Welcome to another edition of "From the Sports Gutter." This week, the topic is the NBA. The MVP race is heating up between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Also, this season has seen more blockbuster trades than usual, which is making for some thrilling playoff races. To see what else the sports desk has to say about the 2008 NBA season, read on.
Conference play promises to separate the contenders from the pretenders
by Adrian Doerfler
Fans and critics of the NBA probably don't have much to complain about this season.
The races in the Western and Eastern conferences have been pretty tight so far. Five games separate the No. 1 seed and the No. 8 seed in the West, giving games in March a playoff-like atmosphere. The top-nine teams have potential to make a deep run into the playoffs.
With the trade deadline past and the Yao Ming injury, we will probably see the contenders separate from the pretenders.
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Even though Houston is the hottest team in the league, it won't last long without Ming in the lineup.
The Los Angeles Lakers - with the impending return of Andrew Bynum - have a lot of experts and the city of Los Angeles thinking Bynum and Pau Gasol are going to bring Kobe Bryant back to the finals.
Phoenix has struggled since acquiring Shaquille O'Neal in a trade. Regardless of what playoff seed the Suns grab, if they get hot, they can run the table.
The NBA is often about the hottest team at that moment - just look at the Golden State Warriors' upset of the Dallas Mavericks last season.
The Mavericks raised their expectations for the present with the addition of Jason Kidd, who may bring the consistency that won't allow another playoff collapse.
The young Utah Jazz and New Orleans Hornets might be competing for a conference title in a few years, but not this year.
As for the Spurs, they are fundamentally the same old team and could steal the spotlight again from all of the teams that have made blockbuster trades in the last year.
The Eastern Conference is a little more predictable, as there are only five teams above a .500 winning percentage.
I don't think Dwight Howard can carry the Orlando Magic this year, but in the next three years, he will have at least one conference finals appearance. The Cleveland Cavaliers' opponents have scored more points than the Cavs on average this season, but with LeBron James, Cleveland is always a contender.
Detroit and Boston will likely meet in the conference finals, which will turn into a very entertaining series. Hopefully, Kevin Garnett will be able to lead Boston, giving the passionate All-Star a very deserving NBA Finals appearance.
n While the MVP race heats up, some NBA trades have turned out better than others
by Andre van der Merwe
Pound for pound, Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets is the best basketball player in the league.
It's too bad for Paul, though, that there isn't a weight limit in the NBA. Because of that, LeBron James should win the 2008 MVP - hands down.
I can just hear the Kobe Bryant fanatics going crazy right now. Settle down. Now before you rant and rave that Kobe is the best player in the league, or that James couldn't hold on to Bryant's jock strap, sit back a second and think about it long and hard. Bryant could probably take James in a one-on-one game because he's the best shooter in the league. So what? That's not the meaning of MVP.
Here is the way you should decide on the MVP of the league: If you took your MVP candidate out of the game, which team would be hurt the most? Now the answer should be clear. Without James, the Cavaliers wouldn't even be considered an NBA team. Also, James is putting up bigger numbers in more categories than Bryant.
Here is a prime example, in a different sport, though, of choosing an MVP. Let's look at college football this last season.
Look at the Heisman Trophy race from last year. Yeah, Tim Tebow won. But what happened to Oregon after Dennis Dixon's absence speaks volumes on just how valuable he was. With Dixon in the lineup, the Ducks had one of the most explosive offenses in the nation. However, when he went down, the Ducks couldn't buy a touchdown.
Getting back to the NBA, aside from the exciting MVP race, there have been some blockbuster trades made this season.
Pau Gasol went to the Lakers and has had an immediate impact on their performance, making them look as strong as any team in the Western Conference.
Meanwhile, some other trades haven't been going so well. For instance, grandpa - I mean Shaquille O'Neal - left Dwayne Wade and the Heat to travel to Phoenix to play with the Suns. The Suns are 2-4 with the Big Ancient in their lineup. As for the Heat, their season seems hopeless - even with the addition of Shawn Marion - unless they find a way to clone Wade.
Also, Jason Kidd left his home in New Jersey after being a staple with the Nets. Much like Shaq in Phoenix, the trade hasn't worked out great for Dallas. Kidd doesn't seem to fit the Mavericks' offense the way they planned, at least not yet.
It will be interesting to see how the trades work out as the season progresses and to see if LeBron captures the MVP - and perhaps the championship - that I think he deserves.
