The Washington Wizards are surging! Well, relatively speaking, of course.

As we get closer to the All-Star break, the Wizards have put together a nice little 10-7 stretch that has included wins over the Thunder, Nuggets, Bulls, Clippers, Knicks and Nets. Sure, they’ve lost a few games to subpar teams during that stretch, but they have finally get over the late game issues that prevented them from winning some of their close early season games.

Though their win against the Thunder did come without him, the main reason that the Wizards have been able to rattle off some impressive performances is the return of their star point guard John Wall.

Hit the jump for the rest of Mark’s piece…

Wall has not lived up to the hype as he received as the number one pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, but you certainly can’t knock him for that. When Wall was drafted the last two #1 overall picks were Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin, who set the bar the bar incredibly high for those that came after them. Not only that, because Blake Griffin broke his kneecap in a pre-season game before the 2009-10 NBA season, Wall was forced to compete with him for the Rookie of the Year award even though Griffin had a whole year to get used to the NBA culture. And as if it couldn’t get worse, then the Cavs drafted Kyrie Irving with the #1 pick last year and he set the world on fire in his rookie campaign, thus making Wall’s production look worse by comparison.

But things have turned around for Wall this season. Though he has only been back for 16 games, the Wizards have thrived with him on the floor, and he seems like a completely different player than he did last year.

Since returning to the team, Wall has played 450 minutes according to BasketballValue. Though it is a small sample size, the Wizards’ offense has seen a substantial jump of 7.01 points per 100 possessions with Wall on the floor. Wall’s impact on the team’s improvement also extends to the defensive end: When Wall is on the floor, the Wizard’s only surrender 96.07 points per 100 possessions, an elite mark, compared to a defensive rating of 102.97 when he is off the floor. Overall, Wall has a net rating of 13.91 points per 100 possessions. As time goes on and the sample size grows, you can expect that number to shrink, but you can count on Wall continuing to have an overwhelmingly positive effect on his team.

Wall is perhaps the fastest player in the entire league in transition, a player capable of rocketing past opposing defenses that think they can jog back when he is on the floor. Wall can elude defensive players that are in place, too, as his whip-quick dribble and incredible body control combine to leave the opposition in the dust anytime he is on the break. Wall’s ability to get out on the break gives some relief to the Wizards offense, which, while improved since Wall’s return, isn’t the most effective halfcourt offense in the league.

It is funny how much better things feel with Wall back in the line-up for the Wizards. His return has a had a ripple effect on everybody else on the team. Spot-up shooters are getting more good looks with defenses having to collapse to stop Wall’s drive, big men are getting more space to operate off of pick-and-rolls and Bradley Beal has gone from a completely overwhelmed rookie to a very effective sidekick.

If you want to see how important a point guard that can be a threat is to a team, especially one that was playing without a post threat until Nene came back, then the Wizards are a perfect example. Watching A.J. Price and Shaun Livingston run this team is comical compared to the way the Wall runs it. Defenses actually have to gameplan to stop Wall in the pick-and-roll game, and it opens up things for his big men to become threats after setting screens, which wasn’t the case when Wall was out. Just watch how much room there is for his big men to operate because teams have to help so much to stop him from getting to the rim.

Beal is the player that has benefited the most from Wall’s return. Baptism by fire doesn’t even begin to describe what Beal went through at the beginning of this season. Not only was Beal given a starting role in the NBA fresh off his freshman year in college, he was asked to be their number one scoring option and often times their primary ball handler. With a natural point guard like Wall in the fold, Beal can shift to his normal position of shooting guard, and the two have developed some fine chemistry in a very short amount of time.

While they have only played 10 games together since Wall came back, the numbers about Wall’s effect on Beal are staggering (stats via the NBA StatsCube).

Situation	MIN	FG%	3PT%	+/- Per 36 Min.
John Wall On Court	152	44%	50%	11.8
John Wall Off Court	1121	38%	34%	-6.2

These stats must be presented with a caveat about the sample size, but the eye test matches these numbers. Beal isn’t going to continue to shoot 52% from three when Wall is on the floor, but because he is getting much better looks and looking more and more comfortable as a shooter, his overall field goal percentage is going to go up drastically. Now that Beal is the second most dangerous perimeter player on the floor and now that Wall is handling the ball the majority of the time, Beal is being presented with more efficient looks. Take a look here at how Wall’s ability to breakdown a defense and his underrated passing skills extract the best out of Beal.

According to Synergy Sports Technology, Wall is scoring 0.978 points per possession in isolation this season. While he’s only had 45 such possessions, he’s shooting a robust 51% from the field when he is faced off in a one-on-one situation. Wall can get by the majority of point guards in the league with ease and he is equally effective going either left or right from the top of the key. Wall isn’t the kind of player that you isolate on one side of the floor; it’s too easy for defenses to help on him if he’s attacking at an angle. But when he has his man on an island from the top of the circle? He’s deadly.

Keep in mind, this is Wall beating defenders off the dribble that know his only way of scoring is getting to the rim. Teams can attempt to concede the mid-range jumper to Wall and still end up allowing him looks at the rim. And now that he has incorporated an effective runner to his arsenal he’s even more difficult to contain. Of course, there is room for improvement with Wall – mainly that shaky jumper – but Wall has even made strides there, knocking down 36% of his 16-23 foot jumpers so far this season. He’s still not not any kind of a threat from beyond the arc, but he is slowly becoming a more efficient player, which is just as important.

It’s too bad that the Wizards had to wait to so long to get both Wall and Nene back this season. With the Boston Celtics losing Rondo and the Philadelphia 76ers being without Andrew Bynum for half of the season, Washington could be contending for a playoff spot right now. That said, even though they will be a lottery team again this season, I feel as if it will end up being a successful year for Washington. Wall, while he still has a lot of room for growth, has looked better than ever now that he’s surrounded with a more veteran and professional cast, and with the addition of another lottery player, Washington should contend for a playoff spot as soon as next season.

Hit the jump for the liveblog…

After giving him a couple of 10-day contracts, the Miami Heat announced yesterday that they have signed center Chris Andersen for the remainder of the season, giving Miami a full 15 player roster with everybody on guaranteed contracts.

This may seem like an irrelevant addition for Miami, but I have a feeling that Andersen may end up playing a role for the Heat this season. Miami has struggled with the center position ever since the big three era began, and even though Erick Spoelstra has a place in his heart for Joel Anthony, Anthony’s offensive ineptitude and relatively poor rebounding make him a tough player to put on the floor.

While Andersen is also a limited offensive player, he’s much better than Anthony because his hands are made of skin rather than stone. Over his past handful of seasons in the NBA Andersen has been a very efficient offensive player, and his understanding of the game’s spacing on the offensive end has improved greatly. Andersen can’t really do anything but dunk, but he makes himself effective by contributing as a pick-and-roll threat, an offensive rebounding presence and a dangerous off-ball cutter. When Miami spreads the floor offensively, they can count on Andersen being able to use all of the interior space to establish offensive rebounding position or to feast on help defenders that have to cut off LeBron or Wade’s drives to the rim.

But who am I kidding? As long as Andersen actually catches the ball when it is passed to him, the Heat will be happy with him on offense. The real reason that the Heat are hanging on to Andersen is his defense.

During his last full season in the NBA – 2009-10 with the Nuggets – Andersen led the NBA in block percentage at 6.34%. While that may not be as high as some of the astronomical numbers that Sergee Ibaka and Larry Sanders are throwing up, it is still pretty impressive and a good indicator of Andersen’s ability to protect the rim. Andersen has also always been a solid rebounder, with his usual rebound rate being around 17%, while Joel Anthony’s usually sits around 11%.

