Lebron - No More #23 NBA Uniforms

NBA All-Star Lebron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers is making a gesture for the goodwill of all basketball-kind. At the end of the 2009-10 season, King James will no longer wear the #23 on his Cavs uniforms, but will instead change to the number 6, his Olympics jersey number. Lebron says he is making this move in an ultimate show of love for NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, who is the most famous #23 in basketball history. Jordan entered the hall this year and gave an emotional and inspired speech on his journey to the hardwood as well as all those who made him who he was.

According to NBA.com:

James first made his comments during an on-air interview on TNT following the Cavaliers' victory over the Heat. Jordan was at the game in Miami -- where Heat president Pat Riley retired the number in 2003 even though he never played for the franchise. No Miami player has worn No. 23 since Cedric Ceballos in 2001.

In a rather humble yet bold move, Lebron is urging other players to do the same and stop wearing #23. They would have to make the decision and notify the league by March 2010. While this isn't a league rule or anything, there are 12 other guys active on rosters wearing the famous number. Included in those twelve are several rookies and no real superstars beyond James. Rookie Byron Mullens of Oklahoma City took the number due to the fact his preferred #32 was retired by the Seattle Supersonics organization. Knicks rookie Tony Douglas wasn't sure he wanted to change over from the #23 due to the fact he's idolized MJ growing up and has worn the number on his person since age 3.

One such player who said he will follow suit by dropping the jersey number is Jazz rookie Wesley Matthews. According to Salt Lake Tribune, Matthews said:

"I'm on board," Matthews told The Salt Lake Tribune . "I mean, Jordan has influenced everybody that plays this game and he was my idol growing up. I'm ready. Whenever that time comes, I'm on board with that."

This has been done before. In the MLB, they retired Jackie Robinson's #42, and in the NHL it was the Great One, Wayne Gretzky's #99. It's yet to be done in the NFL or NBA. On its face this seems like a great tribute, but is Michael Jordan really concerned when a player wears #23 and claims he's doing so because Jordan is his idol? Does Jordan feel disrespected by seeing a guy who isn't an all-star on the court bearing his famous numbers?

Knicks fans are upset after shelling out big bucks for Lebron hype gear in the form of #23 silk screened Knicks clothes. However, as mentioned before they already have rookie Tony Douglas displaying the famous numbers on his New York jersey.

It's unknown whether any of the soon to be extinct Lebron jerseys bearing #23 will be a collector's item. There's also no word yet on how many guys wear the #45 on their uniform and do well playing basketball.

Celtics Outlast Bulls in Game 7

In what TNT NBA announcer Kevin Harlan called "the most memorable series in Playoffs history", the Boston Celtics were able to close out the Chicago Bulls in Boston Saturday night. The 109-99 victory came in large part from Ray Allen's 23 points and Paul Pierce's 20 points, with their third amigo, Kevin Garnett, cheering them on from the bench in a 3 piece suit. Ben Gordon continued shooting the lights out with 33 points, while rookie sensation Derrick Rose added 18 points for the Bulls.

This game was won for the Celtics largely due to their bench scoring. In the 1st 6 games of the series, the Celtics' bench averaged 12.7 points, but in game 7 they added 30 points when it mattered most. The Bulls bench outscored Boston in 5 of the first 6 games. Add in a ton of game deciding and overtime-forcing amazing shots, and this series was easily a classic. The Chicago Bulls once again showed they are brewing a lot of talent for a future championship contender, should they add more veteran players. Derrick Rose displayed a performance as a rookie similar to a young Dwyane Wade years ago when he first got his taste of the playoffs. If the Bulls hold onto Rose along with Hinrich, Gordon and Noah, and add those much needed vets, they'll have a good shot at advancing deeper in the next year.

See Celtics eliminate Bulls in Game 7 at NESN

Next up for the Celtics will be Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. Will the Celtics have the inside presence without Kevin Garnett to make it past Orlando? Or will it even matter? If Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo can have some hot shooting nights and rack up the points, the outside game may be enough to propel the Celtics forward. While the C's looked smug with victory Saturday night ,judging by this series, the Celtics may be out of gas by the time they get into Cleveland.

