Miami Heat will have a Hardwood Classics throwback night in the near future where they will be wearing the lod uniform of the ABA's Miami Floridians...here's a pic of Shaq mugging for the camera in the Floridians Uni...speakign of bad uniforms, check out Darius Songaila in the Chicago Stags uniform from the late 1940's...ugly...

MVP…Elton Brand scored a season-high 37 points, another season high with 6 blocks and had 12 boards for good measure as the LA Clippers spanked fellow division leader Miami in a 99-89 victory last night. Fans were actually chanting: ''MVP! MVP!'' ''It feels good,'' Brand said. ''But like I always say, though, it's just the team. Once the team wins, then the individual accolades come. I played with the Bulls and had 44 points one game and I didn't hear 'MVP' once.'' E.T. Cassell had 18 points and 13 assists for the Clippers…although the best shooting performance in the game came from a fan who made a shot from midcourt with his back to the basket at halftime to win a new car.

Spurs PF Timmy Duncan schooled youngster Dwight Howard of the Magic last night as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Orlando Magic 110-86…The Big fundamental had 26 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, while Mr. Longoria added 20 points and seven assists…Howard, who had a double-double by halftime but shot just 4-of-18 from the field finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds. ''I'm very old,'' Duncan said, smiling. ''I was looking at it before the game and I'm something like 9 1/2 years older than (Howard). That's crazy. ... ''He doesn't look like a 19-year-old. He's got so much promise. I'm just glad I'll be out of the league when he's peaking.''

Still the Shaq-Daddy…Shaq received a standing ovation in the second quarter of the Bobcat-Laker game the other night…O'Neal was back in town for last night’s Heat game against the Clippers, but came a day early to have some business meetings and attend the Laker game…O'Neal left at halftime, but not before the scoreboard showed a close-up of him, accompanied by "Superman" theme music, as he sat down almost directly across from Laker Coach Phil Jackson. At halftime, as the Lakers trailed the Bobcats, 48-46, O'Neal declined to be interviewed. "No comment," he said. "Just sitting here next to a business partner, trying to sell some shoes."

1) Greg Anthony of ESPN.com predicts the East:

Here's how East will finish

The balance of power has gone from West to East. The East is deeper and better at the top with three of the top four teams in the league residing in the East. Here's how I see the East seedings come playoff time:

1. Pistons. Best backcourt. Best frontline. And people forget this is a young basketball team and still improving. Flip Saunders gives them freedom offensively, which could be the deciding factor. They also have motivation: 1.) That it wasn't just about Larry Brown; and 2.) The way they lost in the Finals last season. Only question is: Will they get enough support off the bench?

2. Heat. Eventually, Shaq will be there and they'll be dangerous, having the most talented 1-2 punch in the league. Chemistry may be an issue, but they know how to play winning basketball. The main question is: Are they good enough defensively to hang with the likes of San Antonio, Detroit and Indiana? Jury's still out.

3. 76ers. Getting this high spot only because they're a division champ. When I look up and down the Atlantic Division, the best player is Allen Iverson, who is motivated and off to a great start. The Sixers haven't gotten anything out of Kyle Korver and Andre Iguodala. Chris Webber's been decent, not great, but they're the team in the division that has the most room for growth. Defensively, they'll get better.

4. Pacers. Their defense can win a championship. Not sure about their offense. Point-guard play is gonna be the key. I don't think they get enough easy baskets. They struggle to score and are unable to take advantage of their defense. Rick Carlisle's greatest challenge is to make them more effective on the offensive end.

5. Cavs. They have enough talent. And they have the X-factor, LeBron James. But if they want to get to the next level, LeBron has to 1.) become a real leader -- leadership allows you to win on the road. They're a bad road team; and 2.) become more dominant on the defensive end -- the Cavs don't guard any position well on the floor.

6. Bulls. Not a lot of people are talking about them, but never discount the experience they gained from last season. This is a young basketball team that has learned how to win and plays defense. The Scott Skiles-Ben Gordon feud is an issue, but not something that's going to knock them off track. I worry most about whether they have enough low-post scoring.

