Kevin Durant quickly recovered after Sunday’s dismal effort, scoring 45 points (15-of-24 FGs, 14-of-15 FTs) in Monday’s loss to the visiting Spurs. Durant is averaging 29.5 ppg this season and projects as a top-three MVP candidate. He added one 3-pointer, eight rebounds and three blocks but couldn’t prevent OKC from falling into a tie with the San Antonio Spurs for sixth place in the West.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Utah: Paul Millsap scored 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting with three rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 18 minutes off the bench on Monday. Both him and Carlos Boozer (19 points, nine rebounds) were in foul trouble tonight.

Utah: C.J. Miles poured in 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting (including two threes) with three rebounds, one assist, and one steal on Monday against the Celtics.

Houston: Trevor Ariza played 37 minutes on Monday, notching 18 points, two 3-pointers, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals. This was Ariza’s highest-scoring game since returning from his hip injury on March 9th.

Chicago: Derrick Rose piled up 27 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Bulls defeated the visiting Houston Rockets on Monday. Rose played nearly 47 minutes, making 12-of-22 field goals, including 2-of-7 three-pointers.

Dallas: Brendan Haywood finished Monday’s loss to the New Orleans Hornets with 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in 26 minutes.

Charlotte: Chris Paul started the Hornets game on Monday, scoring 11 points with three assists in 21 minutes. It was his first action since late January. CP3 was out for 25 games with a knee injury, and his minutes were pre-determined to stay around 20 per game. His conditioning and playing time should slowly increase over the next few games, but the presence of backup Darren Collison means there is no need to overload Paul.

Stephen Curry will not play on Wednesday due to a sprained left ankle. He was fine at shootaround today, but it acted up on him when he returned to the arena. C.J. Watson is probably in for big minutes and production tonight with this news. Curry will likey finish second in rookie of the year voting to Evans.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Toronto: Jose Calderon returned to the starting lineup for the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday and hit 3-of-8 shots and a 3-pointer for nine points, three boards, six assists and two steals. He had been playing better than this off the bench, but the fact the Raptors won should mean more starts for Calderon.

Toronto: DeMar DeRozan hit 7-of-12 shots for 19 points in 35 minutes of Wednesday’s win. DeRozan is averaging 15 points over his last five games, but doesn’t do much else

Chicago: Jannero Pargo started again for the Bulls in place of injured Derrick Rose (wrist), but played just 17 minutes. He had nine points, four assists and five steals, and we’re not sure why he didn’t play more tonight.

San Antonio: Richard Jefferson stayed hot with 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting Wednesday night. Jefferson has started the last four games and been hot. He’s shooting 63. 8 percent from the field in those games and is averaging 18.0 points and 8.0 rebounds. With Tony Parker out, the San Antonio Spurs are deferring to Jefferson more as a playmaker.

Orlando: Dwight Howard had just nine points, seven rebounds and one block in Wednesday’s blowout of the Spurs. Howard also went 3-for-8 from the free throw line.

New York: Bill Walker started in place of Wilson Chandler (ankle) and had eight points in 23 minutes on Wednesday night. Chandler is in danger of being shut down for the season, so Walker is going to see consistent minutes the rest of the season. We’d expect most nights to be better than this, but he’s not much of a passer or rebounder.

New York: David Lee had 29 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, two steals and block in 44 minutes of work on Wednesday night. Lee is showing no signs whatsoever of letting up. The 44 minutes are the most he’s played since Jan. 16 and it’s even more encouraging that coach Mike D’Antoni left him out there despite the blowout.

Atlanta: Jamal Crawford hit 14-of-24 shots and three 3-pointers on his way to 33 points in Wednesday’s loss. He’s had a nice season and is playing especially well with Joe Johnson out with an Achilles’ injury.

Thaddeus Young has a fractured right thumb and is out indefinitely. So much for Thadd just having a cracked thumbnail. His thumb will be placed in a removable cast and he’s been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the New Jersey Nets. The only good news is that the injury is to Young’s non-shooting hand, but there is no timetable for his return. This means Lou Williams’ spot in the starting five should be safe going forward.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Indiana: Danny Granger exited with under a minute remaining in Tuesday’s game after being elbowed in the face. Granger appeared woozy on his way to the locker room and didn’t return to the game. He scored 26 points with three 3-pointers, eight rebounds and five turnovers before leaving.

New Jersey: Nets big man Josh Boone swooped in for a season-high 20 rebounds in Tuesday’s game, adding 13 points on 5-of-7 FGs and 3-of-5 FTs. Clearly Boone was doing something right tonight, but the eventual return of Yi Jianlian is one reason for skepticism, as is Boone’s career 45% free throw shooting.

New Jersey: Terrence Williams made just 5-of-16 shots in Tuesday’s loss, but added 5-of-6 free throws to finish with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists.

