C – Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are the NBA betting favorites to win the championship after losing to Boston last year in the Finals, and they have raced out to win their first six games of the season. The return of Bynum, who has 9.5 points, 9.0 boards and is second in the league with 2.8 blocks, has been immense for the Lakers’ interior game, which opens the floor up.
F- LeBron James, Cleveland
We’ll just get this out of the way now: you will probably see this man’s name here more often than not. “King James” leads the NBA with 29.8 points (including back-to-back 41-point efforts against Chicago and Milwaukee), and he also adds 8.4 rebounds, 6.9 assists and two or three plays per night that make you jones for the second it will be up on Youtube.
F- Amare Stoudamire, Phoenix
Stoudamire is shooting an outlandish 62% from the field, and he went 17-of-21 from the field for 49 points in a win over Indiana. Stoudamire is also making 88% of his free throws, which means teams cannot afford to afford to foul him down the stretch as they do with his teammate, Shaquille O’Neal.
G- Tony Parker, San Antonio
Parker was carrying the Spurs until he sprained his ankle against Miami last week, coming in second in the league in points with 27.4, including a monster 55-point performance in an overtime win over Minnesota. With Parker gone and Manu Ginobili still out, it could be a tough stretch for Tim Duncan.
G- Dwayne Wade, Miami
He’s back. After lighting up the Olympics, D-Wade is back to his explosive self as he is third in the league with 27.1 points, and he is also fifth in assists with 7.6, along with 2.9 steals and 1.6 blocks. He looks like the player that led the Heat to the championship in 2006, and once Michael Beasley gets used to pro life, Miami’s NBA futures will increase.
Sixth Man – Joe Johnson, Atlanta
Quick raise of hands of people who thought the Hawks would win their first six games. Yeah, just like I thought. While the entire team is playing well, Johnson continues to go about his business as the quietest 20-25 point scorer in the league, putting up 23.8 points from inside and out.