7. Nets. With the best perimeter trio in the conference, except in Detroit, they'll find a way to get to the playoffs. But when I think about their frontline, a big question mark blinks in my head. Other than Nenad Krstic's offensive outbursts here and there, they put up nothing. Marc Jackson, Jason Collins and Krstic don't have the overall athleticism to compete.

8. Bucks. They have depth to go along with great point guard play. Terry Stotts has been pushing the right buttons. They can shoot from the perimeter, score in the open floor or with their backs to the basket. They've already proven they can go on the road and win. They also have a chance to be a good defensive team and will benefit from playing in the best division in basketball.

Bubble teams:
Wizards: I just don't think they can replace Larry Hughes' overall game. And they don't have enough on the frontline; they're more perimeter oriented than last year. They're a solid basketball team, but not ready to get back in the playoffs this season.

Celtics: They don't have a point guard. They need to address that issue. They miss the stability that Gary Payton provides. They don't have decision-making at that position and that's going to hurt them.

2) Jeff Shelman of the Minneapolis Tribune reports on the old name brand but new philosophy of coaching at storied Big East power Georgetown:

Georgetown's amped up its nonconference slate

John Thompson III sits down in a chair in the Georgetown basketball office, and the tradition built by his father is impossible to miss. On the wall behind him in McDonough Gymnasium is a picture of former Hoyas center Patrick Ewing, arms outstretched and rocking the tight old-school gray T-shirt under his jersey. Shelves on Thompson's right feature shoes autographed by former Georgetown players who have reached the NBA. In the far corner is a photo of legendary Hoyas coach John Thompson Jr. standing on the sidelines -- towel, of course, draped over his shoulder -- giving instruction to a guard with closely cropped hair named Allen Iverson. The topic on this day, naturally, is basketball. Speaking with three reporters, Thompson is discussing Saturday's loss to Vanderbilt, this Saturday's game at Oregon and next Thursday's game at No. 12 Illinois. What? Vanderbilt, Oregon and Illinois in consecutive games? And this is the regular season? And you mean the Hoyas still have a January nonconference game to play against Duke? Adding already-completed road victories over Navy and James Madison and a late-December trip to the Sun Bowl Tournament in El Paso, Texas, Georgetown will play six games away from home before the beginning of the Big East schedule. No conference team will play more games away from home in December, and most schools are only playing one or two road games. What happened to Georgetown's seemingly annual games with St. Leo? Where's that early-season road trip to Hawaii-Loa or Hawaii Pacific? What happened to the days when the Hoyas spent December as an honorary member of the MEAC? Asked what his father thinks of his schedule, the second-year Georgetown coach is blunt: "He thinks I'm a fool. That's a fact." The former Princeton player and head coach, however, is fine with that assessment. His job is to prepare the Hoyas for life in the bigger Big East. His team -- one with six players who started at least 15 games last season returning -- doesn't lack confidence, so six weeks of cupcakes wouldn't help this group as much as it may help others. This schedule, Thompson hopes, will prepare the Hoyas for what awaits them in January. Will a trip to Connecticut, Marquette or Villanova really be any more difficult than a game at Illinois' Assembly Hall? Probably not. Will facing Oregon's backcourt trio of Aaron Brooks, Malik Hairston and Bryce Taylor give Georgetown's players a pretty good replication of the Big East's best backcourts? Probably. "The nature of our schedule is that we can have some tough times," said Thompson, who is also dealing off the court with his wife being diagnosed with cancer. "We realized that when we put it together. But at the end of the day, we have to be prepared for the Big East -- and hopefully we will. "We want to put ourselves in a position where we can grow and improve." The next week will also provide a good barometer of just where the Hoyas stand in Year 2 of the JTIII era. Last season, Georgetown was the biggest surprise in the Big East, improving from 13-15 in 2003-04 to 19-13. The Hoyas defeated Pittsburgh, Villanova and West Virginia in league play, while Syracuse needed overtime to defeat them. Seven of the Hoyas' losses were by seven or fewer points. As a result, Georgetown was in the mix for an NCAA Tournament invitation until the final weeks of the season. The Hoyas, however, were ultimately undone by a five-game losing streak in late February and early March that included bad losses to St. John's and Providence. This season, a return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001 is a primary goal. "Is it important? It's extremely important," Thompson said. "But it's a building process. Our [long-term] goal is not to get to the tournament, it's to win the tournament. But you have to take steps along the way. It's a first step. "We were extremely close [last season] ... we have to improve. Inasmuch as we have the same pieces back, a year older doesn't necessarily make you a year better." That said, Thompson's hope is that the Hoyas will have to think less on the offensive end. A year ago, Thompson and his staff spent a disproportionate amount of time drilling the players in the intricacies of the Pete Carril/Bill Carmody offense. "They have somewhat of a feel of what we're trying to accomplish, what we're trying to do," Thompson said. "Like most things, if you do it long enough, you hopefully become more accustomed to it. Hopefully in Year 2, there's a little more playing than reacting and thinking. "This year we spent more time, probably more than normal, on skill development and player improvement, where last year it was about how we were going to play." At October's Big East media day, Georgetown was singled out by several coaches -- most noticeably Connecticut's Jim Calhoun -- as a potential dark horse to win the league title. While the Hoyas don't have the same talent as the Huskies, Louisville, Villanova or Syracuse, they have returning players and a somewhat reasonable schedule by Big East standards. In the conference's currently whacked format, Georgetown doesn't play Louisville or Seton Hall. The Hoyas will play St. John's and West Virginia twice. That runs in contrast to the schedule of the league's top programs, which all seemingly play each other twice. Thompson isn't quite as convinced. Like nearly every college coach this time of the year, Thompson is fixated on what needs improvement rather than what is working. "What other people think does not matter. It's up to that group of people that's in that gym right now," Thompson said. "Whether people think you stink, you're awful, you don't have a shot or they think you're great, we have to do it. Basketball is not like politics ... we have to cross those lines and do it. "For us to have success, everyone has to be good. That hasn't changed." Are the Hoyas going to be good? The next week will tell a lot.