2009 NBA Playoffs - Top Teams hurt by Injuries?

For the most part the teams with the higher seeds were on the winning end this past weekend, with the exception of two Eastern Conference squads. First off, the Boston Celtics lost a tough opening game in Boston to the Chicago Bulls in Overtime. Derrick Rose was considered the big hero, as he lead the team in scoring, and Ben Gordon also added some firepower. The Bulls have been a team full of talent which hadn't truly materialized. This could be their chance to get some playoff experience and maybe be the team to eventually test the Cleveland Cavs, who won their opener over Detroit easily.

The other high seed to get shocked at home was the Orlando Magic. They were in control of the Philadelphia 76ers by double digits heading into the 4th, but Philly stayed strong and battled back to overcome an 18 point deficit. With the game tied, it was an Andre Iguaduola jumper that gave the Sixers the edge, and put the Magic into a 0-1 situation, taking away home court advantage. I'll be the first to admit, I didn't give the Sixers much chance to win, and quite possibly they enjoyed being in that situation, as the Davids who rise to the challenge and overcome the Goliath. Andre Iguoduola is increasing his star presence that much more with each winning shot he delivers.

You can never make excuses in sports, but understand that both the Celtics and Magic are currently without two stars from their rotation. The Celtics are very hurt without the services of one Kevin Garnett, who was an inspirational and motivational floor leader who does just about everything. The Magic are missing point guard Jameer Nelson, who was an All-star this past season like KG, but was unable to participate in the game. Again, both these teams have plenty of other stars, but you could make a case that their absences played a part in helping to motivate the opposing teams to victory. It's still early in the playoffs, and both the Magic and Celtics are quite capable of stealing victories on the road, so let's not jump to foregone conclusions that either team is going to fold. Both teams lost very closely contested games, and these are the playoffs. You adapt, re-adjust and reload for the next game.

One thing the playoffs always tend to bring is the unsung heroes, as players who seem lost in the shuffle, too young to be known, or over-the-hill are elevated in status or reborn and rejuvenated. Some cases in point include the Sixers' Donyell Marshall who nailed plenty of key threes against Orlando, helping the Sixers to come back and win, and the Rockets' Dikembe Mutombo, the oldest guy in the league who showed against Portland you still don't want to bring shots into the House of Mutombo. Let's hope for more great surprises as these 2009 Playoffs continue!

Danny Ainge Heart Attack Scare

The Boston Celtics had a bit of a scare earlier today when Danny Ainge, the president of basketball operations, had a minor heart attack this morning. He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital where he'll remain for a few days. The former Celtics guard is expected to make a full recovery, but most likely won't be attending Game 1 of the Bulls-Celtics playoff series. Celtics managing partner Stephen Pagliuca provided the Boston Globe with the following info:

"I saw him at about 3:30 p.m. today," Pagliuca said. "I spoke to him and he was already joking about recovering and Eddie House breaking his record [for 3-point percentage in a season] putting him over the top. He was in good spirits. He was with his wife, Michelle, at the hospital. He was in good spirits."

Pagliuca said Ainge, the NBA Executive of the Year last season, probably won't be at Game 1 of the Celtics' first-round playoff series tomorrow night against the Bulls. Ainge did not attend the Celtics' regular-season finale Wednesday night against the Wizards because he was feeling ill.

"We're very grateful that Danny is progressing," said Pagliuca, noting that it was a tough day. "He will bounce back quickly. Danny is a warrior.

Read full story on Danny Ainge here.

Ainge not only manages the operations of the team, including the big moves that brought in stars Kevin Garnett from Minnesota and Ray Allen from Seattle, but he also spent over 7 years playing there. His playing days included 2 championships to which he added another as an executive last year. Wishing Danny Ainge a speedy recovery from Love and Basketball NBA Blog. We fully expect Mr. Ainge will continue to be the heart of the Boston Celtics!

2009 Trade Deadline brings few moves

While the recent rumors of Shaq going to Cleveland have been squashed, there were a handful of deals made by teams looking to improve...

One of the bigger deals saw the Bulls and Kings swapping several players, with the Bulls clearly looking to chase down a playoff spot. Here's the ESPN Recap:

The Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings reached tentative agreement on Wednesday to trade Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden, Michael Ruffin and Cedric Simmons to the Kings for Brad Miller and John Salmons.

