Buy N' Him

Bynum's development has closed the gap
between him and Howard.

The Los Angeles Lakers are committing to Andrew Bynum, at least for now.

After months of speculation and trade rumors, Bynum stayed put at this year’s trading deadline, and had his $16 million option for next season picked up Tuesday. It’s the fourth year of $58 million contract extension Los Angeles signed him to in October 2008, despite missing most of the season with a dislocated kneecap.

Los Angeles had until June 30 to pick up the option, otherwise Bynum would become a hot commodity this summer. He has played in 41 of the Laker’s 45 games this year, missing the first four not by injury surprisingly, but serving a suspension he was slapped with following the team’s Game 4 loss in Dallas a year ago.

But in his season debut against the Denver Nuggets, Bynum tallied 29 points and 13 rebounds, setting the stage for the year to come.

Bynum, who is just 24-years-old, but in his seventh NBA season, is enjoying a banner campaign. He is averaging career-highs in points (18.1) and rebounds (12.9).

Those numbers saw him be selected to his first All-Star team, starting for the Western Conference in Orlando. He’s posted 31 double-doubles this season, including ten straight and in 16 out of his last 17 games.

During that streak Bynum recorded his first career 20/20 game.

On Feb. 6, in the Laker’s 95-90 loss to the 76ers, and on the same night Kobe Bryant passed Shaquille O’Neal for fifth on the all-time scoring list in his hometown of Philadelphia, Bynum scored and grabbed 20 points and rebounds each.

Once urged by Bryant to be traded for Jason Kidd and six years of waiting, Bynum is developing into the player Los Angeles always thought he would be.

He was most recently named the Western Conference Player of the Week, averaging 27.5 points and 14.8 rebounds over a four-game span. And while Bynum is clearly the best center in his conference, he has a long way to go to be the best in the league.

That title belongs to the Magic’s Dwight Howard.

For the last eight years, Howard, who will stay in Orlando through the 2012-13 season after waiving his opt-out clause, has become the NBA’s next dominant center.

Throughout that time, he has averaged 18.4 points per game, along with 13 rebounds and two blocks. Not to mention his record three straight Defensive Player of the Year Awards.

This season has been no different.

Howard is totaling 21.1 PPG, 14.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks on a Magic team that is currently the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. But it’s not just Howard’s on the court presence that sets the two apart, but his ability to stay on the floor.

Since being drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in 2004, Howard has played in 616 of the possible 623 regular season games. He has started 615 of those and missed as many as four games in a season.

On the other hand, Bynum was drafted just a year later with the No. 10 pick in the draft. In the 540 games the Lakers have played since that time, Bynum has only played in 376 of them, mainly due to various knee injuries.

They have gone head-to-head 16 games in their careers, including the postseason with Howard showing almost every time why he is the best at his position.

Against Bynum, Howard has averaged 18.8 PPG, 13.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks. Compare that to Bynum’s eight points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.

However in those games, Howard has complied 18.6 more minutes and 4.3 shot attempts than Bynum, giving him the slight advantage. But Bynum has continued to work hard and improve, fairing better in their more recent matchups.

In Bynum’s last three games against Howard and the Magic, he has totaled 12.3 PPG, 13 rebounds and 2.3 -- a significant upgrade from his career totals versus Orlando. That could be attributed to the extra minutes (28) and shot attempts (10.3) he is receiving.

And despite what the numbers say, Bynum’s Lakers have won nine of the 16 games, including four in the 2009 NBA Finals.

If things stay they contractual are, Howard and Bynum will both become free agents following the 2012-13 season.

But I’d expect the Lakers to sign Bynum to a contract extension in the near future as they look to continue the tradition of the franchise's dominant big men with a spot open on their Mount Rushmore, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal.

There's no disputing who the best center in the game is, but maybe a swap isn't as likely as it once was in Los Angeles.

Wounded Wolf

Fifth Time the Charm

Oden's career has been anything, but what
the Trail Blazers were hoping for.

It's been nearly five years since the Portland Trail Blazers drafted Greg Oden with the No. 1 overall pick, taking him over Texas' Kevin Durant.

Since that time, Oden has undergone more knee surgeries than he has seasons played, Durant has made the Oklahoma City Thunder a title contender, winning two NBA scoring titles in the process and Oden's once upon a time running mate, Brandon Roy, has retired due to his balky knees.

Oden underwent his fifth career knee surgery Monday and the third of the microfracture variety. Originally suffering the injury in his right knee, Oden's last two procedures have come on his left.