3) Kelly Dwyer of SI.com with Champs and Chumps:

Out of the box thinking - Suns, Grizzlies winning with unorthodox approaches

You'd think that, after a week of "preparation," I'd have cobbled a better intro together than the one you're currently reading. Sadly, this isn't the case, and for that I sincerely apologize. Thankfully, the sincerity ends here, as do most journalistic conventions -- so here, the week that was and will be in the NBA ...

Champs - Three weeks ago, the Suns were stuck at 4-5, and Steve Nash was dragging, averaging 16.3 points on 42 percent shooting and looking worse for wear toward the end of games. Since then the Suns have ripped off six wins in a row, Nash has raised his scoring average a full two points while shooting at a 48-percent clip. With 16 games in December, the good times could be short lived for a team still learning how to survive without Amaré Stoudemire. But with each W, Phoenix looks increasingly capable of more than treading water until their big man returns from microfracture surgery after the All-Star break. The addition of Boris Diaw to the starting lineup has helped Phoenix's return to heartiness. The former Hawks castaway has done it all in a five-game starting turn. Pulling off that center-forward-guard-Rover thing that Magic Johnson gave birth to in Philly a while back, Diaw averaged 14.6 points on 59 percent shooting, with 7.8 assists, 6.4 rebounds, two steals and 1.4 blocks per game last week. He's everywhere and nowhere all at once, allowing his teammates to shine brightly in his absence before appearing out of the ether to dash off an assist, make a weak-side block or start the break with a timely rebound. Shawn Marion's 19 points, 12 boards and two blocks per game this season aren't hurting, either. ***The goings-on in Memphis aren't nearly as spectacular, but Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello will take the results. His team has won five straight, nine of 11 overall and are scaring both little children and league executives alike with their brand of bore-ball. You won't see much of them on national TV, but I dig this slog stuff. On offense, they work from the outside-in, shooting more than 21 3-pointers a game, an average that becomes even more significant when you take into account their snail-like pace. This is the third-slowest team in the league, so to put up the third-most treys per game is quite an accomplishment. And unlike the teams ahead of them (Golden State and Seattle), the Grizz are nailing more than a third of these chucks -- 38 percent, to be exact. Throw in some hard-nosed defense and a cast of veterans who aren't long for fooling around, and the results seem obvious: the second best record in the West.***After last year's playoff run, it became apparent that the Dallas Mavericks were going to have to get an All Star-level season from Jason Terry if they wanted to count themselves among the league's elite. Problem was, since his arrival in Dallas before last season, Terry has had a hard time balancing his shoot-first instincts with the ideal type of point guard he thinks people think he should be. That's nonsense, of course, because the reason the Mavericks traded for this guy is because he can put points on the board and put pressure on the defense with his all-around scoring ability. Comparisons to the departed Steve Nash certainly didn't help, but by last May, Terry finally started to get the idea. He's led one of the league's most efficient offenses to an 11-5 record so far, averaging 17 points on 50 percent shooting on the year. Last week Terry averaged 25.3 points per game, hit 60 percent of his shots from the floor and 58 percent from deep. That's sick stuff, right there. Terry's not passing as much, handing out only 3.8 assists per game this year (including a goose egg in a loss to the Spurs last week), but we reckon he'll figure the rest out as he shuffles along. Something about being in a contract year ...

