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Then & Now: Your Weekly NBA Digest, 3/9

Mar 9, 2009, 1:30 PM UTC

Welcome to Then & Now, where Shoals sums up the week in NBA hoops and tells you what toâ†µlook for. Find it here every Sunday (usually) evening.â†µ
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Point Guards Are the Engine of the Future: Okay, the Jazz areâ†µstill on fire. Eleven straight and counting. But in the tightly-packedâ†µWest, the real news this week was the Hornets, who found out that nothing sets aâ†µteam off like trying to trade a key piece. The Tyson Chandler tradeâ†µgot nixed by OKC’s doctors, and Chandler promptly returned playingâ†µevery game like it was his last. David West, whose second half hasâ†µjustified that All-Star appearance, followed a Player of the Weekâ†µaward with more strong play. And Chris Paul hasâ†µjust gone nuts. Finally, the team that broke out last year is backâ†µand making moves.â†µâ†µRondo for President: The Celtics beat the Cavs without Kevinâ†µGarnett on Friday, making a convincing case for their depth, maturityâ†µand poise -- and the likelihood of their surviving this long-simmeringâ†µstand-off at the top of the East. Then on Sunday, with Rondo and Bigâ†µBaby on the bench, they were forced to start that rascal Stephonâ†µMarbury, and walked away from their home floor with a loss to the teamâ†µthat, since Jameer Nelson went down, has been seen as a distant third.â†µNo one’s blaming Steph, or firing up the Marbury Doomsday Clock, butâ†µyet again, it shows how important Rondo is to that team. KG’s absence,â†µon the other hand, is probably making Boston stronger. â†µ

â†µâ†µShut Your Mouth; You’re Talking About Shaq: You’re excused forâ†µnot knowing that, even with Nash now back, the Suns have now lost fourâ†µstraight and are slipping into the lottery. Shaquille O’Neal had aâ†µfull-on revival this past week, piling up points in wins against theâ†µRaptors and Lakers, then grabbing attention by callingâ†µout former coach Stan Van Gundy for saying he’d flopped on Dwightâ†µHoward. Van Gundy and Chris Bosh, whom Shaq compared to RuPaul earlierâ†µin the week, brushed it off -- not without a little condescension -- but theâ†µpress ate it up, and if you squinted, it was just like old times. â†µ

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â†µFILM CRITICâ†µ

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â†µâ†µNo, this isn’t a fluke. Watch enough of the Bobcats and you’ll getâ†µused to the Boris Diaw/Emeka Okafor two-man game. Diaw’s moreâ†µcomplete, and aggressive, than he was in that Most Improved seasonâ†µunder D’Antoni -- supposedly the coach whose system made him successfulâ†µin the first place. And Okafor, while he’s not Dwight Howard, isâ†µintimidating inside, the perfect match for the versatile Diaw. Worthâ†µnoting that Marvin Williams also is coming into his own.â†µ

â†µâ†µCOMING ATTRACTIONS
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â†µ-- Let's force the metaphor one more time: All eyes are on Detroit, asâ†µthey count down the halcyon days until Allen Iverson returns andâ†µhas to come off the bench. Basketball-wise, there's not much toâ†µworry about here; AI will provide instant offense and play in theâ†µfourth if he's really on fire. No one knows, though, what will happenâ†µwhen one of the league's most charismatic stars is thrust into aâ†µsupporting role. Iverson's no Marbury, and will try to be a goodâ†µsoldier, but the question remains whether he's fundamentallyâ†µincompatible with Dee-Troit Basketball.â†µ

â†µâ†µ-- Speaking of Iverson’s old team, Denver’s got to be the mostâ†µschizophrenic show in town these days. They’re still sixth, headedâ†µfor the playoffs, and a more cohesive unit than in the past. Chaunceyâ†µBillups has been everything the Nuggets possibly could’ve asked for.â†µIt’s not even like they’re in a slump. But Melo and Karl areâ†µfeuding again, a distraction that not only gets in the way of theâ†µpresent -- it casts a pall of uncertainty over the future. Anthony’sâ†µhaving his best overall season as a pro, but is still most valuable asâ†µa scorer. J.R. Smith could readily step into that number one optionâ†µslot, everyone’s looking to save money ... could Melo be headedâ†µto the Knicks, who have probably given up on Wade or Bron?â†µ

â†µâ†µ-- Ah, continuity: For MVP, it’s Wade or Bron. Kobe’s in theâ†µrunning, technically, but he got one last year. Wade has beenâ†µabsolutely scintillating as of late, while James has been contentâ†µmerely to lead a team that’s finally back at full-strength (and beatâ†µthe Heat twice this past week). Then again, the Heat have a shot atâ†µhome court advantage, when few people pegged them as a playoff teamâ†µheading into 2008-09. And they don’t have the likes of Mo Williams toâ†µget their superstar’s back. Expect LeBron to be rewarded for hisâ†µteam’s success, but it will be a close vote if Wade continues thisâ†µrun.â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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