It's worth noting no player in NBA history has come back after undergoing three different microfracture procedures.

The 7-footer has played a total of 82 games in his five-year career. That is equivalent to an entire NBA regular season. In his rookie campaign out of Ohio State, Oden played in a career-high 61 games, 39 of them came as a starter, averaging 8.9 points per game and 7.0 rebounds.

Following his first surgery, Oden came back with vengeance, starting in the team's first 21 games of the regular season. He was averaging 11.1 PPG, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks, making it clear he wasn't going to be the franchise's next Sam Bowie.

However, he was.

On Dec. 5, 2009, in a game against the Houston Rockets, Oden went up to block an Aaron Brooks' shot attempt, but instead came down on an another injured knee.

Oden suffered a fracture left patella and would miss the reminder of the season, playing in what might be his final as a Blazer.

Just like Oden, Bowie was taken ahead of another high profile superstar and a superstar in every sense of the word. The often-injured center was selected by Portland with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, in front of North Carolina's Michael Jordan.

Need I say more?

As for Bowie, he played in 76 games in his rookie season, but only 63 games over the next four years with the Blazers before signing with the New Jersey Nets, spending only five years with the organization and the same number of operations.

Oddly enough, Oden can say the same thing.

Portland should
have listened.

Heading into the season and after the 166-day lockout Oden was a restricted free agent, but agreed to a $8.9 million qualifying offer to stay with Portland. The team has since restructured the deal with Oden, having him earn $1.5 million after he will not have played a game in any of the last three seasons.

A team that was once thought to be possessed by a formula for success, now becomes a team without two main indigents. And with Oden an unrestricted free agent at season's end, his return to the Rose Garden or any NBA arena for that matter, isn't any time soon.

Just remember, history tends to repeat itself.

Flying Under the Radar?

It's hard to believe the Heat could be better
off without either James (6) or Wade.

With Linsanity continuing to sweep the nation and the San Antonio Spurs on an NBA season-best 10-game winning streak, the Miami Heat have quietly put together one of the more impressive runs in league history.

Miami's 90-78 win over the Orlando Magic Sunday mark their sixth in-a-row and first game at home in almost two weeks. But it's been the team's most recent road trip that has gotten overlooked.

On Feb. 8, the Heat embarked on a 6-game, 10-day road trip starting in Orlando where they suffered their most recent loss of the season. Since that time, Miami has won their last five road games, including three straight in consecutive nights.

In all three of those game, the Heat at one point or another held a 30-plus-point lead, making it the first time in over 30 years a team won back-to-back-to-back road games in as many nights and led by that type of point differential.

Miami is currently tied with the Chicago Bulls for the most games won this season by 10 or more points with 17. Not to mention Sunday's win of 12 points is the smallest margin during the Heat's current streak.

Now, the Heat possess the best record (25-7) in the NBA with the idol Bulls, who have been without reigning league MVP Derrick Rose for the last five games, a half back behind them for the top spot. Miami leads the Southeast division by five games over the Magic and five and a half better than the Atlanta Hawks, both whom are teams above .500.

A year after Miami finished just 21-19 against teams .500 or better, they have drastically improved in year two of the 'Super Team' experiment. Their 13 wins against elite opponents this season are third only to Oklahoma City's 14 and San Antonio's 14, but lead the Eastern Conference.

And at the forefront of it all has been the always controversial, but sensational LeBron James.

James, who has already won a scoring title (2007-08), is second in the NBA in scoring, averaging 28.0 points per game.

But it has been his ability to win games without Dwyane Wade that has been most impressive. James has won seven of the eight games he has played without him this season, averaging 29.3 PPG, 7.6 rebounds and 7.7 assists while doing so.

James and Wade both did not play in a game on Jan. 5 against the Hawks, but nonetheless resulted in a 116-109 win, bringing Miami's record to 8-1 without Wade this season.

Despite coming into the league at the same season, James and Wade have had much different careers. James is only 27 after being drafted straight out of high school with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wade, 30, on the other hand was selected fifth overall that same year after attending Marquette University for three years.

James was the Rookie of the Year while Wade brought the Heat their first NBA championship in 2006. But now with each passing year and both nine-year veterans it's all about winning.

In the possible 688 regular season games both could have played in up to this point since arriving to the NBA, James has played in 658 of them, but Wade has been hampered by injuries most of his career, playing in just 591.

