Blips and Clips: This Week in the NBA

The NBA Playoffs have been unusually hectic this year, not only cluttered with a litany of compelling on-court subplots, but significant re-tooling after a season in which only one coach was fired, and the ever-lingering Donald Sterling Saga.

I've avoided discussing Sterling for the most part - in this blog, across social media, and in person - because I'm against propagating the issue. This was hardly a revelation for anyone who's followed the NBA closely, and if anything was overdue in being dealt with. The man is senile, bigoted, and carries a prolonged history of racism; not only are his sad perspective and ideas unworthy of the attention they've garnered, but are callous distractions as "his" team fights for their Playoff lives.

The sad reality is that Sterling may continue to loom over the franchise, intent on challenging his forced sale of the team. While he's highly unlikely to win, the litigation could take far longer than the NBA would like to rid themselves of someone whose parasitic mentality has festered for years.

Every minute spent discussing Sterling is something that could, and should, be focused on what's going on with his team, and the rest of the Playoff survivors. So while The Donald digs himself deeper, let's not give him an audience.

Sunken Opportunity 
Speaking of the Clippers, their nebulous meltdown last night - after an incredible comeback in Game 4 - adds yet another layer to one onion of a season for this team. Needless to say a couple of pretty questionable calls went against them, but L.A. shot themselves in the foot repeatedly down the stretch, making it hard to lean on the officials.

The poor reffing comes as an unfortunate non-surprise, in a postseason where an abnormally high number of weird whistles and rampant reviews are hampering the NBA's entertainment value pretty noticeably. There have been blown calls benefiting teams both ways throughout every series; officiating, basketball in particular, is far from a perfect science. The Clippers' referee variance, while guilty of very, very, very bad timing, also directly resulted from their own mistakes.

Deliver Us From Otis
Mistakes are something Joe Dumars made plenty of in Detroit's front office, and just as he'd worn out his welcome, the Pistons may be opening their door to another notorious party-crasher.

Stan Van Gundy has been hired to run the show for the Bad Boys (as in 'their team is really bad'), named both Head Coach and President. They could've done far worse; SVG had a productive run with Orlando, before Dwight Howard's awkward coup d'etat cost both him and GM Otis Smith their jobs. What should terrify Pistons fans is that Van Gundy's considering handing Smith the keys to their team; great news for upcoming Free Agents seeking a bloated contract, or the fans of any team the Pistons might trade with down the road.

Why Stan would trust this guy again, after he butchered several moves and allowed the Howard fiasco to escalate to the point where it consumed the Magic for well over a year and got them both fired, is beyond me.

Everybody Loves Steve
While the Pistons tagged a reputable bench boss to turn their team around, he was more or less a second-tier hire right now. The coach-to-be with by far the hottest current stock is, for some reason, Steve Kerr; being fought over by several teams. Personally, I don't really get it.

I understand fully that Kerr's a knowledgeable, connected, experienced and respected figure in NBA circles, but I'm not sold that these qualities make him a good coaching candidate, or at least one every team with a vacancy should be clamoring to hire.



Kerr is an experienced player, and five-time champion, but was never more than an eighth-man shooting-specialist, and not really known as a leader. His time in Phoenix as GM was uninspiring; three years of mostly-backwards movement that saw him bow out before an inevitable rebuild. His analysis on TNT is usually strong, but his neglect of the 2014 awards ballot (including LeBron for DPOY and Tim Hardaway Jr for ROY) makes you wonder just how much basketball he watched this year.

The teams tug-of-warring for his services are both high-profile voids. The Knicks are looking to rebound from a disastrously stressful season, under the Zen Master's calm aura, while the Warriors need to rectify a controversial axing that most of their players were openly against. In both cases, there will be heavy expectations, perhaps too much for the shoulders of someone with no coaching experience. But hey, who needs a strong coach when your owner's James Dolan?

Everybody Hates Roy (and Russell) 
The narratives of two NBA stars continue to swing wildly, taking those of their teams with them as the internet's fickle masses chime in. Russell Westbrook and Roy Hibbert have been the targets for plenty of social media vitriol over the past few weeks; the former for his ostensible neglect of Kevin Durant, the latter for simply playing like garbage far too often.