San Antonio: Manu Ginobili led the San Antonio Spurs with 22 points on Tuesday, making 7-of-14 FGs, 2-of-5 threes, and 6-of-6 FTs. Manu played nearly 36 minutes after playing just 18 in an easy win on Saturday.

Miami: Michael Beasley returned from his bruised thigh on Tuesday with just six points on 3-of-10 shooting, five rebounds, and zero assists. The Miami Heat were dead in the water for most of this game (interrupted only by a brief, bench-led surge in the second half) and it’s hard how much of Beasley’s struggles were caused by his recent injury.

Atlanta: Playing SG on Tuesday, veteran Mike Bibby (back) had 10 points, two 3-pointers, three rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes.

Atlanta: Jamal Crawford made 11-of-18 field goals for 25 points on Tuesday, adding two 3-pointers, three rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes. It didn’t hurt that Joe Johnson was out, but when Crawford gets hot he tends to score 20+ regardless of the circumstances.

Charlotte: Stephen Jackson was very active with Gerald Wallace out on Tuesday — he piled up 20 points, nine rebounds, six assists, three steals, two blocks and six turnovers in over 47 minutes.

LeBron James has been ruled out for Monday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. He’s not really injured, although his ankles are a bit dinged up. This is simply for some rest, and we do expect him to play Friday against the Sixers. NBA TV is not going to be happy with this news, as they’re showing the game tonight.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

New Orleans: Chris Paul, who is already in week five of his four-to-six week recovery period from knee surgery, has still not been cleared to run and may not be before the end of the week. With only 19 games remaining, coach Jeff Bower said there is no magic date to decide if Paul will play again this year. “Our plan is for him to return when he’s 100 percent healthy and that’s what he wants to do as well,” Bower said. This is not good news at all, and Paul’s chances to return this season will likely decrease with each New Orleans Hornets‘ loss.

Oakland: Andris Biedrins will have surgery to repair a small tear in his abdominal muscle. A timetable will be set for his return after the surgery is performed, but we’re guessing this means his season is probably over. Anthony Tolliver and Ronny Turiaf should hold value the rest of the way,

Memphis: Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph will miss his first game of the season on Monday because of lower back tightness, the team announced just before tip-off.

New York: Tracy McGrady will miss Monday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks due to fatigue and soreness.

Portland: Marcus Camby practiced despite his sprained ankle on Monday and is hoping to play on Tuesday against the Kings. He’s not the most trustworthy center around right now, but it does sound like he will be in the starting lineup on Tuesday, barring any setbacks.

Chicago: Luol Deng missed Monday’s practice with the flu and was sent home with the illness. Deng is now questionable for Tuesday’s game.

San Antonio: Tony Parker will miss approximately six weeks due to his broken right hand, but will not need surgery.

San Antonio: With Tony Parker (hand) sidelined, Manu Ginobili will start at SG for the Spurs with George Hill moving to PG. This is terrific news if you own either guy, both of whom should be safe starts in all leagues. Expect Ginobili’s playing time to increase significantly going forward — he was averaging 27:30 per game as a reserve.

After a solid showing in Sunday’s game, coach Mike Brown told reporters after the game that Antawn Jamison will probably be a starter for the Cleveland Cavaliers at some point. “At the end of the day, he’s probably going to be a starter for us, he’s a starter in this league,” Brown said. “I’ve just got to figure things out and we’re in the process of doing that right now.” It sounds like he’ll be a starter very soon, and the doomsday scenario for him appears to be averted.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Sacramento: Carl Landry had the best game of his short Sacramento Kings career on Sunday, scoring 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting with seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block in 37 minutes.

Oklahoma City: Russell Westbrook triple-doubled in Sunday’s 109-107 win over the Wolves, scoring 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting with 10 rebounds, 14 assists, and two steals. Wow. The Russell Westbrook Experience continues to reach new heights, Jeff Green had a meaty 17-point, 14-rebound double-double, and Kevin Durant had his 28th straight game scoring more than 25 points.

Detroit: Richard Hamilton continued his tear against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, scoring 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting (9-of-9 from the foul line) with five rebounds and three assists. He has now hit 46 straight free throws, but even more impressive are the scoring totals of 36 and 29 points in the two games entering tonight.

Boston: Reporter A. Sherrod Blakely who covers the Boston Celtics for Comcast, calls the thumb injury Paul Pierce suffered Thursday against the Lakers “a problem,” and adds that he’s “definitely questionable” for Tuesday’s game against the Knicks. This injury has flown under the radar, but judging by his recent play it makes sense.

Minnesota: Darko Milicic debuted as a member of the Wolves on Sunday, and surprised everyone with eight points on 4-of-7 shooting with eight rebounds, two assists, and a block in 19 minutes off the bench.

