NBA Rumblings

1) Don't look now, but the Oden-less Portland Trailblazers have won 10 in a row, and sit just one game behind division leading Denver. The young core of Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Martell Webster, Channing Frye and Jarrett Jack have brought Portland back into contention. Vets Steve Blake and Joel Przybilla have fit nicely into their roles, as the team is enjoying shocking success. With a strong young nucleus, this is a team that will compete in the West for the next 5 years. Imagine this 2008 lineup:

Blake, Roy, Webster, Aldrige and Oden: With Frye, Jack and Outlaw coming of the bench

This team is a better PG away from being the class of the West.

2) Unfortunately, it appears another Boston team is truly dominant. As much as I tried to write off the quick start as a hot streak, the Celtics really are this good. At 22-3, they have already built themselves a 9 game division lead, and are currently outscoring opponents by an average of 14 points per game. Rajon Rondo is developing into a very solid player, giving the Celtics the role player they needed. However, be wary if one of the Big Three goes down, as the teams only weakness is its lack of depth.

3) Today, Kobe became the youngest player ever to score 20,000 points, beating Wilt Chamberlain by approximately two weeks. Quite an impressive achievement, but Kobe is still just over half way to Wilt's all time record. Somehow, I don't see Kobe playing another 10-12 season and breaking this record. However, Kobe has to considered the most dominant scorer of this era. While guys like Shaq, Duncan, and LeBron will go down as better players, Kobe holds the title as the best scorer of the post-Jordan era, and there's still no one I'd rather have taking the big shot with the game on the line.