Hibbert's case looks like a pretty clear mental disconnect, although it's difficult to call anything "clear" when discussing the often-misunderstood and largely-unexplored realms of the human mind. His sudden revival showed that he isn't completely broken, and Frank Vogel the Pacers need him to channel that level more if they're going to live up to expectations. Even then, through Indiana's disconnected play, with Hibbert in flux, Paul George randomly disappearing, Lance Stephenson being totally erratic, Luis Scola's uselessness, and the team having no idea how to even begin trying to score most nights, his best might not even be enough.

Westbrook is also a puzzling conundrum, but for different reasons. He is who he is; a highly-manic player who spends every possession hungrily attacking. Aside from insane athleticism and great skill, his game thrives on his primal, reckless instinct to take the ball from the other team and put it in their basket. It's a big part of what makes him arguably a Top-5 NBA player; a good thing an overwhelming majority of the time. . But a direct by-product of this mindset are his occasional defensive gambles and offensive tunnel-vision, segregating one of the best scorers ever.

The question's been posed many times if the Thunder would be better suited trading Westbrook; a risky proposition, due to both his top-tier value, and Sam Presti's track record on major trades. Dealing such an elite player in his prime is a tough concept for OKC to wrap their heads around, but the team seems stubbornly unwilling to break the luxury tax threshold (ask this guy) or amnesty Kendrick Perkins, and forking over the Max to a player whose absence they weathered very well this year might not be optimal. Any trade would hinge on this season's title chase and whether the franchise's lofty character arc can be fulfilled, but it wouldn't be totally illogical if the Thunder fall short.

Westbrook's Westbrookness is a smaller problem than some critics make it out to be, and one that virtually any team in the NBA would happily live with. But for the Thunder - who ran their offense almost entirely through Kevin Durant and Reggie Jackson this year, scoring 106 ppg - you can't help but wonder if giving Durant more shots and bolstering other positions would be a bad idea.

Of course, Scott Brooks' either unwillingness or inability to run any kind of coherent offense with these two dynamic talents is perhaps the bigger issue for the Thunder; that they can still maybe win a title in spite of his coaching is a testament to just how good Westbrook and Durant really are.

Better Than Bruno Mars: The Halftime Awards

Welcome to Basketball Banter's Annual Halftime Awards, where we (I) salute the NBA players who've made the greatest impact on the season's first 41 games. It's been a bit of a tumultuous campaign so far, but these are the most deserving candidates for the League's individual awards:

Rookie of the Year: Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia 76ers
Seen as a bit of a wild-card pick, even in a wild-card Draft, Carter-Williams quickly rose to the top of the class with a near quadruple-double (22/12ast/9stl/7reb.One turnover.) in an opening-night win over the Heat, and hasn't looked back much.

He can't really shoot, and he turns the ball over too much - as most rookie PGs do - but MCW's quickness and size allow him to do so much else on the court, from defending several positions, to being a menace in the passing lanes, creating well off the dribble, and rebounding more than any PG.

Carter-Williams may be lightly bumping into the Rookie Wall, but he remains enough of a favorite that this may be wrapped up unless he (God forbid) goes the way so many other Ones this season.

Regards to: Victor Oladipo, Tim Hardaway Jr, Giannis Antetokounmpo

Most Improved Player: Miles Plumlee, Phoenix Suns
I know a lot of people are jocking Anthony Davis for this award, but regardless of how undeniably he's in the midst of "The Leap", his rookie season wasn't that far off his per-minute pace this year. He's playing almost seven more minutes per game now that's he's stronger and fully healthy, so naturally his numbers will jump.

Meanwhile, Plumlee is quietly having a productive season for the Phoenix Suns, averaging a shade under 10/9 in the pivot while emerging as a dangerous weak-side shot blocker, and irritating, energetic defender.

What bears noting is that the Alpha Plumlee appeared in 14 games for the Pacers last year (whose bench kind of sucked if you recall), amassing gaudy averages of 0.9/1.6. Yeah, he scored 13 points the entire season. Now he's the White Shawn Kemp, and the prime over-achiever on maybe the NBA's biggest surprise team. Tell me who's "Improved" more.