Minnesota: Kevin Love posted a solid double-double against the Thunder on Sunday, scoring 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting (including a three) with 14 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block in 31 minutes off the bench. Love, to some degree, has been in coach Kurt Rambis’ doghouse, and has come off the bench and gotten less than starter’s minutes.

The Washington radio station WTOP is reporting that Gilbert Arenas “has — at times — owned several hundred guns.” All indications are that the guns were legally registered, but this news certainly doesn’t help Arenas as David Stern continues to mull the possibilities of the length of his suspension.

All signs so far have pointed to him being done for the season, with the looming possibility that his suspension could last even beyond the 2009-10 campaign. When and if Arenas is allowed to play in the NBA again, it is not expected to be with the Wizards.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

San Antonio: Spurs F/CTim Duncan will not play vs. the Thunder on Wednesday after playing 40 minutes in Tuesday’s win over the Lakers. Gregg Popovich plans to rest Duncan in the second of back-to-back games more frequently in the second half of the season, which is an indicated that Popovich is concerned that Duncan’s aging body will begin to break down.

San Antonio: Tony Parker is playing through plantar fasciitis in his left foot and could miss some upcoming games with the San Antonio Spurs at the beginning of a stretch of five games in seven days.
Parker said after Tuesday’s game that “My plantar fasciitis is killing me,” and even though he has scored 21 or more points in four of his last five games, it looks like George Hill could be in line for a start or two in the next week.

Los Angeles: As expected, Pau Gasol did not play on Wednesday — he’s targeting Friday for his return from a hamstring injury. He wants to go through a full contact practice before returning, so Phil Jackson said the team will “let D.J. [Mbenga] pound on him a little bit” during Thursday’s practice.

Sacramento: Sacramento Kings coach Paul Westphal said Wednesday that Kevin Martin (wrist) would probably play against the 76ers on Friday. Martin has missed the past 32 games and might use Friday’s game to shake off some rust, but he should regain his rhythm soon and looks like a safe play for next week. Beno Udrih and Omri Casspi are likely to see a drop in their minutes once Martin returns.

New York: According to New York Knicks beat writer Alan Hahn, David Lee is not expected to miss any games after the death of his grandfather. The funeral is scheduled for Thursday but Lee is set to play on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

Milwaukee: Brandon Jennings has deleted his Twitter account after he was tricked into a war of words by a Jordan Farmar imposter. Jennings and the “fake” Farmer traded barbs following Sunday nights game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Lakers. After discovering that he had been duped, Jennings deleted his account. The rookie may get some punishment from Coach Scott Skiles on Wednesday which could affect his playing time against Portland.

Disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy says he refused to make calls to affect games even if it meant he lost money and it angered the mob. In one game where he bet on San Antonio Spurs, Donaghy ejected Coach Gregg Popovich midway through the first quarter and the Spurs eventually lost the game. After Donaghy threw Popovich out of the game and the Spurs subsequently lost the game, the mob was reportedly very upset. “I just told them that I wasn’t making calls in games to influence the outcome,” Donaghy said in an interview on “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday night on CBS. “And I’m not going to be able to obviously predict the winner every night, and they have to accept that’s what’s going to happen.”

Donaghy still contends that he made wagers on NBA games based on his knowledge of other officials’ biases for certain players, teams and that his officiating was not compromised. Even though Donaghy statement sounds ridicules, the FBI has publicly backed this fact. “Watching the tapes, we could see there was never anything outlandish where he called a foul or he omitted a foul because he wanted to see a certain team win” retired FBI special agent Philip Scala told the news show. “We never saw that.” Donaghy made his wagers through a high school friend and used a code to indicate his picks. “If I wanted them to bet the home team, I would discuss his brother Chuck,” he said. “If I wanted him to bet the visiting team, I would mention his brother Johnny.”

Donaghy claims he was winning 75 percent of the time, which drew the attention of the mob, which he said threatened his family to ensure he provided his insider picks to inform betting on games. “They basically told me that I needed to give them the picks and if I didn’t, that it’s a possibility that somebody would go down and visit my wife and kids in Florida,” he said. His connection with the mob caught the attention of the FBI, which overheard something on a wiretap that led them to believe an NBA referee may be involved. After he was caught, Donaghy said he cooperated with investigators because he believed it was in his and his family’s best interests.

After cooperating with authorities, Donaghy claims that his family has received death threats and is still worried about retribution from the mob. “Certainly it’s in the back of my mind, but I’m not going to live my life in fear,” he said. “I was informed by the FBI agents that they certainly had an eye on what they called these wiseguys and that if anything would come up they would inform me immediately.”

Following the airing of the interview, NBA commissioner David Stern released a statement saying any allegations about officials will be referred to Lawrence Pedowitz, a former investigator in the U.S. attorney’s office who led a review of the league’s officiating. “Mr. Pedowitz’s review revealed that the NBA’s core values of neutrality and accountability were not compromised by anyone other than Mr. Donaghy,” Stern said.