To be more specific, it is Andersen’s mobility defensively that makes him a coveted piece for the Heat. The linchpin of Miami’s defensive scheme is the hard trapping that they do on pick-and-rolls and Andersen is capable of moving his feet laterally in order to get in sound defensive position to trap ball handlers while still being able to recover to his man on the roll and do an effective job rebounding.

Though he has only played a few games for the Heat, take a look at how well Andersen has handled his new role as an aggressive pick-and-roll defender so far.

Mobile bigs don’t grow on trees, and one with the defensive instincts of Andersen is even more rare. Oddly enough, Anthony possesses these qualities, but, to use an evaluation system coined by Bill Simmons, Andersen and Anthony both bring that to the table, and Andersen takes fewer things off for the Heat, which should make him a usual suspect in Spoelstra’s rotation for the remainder of the season.

The San Antonio Spurs have the best offensive sets in the league and this has been the case ever seen Gregg Popovich decided to ditch his plodding Duncan-centric offense and started featuring Tony Parker more in a fast-paced and incredibly watchable display of basketball brilliance.

This is a play that the Spurs love to run that features a “snug” pick-and-roll between Tony Parker and Tiago Splitter. The pick-and-roll action between these two is deadly – Splitter is one of the best roll men in the league – but just in case the defense can bottle it up (which is rare), the Spurs have some sweet weakside action that can punish the defense even if they do everything right.

Tony Parker begins this play by backdown his man on either side of the floor and getting to about 15-18 feet from the hoop. Meanwhile, Tiago Splitter sets a backscreen for Manu Ginobili (or any of San Antonio’s other wings). Ginobili uses the screen to flash to the rim. If he is open, Parker can thread a pass to him for an easy lay-up. If he’s not Ginobili clears through the paint to the weakside.

After setting the backscreen for Ginobili, Splitter then goes over to Parker to run a snug pick-and-roll with him. Parker dribbles around the screen and to the top of the key. While this is taking place on the strongside, there is weakside action going on designed to get the original cutter an open look from three. Kawhi Leonard and Borris Diaw both step up to set an elevator screen for Ginobili. Once Parker is at the top of the key, he has a few options.

If the Splitter’s man has come up to corral his dribble, he can hit Splitter on the baseline for the easy dunk. If the defense rotates over and covers Splitter, then the pass to Ginobili is there. If Ginobili is open but the defenses closes to him quickly, he can swing the ball to the corner for Kawhi Leonard, who settles back into that spot after setting his screen for Ginobili. And lastly, Parker can come around the screen and dribble towards the free throw line where he can unleash one of his patentend floaters. Essentially: if San Antonio runs this play, you best hope they miss.

After completing a 3-for-1 deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers last week that got them under the luxury tax threshold for this season, it was thought that the Memphis Grizzlies were content to move along with their current core, thus putting an end to any trade talks involving their high-usage forwards (Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph). But as it turns out, Memphis’ new ownership group wasn’t satisfied with their long-term financial picture after shedding the salaries of Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, and Josh Selby, and decided to continue shopping Gay over the past week.

As a result, Gay has a new team to call his own: the Toronto Raptors. Finding a third team to help facilitate the salaries was the only thing keeping this deal from going down sooner, and once the Detroit Pistons stepped up as a suitor for point guard Jose Calderon, things starting falling into place.

Here is how the deal breaks down: Memphis is sending Gay and center Hamed Haddadi (likely to be waived) to the Raptors and Toronto is giving the Grizzlies promising young forward Ed Davis as well as Calderon. Calderon isn’t staying in Memphis, though, as the Grizzlies are re-routing him to the Pistons in exchange for forwards Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye. When you put everything together, Memphis essentially dealt Gay, Speights, Ellington and Selby for Prince, Daye, Davis and Jon Leuer.

Gay’s name has been involved in trade whispers ever since the Grizzlies went on that competitive playoff run without him in the 2011 playoffs, and with harsher luxury-tax penalties impending, Memphis decided that it was best for the future of the team to cut ties with Gay and his massive salary. This move wasn’t 100% financially motivated, though. The Grizzlies have a brand new front office outlook with former ESPN writer and stats guru John Hollinger, and the numbers on Gay’s production this year are putrid.

Hit the jump for the rest of Mark’s trade breakdown…

Gay has a 14.39 PER this season; to put that in perspective, a league average PER is 15 and Gay ranks 27th amongst small forwards in PER, just one slot above Dorell Wright. There are circumstances in which a 14 PER isn’t awful. For instance, Kyle Korver and Kawhi Leonard both have 14-something PERs, but they both have unique skills that don’t necessarily factor into the PER formula. The two major differences between Gay and guys like Korver or Leonard are that Gay doesn’t really have a unique or elite skill (unless you count monster athleticism as a skill) and that Gay is due over $37 million over the next two seasons. Gay is being paid like a max superstar while producing like a league average small forward.

It makes a lot of sense for Memphis to deal Gay. I would say the biggest reason for Gay’s limited production this season is his fit with the team, and not necessarily a lack of skill. Gay has never been a good fit with the Grizzlies. He is an athletic player that needs to be able to play in space frequently, whether it be by posting up on one side of the floor, working the lanes with cuts and slashes or even running pick-and-rolls. But with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol in the paint, space is not something in abundance in Memphis and Gay’s struggles from three-point land (31% on 3.1 attempts per game) were hurting the Grizzlies’ spacing.

Some will see Gay’s trade as a purely financial move without considering his poor basketball fit, which is a shame. I have already seen the Grizzlies get bashed for making a money driven move when they were a top four team in the West, but this trade’s benefits extends to the court, too. Gay is a posterchild for how misleading points per game averages can be. He was Memphis’ leading scorer before he got dealt, but few consider the fact that he was getting those 17 points a night on an innefficient 16 shots.

After saying all of that, I am still a bit underwhelmed by the haul that the Grizzlies got in this one. Had Dallas been willing to part ways with Vince Carter – their reluctance to is the reason Detroit was brought into this deal instead of the Mavs – I would have a different opinion. Carter has been great this season as a pick-and-roll creator and he’s a solid 38% from three on nearly five attempts per game. But Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye? I’m not as sold on that duo.

I am not entirely sure why Memphis wanted to find a third team to take on Jose Calderon instead of just taking him in themselves. Memphis’ biggest problem is spacing/outside shooting and they have struggled to find a solid back-up point guard for a few years now. Jerryd Bayles is a solid player, but he is more of a combo guard than someone that can run a fluid offense with the second unit. Calderon is a tremendous shooter, would have instant chemistry with fellow Spaniard Marc Gasol and would give Memphis’ bench a huge lift. On top of that, Memphis could go with a Conley-Calderon-Allen-Randolph-Gasol line in crunchtime and have just enough defense on the floor to cover for Calderon’s ole-style defense.

But alas, the Grizzlies have decided to take on Price and Daye.

Prince is shooting pretty well from three, which should help the Grizzlies spacing in theory, but his 43% mark from deep has come on just 1.2 attempts per game. With an increased amount of shots, will Prince’s accuracy continue to be above league average? That remains to be seen, and Prince’s three-point percentage may be what this deal hinges on for the Grizzlies. Prince isn’t a very versatile offensive player in this stage of his career, with his best attributes at this point being his jumpshot and his ability to post-up. Based on what we saw from Gay in terms of post-ups, I’d have to imagine Prince will struggle to get good looks consistently from the post. That makes him a jumpshooter, and while that is something that Memphis can use, I am not sure that Prince is the best replacement for Gay. Prince has also lost a step defensively, and this once elite wing stopper is not much better than average now.