The Kings then turned around and shipped Ruffin to the Portland Trail Blazers for forward Ike Diogu and cash considerations. The Kings waived guard Quincy Douby and veteran Sam Cassell, acquired on Tuesday from Boston, to make room for their new players.

- NBA Trades before 2009 Deadline -

RAEFER ALSTON TO MAGIC, KYLE LOWRY TO ROCKETS

LARRY HUGHES TO KNICKS, TIM THOMAS TO BULLS

CHRIS WILCOX TO KNICKS, MALIK ROSE TO OKC

WILLIAMS TO WOLVES
- Shelden Williams and Bobby Brown to the Timberwolves
- Kings will receive Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth

BRAD MILLER, JOHN SALMONS TO BULLS
*(see above ESPN recap for full deal)

CHRIS MIHM TO GRIZZLIES, LAKERS GET FUTURE PICK

70 Wins for Cavs or Lakers?

Jerry Crowe in his recent LA Times Sports column mentions the tough milestone of winning 70 games during an NBA season. It was last accomplished by the unstopa-Bulls back in the 1995-96 season, lead by of course Michael Jordan. The Boston Celtics tried to hit the 70 win mark ten years earlier during the 1985-86 season. That was the Celtics team which featured Larry Legend and Kevin McHale. They lost just 1 game all season at home, yet failed to achieve a 70 win season.

Looking at the NBA standings, there's three teams that have been considered legitimate contenders for 70 games in 2008-09; the Los Angeles Lakers (currently 28-6), the Cleveland Cavaliers (currently 28-6), and the aforementioned Boston Celtics (currently 29-8). As the season was steamrolling ahead for the Celtics not long ago, the talk was that this team had that milestone all but achieved. For some reason, the Celtics have been having a miserable time since losing to the Lakers, then the Warriors, then the Blazers, Knicks and most recently the Houston Rockets. The Celtics would only be allowed two more losses for the rest of the season to hit the 70-win mark. The injury bug has hit them, and many analysts continue to say they need some more depth, such as the problematic New York Knick, Stephon Marbury.

The Cavs and Lakers are allowed 6 more losses each, and if they hit the halfway point on that pace, it's a realistic goal for the two teams to get 70 wins each. Each has a Jordan-esque superstar with Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. Both are considered lethal scorers capable of doing the other things needed to really take over a game. It's also been said each has vastly improved on their defense, especially Lebron who wanted to add to his repertoire. These are the sort of ingredients of a Jordan-type baller, hungry for MVP awards, NBA titles, and 70-win seasons. Judging by the competitive drive of both players to be the best in the league, and any team facing these two in the 2nd half of the season could be in for a rough game.

Derrick Rose Cuts out of Practice

Derrick Rose is usually making cuts on the basketball court to avoid defenders and sneak to the hoop for layups. But according to recent reports, the rookie guard missed practice due to a bad cut in his arm. The reason for the incident? Rose explains that he was slicing an apple in bed, got up, forgot he had a knife in his bed, then went to lay back down and cut his arm. The "gouge" in his arm required 10 stitches and Rose to miss Bulls practice on Monday.

Some aren't buying the apple/knife story, saying it sounds far-fetched. Is Rose a cutter, as in non-basketball cutting? Was Rose involved in a knife fight with his other self? Was there some sort of altercation that Rose is covering up? Was he attempting to self-tattoo or even worse? It's hard to speculate on that, but with the recent NFL situation involving Plaxico Burress shooting himself, we now have Rose knifing himself. No suspensions, fines or other penalties have been levied against Rose though. Let's hope all's well with the rookie guard who's been making a great impact in Chicago during his freshman campaign.

On the positive side, here's an article discussing Rose's transition to the leadership role in Chicago:

Chicago Tribune article on Derrick Rose.

Bulls Make Rose #1 Pick

With their first draft pick since taking Elton Brand at #1, the Chicago Bulls drafted phenom Derrick Rose. Now the Bulls add another piece to their puzzle as they attempt to regain playoff glory. The Bulls of course failed to make the playoffs last season, one of the more enigmatic teams, besides Miami. The general consensus now seems to be the Bulls will be trading either Hinrich, Gordon or Larry Hughes, or more than 1 of them. Smart money may be on Hinrich, who was running the show there, but don't rule anything out yet.

