Indiana surprisingly finished the first week of the season unbeaten, so Jim O'Brien should get my early Coach of the Year vote. Somehow, he's gotten a pulse out of Mike Dunleavy, Jamaal Tinsley and David Harrison. Jermaine O'Neal isn't even healthy yet.
That's some strong work.
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| Trade request aside, Kobe Bryant is leaving everything on the floor in L.A. (AP) |
Chicago couldn't overcome the curse of the Kobe Bryant trade demand, particularly Luol Deng, but L.A. did just fine. Even with Lamar Odom out and Chris Mihm still limited, the Lakers have gotten by on starting Kwame Brown and Ronny Turiaf, who keep setting the table for Andrew Bynum to come clean up off the bench. Playing with more confidence and energy than he's ever displayed, the 20-year-old Bynum is dunking everything in sight, averaging 11.0 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds. He got off to a great start last year and couldn't sustain it, but doing so this year after being basically called out as a scrub by the team's superstar indicates he may be further along from a maturity standpoint than anyone anticipated.
Bryant, to his credit, has been a catalyst at both ends, making good on his promise to leave it all out there as long as he's wearing a Lakers jersey. No one should read into this situation as being fixed, but for now, all is fine in Lakers land, despite Magic Johnson's belief that a decision needs to be made to either keep Bryant in the fold or trade him immediately.
Take that as lesson No. 1: You should never make too much out of a single week of play, particularly the first one, where you never know who is out of shape and who isn't. With that in mind, here's our first in-season Power Rankings, tweaked ever so slightly from the preseason version:
| Power Rankings | ||||||||||
| Current | Team | Previous | ||||||||
 | 1 | Lakers · Trends | 5 | |||||||
| Kobe Bryant tops 40 for 100th time; just 171 more to catch Chamberlain. ... Gasol (24 and 13 in season debut vs. Bulls) is best Lakers big man since Little Dipper -- Shaq. | ||||||||||
 | 2 | Magic · Trends | 4 | |||||||
| Three nice wins dwarfed by one huge loss -- Jameer Nelson to knee surgery. ... New look, same result: Vince Carter outplays Rasheed Wallace in playoff rematch. | ||||||||||
 | 3 | Cavaliers · Trends | 1 | |||||||
| Club leads by 17, then loses by 17 at Washington. ... Maybe this is why LeBron didn't pick 13 as his new number: Teammate Delonte West beat him to it. | ||||||||||
 | 4 | Hawks · Trends | 2 | |||||||
| No. 1 in home record (7-0), No. 17 in home attendance. ... Shot of week is closest one: Josh Smith spikes home game winner vs. Rockets. | ||||||||||
 | 5 | Suns · Trends | 6 | |||||||
| Shaq couldn't do this: New center Channing Frye has at least one 3 in all 14 games, 38 in all. ... 13 vs. 13: Nash leads Wilt in all-time assists 7,667-4,643. | ||||||||||
 | 6 | Nuggets · Trends | 3 | |||||||
| Looking to move back up: Next five against Nets, Timberwolves twice, Knicks, Warriors. ... Nothing is automatic: Loss to Clippers was first since 2007. | ||||||||||
 | 7 | Celtics · Trends | 7 | |||||||
| Non-elite team, non-elite star: Kevin Garnett is 72nd in league in scoring, 27th in rebounding. ... Celtics, Knicks go to overtime for 32nd time in history. | ||||||||||
 | 8 | Mavericks · Trends | 10 | |||||||
| Erick Dampier out of the lineup, team goes on winning streak. Coincidence? ... Replacement center Drew Gooden goes 11-14-11-16 on boards in his first four starts. | ||||||||||
 | 9 | Trail Blazers · Trends | 9 | |||||||
| Embarrassed club rebounds from loss at Golden State with 28-, 24-point romps. ... Warriors (108) only foe to reach 100 this month. | ||||||||||
 | 10 | Rockets · Trends | 11 | |||||||
| Impressive aspect of 8-6 record: Rugged schedule that's included Lakers, Blazers twice apiece. ... Tracy McGrady returns to practice, says he's ready to go. Now what? | ||||||||||
 | 11 | Jazz · Trends | 18 | |||||||
| Out of nowhere: Wesley Matthews starting, Jazz winning. ... Triumph at San Antonio is first in 10-plus years. | ||||||||||