In what seems to be a continuing theme young players playing well, Kings center Spencer Hawes tied his career-high with 24 points on Saturday, adding nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks in a loss to the Rockets. Hawes was 10-of-16 from the field and even made his first 3-pointers of the season, going 2-of-3 from downtown. The Kings have reportedly been shopping around for another center (rumors linked them to Samuel Dalembert) but hopefully a few more games like this will curb that impulse.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Portland: Trail Blazers guard/forward Martell Webster started Saturday’s game over Andre Miller, finishing with a season-high 21 points 13 rebounds in only 31 minutes of work. Webster made 7-of-13 FGs and 4-of-7 three-pointers, with two assists, one turnover and seems to have landed a starting role in Portland Trail Blazers.

Chicago: Bulls PG Derrick Rose broke out for a season-high 28 points against the Nuggets on Saturday, making 11-of-20 FGs and 6-of-7 FTs with six rebounds, three assists and one steal. Rose continues to struggle with turnovers, committing five more on Saturday, and defense but no argument came be made against his offensive talent.

Denver: Nuggets SF Carmelo Anthony continued his stellar play while scoring 30 points on Saturday as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Bulls for their 15th consecutive home victory. Melo has scored 30+ points in nine of his first 13 games this season and appears to be a threat to win the scoring title.

San Antonio: San Antonio Spurs PG Tony Parker returned from a sprained ankle on Saturday, scoring 17 points, grabbing six rebounds and handing out eight assists in 32 minutes of play. Parker appeared to be playing well and not showing any ill effects from the injury.

Milwaukee: Bucks rookie guard Brandon Jennings scored 26 points on Saturday (24 of them coming in the second half) as the Bucks defeated the Grizzlies and improved their record to 8-3.

Detroit: Pistons G Ben Gordon scored 25 points in an overtime loss to the Jazz on Saturday, going 10-of-20 from the field, 2-of-4 from downtown, and 3-of-4 from the FT line. He added five rebounds, three assists and two steals, which is icing on the cake for Detroit’s explosive scoring guard. And after sitting out nearly all of the fourth quarter on Thursday, he logged 47 minutes in this game.

Utah: Jazz F Paul Millsap needed five stitches to close a gash above his right eye sustained during Saturday’s game, though he returned and played 34 minutes. Millsap, who had just four points (2-of-6 FGs), four rebounds and two steals, shouldn’t be in danger of missing any games.

Houston: Rockets forward Carl Landry scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 25 minutes against the Kings on Saturday. Landry made 6-of-8 FGs and 8-of-8 FTs, building on his recent string of excellent performances. He even blocked a shot, ending his block-less streak at three games.

Probably not since the San Antonio Spurs had to wait two years for David Robinson has a rookie’s debut been a longer wait than that of Greg Oden. After a year away from the game, Oden made his first appearance in a Portland Trailblazers’ uniform and so far he’s off to a good start.

Of course there is a big difference between Robinson and Oden. As a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Robinson had to fulfill his duty to the country and serve two years in the Navy before he could join San Antonio in 1989. Oden, on the other hand, injured himself after just his second summer league game and missed the entire 2006-07 season.

Now if the wait for Oden has the same dividends as the one for Robinson had, the Blazers surely won’t mind waiting an extra year for his services. But those are big expectations.

Two years ago Portland literally hit the lottery when it got the number one draft in 2007 NBA Draft. They made the wise decision, in my opinion, and drafted Oden over Texas forward Kevin Durant. It’s pretty rare that you get a big man with the potential of Oden so you have to take the chance when he’s available.

With the exception of maybe Detroit the last few years, I dare you to find me a championship team that doesn’t have a great presence in the middle. If the Lakers had someone like that they beat Boston last year. Same goes for Cleveland. LeBron and the Cavs will never win a title until he’s got someone in the paint. Mark my words.

Even without Oden in the line-up last year the Trailblazers were a pretty solid team. They managed to post a 41-41 record, which was nine games better than the year before and 20 games better than the 2005-06 season. Imagine if they had Oden, you’re looking at a team that would have been in the playoffs. It was their first season of .500 or better since 2003-04 when they also went 41-41.

So the big fella made his debut on Monday night against a very, very bad Sacramento Kings team. They’ve traded away pretty much everyone and are starting from scratch. They are still a year, maybe two away from sniffing the playoffs. Oden had a solid outing in his first NBA game, scoring 13 points and grabbing five rebounds in just a tad under 20 minutes of play. He came back out last night to post 14 points and grab a game-high nine rebounds versus Golden State.

With Oden in the middle, Portland can be a very dangerous team, but that’s only if he stays health. The knock on Oden is that he’s always had problems staying in the line-up. Throughout most of his freshman season at Ohio State he was plagued by an injury to his right wrist. It hurt so much he had to shoot free throws left handed, which wouldn’t be an issue except that he’s a right-handed shooter.