Chumps - The notion that the Kings can start slow because they're vets and Mike Bibby has a nice chinstrap beard and all will be well because it always is is getting out of hand. They've lost three straight, they're back in the Pacific Division cellar and the Minnesota Timberwolves made them look like a group of disinterested, but well-outfitted, senior citizens in 85-77 T'wolves win on Sunday night. Peja Stojakovic's Morph the Cat impersonation is getting annoying. He's missed 36 of 46 shots since Bonzi Wells shamed him into playing through that devastating strained pinkie finger injury last week. The Kings have also been destroyed on the boards, getting outrebounded by 32 caroms, total, during this swoon, which makes no sense for a team that is half made up of power forwards. ***If only to deflect the predictable "playa hater" cries that usually pollute my inbox every Monday evening, let me just state that I am a big fan of Damon Jones' whole ... thing. The sunglasses, the halted speech, the passive/aggressive media boycotts, the goofball handshakes -- it's a gas, really. The shtick doesn't take away from the Damon Jones we knew from a few years ago, the guy that was supposedly killing Nick Van Exel and Sam Cassell in Houston-area pickup games. Or the CBA call-up that destroyed the Bulls in a game back in 1999 while sporting a generic Mavericks jersey; one that wasn't created in time to stitch his unremarkable surname across the back. The guy's a dead-set legend. But the on-court stuff has to change. Jones is backing up Eric Snow in Cleveland, but he's playing more than half the game and hardly giving his Cavaliers much more then the expected outside touch. He's hitting 40 percent from deep this year but his defense has been pathetic. In a nationally-televised game against the SuperSonics Friday night, Jones was caught clowning by Flip Murray two different times after nailing a trey, mugging long enough to escort Murray to the front of the rim on the other end. That's horrid ball-hawking, and not just in comparison to Snow. Jones has been waving guys through to the hoop all season.

The week ahead - The Philadelphia 76ers' 8-10 mark leads the predictably pitiable Atlantic Division, and that includes the Sixers' current three-game losing streak. Allen Iverson's crew gets to play five of their next six at the Wachovia Center, where the usual sellout throngs haven't been lining up despite Philly's 6-3 mark at home. Those missing fans are also missing out on a career year by AI: 34.2 points on 45 percent shooting this year, with 7.7 assists and a couple of steals. Now if Iverson could only combine Kyle Korver (can only shoot) and Andre Iguodala (can only do everything else) into some sort of manimal. Milwaukee somehow survived a brutal first five weeks, winning eight of a tough 14 games despite having to work in four new starters and a new coaching staff. The rest of December looks to be shaping up quite nicely, with eight of their next 12 games against teams with a .500 record or worse. Only three teams have played more home games than the 9-9 Denver Nuggets, but things appear to be evening-out. The Nuggets play six of their next seven on the road, but that includes two games against the Hawks, a contests against the Shaq-less Heat, the Shaq-less Magic, the Bobcats and the flighty New Jersey Nets. Not even the impending Voshon Lenard Crisis can bring this team down -- they've come too far, dammit. The 4-12 Rockets play just three games between Dec. 4 and 13, so I guess the "do-over" starts here. I'm looking forward to the Pistons strolling into L.A. next Sunday for a game against the Clippers. Detroit will have had five days off following their win over the Bulls on Saturday night before they begin a three-game Western jaunt Friday night against the Warriors, so it'll be interesting to see what sort of quirks Flip Saunders can add to their offense by then.