While Prince’s contract has him due for around $15 million over the next two years, Daye is the player that intrigues me more for this team. He is almost a carbon copy of Daye from a physique perspective and played both forward spots during his time with the Pistons. He hadn’t shown much promise up until this season, but Daye’s 58% true shooting percentage, albeit in only 330 minutes or so, is something to get excited about. According to Synergy Sports Technology, Daye is shooting 43% on spot-up shots this season and could be a reliable wing shooter for Lionel Hollins if he’s given a shot; that is what happened when Lawrence Frank gave him a chance this season in Detroit.

Though it is a small sample size, when Daye was on the court for the Pistons this season, Detroit scored 14.06 more points per 100 possessions, according to Basketball Value. His ability to stretch the floor with that unit really helped the Pistons turn their season around. I’ve always seen the potential in Daye and I think this change of scenery will help him grow as a player. He’s a poor defensive player, but I think Daye can stick in the corner and knockdown open threes, essentially filling Quincy Pondexter’s role until he returns. If Daye performs well during his trail run, perhaps he can secure a more permanent role with the second unit. And if he doesn’t, Memphis can decline to extend his qualifying offer at the end of the season.

The one player that I haven’t mentioned yet that the Grizzlies are getting is Ed Davis, and he is clearly the centerpiece of this deal for Memphis. Davis is a very intriguing young player that has looked really good at times during this season. He’s got a 18.19 PER, the 15th best mark amongst power forwards, as well as a top-20 rebound rate and a top-10 true shooting percentage (57%). Davis is a versatile player that scored on a good mix of pick-and-rolls, post-ups (mostly flashing to the middle and making a quick move; his game on the blocks needs time), offensive rebounds and cut. Davis is an active and athletic young player that can protect the rim and give Memphis a strong fourth member to their frontline, which was already the best in the league with Gasol, Randolph and Darrell Arthur.

Davis can play either big man position; I’d imagine he sticks to center when he plays with Arthur and Randolph and moves out to power forward when paired with Gasol. Davis’ athleticism and speed also opens up the possibility to go small at times with his second unit, perhaps inserting Daye at the four, where he played the majority of his minutes last season. It will be interesting to see how Davis’ offensive skillset looks around those guys -  but his defensive work should be consistent no matter who his floormates are. Per Synergy, Davis has been great against pick-and-rolls this season, holding ball-handlers to just 36% shooting. He’s not a great one-on-one defender because of his light frame, but he’s a good athlete that can move his feet and generally does well on that end of the floor.

If it weren’t for Davis, I would really hate this trade for Memphis, but being able to add a potential packed young big man like Davis while dumping a massive burden of a salary, in addition to getting two modest replacements at the small forward spot, isn’t so bad. I still think the team could have done better with a haul of Davis and Calderon, but if Davis continues to grow his game, he could be a solid replacement for Randolph down the road. I am not entirely sure that the Grizzlies improved or impaired their title chances with this move, but they did enhance their ability to improve their team in the future by parting ways with Gay.

Detroit makes out pretty well with this deal. Signing Prince to a four-year, $27 million extension back in 2011 was one of the most illogical moves I have ever seen a franchise make, particularly one that was supposed to be re-building. Though Daye was set to hit the market anyways (assuming Detroit refused his QO), getting the $15 million that Prince was due over the next two season off the books is huge for the Pistons, especially because Calderon has a $10 million contract that will expire at the end of the season. At the end of the day, Detroit should have something close to $25 million in capspace this summer to go out and get pieces to build around their core of Brandon Knight, Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond.

Financially, this was a homerun deal for the Pistons, and for a team that is clearly looking towards the future, that is really all that matters.

Then again, there is a small chance that the actual basketball side of things will be relevant for the Pistons. Because the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are going through such a rough stretch, there is an opening for that eighth playoff spot in the East, and Detroit, which has looked like a completely different basketball team since Frank unleashed his spread-based second unit, could actually make the playoffs with a strong stretch of basketball over the next month.

Calderon has been really good this season, putting up the second highest career in PER (19.38) while carrying the second heaviest offensive burden of his career (based on usage percentage). Calderon also leads the league in assist rate, barely edging out Steve Nash and Rajon Rondo by a percentage point, and he is probably the best point guard in basketball this side of Chris Paul at protecting the ball. Given that the Piston’s top passer this season has been Will Bynum (25.3 assist rate in a limited role), Calderon will be a massive upgrade, and playing alongside a playmaker like Calderon should do wonders for Brandon Knight, who could use a few more spot-up looks to increase his efficiency.

It isn’t crazy to suggest that Calderon could spark the Pistons’ second unit (or perhaps their starting line-up, depending on how Frank plans on using him), and with the way they have played recently, a spark may be enough to lift them above the struggling Celts and Sixers. Detroit is currently six games behind the Celtics in the loss column, but if Boston falls off without Rondo as many expect, it is not a gap that Detroit can’t close. If Calderon gives the Pistons everything he has rather than saving himself for a new contract, Detroit will be a team to watch down the stretch this season.

***

And now, to the Toronto Raptors, who seem to have no earthly idea what they are doing. The Rudy Gay-Raptor rumors never made much sense to me and when I learned that the “young Raptor player” that Yahoo! said would go to Memphis is a deal for Gay wasn’t DeMar DeRozan, I was shocked. Not because the Grizzlies needed to get DeRozan for the deal to make sense for them, but because it didn’t make any sense at all for Toronto to acquire Gay and keep DeRozan, given that their games fit together so poorly in theory (and likely in practice).

But here is Bryan Colangelo, trading for a player he regrets passing up in the 2006 NBA Draft, even though he already has two top 10 picks from the past few years playing the same position as Gay. Even for Colangelo, this moved seemed dumb.

Let’s recap what the Raptors have done at the wing position over the last few months, shall we?

First, he signed DeRozan to a four-year, $40 million extension. At the time, this was a questionable move but a bet on a level-headed youngster turning his promise into production, and the early returns speak to this being a smart investment. Of course, shortly after inking a long-term deal and pricey with his shooting guard, Colangelo drafted shooting guard Terrence Ross with the eighth overall pick in the 2012 draft. All things considered, having a dynamic young duo like DeRozan and Ross could payoff. I am actually OK with these two moves.

But then, drunk with lust for the perfect narrative (bringing Steve Nash to his home country for the final years of his career) Colangelo stupidly signed Landry Fields, an above average rebounder and decent cutter but overall below average player, to three-year, $20 million offer sheet solely to complicate the New York Knicks’ pursuit of Nash (in hopes that Nash would have to choose the Raps after that). As it turns out, Nash never wanted to be far from his kids in Phoenix, and Los Angeles was likely the furthest destination he would accept a trade to … oh, and the Knicks got a good laugh at Toronto having to pay Fields $20 million.

And now you have $37 million committed to Gay over the next two seasons. By my count that is four wing players that, based on their salaries or draft position, all deserve something close to 30 minutes a night. Instead, Dwane Casey has a logjam on the perimeter that he has to deal with, all while the front office shells out a stunning $36 million to those four players alone next season. And,though it doesn’t matter long-term, Toronto is also paying about $2 million to Mickael Pietrus, Dominic McGuire and Alan Anderson this season, and the latter of which has actually emerged as a solid rotation player of late.

During an interview with NBATV tonight, Colangelo said his next order of business is to trade Andrea Bargnani (and yes, he actually said on live TV that he was shopping the former #1 overall pick), which seemed like a foregone conclusion when the Gay deal was announced. It is unclear what the Raps can get for Bargnani at this point. His production, and thus his value, is at an all-time low and with two years and $20 million left on his deal, few teams are going to be interested. The Lakers have been a common fake trade partner, but with Calderon gone, Toronto can’t part ways with Kyle Lowry, and the Lakers almost certainly won’t do a Pau-for-Bargs deal straight up. At this point, it is hard to see a team taking on Bargnani without Toronto sweetening the pot somehow.