Forward Michael Beasley went at the 2 spot to Miami, giving them another frontcourt player along with Marion. There had been rumors of a trade by Pat Riley, but nothing materialized. In other news, the Knicks once again gave their fans something to jeer about as they selected an Italian player whom Jay Bilas claims "won't be a star, but will be a solid player". Always great to appease the hometown fans on national TV.

There were a couple trades too. The Nets dealt away longtime star Richard Jefferson to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for last year's #7 pick, Yi, and Bobby Simmons. The Pacers traded away their All-star, Jermaine O'Neal in exchange for TJ Ford, Nesterovic, and a draft pick. It's puzzling why Toronto would add O'Neal in with Bosh up front, as they are identical type players. TJ Ford has been touted as one of the quicker guys in the league and maybe now can jumpstart the Pacers again.

There's sure to be more moves made in the coming weeks, but for now the draft has ended and benefited several teams.

Bulls' Choice: Beasley or Rose?

The Chicago Bulls had just a 1.7% chancce of winning the NBA's version of the lottery on Tuesday night, and now they face the big choice: Beasley or Rose?

The consensus seems to say that Rose is the lock for #1 pick in the draft, however he is a PG and the Bulls have Hinrich. Hinrich could always slide into the shooting guard role. Beasley would give the Bulls even more size upfront, but some say he may have some red flag issues. As a longtime Bulls fan, I'd say the Bulls should do what they should have for several years now: make a trade for veteran talent to help them in the playoffs.

The Bulls already have a very talented young team which has achieved playoff status over the past several years. Hinrich, Duhon, Gordon, Noccioni, Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah..the list goes on. While they are one of the youngest and most talented teams around, they failed to make the playoffs this season. In the past, they tried to add Ben Wallace to the mix, but he never quite gave them the boost they were expecting. They made the new trade with Cleveland and Seattle to acquire guys like Larry Hughes, but that really won't solve much. The Bulls could package their pick along with some of their other talent and acquire a guy who's been in the league 5 years, to give them that extra talent they need. A friend of mine even suggested they make a trade involving Kirk Hinrich and some other players to get Yao Ming. They could draft Rose and have a nice inside-outside combo along with all their other talent.

There's definitely other teams in the draft who are eyeing that top pick, so we may see a trade between spots, and some guys shift teams. New York is one team that desperately wanted to win the lottery. At the 6 spot, they have a good shot to acquire OJ Mayo and get rid of Marbury, who's been a problem child. Come June we may see a wild draft with several teams jockeying for those higher picks. Quite possibly the Bulls will be this year's Boston Celtics in the draft and make a smart, big move to acquire the star power they need.

See a Mock NBA Draft list for speculation on who's going where.

Rodman Charged with Offense

The Worm has once again found himself tangled in quite a mess. The former rebounding and defensive clown-prince of the NBA, Dennis Rodman was charged with offense, more specifically Domestic Violence on Friday. The former NBA champ allegedly hit his girlfriend at a hotel last month bringing on the charges. On Wednesday, his charges included spousal battery, brandishing a deadly weapon, and one count of dissuading a witness. The charges were all misdemeanors.

More from ESPN.com:

The 46-year-old was arrested at a hotel April 30 after Gina Peterson called hotel security. Police say she suffered injuries to her arm.

Rodman spokesman Darren Prince says Rodman had had too much to drink when he got into an altercation with Peterson. Prince says the couple are still dating.

"We look forward to a successful resolution of this misdemeanor matter," said Rodman's attorney, Paul Meyer.

Attempts to find a phone listing for Peterson were not successful.

Rodman was part of championship teams with the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons.

Source: ESPN.com.

Dennis Rodman Jailed!

The original "bad boy" himself, former Piston, Spur and Bull Dennis Rodman can't keep himself out of trouble. The rebounding champ and former All-Star Rodman was arrested this past Wednesday night for an incident in LA involving charges of domestic violence. A stay in jail followed.