Regards to: Eric Bledsoe/Basically Everyone on Phoenix, Anthony Davis, DeAndre Jordan, Kemba Walker, Lance Stephenson (someone cue the "cut-off acceptance speech" music)

Sixth Man of the Year: Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
I'll be the first to admit, I thought Ginobili had finally faded after last year's awful Playoff run, and just like every other time I'd said anything even remotely pessimistic about the Spurs, I was proven wrong. He's bounced back with a signature Manu Season, in line for the Sixth Man trophy yet again (in fact, he's only actually won it once, which is kind of like Shaq only having one MVP).

Ever a living testament to the old "it's not who starts the game, but who finishes it" adage, Manu continuing to be Manu is one of the biggest reasons the Spurs - while "playing for June" - are still the West's best team.

Regards to: Taj Gibson, Tyreke Evans, the favorite-turned-replacement starter (Reggie Jackson)

Coach of the Year: Terry Stotts, Portland Trailblazers
The first of two awards that have been beyond difficult to decide, Stotts gets an alarmingly slim nod over Jeff Hornacek, whose teams have both massively exceeded expectations this year.

Portland was supposed to be fighting a losing battle for one of the West's final Playoff spots, while Phoenix was supposed to be trying to be the worst team in the Conference. Instead, the Suns are currently Playoff-bound (and have more games remaining vs. the East than any West team), while Portland is fighting a losing battle for the West's top seed.

Which is really what gives Stotts the edge in a race where both coaches have devised unique systems (Stotss on offense, Hornacek on both sides of the ball) and gotten career years out of several players; Portland's level of success, which can't be ignored.

Regards to: Jeff Hornacek, Gregg Popovich, Frank Vogel

Defensive Player of the Year: Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers
Shot blocking...blah blah blah...alters everything near the hoop...blah blah blah...backbone of NBA's best defense...blah blah blah...Verticality...blah blah blah...

Regards to: LeBron James, Tony Allen, Dwight Howard

Most Valuable Player: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
*DISCLAIMER* This does not mean I think Durant is a better basketball player than LeBron James. Nobody is. But this season, in the context of the MVP award, I think he's the more deserving candidate.

Also, this has nothing to do with being "bored" of voting for LeBron. An argument as stupid as "It's KD's Turn" can't influence the most important award.

Further, this isn't just a fickle reaction to Durant's recent string of malicious scoring nights either, though they certainly haven't hurt his case.

This is the result of KD being the more vital player to the better team out of Miami and OKC thus far, averaging career highs in scoring and (Rebs+Assts), and keeping the Thunder on track through two unlikely Russell Westbrook injuries. His percentages have fallen slightly - defenses are able to key on him all the more without Westbrook - but are still within striking distance of .50/.40/.90, which is relatively even more impressive without a co-pilot.

Both Durant and LeBron are in the midst of transcendent seasons, and really either of them could take this trophy without much of a legitimate protest from anyone. Both have had to do so much for their teams, but the following facts are true:

- Russell Westbrook, who against most standards is a better player than Dwyane Wade, has sat more games for the Thunder this year than Wade has for the Heat. This puts Durant, in the sense of playing as a lone star and thus individually "valuable" to his team, at a greater disadvantage. Peripherally, Chris Bosh is also better than Serge Ibaka and Reggie Jackson.

- Aside from a career-high FG%, all of LeBron's key stats, factoring Wade's periodic absence, are below his career averages. I hate to point this out when he does so much so well, but you'd expect the opposite if anything. And the Heat are routinely losing games Wade sits.

- Miami has a worse record than OKC, and plays in a substantially worse Conference. So both of these guys are making massive MVP contributions for Top-3 teams in the absence of fellow stars, only one of them is winning against much better teams at a higher rate.

So in a race this close, the scales are tipped ever-so-slightly in Durant's favor by his unconscious domination leading to his team's superior position, in the midst of a worse handicap. So what, it is KD's turn.

Regards to: LeBron James. That's It. 

Much could evolve over the coming months to change the course of the MVP, and (most of) the rest of the awards. Good luck to the contenders; on the the Second Half...

Top 9s - Show and Prove

Welcome to Banter's newest feature: Top 9s.