Since I mentioned it for Detroit,  I guess it is also worth mentioning that the Raps are just seven games back of Boston in the loss column. But there is so much change and adjusting that will have to go on once Gay gets there that is hard to see Toronto getting noticeably better any time soon, if at all this season. DeRozan and Gay are such poor fits with each other and Toronto’s spacing will likely be horrible. Their team defense should improve, as Gay and Kyle Lowry are solid on that end of the floor, but I think the Pistons have a much more realistic shot a playoff run than the Raptors do.

The sad part about this trade for Toronto is that, had they just decided to package Calderon and Bargnani in a pure salary dump kind of deal, they could have had some real room for growth with a Lowry/DeRozan/Ross/Amir Johnson/Jonas Valanciunas core. But instead, with the addition of one player, a huge chunk of their finances, as well as a huge chunk of their possessions, has been tied up with one extremely overpaid and inefficient small forward.

Sunday night NBA teams were notified that Maloofs and Chris Hansen’s Seattle group had agreed on a deal that would send the Sacramento Kings to Washington. The Kings franchise was valued at 525 million dollars, and Hansen’s group would purchase 65 percent of the franchise for 341 million. All that remains is for the deal to pass the NBA’s Board of Governors. What that means is that while a hurdle or two remain, things are starting to look really dicey for Kings fans.

The implications of this deal are vast and far reaching on a startling number of levels. It has been well documented how much the people of Sacramento want to keep their team through the efforts of movements like Here We Stay, and more recently, Here We Buy. Mayor Kevin Johnson has literally jumped through every hoop presented to him in his efforts to stop the team’s relocation, forming relationships with potential corporate sponsors, proposing arena deals, and even fighting to find some way to purchase the team locally.

It has also been well documented that fans of the now defunct Seattle Supersonics basically got jobbed in the deal that sent their team to Oklahoma City. The city of Seattle had just got though financing new stadiums and arenas for the Seahawks and Mariners when the owner Howard Schultz requested updates to Key Arena, home of the Sonics. When he was understandably rebuffed, he sold the team to Clay Bennett, who then moved them to OKC. Seattle fans were heartbroken at the loss.

Hit the jump for the rest of Jordan’s piece…

The thing that makes this situation so bitter to me is that the Maloofs have seemingly gone out of their way to make this sale and move as long, drawn out, and downright deceitful as humanly possible. The Maloofs have maintained since they bought the team up until 2011that the Kings were not for sale, up until news broke a proposed deal to move the team to Anaheim. Mayor Kevin Johnson then met with the Board of Governors to plead for a last chance, and then came up with a plan to keep the Kings in Sacramento, which all parties agreed to after last years All Star Game. The Maloofs said when agreeing to that that the Kings would stay in Sacramento. To sell the team to a group that is very vocal about wanting to move the team to Seattle after promising the team would stay in Sacramento make you a…what’s the word I’m looking for here…a big fat smelly liar.

The funny thing about this is that it was reported at one time that Ron Burkle, the billion dollar grocer, offered in 2011 to buy the team and keep it in Sacramento, but apparently the Maloofs were not interested. Maybe they were too busy negotiating the supposed Anaheim deal, or watching every single other business venture that they had hemorrhage so much money due to their incompetence that it necessitated them selling the team in the first place. The important thing is that there were happier endings offered here at multiple junctures.

The Maloofs just didn’t care.

But with the Maloofs’ obvious villainy aside, it is time to look to the future meeting with the Board of Governors, and to what may happen when the NBA owners have to decide whether or not they will allow another loyal NBA fan base to be screwed over.  To be clear, I do not envy them at all in the slightest. Either way they could decide to choose, they are made an accomplice in antagonizing those who would only love to support their product.

To flatly refuse the relocation is to take all of the old scars that Sonicsgate left in Seattle, tear them open with a rusty butter knife, and pour salt in them while laughing maniacally. The people in Seattle were lied to on a few occasions during the relocation of the team, and that pain still festers for many basketball fans in the area. Seattle is a massive media market that would be rife with profit for the NBA, and killing this deal so late in the game could possible kill a lot of the desire that the people there have to once again cheer for the home team in NBA arena.

But to allow the team to relocate sends even more dangerous messages to cities that the NBA operates in, and to the fans living in them. Letting the Kings go send a clear message to those in city government that the NBA will not work with you to let you keep your team. It sends the message that spending all that money on NBA arenas may not be such a good idea, as investing in the NBA does not necessarily mean that the NBA will also invest in you. It sends the message that counting on the jobs provided by teams, and the boost to local businesses is not something to be relied on. The NBA is there to take advantage of your shiny arena, not to be an economic partner.

For local fans, it sends the message that your team is not at all in fact your team, but the team of some billionaire who (at least in the case of the Maloofs) would not cross the street to piss on you if you were on fire. Don’t go forming any attachments with that team! When push comes to shove and the owner wants out, the feeling of your entire city do not matter to the NBA, only the TV contracts and dollar signs.

The sad thing is I think this is all over but the crying. Some of the messages I’ve listed above are now sent no matter what the NBA decides. Faced with no answer that is without ethical flaws, why wouldn’t you take the personal gain that the larger market in Seattle provides?  The NBA is a business, after all, and businesses are supposed to be about profits first.

But if the league truly cares about its fans and the cities it operates in, if it truly cares about the way the city of Seattle got screwed, then it has to realize that the only way to prove such a thing is to break the cycle. You can’t fix wrong with more wrong. Anyone sane knows that. I know the NBA knows that.

The only question left is do they care.

Jordan Akin writes for a basketball website, and really dislikes when that makes him write a vitriol-fueled treatise on ethics. You can contact him via Twitter @jakin1013, or via email at skarab1013@hotmail.com. 

For better or worse, one of the things this season will be remembered for, at least in the short term, is the strange and fraught path that the Los Angeles Lakers are taking to…wherever the heck they might be going. The Lakers seem to have seen the hyper-dysfunctional and amazingly unpredictable season the Knicks had last year and thought to themselves “Oh, we can out-crazy that, easy.” You almost figure that the team hired M. Night Shyamalan to write the season’s script, and before the playoffs it will be revealed that Dwight Howard sees dead people and Kobe Bryant is an alien.

We have gone from crowning the team in the preseason to blaming injuries for lack of chemistry to giving out moral victories to saying moral victories aren’t good enough to saying that they will definitely not make the playoffs to saying the definitely will and everything in between. They restarted their season before beating the Cavs last Sunday and Milwaukee after that, and then lost to the Heat in a game that, frankly, made me feel better about them than either win. In that game they turned the ball over a ton, had some odd rotations at times, had Kobe looking ineffective for most of the game…and still in the end still made the Heat play some of their best basketball of the season in order to pull out the win.

In that Heat game we caught a glimpse of who we thought this team was in the offseason, a glimpse of the team that could still make an impact this year if they play their cards right. But make no mistake. This team is standing on the thinnest part of the razor’s edge in a hurricane while wearing no shoes. The margin for error is nearly nonexistent. Any more mistakes and they get to feel good about their moral victories at home while Houston or Portland play the first round of the playoffs.

