On draft night in 2005, the fans at Madison Square Garden soundly booed the selection of former Chaminade College Prep star David Lee when the hometown New York Knicks took him in the first round. That was the last time a Knicks fan booed David Lee, who has emerged as the “double-double” machine for the Knicks and a crowd favorite in the big apple. So far, the 6’9” Lee is averaging 14.8 points and 11 rebounds a game while shooting 57 percent from the field. He is currently in the league’s top five in rebounding and field goal percentage. Lee has registered 22 “double-doubles” in scoring and rebounding, including a streak of 10 consecutive double-doubles from Nov. 21 to Dec. 9. Lee’s biggest night came on Nov. 29 when he had 37 points and 21 rebounds in the Knicks’ victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Name your MVP
The dash for the league’s Most Valuable Player Award is already in full swing with nearly two-thirds of the season left to play. Some strong candidates are already making the case. The incumbent is Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who is averaging 26.8 points (third in league), 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 86 percent free throw shooting for a 27-5 team that is the best in the Western Conference. The main challenger appears to be Cleveland’s LeBron James, who is averaging 27.5 points (second in league), 6.7 rebounds, seven assists, 1.9 steals and 1.2 blocks for the 27-6 Cavaliers.
Making a bid for the big men is Orlando’s Dwight Howard, who leads the league in rebounding (13.6), blocked shots (3.47) while averaging 20 points a game for the 26-8 Magic. We cannot forget about Miami’s Dwyane Wade, who leads the league in scoring at 28.7 points a game. D-Wade is also averaging five rebounds, seven assists and 1.55 blocks per game. Little man Chris Paul of New Orleans is also in the mix at 20 points and a league-leading 11 assists per game.
It should be a great race.
Shaq surge
Shaquille O’Neal is getting older at 36 years old, but he has been playing some very inspired basketball this season in his first full year with the Phoenix Suns. The “Diesel” entered this week averaging 17.2 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting 59 percent from the field. Shaq is even hitting 60 percent of his free throws, which is Rick Barry-like for him. One of the big reasons for Shaq’s resurgence is the Suns have transformed themselves from a run-and-gun up-tempo team to a half-court team that is focused on getting the ball inside to he and young stud Amare Stoudemire, who is averaging a team-high 21 points a game.
Southwest by Southwest
The Southwest Division has emerged as the best division in the league. The division has four teams with at least 20 victories and three of them have 10 road wins. San Antonio leads the division after a slow start, but the Spurs have company in New Orleans, Dallas and Houston at the 20-victory plateau.
On point
How important is having a top point guard on your team? Just ask the Denver Nuggets, who have been one of the top teams in the Western Conference after trading for Denver native Chauncey Billups early in the season. After acquiring Billups for Allen Iverson, the Nuggets are currently 24-12 and in first place in the Northwest Division. Denver is averaging 104.2 points a game, which is third in the league behind the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. More important, the Nuggets have gone a long way towards shedding the label of a bunch of selfish gunners to a team that will spread the scoring around. Trading an Allen Iverson will always make a team less selfish, but getting an 11-year veteran such as Billups in return makes the trade rather lopsided. A prime example is Monday night’s 135-115 victory over Indiana in which Billups had 24 points and 11 assists. The big stat of this game was that six Denver players scored in double figures. Billups’ leadership will be even more vital now because All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony may miss some time with a hand injury.
The Philly flop
The Philadelphia 76ers were expected to make a strong bid to contend in the East this season. Last season, the young 76ers pushed the veteran Detroit Pistons to the limit in the first round of the playoffs. With the addition of all-star power forward Elton Brand to the mix to provide inside scoring, the 76ers were expected to take the next step. Instead, the 76ers have plummeted to a 13-30 record, which is last in the Atlantic Division, Brand is on the injured list and head coach Maurice Cheeks found himself out of a job.