The temptation to rank players, teams, events, dunks, plays or whatever else is almost inescapable for anyone with a brain and an opinion. I also happen to have an outlet, a boredom problem, and suffer from separation anxiety between early June and late October, so I figured having some rankings on here to pass time and spark discussion every now and then wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Why the Top 9? Well, it's just a 9.

Coming into every NBA season, there's players with something to prove: a spot in the NBA to secure, a starting job to battle for, a contract year to put on for. But some stakes are even higher; reputations, legacies: historical shit, not only for the players themselves, but sometimes they carry the weight of entire franchises and the expectations of countless fans on their shoulders. This adds another compelling layer to the NBA's dynamic story and lets us see who's truly made of fire underneath it all. So without further ado, the first edition of Top 9s: The Most to Prove This Season

9. Jeremy Lin

Seems like a logical place to start. Lin's flash in the pan last season caught the NBA's entire stove on fire and made a World-wide celebrity of a player who was out of work just weeks earlier. His controversial offseason departure from the team he'd briefly resurrected - something about a grown billionaire holding an insecure grudge like an 11 year-old girl - not only landed him on a new squad suddenly bereft of talent, but promised to make him a very rich man relative to his NBA accomplishments. We've seen plenty of guys go on tears for crappy teams and disappear before (the name Ronald Murray comes to mind) but Lin flipped the script involuntarily. When Houston inked him that back-loaded offer sheet, they promised to make him a poster boy for the League's spending issues, but when James Dolan felt spited and refused to match (which was just monumentally stupid. I know it's a lot of money, but this guy just made your team over twice the amount you're going to pay him over the next three years. In two months. Get over yourself.) Lin became a focal point of whatever the hell Houston's got going on this season. If he keeps up his level of play from last season, he'll easily be the best player on their team, put talks of his contract to rest, and ensure James Dolan get less of it. But it's that "if" part that has everyone wondering...

8. Zach Randolph

Last season was an absolute disaster for the Grizzlies. They came into 2012 with serious playoff ambitions for the first time in their franchise's history, and Randolph was being celebrated as the NBA's most lethal low-post threat. Well, Z-Bo tore his MCL and missed 37 games, throwing Memphis' season into a flux that set a dubious record along the way to putting the words "playoff disappointment" in a Grizzlies fan's vocabulary. After returning, Randolph wasn't his same self. Part of this was due to Memphis' inability to align him offensively with Rudy Gay, but also that Randolph tends to put on a rather convincing Yokozuna impersonation when sedentary. The months on the shelf made it harder to regain his form, being rushed back into the lineup in time for the playoffs. Reports from apparently reliable sources point to Randolph now being fully healed from the injury, and carrying around several less pounds than last year, which is sure to be easier on his legs. He'll have to be healthy and motivated to re-assert himself on the level he did in 2011, which the Grizzlies need wholly if they want to get back on the right end of playoff dream-crashing.

7. Deron Williams

Time was, a lot of people in the know considered Deron Williams the best point guard in the NBA. "Time" seems like an eternity ago, but this "was" around 2009 and since then, not only has the League's overall point guard talent blown up like the Gangnam Style video, but Williams has spent time on some very questionable teams, not to mention the wrong end of a feud that apparently ended Jerry Sloan's career (seriously, we're talking a 23-year tenure in a field where the average life expectancy of a position is worse than a hemophiliac wrapped in barbed wire in a shark tank - must've been some deep shit). Now that the Nets have found a new home with Deron locked into a long-term deal, they can start to build towards the lofty goals their celebrated owner has set for them, with Williams steering the ship. A lot of eyes will be on Brooklyn; they've been much-ballyhooed over everything from their flashy new arena, to their owner's ambitious 5-year title plan, to their attempt to resurrect a borough and revitalize The Mecca's basketball scene. And I also remember reading somewhere that Jay-Z's involved with the team apparently? Sounds cool. With the ante as high as it possibly could be for a team in a new city, a lot of it will rest of D-Will's shoulders after Dwight didn't happen and the team overpaid for the rest of its roster. If ever there was a time to boldly re-claim his status on the shaky PG totem pole, it's now.