Is it time to think of life without Wade?

James and Co. have proven they can win without Wade, it even allows teammate Chris Bosh be somewhat of the guy he was in Toronto. Bosh has averaged 25.6 PPG in Wade's absence and continues to thrive as James' Robin.

It's hard to believe there could be a team with too much star power, but that may be the case in South Beach with Wade as the odd man out.

Singing the Same Old Tune

Tony Parker recorded his second
straight double-double Saturday.

It's never easy with the San Antonio Spurs in town and Saturday afternoon was no different.

It a game the Los Angeles Clippers seemingly had won, somehow they reverted back to their old ways and couldn't quite close out their 20th win of the season, falling in overtime, 103-100.

In a close game throughout, Los Angeles eventually found themselves trailing by 15 (65-50) early in the third quarter, but the Clippers, with their new found persistent and resilient personality, went on a 17-0 run that was capped off by an electrifying Blake Griffin dunk, giving his team the lead for the first time since the second quarter.

And after overcoming yet another deficit in the fourth, Los Angeles held a 95-92 lead with the ball after San Antonio's Gary Neal turned the ball over.

However, Ryan Gomes' inbound pass to Chris Paul, who scored 17 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, took his momentum towards the backcourt, causing Paul to try save it and putting it right in the hands of Neal.

Neal, without any hesitation, stepped beyond the arch, drilling a game-tying three-point basket with 5.7 seconds left in regulation.

Paul missed a 14-foot jump shot as time expired, sending the game into overtime.

But in the extra period, the mistakes would continue. The Clippers suffered a shot-clock violation just after Matt Bonner gave the Spurs a slim one-point lead, 98-97. Following that turnover, Los Angeles got the ball back after a missed field goal attempt by Tim Duncan and with 42 seconds left, Duncan fouled Griffin, sending him to the line with a chance to regain the lead.

An exhausted Griffin would hit one of two, tying the game and giving him the first 20 point, 20 rebound game of his young career. But Neal would hit his fifth and final three-pointer of the night which proved to be the eventual game winner.

And after missed layup by Paul, San Antonio was given the same situation as the Clippers had at the end of regulation  -- three-point lead with the ball -- but this time experience proved to be the difference,

The Spurs inbounded the ball to point guard Tony Parker as he was fouled by Randy Foye. Parker, who outplayed Paul, finishing the game with a double-double (30 points, 10 assists), made both free throws.

Paul had a chance to tie the game with a three-point bucket after Griffin had a driving dunk and Neal missed two free throws, but his shot fell short, ending their modest two-game winning streak and calling his fourth quarter turnover the "biggest mistake of my career".

That might be a little exaggerated, but it was a disappointing loss in a game that had a playoff like atmosphere and postseason implications.

Los Angeles had been undefeated when Paul scores 17-plus points, but not with the hottest team in the NBA in town.

The Spurs now have an NBA season-best 10-game winning streak and have started their nine-game Rodeo Road Trip 6-0. But it comes as no surprise, even with the Clippers rapid change in cultural this season, that San Antonio comes into Staples Center and beats this franchise.

Paul and Co. gave away a win Saturday

against the San Antonio Spurs.

Grep Popovich's team has won 28 of the last 30 meetings against Los Angeles and have enjoyed unbelievable success on the Clippers' home floor. Since the 1997-98 season, San Antonio has the best winning percentage against the Clippers, winning .818 percent of their games in Staples, accumulating to a 22-5 record.

On another note, the Spurs lost both center Tiago Splitter and forward Manu Ginobili to injuries Saturday. Splitter left the first with a sprained right calf while Ginobili, in only his fourth game back from a broken wrist, suffered a strained left oblique.

If this is a potential postseason matchup, then we are in for one heck of a ride in the already wild wild west.

All I Do is Lin, Lin, Lin!

You can bet Bryant knows who Jeremy
Lin is now.

The global phenomenon that is 'Lin-sanity' continued Friday.

With the 16-time NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in town, Jeremy Lin upstaged Kobe Bryant, something the 33-year-old veteran in not accustom to.

Lin has electrified the Madison Square Garden crowd lately, energizing an underachieving New York Knick team. Without superstars Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, Lin led the Knicks to their fourth straight win, defeating Los Angeles, 92-85.

The 23-year-old Harvard graduate not only scored a career-high 38 points, but the most points scored by a New York player all season, that includes Anthony and Stoudemire.