So even before he got into the league, Oden had a rep for being a little fragile. Getting hurt two games into the summer league last year didn’t help either. He missed the entire 2007-08 season with a microfracture to his right knee. As much abuse as big men take in the NBA, I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come for Oden. He could have more of a Bill Walton career than a David Robinson one.

If you’re Portland you had to be excited about last year. Known of late as being a haven of moronic players, the franchise has not had a good reputation since the days of Clyde Drexler. With the likes of Darius Miles, Steve Francis and Sebastian Telfair gone from the team, it looked like Portland had put a strong roster of good, young talent together and Oden was going to be the missing piece. He still may be.

The team has made big strides in the last two seasons. Their team president Steve Patterson resigned during the spring of 2007 – probably way overdue – and that summer the organization brought in former Nike executive Larry Miller to replace him. Smart move to bring in someone who knows a thing or two about being successful. In addition, owner Paul Allen agreed to purchase the Rose Garden, Portland’s home floor, which assures that the team will be there for some time and not take off like Seattle did.

Also during the last three drafts the Trailblazers have done a much better job of selecting talent. The year before Oden was drafted, Portland made a pair of draft day deals to LaMarcus Aldridge from Texas and Brandon Roy from Washington. Roy was an All-Star last year and 2006-07 NBA Rookie of the Year. Last season Aldridge averaged 17.8 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game.

The same year as they drafted Oden, Portland also picked up Josh McRoberts from Duke and Taurean Green from Florida. McRoberts never saw the floor for the Trailblazers and Green was traded last year. The one thing that I like about these two players – though I’m not a big fan of Duke and Florida in general – as well as Oden, Aldridge and Roy is that they played on winning college teams at a high level. You want guys who are used to winning and expect it. They’ll work their asses off in order to win.

This year I think the team missed the mark in its drafting. Originally they went with Brandon Rush from the National Champion Kansas Jayhawks, but then they traded him to Indiana for Jerryd Bayless of Arizona. If this was Arizona 2-5 years ago, great pick, but the team struggled last year. They also got Frenchman Nicholas Batum.

Now I’m not a big fan of drafting foreign players. If you look at the Celtics, they are all American players. The game is just different in the NBA than it is overseas. Yes I know that San Antonio has been successful with a lot of foreign players, but they play a different brand of basketball than 90 percent of the league. And yes I know up until last year that the USA has been getting its ass handed to it by foreign teams, but that’s a whole group of players used to a particular style, not one or two guys trying to fit in with the rest of a team that plays a different way.

It does appear that they may have found a good-to-great foreign player in Rudy Fernandez. The Spaniard was drafted by Phoenix last year, but was traded to Portland for cash. Fernandez played last year in Spain, but decided to join Portland after he finished the Olympics.

Reports have Fernandez putting on a heck of a show during his debut, almost overshadowing Oden. Two reasons why I think Fernandez might work out is A) he plays for a winning team. Spain has been one of the best international teams of late and they took the silver at the Olympics. B) He’s a guard. I think it is much easier for guards to play well in the NBA than post players.

Portland could have the pieces of a good team in the works. I think they’ll make the playoffs this year, but the West is still too loaded for them to do more than a first round exit.

Probably not since the San Antonio Spurs had to wait two years for David Robinson has a rookie’s debut been a longer wait than that of Greg Oden. After a year away from the game, Oden made his first appearance in a Portland Trailblazers’ uniform and so far he’s off to a good start.

Of course there is a big difference between Robinson and Oden. As a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Robinson had to fulfill his duty to the country and serve two years in the Navy before he could join San Antonio in 1989. Oden, on the other hand, injured himself after just his second summer league game and missed the entire 2006-07 season.

Now if the wait for Oden has the same dividends as the one for Robinson had, the Blazers surely won’t mind waiting an extra year for his services. But those are big expectations.

Two years ago Portland literally hit the lottery when it got the number one draft in 2007 NBA Draft. They made the wise decision, in my opinion, and drafted Oden over Texas forward Kevin Durant. It’s pretty rare that you get a big man with the potential of Oden so you have to take the chance when he’s available.

With the exception of maybe Detroit the last few years, I dare you to find me a championship team that doesn’t have a great presence in the middle. If the Lakers had someone like that they beat Boston last year. Same goes for Cleveland. LeBron and the Cavs will never win a title until he’s got someone in the paint. Mark my words.

Even without Oden in the line-up last year the Trailblazers were a pretty solid team. They managed to post a 41-41 record, which was nine games better than the year before and 20 games better than the 2005-06 season. Imagine if they had Oden, you’re looking at a team that would have been in the playoffs. It was their first season of .500 or better since 2003-04 when they also went 41-41.