6. Kobe Bryant

Regardless of how much he accomplishes in his storied career, Kobe's more or less a formality on this list. He's spent the past 15 years cultivating a niche as by far the most polarizing figure in the NBA (you hear that so much it becomes trite) by giving puritans, underdogs and most casual fans every reason to hate him, while spellbinding others with undeniable talent, bulletproof work ethic, and an indomitable love for the game. This season is the same story: coming off an inevitably-much-scrutinized 6th place showing in ESPN's #NBArank, Bryant will have to adjust his Bieber-like usage rate from last season and mesh his offensive tyranny with the Lakers' new arrivals if they hope to live up to the hype surrounding them. As his legacy would dictate, most of the skeptics' questions surround his role: "Will Kobe be OK with Nash controlling the tempo?", "How's he going to react when his shots get cut in half?", "Is the Staples Center locker room big enough for his and Dwight's ego?", "He's not the man anymore. He won't like it." But, as is perpetually the case with Kobe, no matter how he addresses these issues this season, you can count on there being more for him to face.

5. James Harden
In most cases, having a career year where you exceeded lofty expectations and won the 6th Man of the Year award would put you far away from having anything to prove. I use the word "you" because, unless you're James Harden, this hasn't happened to you. Setting the tone for this contradiction was Small Game James's complete dud of a Finals: put bluntly, he played by far his worst ball of the season when it mattered the most. As if that weren't enough, he spent the offseason watching free agents get thrown money like GMs were drunken, insecure recent Bellagio jackpot winners at the Spearmint Rhino, and demanded his own max money, driving a very awkward curveball into the Thunder's long-lingering long-term financial dilemma. Playing in a small market, with two max deals already on their roster (at least they extended Ibaka before he played himself into that conversation) Harden's threatened a divide in Sam Presti's plan to keep this young core together. He's currently a fringe max player at best (at least in anything even vaguely resembling a sustainable economic model) and Presti could get heaps in return from a team more able fork over the money Small Game James is seeking. The future of the Thunder's composition could very well lie on Harden's play this season, and whether he proves himself too valuable to lose.

4. Roy Hibbert

As you've probably figured out by now, the words "max deal" are being tossed around the NBA these days like "swag" and "YOLO" are by hip-hop wannabes, nowhere more evident than in Indiana, where ascribed All-Star Hibbert (who for argument's sake posted career bests of 12.8/8.8 last year, offering a defensive presence that, while valuable, was at-most 4th best among East centers) will be raking in as much money as he possibly can next season. The obvious questions are 1. "Does he deserve it?" and more importantly, 2. "Does this completely screw over the Pacers?" Neither can really be answered right now, because Hibbert is still only 25, has improved very dramatically over the past two years, and from all skills, conditioning, and attitude perspectives seems bound to continue. But the Pacers aren't prime candidates to bite the luxury tax bullet, and now have a ton of money tied up in Hibbert, while having made no significant upgrades this offseason. This means it'll up to guys like breakout-ready Paul George, and more so the dude this paragraph's about, to take Indiana further in a conference where they almost beat the NBA champs last spring, but have seemingly regressed against the competition up top.

3. John Wall
It was all too good to be true. Wall showed almost too much potential, his athletic ability was so far ahead of its time when he was drafted. He was Derrick Rose, only faster end-to-end; a perfect palette with which to paint a legendary point guard. Something had to go wrong. Enter the Washington Wizards. Enter Andray Blatche. Enter Nick Young. Enter Javale McGee. Rather than let his quarterbacking talents blossom, Wall was a relative daycare employee, and after a promising rookie campaign, hit a serious sophomore slump last season. Fortunately for him, the headaches appear to be gone; the immature mess that once marred the Wiz's roster has been replaced by stable veterans down low, and given way to another promising young gun (3rd pick Bradley Beal) to share Wall's backcourt. All the pieces appear to be in place for him to get back on the path to superstardom, but sometimes it's the immense amount of talent that's so difficult to harness. John Wall has all the potential in the World, but along with the possibilities, comes the potential for so much to go wrong.

2. Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony and Lebron James have been on very contrasting NBA journeys since their once-storied rivalry as high school and NBA rookie phenoms. Their stories met again this past year, linking up as Olympic teammates and putting on clinics as the US took the expected Gold. They face yet another indirect crossing as they return: in the same season James took himself from clear first to dead last (as in the entire League) on this list, Melo's inability to win became a popular topic among hoops pundits who wondered if he'd ever make the leap from hardcourt gunner to transcendent winner; be the Slim Charles of the NBA game (he's from B-More after all). Now almost a decade into his career with 0 Finals appearances under his belt, Anthony will be under the microscope like never before; his Olympic outbursts and triumph are fresh in everyone's minds, but we've all known he was a World-class scorer from Day One. What remains to be seen is everything else: Can he defend? Can he defer? Can he make those around him better? And, obviously, Can he win? Your move, Melo.

1. Dwight Howard
I'm sorta out of words at this point, not because I have a hard time justifying this slot or had a Writer's Block dropped on me, but there's really nothing more to be said about Dwight Howard that hasn't over the past 18 months. To sum things up for anyone who might be a new NBA fan or is simply nauseous from all the bullshit: Howard demanded a trade from Orlando, publicly denied it, then publicly confirmed, then denied it again (shit, who even really knows), mailed in all of last season, got his coach fired, attempted to model the team in his own image, got his GM fired when that didn't work, all the while acting immaturely in the media and with a lack of transparency that sabotaged his team's ability to move him effectively, so that when they ultimately were forced to, they got completely and utterly shafted. To say that he's humiliated the NBA would be a minor understatement, surely substantiating every negative stereotype about professional athletes held by the conservative public. The bad news for Dwight is that he's got a lot of making-up to do in the eyes of basketball fans. The good news for Dwight is that he landed in the proverbial Pot of (Purple and) Gold at the end of this shit-rainbow: he's on a team that's seriously threatening to take the NBA by storm, and as still the most dominant center in the League, he'll be right in the eye of it. Cue up "All Eyez on Me" and enjoy your season. 

PED Watch: The Early Most Improved Candidates

Now well into December, we're already rounding the corner of the regular season's first quarter, weird as it seems. "Weird"s also a rather appropriate way to describe the NBA season so far; things are just a bit out of place. I mean sure, the Lakers, Spurs, Magic and Celtics are kicking ass, Greg Oden and Yao Ming are down for the count, the Clippers are underwhelming and every player who isn't a Boston Celtic hates Kevin Garnett, some things never change...

But look at the other side: The almighty Heat, despite having hit their stride since The Return, have kinda sucked so far. The Indiana Pacers, long buried in boredom and awfulness, have been kinda good. A 6'9" white dude who your arthritic grandfather can outjump is owning the rebounding game. Derek Rose can suddenly shoot, Brook Lopez suddenly can't, Darko Milicic suddenly is a legit starting center and the Post-Bosh Raptors (!) actually look like playoff contenders. Hell, the early-season MVP favorite hasn't been the best player on his own team so far, in a race where the names "James" and "Wade" are nowhere to be found for the first time in over a half-decade.

Yep, things are-a-changin' all over the league, as it is with these next few players; the guys who really put in work over the summer and have come out with significantly improved game, the early season favorites for Most Improved Player...


Roy Hibbert - A big part of the Pacers' impressive early start (and subsequent shaking of Least Relevant status) has been Hibbert showing up looking 50 pounds lighter than last spring and displaying a more polished offensive game than ever. His svelte new cut has meant an improved motor without all that weight to carry; he attacks the boards harder, still imposes as a shot blocker, and finishes with greater athleticism. Indiana's resurgence this year has been almost as unlikely as Hibbert's transition from immobile mass to future All-Star.

Eric Gordon -Despite his recent 3-point woes, the all-around maturation of Gordon's game has given the Clippers one of the best young prospects they'll ever eventually lose to free agency. One of the many beneficiaries of the "Team USA" effect(no joke, with the exception of a slightly-injured Kevin Durant, every player from that team has come back much better than last season), Gordon has become a relentless basket-attacker who gets to the line at an alarming rate and defends the wing much better than your typical scoring 2. Unfortuantely for him, the growth he experienced this summer is unlikely to be fostered well while sharing a backcourt with Baron Davis and playing for the f***ing Clippers.