Ruminations - Paul Pierce has been under quite a bit of scrutiny since his Celtics traded Antoine Walker to the Mavericks in Sept. 2003. He's had to endure the bleatings of a spate of amateur psychologists and fledgling body language experts, worthy men from points between Spain and Siam who swear up and down that the Boston forward can't possibly being enjoying life in green and white. Little wonder since Pierce's dour mug remains the same. He still snipes at teammates for misdeeds both real and imagined, barely hiding his contempt for the improving yet disparate roster Boston boss Danny Ainge has created around him, mostly doing so in full view of a stadium full of onlookers and the television audience. And that's a shame, because Pierce has been absolutely brilliant in all facets of the game this year. He's averaging 27 points on 50 percent shooting for the 7-9 Celtics. Pierce also shoots 44 percent from behind the arc, averages 9.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.6 steals. Just one punk's opinion, of course, but it appears as if his on-court "encouragement" falls closer in line to what Dirk Nowitzki was practicing last spring, as opposed to the sort of rah-rah stuff that usually perks teammates up This unfortunate segue leads us right into the solid play of 21-year Celtics center Kendrick Perkins. Mealy-mouthed Mark Blount wasn't giving the Celtics much more than the occasional baseline jumper in the season's first month, to say nothing of his ceaseless complaining behind the scenes, so Rivers finally let Perkins have a go at his starting spot. In five games since taking over Blount's gig, Perk has averaged 7.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and a block in around 20 minutes a game. He also knocks people down, which is nice, because it's about time someone on the Celtics took responsibility for improving their porous interior defense. Very nice to see Troy Hudson's ankles looking healthy and his game back on track. He's averaging 12.6 points in just 23 minutes a game and nailing 43 percent of his 3-pointers off the Minnesota bench. The fact that the Phoenix Suns like to pass isn't much of a shocker, but we're blown away by the lengths they go toward stopping the other team from registering an assist. After out-dishing the Atlanta Hawks 27-8 on Sunday night, the Suns now lead the league by averaging 10.7-more assists per game then their opponents. This is a monstrous disparity, as the second place team (your Dee-troit Pistons) "only" averages 4.9 more. The Suns managed a 2.3-assist per game disparity last year, which was still good for fourth in the NBA.

4) Ivan Carter of the Washington reports that Caron Butler could be in line for some NBA hardware:

Butler Finds He Is Well Suited to His New Role

Caron Butler wasn't originally thrilled by the idea of coming off the bench for the Washington Wizards. The high-energy forward -- the key element in the trade that sent Kwame Brown to the Los Angeles Lakers last summer -- has been a starter his entire basketball life and expected to be one with Washington. However, Butler's willingness to accept his role has provided the Wizards with a scoring boost off the bench and has made Butler an early candidate for the NBA's sixth man of the year award. Butler is averaging 15 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 46.1 percent from the floor for the Wizards, who are 7-8 heading into tomorrow night's game against the Toronto Raptors at MCI Center. Butler has been a tough matchup for several opponents who have been forced to use second-unit defenders against him, and Wizards Coach Eddie Jordan has often kept him on the floor with starters and primary scorers Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison in the fourth quarter. According to the Web site http://www.82games.com , Washington has a plus/minus rating of plus-23 when the five-man unit of Arenas, Jamison, Butler, center Brendan Haywood and guard Antonio Daniels are on the floor together. Two of Butler's biggest games helped the Wizards to victories. He scored 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting in a Nov. 11 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics and had 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting in a Nov. 25 road win over the Detroit Pistons. Butler posted another 27-point game during Friday night's 105-102 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. That game carried special meaning for Butler, a Racine, Wis., native who was excited because many friends and family were able to watch the game back home. "I really wanted to get this one, and I thought we played well enough to win but they just had a guy who was feeling it," Butler said in reference to Bucks guard Maurice Williams, who scored a game-high 35 points and hit a game-winning three-pointer to beat the buzzer. "We're in one of those ruts right now where things aren't going our way but we have to fight through and keep playing. We've got a lot of character guys on this team. We'll stick together." Butler's professional approach was a major reason why the Wizards signed him to a five-year contract extension before the start of the season, and his willingness to accept his new role has helped Jordan piece together a rotation. Although Butler is the Wizards' sixth man, he is still playing starter's minutes. He averages 28.2 minutes per game, tied with Haywood for third on the team behind Arenas (40.6) and Jamison (38.2). "We like having Caron come in with our second unit because he brings that energy and scoring," Jordan said. "He can come in and be aggressive. That's what we want with that second unit." ***Ramos Looks Good: Second-year center Peter John Ramos had a strong performance on Saturday for Roanoke, the Wizards' NBA Development League affiliate. Ramos scored a season-high 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots in 32 minutes for the Dazzle, which lost, 113-109, to the Florida Flame. In six games with Roanoke, Ramos is averaging 11.7 points and 9.7 rebounds. The Wizards have assigned a coach, Ron Ganulin, to work with Ramos and have plans to bring him back to Washington for a few practices at some point during the season. Ramos is the only Wizard currently assigned to the NBDL but the team has the option of assigning rookies Andray Blatche and Donell Taylor. Blatche has appeared in two games. Taylor has appeared in one.