Hit the jump for the rest of Jordan’s piece…

I figure the best case scenario for  the Lakers is getting the seventh or eighth seed in the West, so I’m only counting the teams up to the current seven seed in this line of thinking I’m exploring. That means I’m mentally putting them against Minnesota, Portland, Houston, and Utah. The two teams directly behind them are currently Dallas, who would need a miracle equal to the Lakers to make it in, and Sacramento, who I just don’t see it happening for. Due to the fact that Minnesota has hit a rash of injuries honestly makes anyone else’s in the league look trivial, I’m sort of assuming they will trend downward as the season goes on.

Unless a trade happens, I’m sort of assuming that Portland heads the same direction. Their bench is just too thin, and as good as Lilliard has been, I think too much is being asked of too few people on that team for everything to continue going so well. Looking at the schedules for the teams I’ve mentioned, I think Portland loses more games than any of the others, and ends up about two games behind the Lakers. Houston and Utah, however, know exactly who they are, and I think continue playing at about the clip they already are. My look at the remainder of the season puts them both about two games ahead of the Lakers when all is said and done.

But here is the thing: when I am making these predictions, I look at the schedule and try to find the definite wins and losses, and anything I can’t classify off hand I split in half. The good thing for Lakers fans? This team is definitely talented enough to win many more of these “possible” games. If they play the way that they have over the past few games, I could see them winning three quarters of them, which could give them the edge they need to bump the Rockets or the Jazz. The bad news? With the age of this team injuries are a definite concern, and the inconsistencies with effort they have often displayed up until this point have to stop now, or there is no way for them to pull this off.

And what if the Lakers do make the playoffs at the seven or eighth seed? That puts them up against the Thunder, Clippers, or maybe the Spurs. I don’t have to tell anyone that that isn’t the easiest road you could take to the second round.  But if the Lakers make it, the high level of talent and the confidence they would have certainly built to even make the playoffs make them, in my mind at least, a far more dangerous adversary to whoever they face than either the Rockets or the Jazz. The Spurs have proven susceptible to teams with a large inside presence in the past, and the Lakers have that in spades. I think that is the best matchup the Lakers could hope for, but they are far from the position of choosing. I think they also have a decent shot against the Clippers, because they do match up against the Clippers’ size, if not their depth, and a lot of that matchup will depend on how much of his old defensive form Kobe can summon against Chris Paul. The Thunder? Well, I’d be lying to you if I said I thought anyone matched up against the Thunder. Still, the Lakers have a better chance than some there.

But can they even make it to playoffs? You have to believe there is enough talent on the team to make it, so the real question then is do you believe they can stay healthy enough. I know Dwight has back problems. I know Kobe is getting older. I know Steve Nash is old as dirt. Gasol has been injured some. But when you look at these guys, they all have great records of playing at least three quarters of a season nearly every year. Any gambler will tell you what happened in the past doesn’t predict the future, but any historian will say history does tend to repeat itself. And who are you going to trust? A degenerate gambler or a studied historian?

For what it’s worth, I’m taking the historian’s view here. These players have a long resume of playoff appearances. I don’t think they stop now.

Jordan Akin would like to apologize to Laker fans for this article, as it almost certainly means that the Lakers will all contract West Nile and have to forfeit the rest of their games. You can curse his name on Twitter at @jakin1013, or via email at skarab1013@hotmail.com. 

The NBA’s Western Conference has long been considered the stronger of the two conferences, and this continues to be true today. “They wouldn’t even make the playoffs if they were in the West” is a slight that often gets thrown at lower-seeded Eastern teams, and with good reason. The interesting thing about the West is that while it is definitely the better of the two conferences, it has also been horridly predictable for the majority of the last fifteen years.

Before the Oklahoma City Thunder upset the status quo by winning the Western Conference Finals last year, three teams had won the west for the previous 13 years. Those teams were the Los Angeles Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Dallas Mavericks, something you could probably have guessed if you were paying attention to the league for the last decade. These teams always found themselves in the top half of seeding and did a good job of being a head and shoulders above the other teams.

But this season a funny thing has started to happen. These “old guard” teams have either taken a step back, or looked to be falling off the map entirely, with younger teams rising up to take their place. The Lakers and Mavericks have had offseason plans fall apart during the actual season, and the Spurs, while still being a great basketball team, do appear to be a little less dominant than they once were, though you may (and I do) write this off as Gregg Popovich biding his time until it is time strike in the playoffs.

Make no mistake, though, the blood does seem to have started circulating in the West, with the Thunder, Clippers, Grizzlies and even the (GASP!) Warriors rising to the challenge left by their void. The question this poses, however, is  difficult one to answer: Which of these teams are actually ready to start a stranglehold of their own on the West?

Hit the jump for the rest of Jordan’s piece…

Oklahoma City Thunder

Of all the heirs to the West’s throne, the Thunder are the easiest to see becoming a juggernaut, because they have already proven they can unseat the former conference champs, beating all of the teams I listed above in last year’s playoffs. What’s more, no one was paricularly surprised that it happened, as this team has screamed future powerhouse for years.

Kevin Durant is a top five player on his worst day, and is doing everything in his power to prove to us that the drop-off between him and Lebron is not nearly as steep as it once seemed. Russell Westbrook did a great job of making sure no one missed Derrick Rose during last year’s playoffs, and has upped his playmaking abilities this year, as well.

Factor in Serge Ibaka’s improved play, and the fact that this team plays with every bit of the teamwork and lack of ego that served the Spurs so well the past fifteen years or so, and I shouldn’t even have to tell you that the Thunder will be around for quite sometime. But we all knew that already didn’t we? Let’s try something a little harder…

Los Angeles Clippers

With Blake Griffin’s electric offense and Chris Paul’s point-god abilities, we all figured that Clippers would make it to the playoffs again this year. What we didn’t know is that they would wreck the league so completely on the way there. The Clipper Curse is feeling like something that happened a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.  How in the heck did the Clippers, one of the most bungling teams in the league for nearly all of their existence get here?

Having a top five efficiency rating on both sides of the ball certainly helps. The Clippers havve the leagues fourth best offense, behind only our NBA Finalists from last year and the New York Knicks’ psychotic three ball assault. On defense they are the third best in the league. If I told you a few years ago that Vinny Del Negro would coach a team that was competing for the best record in the league, I would have let you slap me.

One thing that has worked in the Clippers’ favor has been the acquisition of veterans to help fill out the roster and help change the mentality of the locker room from “young up and comer” to “win now” mode. Which is great for a couple of years, but “veterans” become “old useless guys” in a blink of an eye in the NBA. That said, playing with Chris Paul has never been a bad thing for the longevity of anyone’s career, so if they are careful and smart (and God knows the Clippers don’t have a great track record of that) they could be building something that lasts here.

Memphis Grizzlies

After beating the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs a couple of years ago, everyone started to pick up their heads and take notice of the Memphis Grizzlies, and with good reason. Having two inside guys and a wing scorer is a formula that many have ridden to a championship. Though they may have cooled somewhat after a hot start, Memphis is still very worthy of your notice, and will be a factor come playoff time.

In case you haven’t been paying attention this year, Marc Gasol has been the best two-way center in the league, using an expanding offensive repertoire and knack for sliding into the right space on defense to help fuel Memphis on both sides of the ball. Zach Randolph has found time in between his pit-bull rescuing exploits to be one of the five best rebounders in the league this year, while also providing his usual crafty array of post moves. And as for Rudy Gay, well, let’s take a moment to talk about Rudy Gay.

Rudy Gay is in the unfortunate position of being a player that is quite good, but not quite good enough to justify his large contract under this new, more restrictive collective bargaining agreement. This means either Gay needs to up his game, or he will likely be moved. If and when Gay is moved, what the Grizzlies get back in that trade will be key in determining how long this team will stay around and how much of a threat they will be. The Grizz will need to get some sort of wing creator back for Gay, and in a perfect world, some perimeter shooting. Hard to tell how the team will accomplish that.

