The NBA surprises

It’s about 18 games into the new season and, granted, it’s still pretty early to make any sort of conclusion on the NBA. However, there have been enough games to see some trends that might live on until the season’s end. There are quite a number of NBA teams that are right where we expected them to be, like the San Antonio Spurs, who are on top of the Western Conference, and the Detroit Pistons, who are running away in the East. In every season though, there are always some teams and players that catch the world by surprise, either by performing very well when they aren’t supposed to, or by playing very poorly when they were highly-touted as contenders. Looking at the NBA so far, here are, in my view, the biggest surprises.

Los Angeles Clippers – Long in the shadows of their much more glamorous LA neighbors, the Lakers, the Clippers have emerged as a legitimate force, rather than just a passing thought. Behind the stellar play of 6-foot, 8-inch forward Elton Brand, who is already getting "MVP" chants from his home crowd, the Clippers are first in their division, and second only to the defending champions in the West. Their defense has been tenacious, holding teams to a league-best 40.8 percent from the field. The additions of grizzled veterans Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley have given the Clips some of the experience and perimeter shooting that they have sorely lacked over these past few years. Sam Cassell has that penchant for taking the big shots and draining them, so come playoff time, this team might be dangerous.

Boris Diaw of the Phoenix Suns – The lanky Frenchman who was supposed to be a minor component of that trade that brought Joe Johnson to Atlanta is quickly emerging as a well-rounded basketball stud, with talents comparable to Magic Johnson. Diaw is probably the only player this season to play and defend at guard, forward and center. The results of his play are astonishing. He is 17th-best in the league in assists with 6.2 per game, which is an amazing feat considering he is playing alongside NBA assist leader Steve Nash, who almost always handles the ball and sets up the offense. His playmaking ability and ability to defend all positions (he shut down Yao Ming when Phoenix went against Houston and is averaging one block a game). Not bad for a 6-foot, 8-inch guy who couldn’t crack the rotation in Atlanta.

Alonzo Mourning of the Miami Heat – Talk about a comeback. It wasn’t too long ago that this guy was on the brink of retirement with kidney ailments. Mourning is averaging a league-high four blocks a game while starting for the injured Shaquille O’Neal. Zo’s presence in the paint has helped anchor Miami’s defense and is enabling Shaq to take his time recuperating from a sprained ankle. Alonzo is reminding everyone that he still can bang with the best of them.

Denver Nuggets – The Nuggets are a far cry from the team with a blazing finish last year. Hovering right around .500 has to be disappointing for a team that has championship potential. A big factor in this mediocre performance is that Denver is missing big man Nene for the season and Kenyon Martina’s knee is still shaky from off-season surgery. The bright spot in the Nuggets frontcourt is Marcus Camby, who’s leading the league in rebounds and who just came off a 33-point, 20-rebound performance against Phoenix. The team’s shooting problems haven’t been thoroughly addressed, as shooting guard Voshon Lenard is struggling and has been relegated to a bench role. George Karl has to find that energy this team had down the stretch last year.

Milwaukee Bucks – It’s a tough sell to say a team is good when they’re fourth place in their division, but if that division contains the Pistons, Pacers, Cavaliers and Bulls, there can be exceptions. The Milwaukee Bucks are taking teams by surprise with a suddenly explosive backcourt and a solid frontcourt. With the return of T.J. Ford, the Bucks’ offense is running more efficiently and Michael Redd is seeing more open looks. The Bucks have a lot of new personnel that has taken the pressure of Redd. Up front, they have low-post scorer Jamaal Magloire and a gifted passing forward/center in rookie Andrew Bogut. Their point guard rotation is probably one of the best in the league, with Maurice Williams, who has already won two games for the Bucks with his late-game heroics, backing up Ford. This team is deep and they’re only starting to get to know each other. The Bucks are going to make some noise come the New Year.

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For questions, comments or corrections, please e-mail me at emailcarlramirez@yahoo.com.