So the big fella made his debut on Monday night against a very, very bad Sacramento Kings team. They’ve traded away pretty much everyone and are starting from scratch. They are still a year, maybe two away from sniffing the playoffs. Oden had a solid outing in his first NBA game, scoring 13 points and grabbing five rebounds in just a tad under 20 minutes of play. He came back out last night to post 14 points and grab a game-high nine rebounds versus Golden State.

With Oden in the middle, Portland can be a very dangerous team, but that’s only if he stays health. The knock on Oden is that he’s always had problems staying in the line-up. Throughout most of his freshman season at Ohio State he was plagued by an injury to his right wrist. It hurt so much he had to shoot free throws left handed, which wouldn’t be an issue except that he’s a right-handed shooter.

So even before he got into the league, Oden had a rep for being a little fragile. Getting hurt two games into the summer league last year didn’t help either. He missed the entire 2007-08 season with a microfracture to his right knee. As much abuse as big men take in the NBA, I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come for Oden. He could have more of a Bill Walton career than a David Robinson one.

If you’re Portland you had to be excited about last year. Known of late as being a haven of moronic players, the franchise has not had a good reputation since the days of Clyde Drexler. With the likes of Darius Miles, Steve Francis and Sebastian Telfair gone from the team, it looked like Portland had put a strong roster of good, young talent together and Oden was going to be the missing piece. He still may be.

The team has made big strides in the last two seasons. Their team president Steve Patterson resigned during the spring of 2007 – probably way overdue – and that summer the organization brought in former Nike executive Larry Miller to replace him. Smart move to bring in someone who knows a thing or two about being successful. In addition, owner Paul Allen agreed to purchase the Rose Garden, Portland’s home floor, which assures that the team will be there for some time and not take off like Seattle did.

Also during the last three drafts the Trailblazers have done a much better job of selecting talent. The year before Oden was drafted, Portland made a pair of draft day deals to LaMarcus Aldridge from Texas and Brandon Roy from Washington. Roy was an All-Star last year and 2006-07 NBA Rookie of the Year. Last season Aldridge averaged 17.8 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game.

The same year as they drafted Oden, Portland also picked up Josh McRoberts from Duke and Taurean Green from Florida. McRoberts never saw the floor for the Trailblazers and Green was traded last year. The one thing that I like about these two players – though I’m not a big fan of Duke and Florida in general – as well as Oden, Aldridge and Roy is that they played on winning college teams at a high level. You want guys who are used to winning and expect it. They’ll work their asses off in order to win.

This year I think the team missed the mark in its drafting. Originally they went with Brandon Rush from the National Champion Kansas Jayhawks, but then they traded him to Indiana for Jerryd Bayless of Arizona. If this was Arizona 2-5 years ago, great pick, but the team struggled last year. They also got Frenchman Nicholas Batum.

Now I’m not a big fan of drafting foreign players. If you look at the Celtics, they are all American players. The game is just different in the NBA than it is overseas. Yes I know that San Antonio has been successful with a lot of foreign players, but they play a different brand of basketball than 90 percent of the league. And yes I know up until last year that the USA has been getting its ass handed to it by foreign teams, but that’s a whole group of players used to a particular style, not one or two guys trying to fit in with the rest of a team that plays a different way.

It does appear that they may have found a good-to-great foreign player in Rudy Fernandez. The Spaniard was drafted by Phoenix last year, but was traded to Portland for cash. Fernandez played last year in Spain, but decided to join Portland after he finished the Olympics.

Reports have Fernandez putting on a heck of a show during his debut, almost overshadowing Oden. Two reasons why I think Fernandez might work out is A) he plays for a winning team. Spain has been one of the best international teams of late and they took the silver at the Olympics. B) He’s a guard. I think it is much easier for guards to play well in the NBA than post players.

Portland could have the pieces of a good team in the works. I think they’ll make the playoffs this year, but the West is still too loaded for them to do more than a first round exit.

When James Naismith invented the game of basketball at the Springfield, Mass. YMCA in 1891, he was simply looking for a distraction for his rowdy young charges, who were often stuck indoors due to the harshly cold Massachusetts winters. Little did he know that his creation would one day evolve into a globalized, multi-billion-dollar sensation known as the National Basketball Association.

What follows is a brief history of the NBA, from its inception just after World War II to its gold medal winning Redeem Team, which recently won the gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

It was 1946. WWII was over and America was still basking in the glow of victory. Americans once again had entertainment dollars to spend, and in June, a group of sports arena owners got together with an idea on how to get people to spend some of that money on sports. A professional basketball league, with ten teams, comprising an East division and a West division. By June 6, the Basketball Association of America, or the BAA, was born.