Honorable Mentions and the Future

While the three teams mentioned above are doing the lions’ share of the winning in the West today, it wouldn’t be accurate to say they are the only surprises the West has held. The Rocket’s offseason moves landed them Omer Asik, James Harden, and Jeremy Lin, and while that is a core that leaves some questions, it has been largely successful due to Harden’s insanely strong play. Within a year or two, they could easily be featured in a column much like this one if the wind blows their direction. The Nuggets frantic play under George Karl continues.

The Warriors have surprised everyone with how well they have been playing, and Stephen Curry has reminded everyone that when his ankles allow him to play, he is more than capable of leading a team to victory. Andrew Bogut is still waiting in the wings to return to the Warriors, and if he can become the player that once challenged Dwight Howard for league’s best center, then the Warriors may find themselves competing for the Conference title sooner rather than later.

Which isn’t to forget about the “old guard” I mentioned earlier. The Spurs are still winning most of the games they actually attempt to win. Dirk may not like the direction of the current Mavs’ roster, but Mark Cuban is a wild card that could literally pull any deal and not surprise me much. And if NBA history has taught us anything, it is that the Lakers do not stay dead for long.

All of this is adding up to the Western Conference having something of an interesting ride for the next five years or so, so get ready to sit down, shut up, and hang on. I know I will be.

Yes, Jordan Akin is well aware that his previous two columns have contained a Star Wars reference. If that’s not your thing, you can challenge him to a lightsaber duel via Twitter @jakin1013, or via email at skarab1013@hotmail.com. 

Another month of NBA ball in the books, so naturally it is time for another installment of the Power Rankings. How far has James Harden catapaulted the Rockets? How far have the leaden corpses of Dwight and Pau sunk the Lakers? Is my bias for Miami still showing? I know you are all bursting for the answers to these questions, and I am not here to disappoint. You will find all these answers and more below. So without further ado, let’s get it going!

1. Oklahoma City Thunder 26-8 Last 10: 6-4 Last Month: 3

Oh yeah, we were silly thinking that Harden’s departure would mean much for the Thunder. His replacement, Kevin Martin, is a possible Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Serge Ibaka is playing the best ball of his career, exceeding his averages from last year in every category you want from Serge. Russell Westbrook is still a human wrecking ball with passing abilities. And Kevin Durant? Well, he is annihilating the entire league with a near flawless all-around game. I love Lebron James, but even I have to give Iceberg Slim the MVP thus far.

2. Los Angeles Clippers 27-8 Last 10: 8-2 Last Month: 7

Whatever Chris Paul’s dreams were when he signed with the Clippers, you have to wonder if it would ever look so possible that he may actually lead the Clips to title. I’ll be honest, the only reason I still have the Thunder ahead of the Clippers is because I think the playoff experience that the Thunder have is invaluable. But all of the veterans the Clippers picked up have some playoff experience themselves, and with Chauncey Billups and Grant Hill coming back, it is clear that their experience may swing some critical playoff games the Clippers’ way.

3. San Antonio Spurs 27-10 Last 10: 8-2 Last Month: 6

So Pop continues to do whatever he wants, and as we all knew would happen, the Spurs are again one of the best teams in the league. You guys may get tired of hearing me call them the Black Death Machine, but I can’t stop doing it until it becomes appropriate. Tony Parker is something of a fringe MVP candidate, but you almost can’t give it to him because his team plays at such a level where you know the team would get along without him. That is the genius of Gregg Popovich, and the secret to the never-ending success of the San Antonio Spurs.

4. Miami Heat 23-9 Last 10: 7-3 Last Month: 1

I’ll be honest with you, the only reason I have the Heat this high is that we know what they are capable of, and Lebron James could still win the MVP without surprising anyone. Are they a great team? Yes. Are they going to be ridiculously dangerous in the playoffs? Yes. On the flip side, their defense is still nowhere near where it was last year, and they are losing to bad teams more often than they should. I won’t say that I am concerned about the Heat, but they do seem to be suffering a championship hangover, and will need to step it up or lose any chance of defending the throne.

Hit the jump for the rest of Jordan’s power rankings…

5. Memphis Grizzlies 22-10 Last 10: 6-4 Last Month: 2

Memphis may not exactly be the juggernaut that they appeard to be at the beginning of the season, but still, I can assure you that if things continue along with this team no one will be taking them lightly come playoff time. With Dwight out for the foreseeable  future and Andrew Bynum still injured, Marc Gasol is for my money the best center in the game, and a huge part of Memphis’ top three defense. Zach Randolph is killing it as well. If they could just get more consistency from the back court guys the offense would really start to hum and Memphis could kill anyone.

6. New York Knicks 23-11 Last 10: 5-5 Last Month: 4

Well, we know one thing for sure: The return of Amare Stoudemire has not dampened Carmelo Anthony’s offensive skills in the slightest. The man is less than a point from averaging  30 a game, and would lead the league in points per game if not for Kobe Bryant rage-scoring all over the entire league. More concerning for the Knicks than their stellar offense is their struggling defense. I don’t blame Amare in the slightest for this as it started before his return, but the fact remains that unless it is fixed, I can’t consider the Knicks truly elite.

7. Indiana Pacers 20-14 Last 10: 7-3 Last Month: 12

So while it does seem like Indy still has trouble competing against great teams without Mr. Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert and friends are at least taking care of business against teams they should be beating, and that is always a very good sign. Once Granger returns sometime in February, the offense should start operating more fluidly, and the team will have just enough time to get reacquainted with one another before the playoffs start. And in case you guys forgot, this team was one Nuclear Lebron away from beating the eventually champions last year.

8. Golden State Warriors 22-11 Last 10: Last Month: 8

Sitting right where I left them in the rankings we find the Golden State Warriors, holding tight and proving that their early season success was, in fact, not a fluke. Turns out that after all that anguishing the team did to figure out whether to trade Monta or Stephen was resolved correctly. This is a team that already has a top ten defense and a top ten offense, and that is always good for a fringe contender status in my book. If Bogut can push that defense from “really good” to “elite” than the Warriors may find themselves cokking with fire come playoff time.

9. Atlanta Hawks 20-12 Last 10: 5-5 Last Month: 10

While I recognize that they have actually moved up a spot in my rankings from last month, it is true that the Hawks have slipped to number seven in the league in defensive efficiency, and have recently endured some tough losses. I guess Atlanta depends on your prospective, and I honestly that that Al Horford and Josh Smith will help to get this team’s defense back on the strangling track it was on to open the season, and if that is the case, them may actually make a little noise in the playoffs. So I guess I’m saying that I sort of believe in the Hawks. I may need my meds checked.

10. Houston Rockets 20-14 Last 10: 8-2 Last Month: 20

Well if there was anyone left who wondered if James Harden was capable of stardom on his own, I think it’s safe to say they have their answer now. Pick a statistical measure and James Harden is matching or exceeding it. The defense still needs some work, but Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik are starting to get their act together and help compete. Lin may never return to his Linsanity heights, but his distributing abilities are more than worthe keeping him around. While I still don’t think that this team has much potential for this year, their future is getting more interesting to consider by the game.

11. Denver Nuggets 20-16 Last 10: 6-4 Last Month: 17

You just have to love those feisty Denver Nuggets. With a top ten offense and defense that only lacks about a point from being top ten, they are definitely willing to go to the floor with anyone you could possibly put in front of them. I’d honestly give them about even odds with anyone in the West except the Thunder or Clips just because of the high level of energy they bring. Alas, unless they step things up significantly, they have a good chance at seeing one of those teams in the first round, so I’m still not completely sold on them being an actual contender at this point.