Heading into Friday night's home game, Lin became the first player since LeBron James in 2003 to score 20-plus points and handout eight or more assists in his first two NBA starts. Despite falling an assist short of that against the Lakers, Lin is in elite company.

Lin's improbable run started less than a week ago in the team's 99-92 home victory over the New Jersey Nets. In that game, Lin played a then-career-high 36 minutes, sparking New York and scoring 25 points with seven assists.

Since that time Lin has started each of the team's next three games and scored a combined 89 points. That is the most by any NBA player in his three professional starts since the ABA-NBA Merger in 1976.

He is now averaging just 9.0 points and 3.5 assists per game this season, but has rejuvenated the Knicks in Anthony and Stoudemire's absence.

New York's improves to 12-15 on the year, bringing them within a half game of the Milwaukee Bucks, who behind Brand Jennings' 24 points defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime, for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.

For Los Angeles, it was their 12th loss of the season and 10th away from Staples Center, ending their nine-game winning streak against the Knicks. After arguably the biggest road win of their season in Boston, the Lakers never got it going. A night after combining for 41 points and 31 rebounds, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, scored just 19 points with 23 rebounds against a relatively undersized New York front court.

However, Bryant, as he always does, showed up.

Bryant, who averages 30.5 PPG in 'The Garden', second only to Michael Jordan's 31.8, scored 34 points, despite missing 10 of his first 11 shots, but added 10 rebounds.

It was just three years ago that Bryant had the Garden faithful chanting his name after setting the storied arena's single-game point record with 61 on 19-of-31 shooting.

Bryant was upstaged by someone nobody say coming. Lin is only the fourth player in NBA history to play in the league as a Harvard graduate and his Asian ethnicity makes him the ultimate underdog.

'Lin-sanity' is alive and well in the world's biggest city.

A L.A. Story

In what could be the Lakers' biggest win of

the season, Gasol was on top of his game.

Boston Celtics. Los Angeles Lakers. It never gets old.

A night after Don Rivers watched his son Austin hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to lift his team in Chapel Hill, the 50-year-old Boston head coach had to watch his team and Paul Pierce's potential game-winning 18-foot jumper with 0.01 remaining, circle the rim only to fall short, losing to the Lakers, 88-87.

Ray Allen had a chance for a putback attempt, but Pau Gasol, who just hours before found out he wouldn't be making is fourth straight All-Star appearance, blocked Allen's shot, clinching both his fists and yelling in excitement after sealing his team's fourth road win of the season.

Gasol finished the game with 25 points and 14 rebounds -- his 15th double-double this season and fourth in as many games.

The win snaps Boston's five-game winning streak and extends Los Angeles' recent success at the TD Garden. The Lakers have now won four straight regular season games in Boston, including three being decided by just one point and two needing overtime to decide a winner.

However, Los Angeles failed to score 100-plus points fourth time in-a-row and 17th time in their last 19 games. The Lakers are averaging just 93.2 points per game this season -- their lowest total in the shot clock era. The 1953-54 season, when the Lakers were still in Minneapolis, is their lowest total ever, averaging just 81.7 PPG.

Although, the franchise won their fifth and final NBA championship in Minnesota that year.

The Celtics lead most of the game until Kobe Bryant and Gasol took over the third quarter. Bryant scored 10 of his 27 points in the third quarter with Gasol adding nine. The championship duo scored 19 of Los Angeles' 22 points in the quarter, outscoring the entire Celtics team, who were held to just 17.

It was Bryant's 19th 25-point game this season which leads the NBA. But it was Andrew Bynum's late tip-in that proved to be the eventual game-winning shot. He added 14 other points, 17 rebounds and three blocks.

As for the Boston big men, especially Kevin Garnett, would like to have this one back.

After hitting two straight shots early in the fourth quarter, Garnett missed his final nine shots of the game, including back-to-backs jumpers that could have given the Celtics the lead in the extra period.

With Garnett's 12, Allen's 22 and Pierce's 18, the Boston big three were out done by the Lakers' big three, 68-52.

Speaking of those three, Pierce was the only Celtic named to his year's All-Star team, ending Garnett's impressive 14 consecutive-year run.

These two teams will not meet again until March 11 in Los Angeles. Until then, they will continue the second of a back-to-back. Boston will travel to Toronto for only their ninth road game of the season thus far while the Lakers continue their Grammy road trip under the lights of New York City, taking on the suddenly surging and Jeremy Lin-led Knickerbockers.

But, on this night, the rivalry was renewed.

