Weekend in Review: Sonics epitomizing team concept

Western Conference 1. Seattle SuperSonics 2. Phoenix Suns 3. San Antonio Spurs 4. Dallas Mavericks 5. Sacramento Kings 6. Minnesota Timberwolves 7. Utah Jazz 8. Los Angeles Lakers

Shots from the perimeter

• As Mike Fratello and the Memphis Grizzlies attempt to work out the details for him to become coach in the wake of Hubie Brown's sudden retirement, keep several things in mind. There is little doubt about Brown's health being an issue. At 71, sources say he nearly didn't come back this season because of all the sleepless nights it required. But as reported nearly two weeks ago, the players were clearly beginning to revolt against the two-platoon system and president Jerry West wasn't too pleased with the Brown's inflexibility either. That clearly played a role in Brown's physical and emotional ability to continue. The bigger question is whether this team is ready for another discipline stickler, or could use a coach with a lighter touch. Usually, teams replace previous crsonalities, but in Fratello, West believes his toughness -- without the two-platoon system -- is what this group still needs. Should they not strike a deal, chances are they'd leave Lionel Hollins as interim coach the rest of the season.

• With injuries mounting, the Dallas Mavericks nearly went into full panic mode when All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki sprained his left ankle and was out indefinitely. But indefinitely turned out to be just one game, and he made certain the three-game losing streak ended abruptly. Nowitzki bounced back with three consecutive double-doubles, highlighted by Saturday's 32 points and 18 rebounds in a 13-point win at Memphis. It kept the Mavericks with the fourth-best record in the West and further illustrated their depth -- led by veteran Jerry Stackhouse and the young tandem of Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels. Nevertheless, it still comes down to Nowitzki, one of the game's top young superstars, to put them into a position to seriously challenge the San Antonio Spurs in the Southwest Division.

• Speaking of the Spurs, the 11-3 start is the first time they've hit that mark since the 1999-2000 season. Last season they were 7-7 after 14 games before turning it around to win 57 games. After a sluggish start, young point guard Tony Parker has rebounded from shooting just 35 percent from the field the first eight games, averaging 11.2 points and 5.6 assists, to shoot 47 percent from the field, averaging 14.3 points and 5.4 assists the past six. Coach Gregg Popovich was concerned about Parker, still only 22, having signed a $64 million contract extension and his sense of living up to it. Now he seems to be calming down into his natural game.

• It will be interesting to see just how much suspended forward Ron Artest will remain in the conscience of the Indiana Pacers as they move forward. CEO Donnie Walsh is contemplating removing the billboard signage around town that features Artest. And Colts safety Mike Doss bought a gross of Artest jerseys to give to his teammates.

• Continuing his extraordinary climb into the record books at the age of 19, Cavs star LeBron James became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 2,000 points in Saturday's blowout of the Chicago Bulls. James, who won't be 20 until Dec. 30, is 277 days younger than Kobe Bryant was when he set the record. James has improved statistically in virtually every category while leading the Cavs to a 9-4 record: scoring (20.9-26.6), rebounding (5.5-7.8), assists (5.9-6.2), steals (1.6-2.2), blocks (.7-1.2), field goal percentage (.417-.518), 3-point percentage (.290-.375) and free throw percentage (.754-.770). Should he win the scoring title, he would be the youngest ever by two years. Max Zaslofsky was 22 when he won the title 1947-48 scoring title.

• Speaking of James, along with the spectacular early-season play of Amare Stoudemire and Dwyane Wade, don't you think U.S. Olympic coach Larry Brown might have reconsidered playing those guys as opposed to his proverbial "sit-and-learn" concept for young players?

• Best of luck to Washington Wizards coach Eddie Jordan, who took this injury-prone franchise to a new level last week. Jordan, 49, is hospitalized and is sidelined until Wednesday while doctors use blood thinners to dissolve a blood clot in his left leg. Assistant Mike O'Koren is the interim head coach until Jordan returns. With all the talk surrounding the acquisition of Antawn Jamison and the explosive play of Gilbert Arenas, the exceptional play of Larry Hughes has been completely overlooked. Sunday's 114-109 win over the Toronto Raptors was the sixth consecutive game he has scored at least 20 points, this time recording his first triple-double of his career with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He also sank two free throws with one second left in regulation to send the game into overtime. Not only is he averaging 19.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game, but Hughes, still only 25, leads the league with three steals per contest.

• The New York Knicks bounced back to avenge a 23-point loss to the Toronto Raptors just a few days earlier with a six-point win Saturday. Jamal Crawford had a season-high 30 points and Stephon Marbury had his best total of the young season with 15 assists. More importantly, it moved the Knicks back to .500 and alone atop the Atlantic Division. The next step is for the Knicks to get over .500 for the first time since Jeff Van Gundy resigned in December 2001 with a 10-9 record. Hopefully, forward Tim Thomas is on the road to emotional recovery on and off the court. In late August his sister died of a brain aneurysm, his wife's cousin died in a motorcycle accident and his mother underwent surgery (which was successful).

• The Minnesota Timberwolves, despite a quick start, had fallen back into their typical early-season malaise until they went into Sacramento on Sunday night and battered the Kings down the stretch for an 11-point victory. Of the nine losses the Kings have had at home the past two seasons, four of them have come at the hands of the Timberwolves. Last season, Minnesota began the season 9-8, then finished up 49-16 ... the best mark in franchise history. And they followed that up with their first trip out of the first round of the playoffs and ultimately to the sixth game of the Western Conference finals. Who are they this season? Now 8-5, this should be their season. Realistically, how much can they expect from the aging pair of Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell over the next couple of years? That leaves it up to coach Flip Saunders and Kevin Garnett to make this the season.

• During the Miami Heat's two-point win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday, Shaquille O'Neal was 9-for-9 from the field and now is shooting just a shade below 70 percent over the past seven games. His 21 points moved him past Clyde Drexler for 19th place on the all-time scoring list with 22,214 points. He has accomplished it in 262 less games than Drexler.

• Slowly the whispers are becoming more audible around the Houston Rockets, who finished the weekend with a three-game losing streak, a 2-4 mark at home and a 6-9 mark overall. They've been getting clobbered on the boards virtually every night and all eyes are on the biggest man of all -- 7-foot-5 Yao Ming. In their back-to-back losses over the weekend to Utah and Denver, he had just 17 points and 10 rebounds combined. In the previous defeat at Sacramento he did have 29 points and nine rebounds, but it marked only the eighth game he has had at least eight rebounds. With the soft, offensive-minded power forward duo of Mo Taylor and Juwan Howard, they'll either have to make a trade or get a lot more consistency out of Yao if they are to seriously compete into the postseason.

• As if it wasn't bad enough that the Utah Jazz were embarrassed by 33 points at San Antonio on Saturday night, they've lost All-Star forward Andrei Kirilenko for at least a week with a sprained ankle. The Jazz are 4-6 since a 4-0 start.

Quotebook

With their 12-point win over Golden State, the Los Angeles Clippers improved their record to 8-6, guaranteeing their first winning November in a dozen years and only the second time in the 34-year history of the franchise.

"I felt good about it, but I didn't know if we'd do it with the injuries we've had," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "Obviously, other guys have come in and played very well for us. I don't think we've overachieved, but we've come together quicker maybe than anticipated."