12. Chicago Bulls 19-13 Last 10: 6-4 Last Month: 14

Holding steady without Derrick Rose until early next month, the Bulls are proving that if you can maintain a top three defense losing your franchise player for most of the season is no problem. The good news is that Rose’s return only hurts them if he has absolutely fallen off the map offensively, since he never had a huge impact defensively anyway. If he is even 85 percent of the player he was, the Bulls could challenge anyone in the playoffs this year? If he goes all Adrian Peterson on us? Then the East should be very, very, afraid.

13. Brooklyn Nets 19-15 Last 10: 6-4 Last Month: 5

After free falling for a large part of last month, the Nets got to take advantage of the blessing of the interim coach (PJ Carlesimo in this case) to right the ship. Hard to tell what that exactly means at this point, but this is a team that can look dangerous enough to contend at times, and after finally getting over some early injuries to Brook Lopez, and finally starting to get a little more out of Joe Johnson, maybe their luck is turning. And who knows? Frank Vogel and Mike Woodson have been great for their teams after taking the job originally on an interim basis.

14. Portland Trailblazers 19-15 Last 10: 6-4 Last Month: 22

I’ll be honest: it is entirely possible that I am putting the Blazers too high here, but what can a guy do to try to figure this team out? Negative efficiency differential, but they seem to get up for big games, and Portland always has a great home advantage. LaMarcus Aldridge’s play has also improved, which was a big part of the early swoon I believe.  JJ Hickson has also been a revelation. But it is hard to envision a team with such a thin bench actually being any type of playoff threat. For the moment though, at least, the Blazers look legit.

15. Milwaukee Bucks 16-16 Last 10: 4-6 Last Month: 16

Everyone loves Larry Sanders. I love Larry Sanders. It is perfectly okay to love Larry Sanders. Larry Sanders is a huge part of the reason I think that the Milwaukee Bucks may grab a lower seed in the playoffs this year. But we are going to need to see this team get consistent defensive stops outside of Larry Sanders. I also love the all-chucker backcourt pairing of Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis, but with neither shooting quite as well as they have in the past, the Bucks also need to find ways to get these two more easy shots to help everything start rolling, or the Celtics and Sixers will be happy to shut them out of the playoffs.

16. Utah Jazz 17-18 Last 10: 4-6 Last Month: 15

The Jazz are still Jazzing it up, playing hard and getting enough wins to likely land them an eighth seed in the West. But there seems to be some sort of expectation that either Paul Millsap with be traded before the deadline, likely to being in some sort of point guard. With Mo Williams out, this certainly looks to be a good idea, and could help the Jazz get over their annoying tendency to be first round cannon fodder for the best teams in the West. And with all the teams that could use the services of either Jefferson or Millsap, the situation in Utah definitely warrants attention.

17. Minnesota Timberwolves 15-15 Last 10: 4-6 Last Month: 18

The poor Minnesota Timberwolves just can’t seem to catch a break. After finally getting healthy Kevin Love goes out indefinitely with a hand injury. Which is starting to sound disconcertingly familiar. Nickola Peckovic is hanging on valiantly, but the simple truth is that he and Ricky Rubio will need Kevin Love’s scoring to make any serious noise in the playoffs. Compound this news with Chase Budinger being out until early March, and Brandon Roy’s career not looking nearly as resurrected as we hoped, and one is forced to assume that this just isn’t the T-Wolves year.

18. Philadelphia 76ers 15-20 Last 10: 3-7 Last Month:  9

You may not believe this, guys, but the word on the street is that Andrew Bynum may actually return later this month! Which is convenient timing, as the Sixers are sorely in need of a boost.  With Jrue Holiday still playing the best ball of his career, Andrew Bynum could be the thing that makes everything fall into place. A lot can be done with a star center and productive point guard. And the East race is far from settled. All I know for certain is that anytime that you can get someone in there that takes some shots away from Nick Young, you gotta do it.

19. Boston Celtics 16-17 Last 10: 4-6 Last Month: 11

Boston is in trouble. With neither a top ten offense or defense for the first time since the big three era started, the Celtics are not looking anything like the team that has challenged for the East for half of a decade. Rondo is unhappy, even more so than usual, and you can see the tension on the rest of players’ faces While they are in less trouble than their Western rival below since their trouble is less the result of injuries and the East is an easier conference, it is interesting that both of the teams would start their collapse at the same time.

20. Los Angeles Lakers 15-18 Last 10: 6-4 Last Month: 13

To paraphrase Dave Chappelle, what can I say about the Lakers that hasn’t already been said about Afghanistan? They are bombed out and depleted. With recent injuries to both Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol, I’m finally calling it on the Lakeshow this year. Which is a shame, because while  I am far from the biggest Laker fan around, they have been a favorite playoff villain of mine since I started watching basketball. Having the playoffs without Kobe Bryant will feel like someone redid Star Wars without Darth Vader.

21. Dallas Mavericks 13-21 Last 10: 2-8 Last Month: 19

Normally what I would do here is talk about how with Dirk Nowitzki back and OJ Mayo still having his best season yet after finding a starting role in Dallas, the Mavs are currently down but not out. But then talk begins to surface about how Dirk doesn’t think that Mavs management (also known as Mark Cuban) doesn’t seem to have any discernible plan for the future, and that it might even be in the best interest of the team to trade him. While Cuban’s moves have been a little odd lately, it gives me great concern when the star player, who used to love his strange owner, begins to openly question him. That’s bad juju.

22. Detroit Pistons 13-23 Last 10: 6-4 Last Month: 26

It is hard to say what this Pistons team is. Could I see them making a run and landing in the playoffs? Possibly. Could I see them crashing and burning in a dramatic fashion? Yes. Rodney Stuckey is not playing as well as he did last year. Same thing can be said about Greg Monroe. On the other hand, Andre Drummond is playing very well, and is definitely making a case for increased minutes. With recent wins versus Miami, Atlanta, and Milwaukee, it is clear that Detroit can play playoff quality basketball. The question is whether they will or not.

23. Sacramento Kings 13-21 Last 10: 6-4 Last Month: 29

Would you be surprised to hear that a talented head case player on a bad team is being involved in trade rumors? No? Me either. I am also not surprised to hear Sacramento come out and deny these rumors, since that is exactly what you do when you want to sell something, is act like you want to keep it. I am intrigued with the idea of Cousins going to the Celtics, as I think giving DeMarcus some time with Kevin Garnett would go a long way. But what do the Celtics give back? I have not the slightest clue, but it’s an interesting scenario none the less.

24. Orlando Magic 12-21 Last 10: 2-8 Last Month: 24

While I have been very impressed by how the Orlando Magic have refused to just lay down and die when nobody really could have blamed them for doing so, sadly, it looks like things could get ugly in the Magic Kingdom. Al Harrington is gone until the beginning of February, and Big Baby Davis is gone until the end of this month. As two of the better players on this team, and the teams nominal frontcourt starters, this is going to put a lot pressure on the likes of Jameer Nelson and JJ Redick to keep wins coming. Oh well Orlando, it was fun while it lasted.

25. Phoenix Suns 12-23 Last 10: 2-8 Last Month: 23

Much to the chagrin of the fans in Phoenix, business continues as usual for the hapless Suns. Michael Beasley is posting a PER of 10. While I may not know the inner working of Mr. Hollinger’s stat (I think he derives it with fruit juice and feathers in a turtle shell?), I do know that that is staggeringly low for a player that could do much better, and does do better in spurts. Outside of Beas, the Suns rely on the likes of Shannon Brown, Marcin Gortat, and Goran Dragic, which isn’t going to win a lot of games on its own.