Clipped Out of the Equation

Move Over Big Fella

Bryant embracing longtime teammate and
co-captian, Derek Fisher, after surpassing
O'Neal as the NBA's fifth leading scorer.

He's at it again.

It was a little over a week ago that Los Angeles Laker guard Kobe Bryant surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West for the most field goals and free throws in franchise history, respectively. Now, he has eclipsed yet another Los Angeles legend.

In his hometown of Philadelphia, Bryant, 33, hit a 23-foot jump shot with 5:07 remaining in the second quarter of the team's 95-90 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, giving him 24 first half points and passing former teammate Shaquille O'Neal for fifth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

The 16-year veteran, who is currently leading the NBA in scoring, averaging 29.3 points per game, finished the game with 28 points after just scoring four points in the second half and going 1-for-10 from the field in the fourth.

Bryant's career total now stands at 28,601, five points better than O'Neal's 28,596 and 2,818 from tying Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain for fourth all-time. Prior to this season, Bryant had averaged 1,857 points per year. He has already scored 733 points his season and if he keeps to his career averages, even in a shorten 66-game NBA season, Bryant will need just 1,694 next season to surpass Chamberlain, something he is no stranger to.

In his senior season at Lower Merion High School, Bryant averaged 30.8 PPG and broke Chamberlain's Pennsylvania's high school scoring record of 2,252 career points, finishing with 2,883.

Last season, Bryant donated more than $400,000 to the Lower Merion School District and had his old gym named after him in honor of his unbelievable NBA career and contributions to his old team, leading the Aces to the 1996 state championship.

Along with trailing Chamberlain's 31,419 career point, Bryant also continues to chase Michael Jordan (32,292), Karl Malone (36,928) and Abdul-Jabbar (38,387).

But considering Bryant and O'Neal's history, he may cherish this individual accomplishment the most. Their ongoing love-hate relationship has been well documented after they won three consecutive championships with one another at the turn of the century and went through an ugly divorce in 2004. However, the two have since made peace, come to appreciate what they accomplished together, are arguably the greatest one-two punch in league history and shared the lime light one last time.

At the 2009 All-Star Game in Arizona, with O'Neal a member of the Phoenix Suns, he and Bryant shared the game's Most Valuable Player Award, leaving many to wonder what could have been.

A dynamic duo, O'Neal (32) and Bryant (24)
shared so many magical moments over their
 careers playing along side one another.

Bryant has since won two more NBA championships. Most recently in 2010, when he famously dedicated the win to having more than O'Neal's four, saying postgame, " I got one more than Shaq".

Booed as usually in his homecoming, it's not the first time Bryant has accomplished something special in front of the Philly faithful. In 2001, Bryant came to Philly "to cut their hearts out" and he did, helping the Lakers win their second of three straight NBA titles. The following year, Bryant returned to Philadelphia, capturing his first of his record four All-Star Game MVPs.

However, Bryant is notorious for shooting a low percentage in the Wells Fargo Center, and it was his rare poor fourth quarter shooting that handed Los Angeles their second loss in-a-row.

Bryant only scored two points in the final quarter, seeing his Lakers drop to 14-11 on the year and 3-9 on the road.

Normally never outdone in crunch time, Bryant was, this time by reserve guard Lou Williams, who is apart of Philadelphia's 'Night Shift'.

Williams is a leading candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year Award and is the 76ers' leading scorer this season, averaging 15.5 PPG. The 25-year-old scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth, leading Philadelphia to their 18th win of the season and snapping their four-game home losing streak to Los Angeles.

The 76ers' 18-7 record ranks them No. 3 in the Eastern Conference, but are they for real? They are 6-5 against teams with a record of .500 or better, while 12-2 against the league's worst. Not to mention they have lost both overtime games they have played this season.

Only time will tell if a team that's leading scorer comes off the bench can sustain permanent success.

Los Angeles was without head coach Mike Brown. He was severing a one-game suspension following his outburst and bump of an official in the team's 96-87 loss in Utah Saturday night.

But this night, even in a loss, belongs to Kobe Bryant.

Shopping at K-Mart

Martin adds depth to an already deep
Clipper bench and team.

The Los Angeles Clippers have outdone the Los Angeles Lakers yet again -- a phrase that had never been muttered prior to this season.

Both vying for his services, it was the Clippers that have agreed to a deal with veteran Kenyon Martin, not the Lakers. It's the second time in as many months the usual second-rate Clippers have acquired a player the Lakers were interested in.

