NBA High Five

1. Chicago beat another power

Sure the Bulls made everyone stand up and take notice in their win over the Spurs at the United Centre, but to prove it was not an abboration, they waltzed into the Q last night and beat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It was a gritty performance by the pesky Bulls, who controlled the tempo and held on for a 1 point win. While everyone is talking about the early woes of the Clelevand Cavaliers, not many people are talking about the Chicago Bulls.

After making a mid-season trade last year that brought in John Salmons and Brad Miller, many were thinking that the trade was made only to improve the bank balance. But the Bulls gelled and looked more versatile. Now, after a quiet off season the Bulls have come out and beaten two of the so called premier teams, and they've done it with Derrick Rose on one leg and no Ben Gordon.

How is this possible?

The Bulls are bigger, faster and stronger. Yes the Bulls are almost the Olympic spirit. Luol Deng is back in a big way. His mid-range game looks as good as ever, and as he grows in confidence expect him to drive the lane too. Asides from his 2-8 shooting performance against Boston, Deng has picked up the scoring slack left over from Ben Gordon.

There are just so many positives on this team. Kirk Hinrich has been unbelievable - going all the way back to Boston-Chicago series in last year's playoffs. He's an outstanding distributor, can shoot the ball and can defend the two guard. What he lacks for in explosion, Hinrich makes up for in smarts and he is definitely an underrated player in the league. The only people who didnt under-rate him were the Chicago Bulls. Faced with the decision in the off-season to either keep Ben Gordon or Kirk Hinrich they went with Hinrich. If you remember last year's playoffs, it was the Ben Gordon show.

Joakim Noah looks really good on defense and on the boards, maybe just a shade off Anderson Varejo of Cleveland. Considering Noah's age it wont be long before his game surpases Varejo's (who incidentally has added a suprising array of moves to his offensive game - which was previously non-existant).

What really has The Windy City blowing though is their rookie sensation Taj Gibson. His play is so good he even looks better than Tyrus Thomas at times. No wonder Thomas' contract wasn't extended. This guy just seems to 'get it' on the defensive end, while having an equally polished offensive game as Thomas. Taj Gibson will see a heap of courtime with the recent arm injury to Tyrus Thomas. Thomas is expected to be out 4-6 weeks.

John Salmons has been quiet so far, Derrick Rose is still recovering from his ankle injury and Janeero Pargo has yet to find his way with his new team. This team is going to be pretty good. I guess the question is - How long can their young legs hold up?

2. Blessing in disguise

After leading Sac-town to their first win (48 points against Memphis in OT) Kevin Martin is down. Yep, the one shining light on an otherwise dismissal franchise is on the sidelines for 6-8 weeks.

But this may be the best thing that could have happened to the Sacramento Kings. Even with Kevin Martin they were no chance of making the playoffs. These are developmental years for the Kings as they look to rebuild around Martin. So what better way to develop the rest of your roster than have your focul point out of action? There is no need to panic yet.

Sure the best way to develop a team is by everyone fitting in and being used to an offensive scheme, but look at a team such as Boston. Glenn Davis wouldn't have had the chance to step up if KG was not injured. Caron Butler, Deshawn Stevenson in Washington would have also been robbed that chance by Agent 0. The list goes on and on.

Sacramento are a young, raw team. Watching the game against Memphis I saw them make mistakes that usually just are not made by your more seasoned teams. With Martin out, there are no expectations at all for this team. It really gives them a chance to play low pressure ball.

Beno Urdih will need pick up more of the scoring load and he should see minutes alongside rookie Tyreke Evans. Beno's got a cool head on his shoulders and should help Tyreke's development. Spencer Hawes game will continue to improve as he'll see more opportunities off the pick and pop. I think the player they are most excited about however is Jason Thompson. He looks like a Tyrus Thomas in his first season with a keen eye for the offensive rebiound.

Omri Casspi should also see his minutes increase. I was really impressed with his game the other night. He seems to have a good shooting touch, with a mild case of vertical explosion. Maybe a future Manu in the making.

So it's not all doom and gloom for a team that, to be honest, not much was expected of anyway. Hang in their King fans. The K-mart injury may be just what the doctor ordered for your team's development.

3. Boozer back to Business

All would have been forgiven by the Utah fans after the off-season circus concerning Carlos Boozer, if he had of performed to start the season. After declaring he would "opt out" of the fina year of his contract, being injured, the Jazz signing Paul Milsap to big dollars in lue of Boozer's imminent departure and then Boozer decides he'll stay on for the final year - basically tying the hands of the Jazz organisation. Beginning the season he declared "all that is behind me". If it was behind him why stink up the floor like he neer has before?

Heading into last night's game against the Spurs, Boozer had gone 19-54 from the field this season, and thats including his 6-12 outing last game against Dallas. Usually Boozer is treated with the sound of "booooz" by a supportive crowd, but last night he was greeted with the more traditional, and somewhat different 'Boooo'. He would be the first to admit that it was deserved.

Last night he made a mends with the Utah crowd - posting his best numbers of the season. Starting the game slow, he sure kicked into gear in the final three. He finished with 27 points, shooting 12/20 from the field and tore down 14 boards, to help Utah break their two game losing streak.

It's important for not only Boozer, but for Utah, for him to play well. Despite saying "all that's behind me" Boozer is likely to be moved before the trade deadline. Utah would want at least someone who can contribute - say a Tayshaun Prince for example. If Boozer plays like he did the first four games the Jazz will be lucky to get Zach Randolph.

However, more on a personal note. No one really knows what happens behind closed doors between owner, player, agent and coach. Carlos Boozer is a former all-star and one of the more gifted players in the NBA. The league would be missing something without Carlos in the league and I hope last night's perfomance was a sign of better things to come for Boozer, in a year that is filled with unknowns.

4. The Undefeated and the Winless

As predicted its the Nets who are doing it tough to start the season. This team would be okay with Devin Harris on the floor, but he is out with a strained groin. To make matters worse Yi Junlian is out with an MCL.
But the 'High Five' is about positives. So let's conclude our Nets talk by saying 'Good luck'.

Denver and Boston conversely ave unbeatyen records, and they have nothing to do with luck.

The Nuggets are the more liekly to see their unbeaten record come to an end first. They are currently 2 games into a 6 game eastern conference road swing before rerturning home to host the Lakers. From this Friday until next Friday this is their schedule

Tonight - @ Miami
Saturday @ Atlanta
Tuesday @ Chicago
Wednes. @ Milwaukee
Friday  home hosting LA Lakers

If I were a  Nuggets fan I would be pleased with anything better than 3-2 out of these five games. If you win all your games on the road and return and lose to the Lakers - no Biggie Smalls. If you lose to either Miami, Atlanta or Chicago and beat the Lakers at home you would consider that a successful week of roundball for the Nuggets.

Boston on the other hand seem to have a pretty cruisy schedule until their meeting with Orlando on Friday 20th Novemeber. Next Wednesday and Friday they host Utah and then Atlanta. These are the only 2 challenging games until the Magic meeting for the Green Machine.

5. TOP PERFORMERS

LeBron James - 25 pts (9-17),  7 rebs, 6 asts -1 rating
Carlos Boozer - 27 pts (12-20), 14 rebs, 3 asts +10 rating

The Mayne Mayne is

Derron Williams - 27 pts (11-19), 7 rebs, 9 asts +18 rating