26. Toronto Raptors 12-22 Last 10: 7-3 Last Month: 27

I recognize that the Raptors have gone 7-3 in their last ten games. I even put it right above this. But I also recognize that the only quality team they beat in that stretch was Portland. Of course the wins are somewhat impressive when you consider that they currently have three centers on the injured list. But the fact remains that this team has not even begun to live up to expectations, mine and the ones they put on themselves. And I’m still cranky about that since I thought they could be low seeded playoff team.

27. New Orleans Hornets 8-25 Last 10: 2-8 Last Month: 28

Well New Orleans, the bad news is this: this team has already played itself out of the playoffs, and soon you will be changing their name to the Pelicans. The good news? Finally you have Ryan Anderson, Anthony Davis, and Eric “Does He Want To Be Here Or Not?” Gordon all on the court together! Actually New Orleans has no one injured at the moment, so I’m exceedingly interested to find out if the Hornets (whose core I LOVE) can actually take advantage of this moment in time to build some wins and momentum for next year.

28. Cleveland Cavaliers 8-27 Last 10: 3-7 Last Month: 25

And the Cavaliers continue to prove that outside of Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao, they have absolutely nothing. When those two share a court, the Cavs can give anyone in the league a decent game. But when Kyrie is out, like earlier, or Anderson is out, like now, then they become an installment of NBA Disasterpiece Theater. Unless the Cavs can develop the rest of this young team into supporting players (which is exactly what they are trying to do), the only other option I can see is wrap Irving and Anderson in bubble-wrap.

29. Charlotte Bobcats 9-24 Last 10: 2-8 Last Month: 21

Almost comforting, in a strange way, to find the Bobcats back in the cellar here. I was a little uncomfortable with the prospect of the Bobs being decent. While this is still not the classically awful ‘Cats of yesteryear, they aren’t exactly the team that they looked like towards the start of the year either. Still a chance to increase the win total this month though, with games against Toronto, Orlando, Sacramento, and Minnesota.

30. Washington Wizards 4-29 Last 10: 1-9 Last Month: 30

Another month of basketball in the books, and ever more John Wall injuries. We know this was a rebuilding year, but the sheer amount of awful at play here is staggering. Nene is posting his lowest PER since 2008, the younger players aren’t panning out, and once the Washington fans get over all the good feelings that Robert Griffin III has left them with, they are going to be mad. The sad truth is that sometimes, before you can rebuild, you have to burn everything to the ground and have a priest bless the building site to ward away bad spirits.

Jordan Akin is in the process of growing an awesome James Harden beard. You can send him ways to keep his fiancé from poisoning his food on Twitter @jakin1013, or via e-mail at skarab1013@hotmail.com. He would like to thank Mark for the opportunity to rant, and all of the readers for putting up with his long-winded diatribes for over a year now.

Last year, the lockout had us all so starved for professional basketball that we didn’t care how sloppy the games were. Career highs in turnovers? Who cares? Horrible field goal percentages? Phooey! This? Okay, well that was pretty bad. But still, basketball was back after its short hiatus, and in the end we were all treated to one of the most exciting NBA Finals in recent memory.

So far, this year has been even better. Players have reminded us why preseason exists, with a tremendously high level of play straight out of the gate. And while some things haven’t changed (the Heat are still scary good, Kobe scores in bunches, the Washington Wizards still exist), there have been numerous surprises. I mean, how many of you had Golden State out playing the Lakers?

Today, we recognize those who have made their mark in the first quarter of the season. All of your standard awards will be given out, with a few surprises mixed in. Naturally, I expect a lot to change between now and next summer, but in the meantime let’s take a look at the best of the best so far this season.

Most Improved Player – Jrue Holiday

At the young age of 22, it appears that Jrue Holiday is coming into his own. While Holiday has virtually been a starter since he entered the league in 2009, it is this year that we have seen him become a leader. Filling the void left by Andre Iguodala, and his injured replacement Andrew Bynum, Holiday has stepped up, posting career highs in points (18.4), assists (8.9) and PER (18.1). What’s more, he’s accomplished all of this with a depleted roster in the suddenly stacked Atlantic Division.

Sixth Man of the Year – Andray Blatche

I’ve already discussed my affinity for Andray Blatche, but for me it is unquestionable that he has been the Sixth Man of the Year thus far. Long since dismissed as wasted talent, Blatche has been putting up numbers worthy of Sixth Man and Most Improved Player. Per 36, he is averaging 20.1 points and 10.7 rebounds, both of which are career highs. He is also posting a PER of 23.8, making him the most efficient player on the Brooklyn Nets. His play has been so good that there has been heavy talk about featuring him as the starting 4, displacing the previously established Kris Humphries.

Most Deserving of a Trade – Eric Bledsoe

Poor Eric Bledsoe. The man dubbed Mini-Lebron can’t seem to buy minutes on the Clippers, buried underneath literally every other guard at Vinnie Del Negro’s disposal. It’s a shame, seeing as he always manages to dazzle in the limited opportunities he is given. Surely, there must be some team out there that could use his talent, even if it’s in a Sixth Man type of roll. Plus, it’s just not fair that we as fans are deprived of more highlights like this.

Defensive Player of the Year – Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan is ageless. Every year I expect some type of drop-off in his game, but every year he’s just the same Timmy from the year before. At the age of 36, Duncan is still leading an incredibly solid San Antonio Spurs team, while posting some incredible numbers on the defensive end. Per 36, Duncan is averaging 12.2 rebounds per game, 9.9 of which on the defensive end. In fact, Duncan is grabbing approximately 30% of all defensive rebounds available while he is on the floor, far and beyond his career high. He has also managed 3 blocks and 1 steal during this time. Bow down, youngins. Tim Duncan is here to stay.

Coach of the Year – Mark Jackson, Golden State Warrior

Who saw this coming? The Golden State Warriors currently sit 5^th in the West, only two games back of the Pacific Division leading Los Angeles Clippers. All of this from a team that is still missing it’s perennially injured center, Andrew Bogut. This is all the more impressive when you realize that this same Warriors team was 25-41 last year. That season was marked by the NBA’s third worst defense, who gave up over 109 points per game. Looking now to this season, they’ve managed to lock it down on the defensive end, coming in as the 11^th best in the league while continuing to be one of the best offensive teams. I don’t know if last year’s results were indicative of a learning curve for coach Mark Jackson, but whatever it is he has seemed to get the hang of things this time around.

Flop of the Year – Donald Sloan

While most of the attention in the flopping world has circled around Brooklyn, where Reggie Evans and Gerald Wallace have established an All-Flop Team, none of their recent actions compare to that of Donald Sloan. I know that the NBA has an established tiered system of punishment for floppers, but Donald Sloan should have racked up at least three warnings for this horrible job. I mean, the dude pirouettes.

Rookie of the Year – Damian Lillard

No surprise here. After years and years of disappointing draft picks, it seems that the front office in Portland has finally got one right. A steal at the sixth overall pick, Lillard has quickly established himself as a dominating force at the point. Averaging 18.8 points and 6.3 assists per game, it is fair to say that Lillard is outplaying all other members of the 2012 Draft.

Most Valuable Player – Kevin Durant

Perhaps slightly more controversial than Rookie of the Year, Kevin Durant should at least be in everyone’s Top 2 players of the season. The reason that I give him the nod over Lebron James is that KD is well on his way to a breathtaking 50-40-90 season, a feat that not even James has accomplished. He is doing all of this while leading his team to a Western Conference leading 18-5 record and NBA leading offensive rating. With the way he’s playing, I would be shocked if the Thunder did not at least repeat as Western Conference champions.