In December, the Lakers came to terms on a deal with the New Orleans Hornets that would have sent point guard Chris Paul to Los Angeles. Instead the league nixed the deal and less than a week later Paul would be playing his home games in Staples Center, just not for the Lakers.

Martin, 34, headed overseers to play in the Chinese Basketball Association during the would end of being a 161-day lockout. The former Denver Nugget had been playing for the Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers, averaging 13.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, before reaching a buyout agreement with the team on Dec. 21.

He has also been cleared by the FIBA to return to the NBA two weeks before originally thought, making his now highly anticipated Clipper debut on Wednesday, Feb. 8 against the Cleveland Cavaliers very likely.

His former teammate in Denver, J.R. Smith, also played in China to start the 2011-12 season and will another hot commodity in his return to the NBA -- a commodity the Clippers might also be interested in adding to their already talented roster.

Since being named the Consensus 2000 NCAA Player of the Year and drafted with the No. 1 overall pick that same season by the New Jersey Nets, Martin has played 654 career NBA games.

The 6-foot-9 forward has averaged 13.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 blocks per game during his 11-year career.

Fresh of back-to-back NBA Finals appearances with the Nets, Martin's best season came during the 2003-04 campaign. He averaged a career-high 16.7 PPG and grabbed 9.5 rebounds, earning him his first and only All-Star appearance thus far.

Martin will primarily play this season in Los Angeles as Blake Griffin's backup, earning the mid-level exception of $2.5 million.

But after failing short in two straight NBA Finals in the early part of the century, Martin is still of search of first NBA championship. He has come to accomplish that goal in the City of Angels.

Just not with the franchise that possesses 16 of them.

Living Up to the Hype

Rubio's arrival to Minnesota could mean
great things in the future.

It's been a long road to the NBA, but Ricky Rubio has finally made, and is making his presence felt in his first season.

It's been more than six years since Rubio became the youngest player to play in the Spanish ACB League at 14, impressing many. And another two and half since he was drafted with the fifth overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Playing for DKV Joventut, Rubio refused to sign with Minnesota after Joventu agreed to buy out his contract. It wouldn't be long after until they would trade his rights to FC Barcelona, where Rubio would agree to a contract extension.

A year and a half into that six-year contract, Rubio agreed to join the Timberwolves for the 2011-12 season.

His debut was put on hold due to the the NBA's 161-day lockout, but nonetheless the 21-year-old Spaniard is here, and here to stay.

In his first NBA season, Rubio has become one of the best playmaking point guards in the league. His 8.9 assists per game rank fourth among qualifying players and leads all rookies. He also leads all rookies in steals per game. In just 21 games, Rubio's 47 steals average out to 2.24 steals a game. That is third in the league behind only Chris Paul (2.46) and Mike Conley (2.39).

Rubio's 11.4 PPG is fifth among active rookies, but his shooting percentage has been nothing to ride home about. Rubio is shooting just 38 percent from the field, drawing comparisons to Boston's Rajon Rondo.

However, Rondo has never averaged under 41 percent, that coming in his rookie season.

On the other hand, New Jersey Nets' point guard and free agent-to-be, Deron Williams, is having the worst shooting season of his career. Williams, who is a career 45 percent shooter, is averaging 19.6 PPG this season, but is making just 39 percent of his baskets.

Being a point guard, much like Williams, Rubio constantly possesses the ball, making the possibility of turnovers a lot more likely, something he has done a lot in his brief rookie campaign.

Rubio's 3.2 turnovers a game for a first-year player is second-worst only to Cleveland's Kyrie Irving's 3.3 However, Irving is currently leading all rookies his scoring, averaging 17.9 PPG.

That being said, Rubio has still been one of the game's most productive point guards thus far, helping All-Star teammate Kevin Love flourish in the beginning of his fourth NBA season. Love leads the league with 19 double-doubles and a career-high 25.5, being the anchor of a last place, but emerging Timberwolves team.

Rubio also find himself among the league leaders in double-doubles. He is currently tied with five other players, including Williams and LeBron James, for 11th with nine double-doubles.

Soon enough, Rubio and Co. will have the Timberwolves roaring back to the postseason.

On His Way Out?

Kaman is apparently being shopped openly
by a team he recently joined.

After being traded for the first time in mid-December, New Orleans Hornets center Chris Kaman might be joining his second NBA team in as many months.