Associated Press had the following report about Rodman's recent tangle with the law:

LOS ANGELES (AP) -Former NBA star Dennis Rodman was arrested for allegedly hitting a woman at a Century City hotel.

He was arrested Wednesday night after officers answered a report of a domestic dispute, police said. The woman sustained injuries to her arm, police added.

The 46-year-old former rebounding champion was jailed for investigation of felony domestic violence and freed on $50,000 bail early Thursday.

Rodman manager Darren Prince told TMZ.com, a celebrity Web site, that his client grabbed the woman's arm - leaving a bruise - after the pair drank too much and argued. Prince said Rodman's drinking has escalated because of a divorce and he plans to enter rehab.

Hopefully Dennis can rehab and rebound from all this mayhem. In honor of the multi-colored hair, trash-talking, can't stay out of trouble, rebounding monster known as Rodman, here is a video dedication, "Born to be Wild" at YouTube.

Ben Wallace's Central Division Tour

Ben Wallace's Central Division Tour

The Cavs finally pulled the trigger on a move to bring in more talent to help out Lebron's quest for an NBA championship. On the final day of NBA trading, Cleveland orchestrated a 3 team trade involving 11 players total. The big name, Ben Wallace came to Cleveland as Drew Gooden went to Chicago. Here's a look at who each of the 3 teams got in the deal.

Chicago Bulls
Drew Gooden, F
Larry Hughes, G
Cedric Simmons, G/F
Shannon Brown

Cleveland Cavs
Ben Wallace, F/C
Delonte West, G
Wally Sczerbiak, G/F
Joe Smith, F
Bulls 2nd round draft pick (2009)

Seattle Supersonics
Ira Newble, F
Donyell Marshall, F,
Adrian Griffin, G

The trade is pending approval from the Commissioner's office. Charles Barkley on TNT's pre-game coverage Thursday night seems to like the trade for the Cavs as it gives them a much needed point guard and better defense/rebounding. Barkley added that Wallace should play better with Lebron James than he was in Chicago. However, it still remains to be seen if this brings Lebron and the Cavs back to the NBA Finals, but on paper it looks good for the Cavs.

See TheClevelandFan.com's analysis of the deal

It's also starting to look like Ben Wallace is on a seasonal tour of the Central Division as he's played for Detroit, then Chicago and now Cleveland. Indiana and Milwaukee take note; if Wallace doesn't pan out in Cleveland, go for the deal!

Here's some of the other trades completed Thursday:

¶The Portland Trail Blazers sent guard Taurean Green to Denver in exchange for guard Von Wafer.

¶The Detroit Pistons shipped center Primoz Brezec to Toronto for guard Juan Dixon.

¶The New Orleans Hornets acquired Mike James and Bonzi Wells from Houston, in a three-team deal in which the Hornets sent guard Bobby Jackson to the Rockets.

¶The Rockets, in a separate deal, acquired guard Gerald Green from Minnesota, in exchange for guard Kirk Snyder. (Source: NY Times)

The Upcoming NBA Year 08'

The NBA 2007-08 Season is heading into the new year. 2007 has already brought plenty of surprises and unexpected, hard to explain occurrences. Here's some thoughts on the new year for the NBA.

- Continued Celtics dominance - Barring an injury expect them to keep piling the wins on. The Big 3 are playing great as expected, and secondary guys like James Posey, Eddie House and Rajon Rondo add great depth right now. Of course, they've yet to play those tough West Coast teams (Spurs, Suns, Mavs). Once we see the Celtics knock off some of the Best of the West we can start calling them serious top contenders.

- Something's gotta give - Either the Bulls or Heat will likely go on a great run to get into a low spot for the East playoffs. If either team makes it to the 8 spot, the #1 team may have their hands full, even the Celtics. It's tough to say right now which team will do it. My preseason pick was the Bulls would make the Finals, and right now they just aren't getting it done.

- Blaze of Glory - Portland is one of the best stories in the NBA right now, as they are exceeding expectations. It'll be good to see the Blazers continue to be successful. Their win streak recently has been very impressive without the presence of Greg Oden. Brandon Roy is becoming a bona fide star in the league, and once Oden arrives that team will be lethal and most likely a dynasty. Portland fans should be in line for next year's season tickets already.

