NBA High Five

1. Rookie Ballers

Two teams in the best both vying to topple the Lake show this season in the West not only have share this common goal, but also a promising spark in the bench.

Denver's Ty Lawson, the young rookie point guard from UNC. The former Tarheal wasn't taken early in the draft and the Nuggets simply said 'Why thank you'. He had a good preseason shooting above 50% and his
17 points and 6 assists off the bench to helped guide the Nuggets to their first win. Not a bad player to have coming off the bench on a team unchanged from last year's Western Conference Finalists.

The Spurs, while spending big to bolster their lineup with McDyess and Jefferson, also have a promising rookie in Dejuan Blair. The Spurs could have the next Charles Barkley on their hands. His 6'7" frame doesn't stop him from crashing the boards  - collecting 14 points and 11 rebounds in only 23 minutes aganist the Hornets. Maybe he wont be the next Sir Charles. He might win a ring.



2. Rajan Rondo

With his contract extension deadline quickly approaching (October 31st), the Celtics despedrately need to sign him on. I don't care what you say about the Big Three on this team, but Rajan Rondo and perhaps KG are the keys to this team's success. Without Garnett they lose their entire defensive personaliuty- the soul of the team, you saw it all for yourselves in last year's playoffs. But without Rondo this team loses a whole lot more. His decision making has really improved as has his shooting. His aggressiveness on offensive and defense has always been there. WIth him gone you can wave goodbye to all those open looks for Pierce and Ray Ray on offense. Also gone are the points off turnovers. Last night he was the Celtics best player with 10 points and 11 assists in a pretty ugly game vs the Bobcats. 92-59.

3. Orlando looks good despite new cast

The Magic have overhauled their roster. The last time a team who reached the conference finals or better overhauled their team in such a way they won the NBA Championship,. I'm talking about the Miami Heat. To tie it all in Jayson Williams was acquired by the Heat and guess what uniform he will be sporting this season. Maybe the Magic front offiice can also give Antoine Walker a call. He'd love to play, even for 50 bucks a game to help rectify his red bank account.

With Jameer once again healthy and Mikeal Pietrus in the starting line-up the Orlando Magic are a chance. I'm still not sold on Vince and I'm not sure that J-Will has gas in the tank to give them solid scoring in the backcourt. This team will go as far as Jameer Nielson can carry them.

4. Cleveland winless after two games

For the first time since the 2004-2005 season the Cavs are winless after two games. That year they started 0-3. Definitely not time to panic with so many new players who need to adjust to Mike Brown's system. The big problem is Lebron. He needs to be on the court playing big minutes. Lucky his young frame can handle it. His 26th career triple double was overshadowed by Andreas Bargnani's 28 points for the Raptors, and it just goes to show you the difference between where Kobe and Lebron are mentally with their respective teams. While Lebron is racking up minutes and statistics, Kobe can just guide his team without having the ball in his hands every single possession.

5. Top Performers

Dwight Howard (ORL) - 21 points (9-11), 15 rebs, 2 blks +11 rating
Deron Williams (UTA) - 28 points (9-15), 2/3 3ptrs 13 ast +4 rating
Al Horford (ATL) - 24 points (11-17), 16 rebs, 4 ast + 15 rating
Brooke Lopez (N.J) - 27 points (11-19), 15 rebs, 5 blks +4 rating
Danmnmy Granger (IND) - 31 points (10-18) 5/10 3's -18 rating

The Mayne Mayne is......

Andreas Bargnani (TOR) - 28 points (11-15), 2/3 3ptrs +11 rating


Purely based on who he did it against and his efficiency. Al Horford's numbers are impressive but against a weak Indiana front line it doesn't mean much. Brooke Lopez is the best centre flying under the radar.