Roundtable: NBA's early returns

Paul Pierce (left) and Kobe Bryant are benefiting from productive supporting casts. Getty Images (2)

Five SI.com NBA writers take stock of the first month of the season and look ahead as 2008-09 nears the quarter pole. (All statistics and records are through Monday's games.)

1. We're a month into the season and a good deal of the attention has been on ... 2010. Because of that, some worthy stories have been overlooked. What under-the-radar plot line has caught your attention?

Ian Thomsen: The parity of the league. Every team in the East but Washington is within 2½ games of the playoffs. In the West, there are only five sure lottery teams -- and among them the Grizzlies, Timberwolves and Kings have commanded respect with extended stretches of play that exceeded their lowly expectations.

The Lakers, Celtics and Cavaliers are the only teams playing at .800 or better. The story of the season thus far has had the usual contenders in Detroit, New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Utah and San Antonio (the latter two because of injuries) playing closer to the middle of the pack than anticipated.

Marty Burns: All the unoccupied seats. Just check out some of the wide patches of empty chairs in the crowd next time you tune into an NBA game. It's not just in small markets like Memphis and Indiana either. Even big cities like Philadelphia and Miami seem to be taking a hit.

I have spoken to several general managers, coaches and players about the situation over the past month. They are concerned. Nobody wants to talk about it publicly, but the general feeling is that the economic meltdown is going to have an impact on revenues and salaries over the next few years.

Jack McCallum: The degree to which the major stars on the two super teams have been able to step back, accept help from the cavalry and make their clubs even stronger. Scoring numbers for Kobe Bryant are way down, but the Lakers are better, largely because of the support Bryant has gotten from bench players such as Trevor Ariza and Jordan Farmar, never mind starters Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Derek Fisher. Much the same thing is happening with the Celtics. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, in particular, are scoring less but enjoying it more, primarily because five of the Shamrock lesser lights are averaging between 9.9 and 7.2 points per game -- Rajon Rondo, Tony Allen, Eddie House, Kendrick Perkins and Leon Powe.

Chris Mannix: Charlotte's continued ineptitude. My esteemed colleague Jack McCallum chronicled the Bobcats' history of failure two weeks ago in Sports Illustrated, but I feel I have to add my two cents. The Bobcats (6-11) are the most mismanaged franchise in the NBA, and it starts with Michael Jordan. As personnel boss, Jordan has systematically sabotaged the team's present (drafting Adam Morrison with the No. 3 pick in 2006 and Alexis Ajinca with the 20th pick in '08 were a couple of strokes of genius) and future (re-signing Gerald Wallace and Emeka Okafor to bloated extensions doesn't help Charlotte's chances of landing a top free agent) simultaneously.

Steve Aschburner: Dwyane Wade's return to dominance, while surpassing even his old self, is my under-the-radar story because -- at least until last Friday's game against Phoenix -- I hadn't realized how terrific his early season had been. I'm not just saying that because he's a fellow Marquette alum; fact is, it's embarrassing that I had stopped paying proper attention to Wade. Something to do, I guess, with the Heat's lousy 2007-08 record and the under-the-asphalt profile of their rookie coach, Erik Spoelstra.

Miami (9-9) didn't win its ninth game last season until Jan. 26, and Wade's play is the chief reason for this two months of fast-tracking. He is averaging career bests in scoring (28.7), assists (7.9), steals (2.3) and blocks (1.7), reminding covetous teams that someone other than LeBron James will be a free agent in 2010. Most encouraging is Wade's increased use of a jump shot, which means decreased use of liniments and Ace bandages for him. He still ranks second in the NBA in "and 1'' plays (21) but doesn't need a coach named Spatula nearly as much anymore. "It keeps you off the floor and it keeps you from getting banged up as much,'' Wade said in a "Eureka!'' moment the other day. See, they teach us good at the ol' alma mater.

2. What team has been the biggest surprise?

Thomsen: Denver. The Nuggets were already demoralized by their fifth consecutive loss in the first round (4-20 in those series) when they surrendered Marcus Camby in a salary dump to the Clippers. They were a horrible defensive team, and top-heavy with one-on-one scorers. But this training camp they committed to team defense, and then the trade for Chauncey Billups brought balance offensively while solidifying them defensively. They are momentarily tied for second place in the West at 12-6, and with good health this could be a rejuvenation year for both Carmelo Anthony and coach George Karl.

Burns: Atlanta. Few pundits (myself included) picked the Hawks to make the playoffs this season -- even after their surprising seven-game playoff showdown with the Celtics last spring. They just seemed too immature. But Joe Johnson has been an All-Star, Mike Bibby has provided leadership, Al Horford has been an anchor in the middle, and the acquisitions of Maurice Evans and Flip Murray have made them better defensively and on the three-point line. They even have a little swagger and toughness about them. They definitely look like a legit playoff team in the East now.

McCallum: Cleveland. Needless to say, LeBron James is having another great season, but he clicked with Mo Williams right away and the whole thing seems to have given new life to the other starters, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Delonte West and Ben Wallace. A telling stat for the Cavs: James, Ilgauskas, Wallace and Anderson Varejao are all averaging about seven rebounds. They are sharing the dirty work.

Mannix: New Jersey. The Nets were predicted by most pundits (this one included) to finish at the bottom of the East, but they have hovered around .500 all season. With a prolific dribble-drive offense spearheaded by Devin Harris, the Nets are one of seven teams averaging at least 100 points. If coach Lawrence Frank can persuade his players to play some defense (no small feat for a team loaded with subpar defenders), New Jersey could sneak into the playoffs.

Aschburner: Denver. The Nuggets were mocked and ridiculed heading into the season for salary dumping -- trading Camby, letting Eduardo Najera walk -- and not wanting to win. Then they sent Allen Iverson to Detroit, allegedly getting the lesser end of that deal by taking back a past-his-prime Billups and a fat contract commitment. But the insertion of a Grade A point guard into that lineup has worked wonders, and Nenê and Kenyon Martin up front have been versatile and productive at both ends (besides, Nenê is a great story). Karl has kept his boat unrocked so far.