5) Mike Kahn of FOXSports.com with his weekly 10 things column:

10 things we learned this week

Ask a group of 10 NBA fans which team has the best record in the Western Conference and they'd respond quickly and correctly — the San Antonio Spurs. The second-best record, though, is not so simple to come up with, is it? Try the Memphis Grizzlies, with the confidence, consistency and calm of a Jerry West line-drive jump shot from several eras ago.

1. When West signed a two-year extension at the start of the season, ending speculation he was finished as Grizzlies president this spring, it not only stabilized the franchise, but it came with the addendum that he intends to see this through to the point of challenging in the Western Conference with Mike Fratello as head coach. What this really means: With all the parity in the West, aside from the Spurs and perhaps — when healthy — the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns, the Grizzlies are flying under the radar screen with a team that set a few franchise records over the weekend. Not only did they make a record number of 3-pointers when they sank 15 in their 90-75 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday, but they made six in a row in the third quarter. And to top it off, the Rockets were the third team in a row to score 75 or less points against the Grizz. Plus, they held Houston to just 26 points in the first half — another team mark. Indeed, Fratello has the Grizzlies doing it with defense as, they stretched their winning streak to five games and their record to 12-5. The additions of Damon Stoudamire, Bobby Jackson and Eddie Jones gave the team energy, shooting range, experience — and most of all, the know-how to win tough games. Along with the more aggressive Pau Gasol, the consistency of Shane Battier and the streaky shooting of Mike Miller — native son Lorenzen Wright has finally stopped complaining about the way he's been treated (and wanting a trade) and just started playing hard in the middle. Winning can cure everything, and if the Grizzlies stay on this pace, everyone will know who they are and start taking them seriously.

2. The Phoenix Suns won their league-high sixth game in a row Sunday night, providing a rude return trip to Joe Johnson, the player who wanted to be signed-and-traded to the Atlanta Hawks over the summer, with a 112-94 triumph. What this really means: The Suns, despite sitting in third place, remain the team to beat in the Pacific Division. Not only are they doing this without All-Star big man Amare Stoudemire, out for months to come following micro-fracture knee surgery, but then leading scorer Leandro Barbosa badly sprained his ankle. Meanwhile, the Hawks have the worst record in the NBA at 2-14. But amid all the discussion over the Suns losing Johnson in the deal, then Stoudemire to surgery, is Boris Diaw, the 6-foot-8 swingman the Suns got in the deal from the Hawks. Diaw roams between the high and low post, looking somewhat like Danny Manning — albeit with more limited scoring ability — with the way he moves the ball and crashes the offensive boards. Diaw, still only 23 years old, has averaged 14.6 points, 7.6 assists, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks during the winning streak and 11.1 points, 6.2 assists and 5.9 rebounds for the season. And, yes, Steve Nash is proving worthy of defending his league MVP award — pushing the ball and helping everyone exceed expectations with his career-best 18.9 points and 1.07 steals to go along with his league-best 10.6 assists. The Suns are dangerous again, particularly once Barbosa returns soon (and with the hope remaining that Stoudemire will be back after the All-Star break).