It has been reported that the league-owned Hornets are fielding offers for Kaman, explaining the reason why he was inactive for the team's Wednesday night loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder and not present for Friday night's surprising win over the Orlando Magic.

Spending the first eight years of his career playing for the Los Angeles Clippers after being drafted sixth overall in the 2003 NBA Draft, Kaman was acquired by the Hornets in the blockbuster trade that sent All-Star Chris Paul to Los Angeles.

Along with Kaman, New Orleans acquired Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu and the Minnesota Timberwolves' unprotected 2012 first-round pick in the deal while the Clippers will receive two future second-round picks.

Kaman, 29, is approximately owed $14 million this season.

And while it looks to be mainly a financial decision by the Hornets, it now gives some of their young players a chance to compete for his minutes.

Against the Thunder, 26-year-old rookie Gustavo Ayon made the most of his opportunity and 17 minutes vacated by Kaman, going 8-for-10 from the field, scoring nearly as many points as minutes played with 16.

However, that game resulted in a loss and in the team's win over Magic, Ayon played just nine minutes, never getting on the scoreboard.

As for Kaman, he was hampered by an ankle injury much of the 2010-11 season, playing in only 32 games for the Clippers. This season, adapting to a new home, Kaman is averaging 9.2 points per game and 6.7 rebounds in just 22.7 minutes, numbers far removed from the ones that made him one of the most dominate centers in the league.

During the 2007-08 campaign, the Clippers lost both Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston for the majority of the year due to injury, relying on Kaman the rest of the way. He delivered after setting career-highs in rebounds (12.7) and blocks (2.8) to go along with his 15.7 PPG.

The 2009-10 season was Kaman's most recent more than effective season, starting in all of the 76 games he played in and averaging a career-high 18.5 PPG.

Fresh off their 11th playoff appearance in franchise history, New Orleans find themselves at the bottom of the Southwest Division with 4-15 and building for the future.

A future that clearly Kaman is no longer apart of.

Peace Corps

If the Lakers are to contend for a title this
season, they will need the same type of
 performance from World Peace moving
forward.

The Los Angeles Laker have ended their mini three-game losing streak, beating their intercity rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, 96-91.

It was the Lakers 12th consecutive game without breaking the 100-point threshold, tying a franchise record in the shot-clock era set during the 2003-04 season .

In their second meeting is less than two weeks, both teams came out with something to prove.

Former Laker Caron Butler got his new team off to a fast start, scoring the Clippers first 11 points, nine of them from beyond the arch. For the Lakers, forward Pau Gasol, who has made it known publicly he wants more scoring opportunities, came out determined and aggressive, scoring nine of the team's 25 first quarter points.

Gasol finished the game with 23 points and 10 rebounds, putting together his 10th double-double of the season in just 19 games. But it was unusually strong contributions from the Laker bench that secured them their 11th win of the season.

The Lakers' bench ranks as the second worst production-wise in the NBA, averaging 16.8 points per game. Compare that to the most productive bench in the league, the Dallas Mavericks, who are averaging an astonishing 44.0 points from their reserves.

Leading that Laker bench Wednesday night was rookie guard Andrew Goundelock. Goudelock added a career-high 14 points in 20 minutes, also a career-high. Despite Metta World Peace recording only three points, his emotional energy fueled this struggling Laker team.

World Peace came away with two steals, five rebounds and a seven assists in a season-high 38 minutes.

The Lakers trailed at the end of every quarter except for the one that matters, giving way to Kobe Bryant in the fourth. The five-time NBA champion scored 12 of his team-high 24 points in the final quarter, including a three-point basket that gave his team a 79-78 advantage and their first lead of the game.

Clipper forward Blake Griffin recorded a game-high 26 points and narrowly missed his own double-double with nine boards.

Chris Paul was limited to just 27 minutes in his first game back after a six-game absence due to a hamstring injury. He and fellow backcourt running mate Chauncey Billups combined for just 13 points, but Paul did add 12 assists. Mo Williams' 16 points continued to provide be a spark off the bench for the Clippers, scoring in double-digits for the fourth consecutive game.

The game was chippy, gritty and hard-fought to say the least, as there were six technical fouls assessed, a flagrant foul and an ejection of the Lakers' Josh McRoberts.

Chris Paul didn't have the
same type of explosiveness
returning from his injury.

Both teams are now tied atop the Pacific Division standings. It was the Lakers 10th win at home this season and the Clippers fourth loss on the road. Although, it really isn't a road game for Clippers other than the fact the floor boards read "Los Angeles Lakers" in their traditional purple and gold. The two teams have shared the Staples Center since it opened in October of 1999.