- MVP race - It's going to be a three way race. You've got 2 big men in Dwight Howard and KG. Then you've got Lebron James, my preseason pick. Whichever of these 3 makes a serious push should get it, but you'd have to favor the big men right now. Usually the award goes to the guy on the best team, and right now it's KG.

- Rookie Race - There's not much of one right now. Unless of course Durant becomes unable to play, but so far he's the clear front runner and leader for this year's ROY. Thank you goes out to Greg Oden.

- Isiah's job status - Doesn't look good for Coach Thomas in the New Year for New York. However, they may let him finish another disappointing season out before he gest the boot. The team continues to be quite the project and holds a lot of talent. But it's still lacking that certain something. Usually that means it's time for a coaching change (like the Bulls).

- A competitive All-Star game - Looking forward to another all-star game. This one comes from New Orleans, Louisiana. Also, KG has shifted sides, so now he won't be part of the dominating big men in the West (Yao, Duncan, etc). The East actually looks like favorites here, because you have Lebron, KG and D-Howard (3 MVP candidates) all on the East starting lineup. Should be fun to watch!

- A New NBA Champion? - It continues to look like 4 teams: Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavs. However, we saw how Lebron willed the Cavs into the Finals last year. There's guys capable of those types of performances that can emerge at any point.

Wishing all NBA Fans a happy New Year, and here's to an exciting remainder of the 2007-08 season!

A Skiles & Arenas' Christmas

Tis the 2007-08 NBA season..Just not for the Bulls or their Coach Scott Skiles. The current Chicago record of 9-16 gave General Manager Paxson enough reason to make a change. Unfortunately that change was made on Christmas eve and it was the firing of Coach Scott Skiles. Skiles brought the team to the playoffs in the past 3 seasons. Last season had the Bulls sweeping the Miami Heat in the playoffs before falling to the Pistons. This season's been disappointing for the Bulls to say the least. Skiles said he's not unhappy with the timing and realizes a change needed to be made. According to ESPN the Bulls will go with their assistant coach for now, until GM Paxson makes an offer for another coach, after the season. An early candidate for the job may be Rick Carlisle, former Pistons and Pacers coach.

Merry Christmas to all NBA players, coaches, refs, personnel, dancers and fans! Check out Gilbert Arenas' blog about the cool Christmas gift he received from Anfernee Hardaway.

NBA Standings Analysis 11.11.07

Checking out the NBA standings even though it's still early, there's some surprises. The division leaders as of today are Boston, Detroit and Orlando. Nobody is too surprised by the Celtics red-hot start. Orlando is definitely on the rise thanks to Dwight Howard who continues to shine. And Detroit is a stable team which plays like most teams should. But many are surprised by Chicago's lackluster start and the Wizards winless start. The Wizards do have Gilbert Arenas back, but he is reportedly trying to recover from knee/leg surgery still. Miami is also winless and sorely misses D-Wade. That most likely explains the new Converse commercials where Wade is shown in an empty arena announcing himself.

Out West, not too many surprises. The teams you'd expect to be good are good (Utah, Denver, Phoenix, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas), those you'd expect to be bad are bad (Seattle, Minneosta, Memphis). However, the Clippers would have to be the surprise at 4-1. Elton Brand has been a solid force for them over the past few seasons so without him, its tough to understand how they are pulling wins off. Upon further analysis, three of the four teams they beat are winless (Bulls, Sonics, Warriors). Their other win is the Pacers, and their loss the Pistons. Still, they are winning and leading their division. The other division leaders are Utah and Houston/San Antonio. Houston's looked great early on, and as usual the test will be that T-Mac and Yao stay healthy this year. Portland is interestingly sitting at 3-3 without Greg Oden, but this will most likely start to change. Winless teams Minnesota and Seattle are in true rebuild mode and Golden State is either really missing J-Rich or just had a big surge the second half of last season.

If you look at the overall early picture so far it makes you wonder if the East is that bad anymore? A team like the Wizards has been a strong contender the past few years, as has Miami. Boston was not. Charlotte may be coming in to their own, as Orlando definitely is turning into a contender, slowly but surely.

The Bad News Bulls?