3. The talk went on incessantly during the off-season about the Boston Celtics trading All-Star Paul Pierce, and rightfully so. He was an embarrassment during a playoff meltdown against the Indiana Pacers and never did embrace coach Doc Rivers — rather, fighting him most of the season instead. What this really means: Celtics president Danny Ainge restrained himself and, really, Pierce has done nothing but enhance his market value. They've won two of their last three games, and Pierce has averaged 35.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.3 steals in those games. Over the past eight — in which they are 4-4 — he's averaged 28.7 points and 10.5 rebounds. Unfortunately, the other veterans aren't productive — with center Mark Blount one of the four hottest names on the trade market at the moment. The rest of the team is too young to seriously compete. So if they were reluctant to deal Pierce during the off-season, why not get involved in some deals now? Ainge loves to be part of the market hunt, and if there is any chance the Minnesota Timberwolves will move Kevin Garnett, Pierce can be a big part of that puzzle with his talent and salary. The C's have some really nice young pieces and some real dead weight — and the only way there can be a sense of balance is to go one way or the other. Logically, they should go young, and dealing Pierce can bring them more valuable young players who will respond to Rivers and get everyone on the same page.

4. New York may only be two games out of first place, but the only reason is because the Knicks are playing in the woeful Atlantic Division. On the heels of waiving forward Matt Barnes, whom coach Larry Brown was raving about early in the season and actually started, anything is possible. What this really means: Outside of the continual impact of Brown's playing rookie 7-footer Channing Frye at power forward, the only real sense of progress is realizing that if he plays guard Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford and diminutive rookie Nate Robinson together, they will pressure the ball and move it — even without a point guard. The buzz is still out there that they are interested in Darius Miles and/or Ruben Patterson — with Antonio Davis as the trade bait. Come Dec. 15, there is also a decent chance they can trade slothful 7-footer Jerome James to Denver for point guard Earl Watson. These are two free-agent signings that made no sense and could be salvaged by this deal. Really, it's difficult to get a read on what's happening with these guys, other than the fact that when you get a guy who tires of his players as quickly as Brown does, the only certainty is that some time in December, the Knicks' roster will begin its upheaval. And in the Atlantic Division, that will still give them plenty of time to make a strong move in the standings.

5. Speaking of the Blazers, Miles could be headed for knee surgery in the wake of the swelling and pain that kept him out of Sunday's loss to the Utah Jazz. His right knee has been giving him problems all season and prompted the starting of rookie Martell Webster on his 19th birthday Sunday night — making Webster and Sebastian Telfair the only all-teenager starting backcourt in the NBA. What this really means: The Blazers may not be able to deal Patterson now in the wake of his suspension and apology for ripping into coach Nate McMillan at the start of their seven-game road trip last month. But if they lose Miles to surgery and trade Patterson, they'll probably get an expiring contract or another young player as the Blazers continue their transformation. Whether this is working out or not is tough to tell — other than McMillan molding them with a defensive mentality — and will require several years to really determine. Only time will tell whether this concept that John Nash has sold the organization on, of dumping contracts and building with youth, has merit or is just an age-old attempt at buying an extension to his own lame duck status to see this project through.

6. The Indiana Pacers may have finally lost Jonathan Bender for good with his horrid knees and once again must move on without point guard Jamaal Tinsley, who is sidelined with a strained groin muscle. What this really means: We now know why the Pacers were so happy to sign free agent Sarunas Jasikevicius to a three-year deal in the off-season. Tinsley got hurt in the embarrassing 18-point loss at Phoenix and split the next two games at Portland and Seattle. Jasikevicius averaged 15.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the three games as the primary point guard for the Pacers, but it still doesn't cure the obvious. Unless the Pacers decide to move on from Tinsley, he will continue to be the key to their success (or failure). When healthy, Tinsley pressures the ball, pushes the ball on the break and creates plays consistently in the half-court offense. He has improved his perimeter shooting and is the one obvious factor when they are at their best. But if he can't stay healthy, are the Pacers wise in keeping him in that pivotal role? This is a decision they won't likely make this season, but when summer comes around, the future of their point guard position will be contingent on how well Tinsley plays — and how healthy he stays — for the remainder of this season.