The Lakers are just 1-6 on the road this season and embark on a lengthy road trip this weekend. The team will play eight of their next nine games away from Staples, starting Saturday in Milwaukee and includes stops in Utah, Boston and New York, all hostile environments.

It was revealed Thursday that Bucks' center Andrew Bogut suffered a broken ankle Wednesday night in Houston, leaving him out indefinitely and on the sidelines for their upcoming matchup with Los Angeles.

Looks like the Lakers caught a break, something this team needs.

I'm Lovin' It

Manu Down

There is no question Ginobili has fought the
injury bug most of his career.

The San Antonio Spurs road to repeating as the top seed in the Western Conference just got a whole lot harder. In the team's 106-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves Monday night, guard Manu Ginobili broke his shooting hand and will be out indefinitely.

Ginobili, a southpaw, injured his hand late in the second quarter after fouling Minnesota center Anthony Tolliver on a shot attempt.

After being taken back for X-rays, it was revealed to the Argentinian native that he'd in fact broke the fifth metacarpal, right below his pinkie.

Prior to the injury, Ginobili had been 3-for-6 from the field, scoring 8 points in 12 minutes on the floor. Averaging 19.8 point per game thus far, the two-time All-Star has started all four games for San Antonio this season, after spending most of his career better served off the bench for three championship teams.

Ginobili captured the Sixth Man of the Year Award back in 2008 after setting career-highs in point per game (19.5), field goal percentage (.401) and minutes (31).

Despite Ginobili being hampered by injury much of his career, the now-34-year-old veteran set career-highs in games played (80) and games started (79) a year ago, helping the Spurs to the best record in the Western Conference (61-21) and an impressive 36-5 home record.

With Ginobili averaging just 66 games a year the last three seasons and no time table for his return, a mix of young players and talented veterans will need to continue the tradition thats has been laid.

28,000 & Counting

Despite reaching the 28,000 point plateau,
it was a rough night for Bryant and Co.

After one of the worst shooting nights of his career, Los Angeles Laker guard Kobe Bryant still managed to have a historic evening Sunday in Denver.

Bryant became the youngest player in NBA history to accumulate 28,000 when his first of two free throws found the bottom of the net with 10:43 remaining in the third quarter. The now-16-year veteran took that honor from another Laker legend. Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was 34 years, 363 days old when he became the youngest player to reach the 28,000 point plateau, nearly two years older than Bryant's 33 years, 131 days.

With his latest accomplishment, it what has been, to say the least, a magical career, Bryant finds himself sixth on the all-time scoring list and 584 away points of tying former teammate Shaquille O'Neal for a spot in the top five, a mark he should reach later this year.

While Bryant still has a ways to go to top Abdul-Jabbar's mark of 38,387 total career points, the 6-foot-6 guard is arguably the greatest scorer in NBA history.

Bryant became the leading scorer in Lakers history when he passed Jerry West's total (25,192) in February of 2010. He would also become the franchise's leader in postseason points that same season, a record also held by West.

In March of 2007, Bryant had a stretch of four consecutive games where he scored 50 or more points in a single game. That is second only to Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain's seven game stretch during the 1961-62 season. Chamberlain accomplished that feat five times that season.

The 13-time All-Star has scored 50 points or more twenty-four times in his career, including five games of 60-plus points. The great Michael Jordan, who is the only other guard in NBA history to eclipse the 28,000-point total, also totaled five 60-point games in his career.

Most recently, Bryant saved his best for the bright lights of New York City, when he went off for 61 points on Feb. 2, 2009, in a game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Three years prior, on Jan. 22, 2006, Bryant put on a Chamberlain-esque performance, scoring 81 points at home against the Toronto Raptors. 55 of the points came in the second half.

As for Bryant's most recent game and first of the new year, it wasn't a thing of beauty.

Bryant missed his first five shots of the game and finished the half 1-for-10. Not to mention both of his first half offensive fouls as part of his six total turnovers on the game. Bryant finished the game with 16 points, shooting .214% (6-for-28) from the field.

Despite excellent play from Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, who combined for 38 points and 27 rebounds, Los Angeles came up short, 99-90. The loss coming at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers were playing their sixth game in eight days and Denver for the second time in as many nights.

This time Bryant's remarkable confidence stood in the way and his greatest strength became his greatest weakness.

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