 | 12 | Bucks · Trends | 15 | |||||||
| No Andrew Bogut, no defense: Grizzlies, Spurs average 105 after just three of Milwaukee's first 10 foes top 100. ... Michael Redd returns vs. Spurs, goes 1 for 6 from line. | ||||||||||
 | 13 | Heat · Trends | 8 | |||||||
| Team losing (four of six), but Michael Beasley's numbers picking up (19.7 points, 10.0 rebounds last three). ... Last two wins: 1-pointers over Nets, Hornets. | ||||||||||
 | 14 | Spurs · Trends | 14 | |||||||
| Matt Bonner (23 points) an unlikely star in win over Bucks. ... It's a long season: Team won't rush Manu Ginobili (groin) back. | ||||||||||
 | 15 | Thunder · Trends | 17 | |||||||
| Sixth Man Award nominee: James Harden drops in 24, 25 points in consecutive games off bench. ... Another comeback looms: More knee surgery for Shaun Livingston. | ||||||||||
 | 16 | Raptors · Trends | 12 | |||||||
| Two Western trips, same results: Win first game, lose rest. ... Jarrett Jack picking up steam: 17 points vs. Heat, 11 assists vs. Magic. | ||||||||||
 | 17 | Bulls · Trends | 13 | |||||||
| "Circus Trip" turning into circus: Club drubbed by Lakers, Nuggets, Blazers. ... Best No. 13 center in game today: Gotta be Joakim Noah. | ||||||||||
 | 18 | Hornets · Trends | 23 | |||||||
| New coach winning with new look: Marcus Thornton and Darren Collison excel during three-game streak. ... Finally a break in schedule: Two apiece vs. Kings, Timberwolves in 11-day stretch. | ||||||||||
 | 19 | Bobcats · Trends | 20 | |||||||
| First win of Stephen Jackson era: He's nailed with technical in victory over Pacers. ... Jackson factor? Gerald Wallace held to 11 points in three of new teammate's four games. | ||||||||||
 | 20 | Pacers · Trends | 16 | |||||||
| Losing streak has silver lining: Mike Dunleavy is cleared to return to practice. ... Tar Heels coach Roy Williams watches Tyler Hansbrough lose in North Carolina homecoming. | ||||||||||
 | 21 | Wizards · Trends | 24 | |||||||
| Club's three wins followed by 11-, 12-, 19-point losses. ... One problem: Gilbert Arenas is averaging 20 shots in past six games, making 34 percent. | ||||||||||
 | 22 | Pistons · Trends | 19 | |||||||
| Tough trip, rough outcomes: Losses to Lakers, Blazers, Jazz, Suns. ... How the mighty have fallen: Someone named Jonas Jerebko is starting at forward. | ||||||||||
 | 23 | 76ers · Trends | 22 | |||||||
| How to blow possible upset: 10-point fourth melts late lead vs. Cavs. ... Improvement noted: Elton Brand averaging 19.7 points, 10.3 rebounds in last three after 9.8, 5.3 in first 10 games. | ||||||||||
 | 24 | Kings · Trends | 21 | |||||||
| Club survives scare: Tyreke Evans' middle finger is sprained, not broken. ... Streaky team has three-, four-game losing skids sandwiching four-game winning run. | ||||||||||
 | 25 | Clippers · Trends | 25 | |||||||
| Go figure: Baron Davis shoots 4-for-21 combined in wins over Nuggets, Timberwolves. ... Another Clippers low: Broadcasters ejected for comments about Grizzlies' Hamed Haddadi. | ||||||||||
 | 26 | Warriors · Trends | 26 | |||||||
| Making new friends: Injured Raja Bell leads spirited effort at Boston, then leaves for wrist surgery. ... Just thinking of Mark Cuban makes Don Nelson sick; he sits out Southwest trip. | ||||||||||
 | 27 | Grizzlies · Trends | 27 | |||||||
| Lightweight champ: Team beats Timberwolves, Clippers, 76ers, Kings in 10-day stretch. ... Nobody hotter than Rudy Gay: 41 for 72 (.569), 25.5 average in last four games. | ||||||||||
 | 28 | Knicks · Trends | 28 | |||||||
| Winning can be comical: Nate Robinson shoots at wrong basket in victory over Nets. ... Sad state of Allen Iverson: Even Knicks say he's not worthy. | ||||||||||
 | 29 | Timberwolves · Trends | 29 | |||||||
| Team has failed to score more than 87 points in the last six games (all losses). ... No holiday treat: Second and final showdown with Nets looms Dec. 23. | ||||||||||
 | 30 | Nets · Trends | 30 | |||||||
| Better days ahead: Devin Harris returns in loss to Knicks. ... Looking for first win? Club visits Sacramento during weeklong Western trip. | ||||||||||
