Westbrook returns to lineup

One half of the Oklahoma City Thunder's dynamic duo has finally returned to the lineup. Russell Westbrook steam rolled the New York Knicks in his first game back from a 14 - game absence due to a broken hand.  Westbrook scored 32 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the field.  Westbrook added seven rebounds, eight assist and a steal in Oklahoma City's 105-78 win.

Westbrook must burden the load of the Thunder offense Until Kevin Durant returns to the lineup.  Durant is currently day-to-day.  Serge Ibaka is a solid player, but with Durant sidelined the Thunder lack a championship edge.   Ibaka ' s scoring average has gone from 15.1 points per game last year to 15.8 this year.  The absence of Westbrook and Durant has not triggered an offensive explosion Ibaka.  The young forward doesn't seem comfortable playing the lead role.

The Thunder currently sit at the bottom of the Western Conference.  Step one of the up hill climb has begun.  Westbrook is back with a chip on his shoulder.

Spicy Curry

LeBron James has finished fifth place or better in the race for league MVP each of the last six seasons.  If the Cleveland Cavaliers don't shape up by NBA All-Star Weekend MVP voting could look drastically different this year.

Steph Curry is having a phenomenal season for the Golden State Warriors.  Curry has posted 23.9 points, 2.2 steals, 7.7 assist and 5.5 rebounds per game thus far this season.  If he maintains this production Curry will have one of the best season's by any guard in NBA history.

Curry ' s defense has come a long way since he entered the NBA in 2009.  His 2.2 steals per game is a testament to how far the second generation player has come on the defensive end of the court.  Curry and back court mate Klay Thompson are the best guard duo in the NBA right now.

The most fascinating part of Curry ' s game is his precision.  Aside from a few turnovers per game, he always seems under control.  Curry is a threat to score once he's passed half court. Steph Curry could be on to his first NBA MVP award.

Thunder struggles

Injuries have derailed the Oklahoma City Thunder season thus far.  The Thunder are off to a 3-12 start, good enough for last place in the Western Conference.  Both Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are expected to return to the active roster in the near future.

Westbrook and Durant are arguably the most explosive tandem in the league.  However, in a difficult Western Conference, the team may be digging a hole too deep to recover from. The Dallas Mavericks barely made the playoffs a year ago with a 49-33 record.  Oklahoma City would have to go 46-21 the rest of the way to finish right under 50 wins.  The bottom half of the Western Conference playoff bracket will be extremely competitive.

Kevin Durant is the reigning league MVP.  Counting him out of the playoffs prematurely would be foolish.  Westbrook has the heart of a lion.  Both men will return to the lineup with a sense of urgency.  This is not the first time Westbrook and Durant have been forced to deal with adversity.  The Thunder faced elimination in game six of last year's Western Conference First-Round playoff series with the Memphis Grizzlies.  Durant and Westbrook came out firing and forced a seventh game back in Oklahoma City.  The Thunder eliminated the Grizzlies in route to their fourth consecutive trip to the Western Conference Finals.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have a mountain to climb if they hope to make the playoffs next Spring.

knicks struggle vs Sixers

In recent years the New York Knicks  have displayed a number of disappointing moments at Madison Square Garden.  New York is the mecca of basketball.  Great players come to New York to showcase their many talents.  Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have played some of their most memorable road games at Madison Square Garden, much to the chagrin of New York fans.

NBA players are not fearful of playing in New York.  In fact, players these days look forward to playing in Gotham.  The Knicks do not defend their home court well.  During the Patrick Ewing era teams despised traveling to play the knicks.  The Knicks front court defense was just as stingy as a miserable New York winter.  In those days when you competed against the Knicks you knew you were in for a dog fight.

The Knicks are currently in search of an identity.  The Philadelphia 76ers are the worst team in the NBA.  New York struggled to put away Philadelphia last night at the garden.  At one point New York led by 20.  The 76ers cut the Knicks lead to single digits by the closing moments of the third quarter.