The first game in BAA history was played on November 1, 1946, in Toronto, between the Toronto Huskies and the visiting New York Knickerbockers. The Knickerbockers won that game, 68-66.
The BAA owners had a distinct advantage over the competing National Basketball League, or NBL. They owned large arenas in the nation’s major cities and could command large crowds, thereby making more money. Though the NBL was probably the BAA’s equal when it came to quality of play, in the end the BAA had the superior dollars. In August 1949, the BAA and the NBL merged together, forming the National Basketball Association, or the NBA.

With the merger, the league now had seventeen teams, in cities large and small, across the United States. The league trimmed this number down to a record-low eight teams in 1954. The Kings, Celtics, Warriors, Lakers, Hawks, 76ers, Pistons, and the Knickerbockers are all still part of today’s NBA.

The quality of basketball back then was, understandably, not quite like what we see today. One of the reasons for this discrepancy was that, in the 1940s, African-American players were not allowed to compete in the NBA. That changed in 1950, when the NBA broke the color barrier by introducing several black players, including Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper, and Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton. Clifton was the first black player to sign an NBA contract, while Lloyd was the first to play in an NBA game.

Another change that positively affected the league was the advent of the 24-second shot clock in 1954. Before then, teams could use stall tactics against superior opponents to keep the score down. It was a tactically sound strategy, but it made for boring basketball. With the shot clock, a team had 24 seconds to attempt a shot. If no shot was taken (or if the ball hadn’t touched the rim) before time expired, the team lost possession.

The 1960s saw an expansion of the league from nine teams to fourteen. The decade also saw the inception of the NBA’s most formidable competitor, the American Basketball Association, or ABA.

The two leagues competed fiercely for spectators as well as top players. The NBA had the advantage of being in most major cities, while the ABA allowed undergraduates to join. That’s how Julius Erving, known as Dr. J., ended up in the upstart ABA. Rick Barry, the NBA’s leading scorer, also left for the ABA.

The NBA continued to expand and finally won the bidding war with the ABA. The two leagues agreed to a limited merger in 1976. This increased the number of NBA teams to 22.

In 1979, in an effort to further increase scoring and excitement, the NBA added the three-point shot, which was actually an ABA innovation.

The 1980s was arguably the most important decade in league history. This decade saw the epic rivalry between Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics and Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s Los Angeles Lakers. Johnson and the Lakers won five titles; Bird won three with the Celtics.

The 1980s also introduced the world to Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player in the history of the NBA. He was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1984. Together with Scottie Pippen, Jordan’s Bulls won six NBA championships in the 1990s.

Jordan, Bird and Johnson helped form the 1992 Olympic basketball team, popularly known as the Dream Team. It was the first U.S. Olympic team to use NBA All-Stars. The team cruised to an easy gold medal. Since then, the NBA has been closely associated with USA Basketball.

The Chicago Bulls dynasty was broken up in 1998. Since then, the Western Conference has won the majority of the league championships. The San Antonio Spurs, led by Tim Duncan, have won four titles in that time span, while the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, won three. O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat after the 2004 season, and after promising to deliver a championship to Florida, he and Dwyane Wade did exactly that in 2006, when they beat the Dallas Mavericks, four games to two, in the NBA Finals.

The most recent NBA champions are the Boston Celtics, who beat the resurgent Los Angeles Lakers four games to two. It was the Celtics’ first championship since 1986 and the Lakers’ first Finals’ appearance since Bryant and O’Neal fell to the Detroit Pistons in 2004.

After a subpar showing in the 2004 Olympics that resulted in a bronze medal, the NBA’s best players fielded a different team for the 2008 Games. Known popularity as the “Redeem Team,” the U.S. men’s basketball team was designed to bring the Olympic gold back to the country where the game was invented. Duke University coach Mike Krzyzewski led a team made up of the following players: Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Redd, Dwyane Wade, and Deron Williams.

The “Redeem Team” accomplished its mission in the Beijing Games, beating Spain in the gold medal game, 118-107.

During the tenure of the current NBA commissioner, David Stern, the league has begun to expand its reach beyond the United States. Several players from foreign countries have become prominent players in the NBA (including Yao Ming, Manu Ginobili and 2007 league MYP Dirk Nowitzki), and the league’s games are currently televised in more than 200 countries.

Due in large part to the stellar play of point guard Chris Paul, the New Orleans Hornets are considered one of the fastest-rising teams in the NBA. Paul (considered by many to be the NBA’s best point guard) anchors a young, energetic nucleus that turned a lot of heads before losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semifinal. With many of the league’s stars either in or approaching their 30s, expectations – and hopes – are high in the Big Easy.

Early Years

The Hornets were born in Charlotte, N.C., in 1987 when the NBA granted Charlotte one of four proposed expansion teams. The team began play in 1988. Led by Kelly Tripucka, Rex Chapman, and Muggsy Bogues (at 5’3” the shortest player in NBA history), the team went 20-62 in their first season.