Something is amuck in the Windy City. The Bulls are definitely the biggest surprise of the early NBA season as many fans are seeing. This team, predicted by many to be one of the top 3 out of the East has come out of the gates with a winless start, 0-4. Unexpected and almost inexplainable. According to a recent Chicago Sun-Times article, one bright spot was rookie Joakim Noah's recent debut. Despite that, one would have to wonder why is this team not winning games?

Looking at the Bulls' stats, you have 4 guys scoring in double digits, with Ben Gordon leading the way at 20.5 points. Kirk Hinrich's production and Ben Wallace's production seem off and sub-par compared to what either player is capable of. Hinrich was a point guard for a Team USA squad a few summers ago and now seems like he's a rookie with just 11.5 ppg and 4 assists per game. Wallace is also playing like a bench role player picking up just 4.3 rebounds a game and 1.5 blocks. This isn't the guy Chicago wanted to land from the former champion Pistons. They wanted the Big Bad Ben, capable of snatching tons of rebounds and intimidating offensive minded players.

Bright spots for the Bulls are Tyrus Thomas who's pulling almost 7 boards a game and 8.3 points, and veteran Joe Smith who's also giving about 10 points a night and almost 7 rebounds. But overall this team of tremendously talented players needs to start finding ways to produce and win, or they will be competing for a lottery pick, not a spot in the Finals.

On the other hand you have a reverse surprise, the Los Angeles Clippers who are undefeated without Elton Brand. They recently defeated the aforementioned Bulls. It's amazing and suspicious all at once in a very tough Western Conference.

It's Early for the East

The clocks have been moved back 1 hour for Daylight Savings Time, so it's early on the East coast. It's also early for the Eastern Conference, but there's been some interesting developments so far.

- The surprise of the young NBA season so far would have to be an undefeated Indiana Pacers team. The Pacers have gone 3-0 beating the Memphis Grizzlies, Washington Wizards and Miami Heat. The Pacers team webpage is already saying the Pacers are a team who's able to find ways to win and asking if they might fit into the playoff picture. If so, the East is more competitive than we all thought. The Bucks and Sixers haven't looked terrible so far and they were predicted to be near the bottom of the Conference this season. Remember, it's still early.

- The other surprise although it is early is the Chicago Bulls. They've dropped games to both the Pacers mentioned above and the Bucks, who are two teams you might have considered out of contention this year. Looking at stats, Ben Gordon is leading them and is one of 5 double-digit scorers. Ben Wallace's numbers look subpar with just 4.5 rebounds per game, 2 assists and 1.5 blocks. They need his rebounding and defensive help, although Tyrus Thomas may take that on. Again, it's early and you can't possibly believe a team like Chicago won't turn things around and go on a win streak. Getting Kobe would have been nice, but now that it seems unlikely, the Bulls can get on track. The Bulls despite their losing ways are giving away an SUV on their website.

-The Celtics aren't so much a surprise. The Big 3 did their thing in their opening game and defeated the Washington Wizards. Ray Allen, KG and Pierce combined for over 60 points in the win which is a good sign of things to come should they stay healthy. It didn't help either that Gilbert Arenas talked a bit of smack to Boston and it fans on his blog.

- Gilbert Arenas is also considered to be struggling, as his stat lines aren't looking nearly as nice as last season. Gil's coming off an injury and rehab and is most likely still working himself back. However, he seems to like making premature blog statements against teams like the Boston Celtics. Bad idea.

2007-08 NBA Award Predictions

As the 2007-08 NBA season approaches, here's a look at who should be taking the various awards at the end of this season. With some top talent entering the Eastern Conference it makes several of the awards tougher to call. Here's a look at which teams, players and coaches will take home hardware in 2007-08.

NBA Champions - Phoenix Suns - While it's tough to pick the same team that a video game simulation (EA Sports NBA Live 08) has winning the championship, Phoenix seems poised to do it. They return their core three players in Nash, Stoudamire and Marion along with talented players like Raja Bell, Leandro Barbosa and now Grant Hill coming off the bench in relief. Expect this team to continue to put up huge scoring numbers, a ton of shots and three pointers and use their fast paced run and gun offense to win it all.