7. The Chicago Bulls continue to move on in a disappointing manner since dealing center Eddy Curry and his backup Antonio Davis, virtually gutting their interior game with young Tyson Chandler clearly not ready to take over all the duties without any help. What this really means: The real folly of this deal was receiving athletic 28-year-old forward Tim Thomas. All the talk about his $13.9 million contract that expires at the end of this season making the Bulls major players on the free agent market has ceased, and rightfully so. Thomas is getting paid all that money, but he's played in just three games for a total of 31 minutes — with 13 points, four rebounds and two assists — before the organization decided to make him permanently inactive. There are two ways to look at this. The first being that the organization was incredibly naive to believe the Knicks were going to buy out the rest of Davis' contract so he could return to the Bulls. The second is that they knew that Thomas was a chronic underachiever who is much better at talking the game than playing it. Some team, somewhere will pick up Thomas as a free agent after the season, but getting another team to pick up his contract in a deal this season will be a tough sell, even for someone who has been as adept as Paxson (the present situation notwithstanding).

8. So much has been made of the Los Angeles Clippers' ascension to the top of the Pacific Division. The simple fact that the Golden State Warriors have pulled into a virtual tie for the lead has gone almost unnoticed. What this really means: Most of the success has been attributed to the addition of Baron Davis, who led them to an 18-8 mark during the last two months, making them 30-14 the past three months. Indeed, Davis changed the Warriors' mentality. And it's not just scoring. They've won five in a row and six of seven, with Davis averaging 16.7 points, 12.6 assists and 1.5 steals over these past seven. The problem is, he's still not healthy, and that's been an issue the past three years for a point guard with a maximum contract. But there's more to the Warriors' success than Davis, and the always-explosive offense of backcourt mate — leading scorer Jason Richardson. Their defense has hunkered down considerably this season as well, allowing their opponents 7.3 fewer points a game this season than last. Mickael Pietrus continues to improve; power forward Troy Murphy is a strong rebounder with an improving perimeter game, while rookie power forward Ike Diogu is now healthy and beginning to make an impact, and rugged center Adonal Foyle is rebounding and blocking shots. The key is that it's all still working for Mike Montgomery, the second-year coach from Stanford looking to defy the failure that has consumed virtually all of the other long-time college coaches who made the big leap into the NBA.

9. Entering the week, only one team in the Atlantic Division was sporting a two-game winning streak. What this really means: The Atlantic Division is awful, but things are looking up for the uh, streaking Toronto Raptors. As we've said in the past, the continuing growth of superb young forward Chris Bosh is about the only thing the Raptors can hang their hats on, but at least it has translated into a couple of wins, and they have passed the Atlanta Hawks in the conference standings. Meanwhile, Bosh has scored at least 20 points in 10 of the last 11 games — averaging 23.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.0 blocks during that time — for the season, he's averaging 21.4 points and 10.1 rebounds. More important is the future. If ownership has bought into rebuilding and giving embattled general manager Pete Babcock at least through this season, they'd better make a strong case for Bosh signing an extension in the summer when he first becomes eligible. Is he worth the maximum? He is for the Raptors, if for no other reason than there's no one else to bank on in this rebuilding process.

10. The Miami Heat entered Monday night's game with the Minnesota Timberwolves 9-6 without Shaquille O'Neal after being on their way to 1-1 with the big man before he rolled his ankle late in their loss to the Indiana Pacers. Shaq is expected to return Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs. What this really means: Perhaps it is just foreshadowing what the Heat will deal with the rest of this season. O'Neal, who claimed he was too weak at 325 pounds last season, has packed it back on. Whatever he weighs (340 ... 350?) will continue to cause problems for his 33-year-old legs and feet, and the $20 million a year extension he signed during the off-season will be all about getting 60 games a year and hopefully the playoffs out of him for the duration of the contract. It's been difficult to quantify the impact of new Heat players from the active off-season (Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, James Posey and Gary Payton), if for no other reason than it is all about what a fabulous job Dwyane Wade has done carrying the team. Oddly enough, had they not traded for O'Neal, they would have been on a similar course of building with Caron Butler and Lamar Odom still on the roster. Last year, without the new additions — they were within one game and a healthy Wade and O'Neal — from winning the East. Now they're in another state of transition. Maybe they get it together this year. But if they don't, you have to wonder what next summer will bring.