Kevin Love - Nobody's arguing about playing time now. Perhaps sparked by an opening-night benching, Love has been dropping 20/20 more than your local optometrist and pairing with a fellow MIP candidate (see below) to make Minnesota's frontcourt future without Al Jefferson look pretty bright. Another Team USA vet, Love has also displayed an impressive touch from distance, recently icing 43 straight free-throws and tying a franchise mark with 8 consecutive 3's made. His improved scoring, unlikely dominance of the boards, and now unquestioned role in Minny's frountcourt will make him a strong candidate all year.

Michael Beasley -Emerging from his purple haze, Beasley has been re-born in a T-Wolves jersey as a much more potent scorer who plays with more energy on both ends of the floor. His early-season outburst of 25+ games fueled his confidence and earned him the green light as the go-to guy Minnesota thought they'd spend the whole season searching for. While he waits for his defensive attention span and decision-making to catch up with his knack for putting the ball the in the basket, Beasley can operate under the low expectations and long leash of one of the NBA's worst teams, and hopefully not lose his mind again.

Darko Milicic - I mean, the rest of Minnesota's frontcourt's here, why not round out the lineup? Milicic has come out of nowhere this year with several monster offensive performances to complement his league-leading shotblocking. He rebounds with more aggression, is becoming a more confident passer, and scores efficiently when Michael Beasley decides to share the ball. He's still eons away from justifying his immortal draft selection, but after such immense disappointment, its encouraging to see he's finally becoming, well, something.

Russell Westbrook -Team USA stand up! Westbrook has been putting up absolutely gaudy numbers for a Thunder squad that's found itself in an awkward early-season purgatory between last year's 8th seed and this season's immense expectations. While Kevin Durant's been at less than 100%, Westbrook has picked up the slack as a lethal scoring threat, improving his jumper while getting to the hoop against anyone and wetting 90% from the stripe. He's upped his assists, rebounds and steals, while owning the floor in recent overtime Ws at Indiana and New Jersey. Everyone knew Westbrook was good, but if the season ended today he'd likely get more MVP votes than his boy KD.

Dorrell Wright -Wright, foolishly disbanded from the Heat's makeover, landed in Oakland where he found a niche in the Warriors' new slightly-more-defensive scheme with his length and athleticism on the perimeter. Along the way, he proved himself to be a lethal 3-point shooter, which never hurts your stock in Golden State. The result has been increased numbers across the board for Wright, including a double-up in scoring. He may be seeing the floor twice as much, but his game has obviously improved if he could only log 20/game with the shallowest team in the League last year.

Raymond Felton - Mike D'Antoni has significantly augmented the career prospects of yet another point guard. After getting two MVP's for Steve Nash and a guaranteed contract for Chris Duhon, Mike plucked Raymond Felton from the obscurity of the Bobcats and made him a star in the Big Apple. Felton's responded by playmaking at a much more efficient rate and becoming the dangerous scorer that the Bobcats' molasses-paced offense never allowed for, and unlike previous D'Antoni quarterbacks, he's a solid defender, hawking almost 2 balls/game. When the Knicks return to the playoffs in April, they should give him a garnished portion of Eddy Curry's salary.

Tyson Chandler - Everyone and their grandma claimed Chandler had gone the way of forever-linked-classmate Edward Curry after the dud he put up last year. A trade to Dallas and a summer with the best young players in the country did wonders for a re-born Chandler who appears to have gone the way of Hedo Turkoglu circa 2008 instead. Anchoring the best defense the Mavs have ever fielded, he's a feared rebounder and shot-blocker who's proving he can finish without Chris Paul setting him up and earning praise from teammates and media alike for his improved basketball IQ and court awareness.

Jrue Holiday -Surprising nobody, the Sixers are pretty bad this year. A mis-matched bunch of youngsters with very little identity or cohesion are bound for another wayward season. In this instance though, the lack of direction should be blamed on the ship and not the captain, for the guy running the point for the Sixers might be the only thing that's right about them right now. Holiday brings a unique mix of scoring and adept playmaking; he's Lou Williams on ritalin. He plays a controlled game, defends well, and would be getting many more assists on a team that wasn't so shitty on offense. The 76ers have been part of rampant trade talk, in which Holidays has been rumored to be their only untouchable, which can't be very good news for him.