2. Ben Wallace gets benched
The Bulls' shiny free-agent acquisition isn't exactly riding the pine, but toward the end of yet another dismal circus road trip, Wallace played 19 minutes in a loss to the Sixers and was pulled after two headband-wearing minutes the next night in New York. While Big Ben's insistence on wearing a headband may be the public flash point, his depressed production is the underlying reason he's played fewer minutes this season than at any time since he was coming off the bench in Orlando in 1999-2000. What exactly did Chicago expect from a 32-year-old undersized center? Points? From a career 6.6 points-per-game scorer? More rebounding? He's grabbing more than nine a game. Wins? Perhaps that $60 million would have been better spent on someone who could put the ball in the hoop -- a Peja Stojakovic, an Al Harrington -- and not another defensive piece to a team that already was one of the league's best defensive clubs.

1. Doc Rivers' revolving door
It's not just that players such as Kendrick Perkins play 29 minutes one night and 13 a few later. It isn't just that promising rookie Leon Powe sits for the first game of the season, plays in the next four and sits again in two of the next three. It's that someone like Brian Scalabrine plays more often than a promising sophomore such as Gerald Green. The poster boy for brain-typing as a player evaluation tool, Scalabrine, who is supposed to have the same brain type as Michael Jordan, is averaging 1.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.27 blocks a game -- and he's 6-9. Scalabrine isn't a culprit as much as a symptom of Rivers' inability to define roles. And when a big part of your job as a coach is to develop a roster littered with inexperienced talent, uncertainty doesn't help breed confidence -- or wins.

Scout's Take

After becoming, in the eyes of many observers, an increasingly flawed third wheel of the LeBron-Wade 2003 draft class, Carmelo Anthony has finally started to fulfill every aspect of his full potential. Through the season's first month, Anthony was averaging 31.5 points (second-best in the NBA), a career-high 4.3 assists, 1.9 steals (also a personal best) and 5.1 rebounds and shooting almost 52 percent from the floor. What has been the difference? We checked in with an opposing scout to get the details.

"Carmelo has been unbelievable; he's just carrying over how he played this summer and dominating. He's not settling for jumpers, he's attacking the basket, getting out on the break and defending. When [former coach Jeff] Bzdelik was there, he had no respect for offense as far as taking good shots. He would jack up 3's and do whatever he wanted without any repercussions and it really got ugly. But he's disciplined and determined now.

"I think he sees everything LeBron and Wade have gotten and he wants a piece of that. And if other people aren't living up to his expectations, he's not going to put up with that. He enjoys having JR Smith. I think he likes having some of the guys he has around him. It's good for him and for the league."