Surprise, Surprise

After about 1 month into the NBA season, there are always feelings of the “same-old-stories,” but what has surprised people the most so far? The Celtics' raging start? Isaiah Thomas squandering the Knicks' off-season improvements? The southwest division being over-loaded?

Well honestly, the Celtics have only beaten 2 real playoff teams, Isaiah will always seem to confuse me, and no matter how you draw the division lines one division is always stacked.

So what really makes you stop and say “Hmm, that was unexpected?” Well, like Rasheed Wallace not getting a technical for a full month - here are the top surprising stories of the NBA so far.

1. A Skinny Durant Doesn’t Matter-

Being undersized is hard to pull off in the NBA, unless you have incredible speed or have a basketball I.Q. equivalent to 3 Hubie Browns. Yes, being skinny is quite difficult for an NBA player. However, Kevin Durant proves to be the anomaly to this theory. Although the Sonics are struggling to win, the bright spot of Durant’s play has brought a light to Seattle that would even make a young ‘Glove’ and ‘Reignman’ pause to take a look. Durant already has a nice all around game that can be developed a lot further - perhaps he should start with bench pressing? OK, that was low, but all he really needs are a few more young talented players to complement his game and a nifty nickname. I put my vote into “Slim Jim” so a few years down the line you can imagine announcers calling “Slim Jim for 3… SNAP!”

2. Lakers- from trade to made

Trade Kobe? What? Why? Who would ever do that? It’s almost nostalgic to think that Kobe really wanted to be traded from this team about a month ago. Now, he is giving high-flying body bumps to Jordan Farmar and lobbing up balls to Andrew Bynum in the lane. The Lakers start with an 8-6 record with impressive wins over the Suns, Jazz, Rockets, and Pistons. There is some young talent twinkling here and there. Ironically, the trade rumors really helped the team grow up fast to make a statement that they can be legitimate contenders in the near future. This can be seen by the uncanny bench point production from the first 15 games of the season- it has been so good you would think Kobe was coming off of it. If they bring in a consistent role player or if Lamar Odom becomes a greater force, then look for this team to make some noise (that is not whining) in the playoff picture.

3. Bulls’ Blunder

My hometown beloved Chicago Bulls… It is definitely true when someone says that there is a thin line between love and hate. First off, what really surprised me was the lack of moves that John Paxson made during the off-season. I think he is too accustomed to the mindset that the off-season is ‘break time’. So while many other teams got at least a step better, Paxson just sat on his draft pick (Joakim Noah) and thought that the Bulls would be fine. Sadly, this lack of management savvy is coming back and biting him in the… well ok, the Bulls, especially Paxson, need to concentrate on 2 lingering issues that have crippled them worse than Kenyon Martin’s knees. [1] No inside scoring – a problem since the Eddy Curry trade to New York, and as a result Aaron Gray is the best post player in the lineup. [2] No all-star – Luol Deng is the closest, but no cigar. It is a sheer naïveté to think that the Bulls can evolve into a championship team without any additions or fixing at least one of these problems. And if nothing evolves by the all-star break, Chicago may have to start rebuilding from rebuilding.

4. Miami- Party in the city where the heat is gone

OK, so they were without D. Wade for the first few games, and Shaq got called out for being lazy so now the diesel is trying harder. But overall, there isn’t that feeling of fear when playing this team like there was two years ago. That killer championship edge has been lost over the past year accompanying an early first round exit of last years' playoffs. Maybe it is the adjustment of Ricky Davis coming to the lineup, or maybe it is the lack of bench production that they have lost via free agency. Well, regardless of the issue, the Heat are now looking from the bottom of the barrel. This might be an issue later on since Shaq is accustomed to resting some games to be ready for the playoffs. This year does not seem like that luxury will be available. He’s either going to get no rest or an early vacation depending on how the season pans out.

5. New Orleans- Gellin’

The Hornets definitely have talent, and to be on such a solid start in the strongest division is admirable. But let's look at the team's makeup. Other than Chris Paul, the Hornets’ team does not scream playoff caliber. Actually, looking at the Hornets’ roster on paper you would initially think that this was a list of ‘NBA lost souls.’ However, fortunately for the Hornets, the players are being utilized to the fullest. Tyson Chandler found himself on team USA over the summer and has become a rebound machine. David West can hit 20’ jumpers with one hand on one foot with one eye open. Peja Stojakovic looks like the Peja of old draining 3-balls like nobody’s business. And Chris Paul… is Chris Paul. The Hornets are the top jump-shooting team in the NBA and probably will continue to be as long as Paul is setting them up for open looks. New Orleans is hosting All-Star Weekend this year, and the Hornets might be sitting pretty in that Southwest division. So with this nice core emerging from the bayou, there might be something to look forward to other than Mardi Gras this season.

-D.Choi