The Knicks are a team in transition.  However, the Eastern Conference is stacked with teams with room for improvement.  If  New York plans on returning to postseason play, a team like Philadelphia cannot give the Knicks a run for their money.  New York's goal is to compete with the best teams in the East.  Last night's performance proves just how far the Knicks are from accomplishing their ultimate goal of winning an NBA Championship.

Rose

Derrick Rose managed to stay healthy while representing the United States In the F.I.B.A World Cup tournament this past summer.  At times Rose resembled the player he was prior to tearing his left ACL in 2012.  Rose looked happy playing basketball, something we haven't seen since his MVP season in 2011.

Through ten games this season Rose has once again shown an inability to stay healthy. He's been hampered by two bum ankles and a hamstring injury.  At this point the Bulls organization has their fingers crossed.  If Rose can stay healthy Chicago has a great shot at winning their first NBA Championship since 1998.  Without Rose the Bulls likely won't have enough fire power to win a series against a team such as the Cleveland Cavaliers or the San Antonio Spurs.

Chicago has a great nucleus.  The front office has done a great job of assembling key components that fit perfect with Tom Thibodeau's coaching style.  If Rose isn't available down the stretch Chicago could look to go in a different direction next year.  Rose is a special player, however, Chicago needs their superstar in uniform come playoff time.  The time is now for the Chicago Bulls to get it done.

Brandon Knight

DeAndre Jordan is one of the most ferocious finishers around the basket the NBA has ever seen.  Since entering the league Jordan has posterized dozens of players.  His most famous dunk to date occurred last March in a home game against the Detroit Pistons.  In the waning moments of the game Chris Paul threw a perfect lob pass to Jordan who was streaking down the lane uncovered.  Jordan caught the ball mid-air with one hand and proceeded to slam it home with extreme force.  Pistons guard Brandon Knight was the only player that attempted to contest the dunk.  However, knight arrived late and ended up on the wrong end of a play that will be replayed for decades.

The dunk took no time to go viral.  In a matter of minutes knight became the most talked about athlete on social media, for the wrong reason.  The play was so embarrassing even knight took a shot at himself during his post game interview.

Knight deserves credit for simply attempting to defend Jordan in that situation.  Some of the best defenders in the league have been known to take cover when a mammoth such as Jordan gets an opportunity to add to his highlight reel.  The play tells you a great deal about knight's fortitude.  The young guard handled the situation well to say the least.  He kept quiet, stayed away from social media and focused on basketball.

This season knight is off to an excellent start.  He's averaged 18 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.4 assist and 1.3 steals per night thus far this season.  Through ten games you can make the argument knight has been the best point guard in the entire league.  The Jordan dunk was a one shot deal.  Some don't even remember it was knight that was victimized that day. People do happen to notice knight beginning to fulfill the high expectations placed upon him coming out of John Calipari 's basketball factory called Kentucky University.

Knight could be on his way to a spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team, stay tuned!

Carmelo off to a slow start.

Carmelo Anthony ' s offensive style is supposed to be tailor made for the triangle offense. The team aspect allows the best offensive player to reserve energy until a late push is needed.  Carmelo's numbers don't necessarily have to improve for the triangle offense to work.  The offense is designed to make your teams best player a much more efficient scorer.  The triangle offenses effectiveness is measured by wins and losses.  Thus far this season the wins have not been piling up for the New York knicks.

Through eight games this season Carmelo is averaging 20.3 points per game.  That number is well below his career scoring average of 25.2 points per game.  The drop in offensive production is a clear indication of why New York has slumped to a 2-6 start.  Carmelo is the Knicks only real offensive threat.  The fact of the matter is if Carmelo isn't scoring the Knicks are likely in trouble.  In New York's two wins this season the 2012-13 scoring champion averaged 26.5 points.  His scoring average dips to just 18.1 points in losses. Teams are keying in on Carmelo on a more consistent basis.  It doesn't seem as if Carmelo is enjoying the game.

Last year was a difficult season for Carmelo.  He burdened the load for a disappointing 37 win team.  Some would argue 2013-14 was Carmelo's best professional season.  It was also the first time he's missed the playoffs in its entirety since entering the league in 2003. Someone on New York 's roster needs to step up and become a consistent scoring option before the hole they build themselves becomes too deep.