In 1989-90, instead of improving, the Hornets finished one game worse, at 19-63. They picked up Kendall Gill, a highly-regarded guard out of Illinois, in 1990, and drafted power forward Larry Johnson out of UNLV in 1991. Led by these young players, the team appeared to contend for a playoff spot in the 1991-92 season, but faded in the spring.

The Hornets drafted Georgetown center Alonzo Mourning in 1992. Mourning, Johnson and Gill led the team to its first-ever winning record and playoff berth. They surprised the favored Celtics in the first round before losing to the New York Knicks in the second round.

Injuries to Mourning and Johnson derailed the Hornets over the next few years. They made the playoffs in the 1994-95 season, but couldn’t get past the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls.

After that season, the Hornets traded Alonzo Mourning to the Miami Heat for three players, including shooting guard Glen Rice. This split up the Hornets’ promising young trio.

The Move to New Orleans

The Hornets moved to New Orleans, La., in 2002, due to decreased attendance and owner George Shinn’s disillusionment with the Charlotte arena. The team made the playoffs in the 2002-2003 season, losing to the Philadelphia 76ers.

They made the playoffs again in 2003-04, losing to the Miami Heat in seven games.

Hurricane Katrina

The entire city of New Orleans was affected by the cataclysmic destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina. The Hornets were no different; they were forced to relocate to Oklahoma City for 2005-06 and 2006-07. The Hornets missed the playoffs both seasons.

2007-08 Season

The Hornets returned to the Big Easy for the 2007-08 campaign. Led by 2005 draftee Chris Paul, the team finished at 56-26 and won its first-ever division title. The upstarts from New Orleans beat the Dallas Mavericks in the first round and took the San Antonio Spurs to seven games in the conference semifinals.

2008-09 Outlook

The Western Conference is wide open in 2008-09. The Lakers, Spurs, Suns, Jazz, Mavericks and even the Houston Rockets all believe they have a legitimate chance to win the West. But it would be a mistake to count out the New Orleans Hornets. All-Stars Paul and forward David West have shown they aren’t afraid of anyone. On the other hand, teams would be wise to be afraid – or at least respectful – of the Hornets.

The San Antonio Spurs began their existence in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and are one of the four ABA teams that survived the 1976 merger with the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Spurs, who play at the AT&T Center, are the closest thing the modern NBA has to a dynasty, having won four league championships since 1979. One of the league’s all-time winningest franchises, they have only missed the playoffs four times since joining the NBA. That, plus 15 division titles, makes San Antonio one of the most consistently successful franchises in any sport.

The Early Years
The San Antonio Spurs began their existence as the ABA’s Dallas Chaparrals in 1967. They were moved to San Antonio in 1973 and were renamed the Spurs.

In 1974, the Spurs made one of the biggest deals in team history when they acquired George Gervin from the Virginia Squires. Gervin, nicknamed “The Iceman” for his coolness under pressure, was a scoring machine who would lead the Spurs to five division titles on his way to becoming one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players.

The Spurs were considered one of the ABA’s best teams, and when the league went under in 1976, the Spurs were brought into the NBA intact.

Led by Gervin in the 1970s and 1980s, the Spurs were a perennial playoff contender, but couldn’t get past the great teams of that era to win a title. That would have to wait nearly 20 years.

Championships

In the 1990s, with David “The Admiral” Robinson at the helm, the Spurs enjoyed great success, but like Gervin’s team, they couldn’t quite make it to the top of the NBA heap, until two things happened in 1997: the hiring of head coach Gregg Popovich, and the drafting of Tim Duncan.

Duncan, a power forward out of Wake Forest, had an immediate impact on the Spurs, and two years after his arrival, they won their first-ever NBA title, beating the New York Knicks in five games.

Injuries and the dominance of the Los Angeles Lakers caused a championship drought for the Spurs, but in 2003, bolstered by Duncan and newly-acquired point guard Tony Parker, they won their second title, beating the New Jersey Nets in six games. After the season, Robinson retired.

The Spurs returned to the Finals in the 2004-2005 season. Led by Duncan, Parker and Argentinian shooting guard Manu Ginobili, they beat the defending champion Detroit Pistons in seven games.

The 2005-06 season saw the Spurs go down to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round, but in 2006-07 they came back with a vengeance, sweeping the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals.

2007-08 Season

The Spurs went 56-26 in the 2007-08 season and advanced to the conference finals despite several Western teams making huge mid-season trades to try to offset the Lakers’ acquisition of Pau Gasol. They met the Lakers in the conference final, where they lost in five games.

2008-2009 Outlook

The Spurs’ nucleus remains intact and appears to be primed for championship contention again. At 32, Duncan remains one of the game’s finest big men. Parker and Ginobili round out the “Big Three” and form one of the league’s most formidable backcourts. The Boston Celtics may be the defending champs, but no one in their right mind can count out the San Antonio Spurs.