Runner Up - Chicago Bulls - Although the team lacks a true go-to scorer, the talents of Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng and improving Tyrus Thomas will surely make this a top of the Conference team this season. The Bulls have had defensive standout Ben Wallace for a full season, giving him time to gel with the rest of the team. They have a mega-talented lineup which now adds Joakim Noah to its roster. The Bulls have fresh legs capable of outlasting other benches, making them easy favorites to make the Finals for the East. However those legs will be no match for the fast scoring Phoenix Suns, and the Suns will take the NBA title match.

Most Valuable Player - Lebron James, Cleveland Cavaliers - Because he's that good of a player, people overlook just how much better he makes the team. Lebron will continue to have amazing statistics in all categories and shoulder the major responsibility of making sure his team wins. The Cavs should once again be contenders and it will be thanks to King James.

Scoring leader - Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers - Assuming Kobe stays with the team, he will continue to be their "heart and soul" and continue putting up loads of points against opponents. He's the main man for the team so he will continue to carry their scoring load. Expect Kobe to take this award while his team will probably not make it past round 1 of the playoffs.

Rookie of the Year - Kevin Durant, Seattle Supersonics - Perhaps the easiest award to forecast with Portland's Greg Oden out for the season. The #2 pick, Kevin Durant will be on a rebuilding team and will easily become their new leading scorer and star, now that guys like Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis have departed. Seattle will look to the new star to carry them and he will lead all rookies in at least a few categories statistically giving him this award.

Coach of the Year - Stan Van Gundy, Orlando Magic - This team will perhaps make the biggest leap this season (beyond the obvious Celtics) as they move into the top tier of the NBA's Eastern Conference. While it will be largely in part to their big man, Dwight Howard, their new coach should be able to help them find more success and a playoff berth this season. Van Gundy is famous for helping another young team from Florida make a successful playoff run, the Miami Heat, and he will be doing the same here. Look for the Magic to finish in the top half of the NBA Eastern Conference.

Sleeper team - Charlotte Bobcats - This team still has a bunch of younger players but is loaded with talent. They will most likely be close to the playoff hunt as the season comes to a close, now that they have added the services of the ultra-exciting high-flyer, Jason Richardson. Emeka Okafor, Gerald Wallace, Adam Morrison and Raymond Felton will look to contribute in major ways making this a heavily talented nucleus.

Sixth man - Daniel Gibson, Cleveland Cavaliers - Always a tough award to predict, last season's playoff run by Cleveland showcased his talents off the bench. If he continues to come in for the team as a spark, he most likely will improve upon last year's success and take the award. A player like Chicago's Ben Gordon may compete as well, but it really depends on who's starting and who's coming in as relief.

Most improved Player - Tyrus Thomas, Chicago Bulls - Last year saw Golden State's Monta Ellis take the award. This year look for sophomore sensation, Tyrus Thomas of the Bulls to claim it with a strong second season. Thomas was putting up impressive numbers in the summer leagues and they will most likely continue as the Bulls look to contend for "top team in the East". Thomas should improve upon last year's stats easily and take home the award as he helps contribute to a contending team.

The Kobe Trade Hysteria

Gossip entertainment site TMZ.com recently caught up with Dallas Mavericks owner and Dancing with the Stars contestant, Mark Cuban. TMZ not only asked Cuban about his dance moves but also about his basketball team moves.

From TMZ.com:

"TMZ caught up with our favorite dancing fool in West Hollywood last night. The topic of conversation shifted from the Bossa Nova to basketball; would Cuban go after troubled Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant? Probably not, Cuban says, explaining, "You always talk, but you know this world -- nothing happens."

As for Kobe and the Lakers' recent losing ways, Cuban joked, "Doesn't break my heart. The less help they get, the better!" (Source: TMZ.com)

Cuban has stated that there will not be a Dirk Nowitski for Kobe trade. Of course the NBA's Eastern Conference wouldn't mind adding yet another West talent to its side. Detroit Free Press discusses the possible power shift a Kobe trade would bring to the East. Baltimore Sun discusses why the Chicago Bulls should pursue Kobe. Chicago Tribune says the Bulls don't need him. Right. Bringing Kobe to any squad immediately elevates their contender status beyond what it already was.

As for now, Kobe's locker is still in Los Angeles.