sort of credit. Sure, Chris Paul and Co. get the occasional "have you seen how well these guys are playing?" piece written about them, but it's never "the Warriors have a difficult match-up against the New Orleans powerhouse this weekend". It's time for teams to be viewed as a team of the '07-'08 season, rather than a team whose performance will be judged based on the past few years.

The Hornets are just as good as, if not better than, the Dallas Mavericks.

The Orlando Magic are the third best team in the Eastern Conference.

The Miami Heat are the second-worst team in the NBA. Didn't see that coming, did you?

Who Says There's No Bench?

Watching this Celtics-Grizzlies game, I can't help but be impressed by Boston's bench. Before the season began, the players outside of Garnett, Pierce and Allen (and Rondo, to some degree) were getting openly criticized and the team's bench was immediately written off as their Achilles' heel. However, over the first few months of the season, Summer acquisitions like Eddie House and James Posey proved to be valuable pieces off the bench, and Doc Rivers could stand letting KG, Pierce and Ray-Ray get some rest more often than he had hoped.

Now, this bench is looking like one of the best in the league (yeah, I said it) with the recent emergence of Tony Allen (11.5 ppg in the last four) and the solid post play of Glen Davis in limited minutes. All the necessary fields are met with House's shooting, Posey's defense, Allen's slashing and Davis' rebounding (1.7 offensive rebounds per game in only 12 minutes).

It's hard to say that anybody outside of the Big Three has contributed heavily to the Celtics' 28-3 record, but you have to give this bench some credit as it has exceeded expectations greatly and should become crucial come playoff time.

12/23 Recap

Today was a big day, for two reasons...

• Kobe Bryant doesn't have an MVP trophy or a Championship without Shaq, but he can now be certain that he'll be remembered as more than just "that guy who wanted to get traded all the time." Then again, I doubt that anybody would forget about Kobe period. Bryant became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points today, and is well on his way to breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time total in that category (38,387). He'll have to play well into his late 30s and even early 40s, but if anybody has the motivation to break such a record, it's Kobe. And as a Celtics fan, you know how hard that was for me to say.
• The Nuggets have two fantastic scorers in their starting five: Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson. So how did Linas Kleiza end up hitting the game-winner as the buzzer sounded against the Kings? I'm sure I'll be asking the exact same question in ten years, still without an answer. I guess that's just what makes the NBA so great.

That's all I've got. I'll probably be posting very rarely between now and the New Year, but I'll try to check back in as soon as possible.