MKRob Sports

By Brandon Taylor

I guess I should always start off with Miami. They are 5-2 and still leading the league in total defense. I know some people were shocked by the New Orleans loss, but they are going to play bad basketball from time to time. I always thought Chris Bosh was tougher than people gave him credit for, but it’s hard to justify 5 rebounds, when he averaged 9-10 in Toronto. They play Boston this week, so that will tell us where they stand.

Speaking of Boston they are 6-1. They have some tests this week as they play Dallas before Miami.

Atlanta is also 6-1, even though they haven’t played a top team yet. They have their nemesis, Orlando this week, so we will see how good they are.

The 2-3 Chicago Bulls are still struggling, but Derrick Rose is playing like an MVP candidate. I don’t like how he was benched during the Knicks game. That can’t happen. For all the talk about Thibodeau and improved defense, Chicago is in the bottom tier in the league in defense.

Cleveland is still hanging in at 3-3. Mo Williams has to like being the main option instead of deferring to LeBron. They have a solid backcourt with Williams, Ramon Sessions, and Daniel Gibson.

Orlando may be the best team in the conference so far, even though the small forward spot is a question mark. Mickael Pietrus has been benched and Quentin Richardson has started the last 2 games. Even Ryan Anderson is in the mix because of his long range shooting. You don’t need Pietrus for the regular season, you need to keep him alert for the playoffs, where he can do some dumb things, but equally you could get brilliance. Milwaukee is still stuck in a funk at 2-5. They are playing great defense, but they have to score. John Salmons is shooting 32% from the field and Corey Maggette is shooting 36%.

Charlotte has the same problem. Great defensive team, but scoring is an issue. All of their best players are playing well, but I think what they are lacking is production off the bench. Who can come in and give them 10-15 points?

I didn’t expect New York to be a factor when the season started, but I think the 8^th seed in the East is attainable. They have some nice perimeter players around Amare Stoudemire.

John Wall continues to impress. When he starts to consistently hit threes, he will be unstoppable.