• Blake Griffin, PF, Los Angeles Clippers

Griffin is head and shoulders above this year’s rookie class, as evidenced by him dropping a career high 47 points on Indiana on Martin Luther King Day. Griffin has made innumerable appearances on the highlight reel for his violent displays of athleticism – dunking over unsuspecting Knicks, finishing Baron Davis’ perfectly placed alley oops, powering through the NBA’s best post defenders to arrive at the rim, but recently the 6’10 Sooner has shown a complete offensive package as well. Griffin’s points on Monday were not all dunks and forceful forays to the basket; there were turnarounds, post shimmies, even Tim Duncan-patented bank shots from the elbow. Throw in 12 boards a game to go with Griffin’s outstanding offensive prowess and you have the 2011 NBA rookie of the year. No question. And, if the Clippers begin to climb the ladder in the NBA standings, you might start hearing MVP talk.

• John Wall, PG, Washington Wizards

The number one pick in last spring’s draft had his mojo messed up by a string of unfortunate injuries, but having now returned to the Wizards’ lineup, Wall is an energetic spark once again. The point guard who jets at breakneck speed is already one of the league’s best passers, averaging 9 assists per game. Wall has also emerged as one of the game’s top thieves with 1.8 steals per contest, swipes which he converts to easy scores at the other end of the floor. Wall’s electric skills and personality have already greatly impacted the Washington franchise and if he can lower his turnovers and improve his shooting, tasks that are a necessity for every rookie, he will become one of the elite players in the association.

• DeMarcus Cousins, PF/C, Sacramento Kings

The big man has lived up to his name as both a potent inside presence and head case. Cousins has averaged 17 points and 8 rebounds for the month of January and seems to be figuring things out on the court from an offensive perspective. The 6’11 Alabama native still needs to work on his defense where he is averaging less than one block per game and often finds himself in foul trouble. At times Cousins can appear like an All-Star, showing an array of post moves and outmuscling veteran opponents for rebounds, but there are also instances in which the big man’s decision making can come into question. Late in Monday’s game against Atlanta on the NBA schedule, Cousins hurled an ill-advised deep pass from his baseline following a Hawks bucket that would have ended the game had it not been for a fortuitous bounce. DeMarcus is destined to continue the tradition of NBA big men who possess immense talent but can undermine their massive accomplishments with one boneheaded choice.

• Landry Fields, SG, New York Knicks

The surprise sleeper of the draft has solidified his position as a starter for what appears to be a playoff team in New York. From day one of training camp, Knicks’ Coach Mike D’Antoni has appreciated Fields’ game; a blend of just slightly above average skills that adds up to create a fantastic role player who loves doing the dirty work. Fields’ selfless attitude fits perfectly with a Knicks team that is not short on offensive weapons and his ability to run the floor and hit jumpers certainly endears him to D’Antoni, preacher of the fast break. Fields has found a niche as a scrappy defender, fill in scorer and most notably, impressive rebounder from the wing position. The pick that was met with shoulder shrugs initially has now become a contributor to a winning basketball team and a fan favorite at the Garden – an accomplishment for any rookie, even a late round selection.

• Greg Monroe, C, Detroit Pistons

The former Georgetown Hoya started slowly but has picked up his play thanks to endless battles in practice with former NBA champion and Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace. Monroe is now showing the skills he possesses as a 7-footer that made him such a prize prospect heading into the draft.The versatile pivot has moved into the Pistons’ starting lineup and is making the most of it, averaging 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds since Coach Jon Kuester made the change. Monroe has also shown a knack for coming up with loose balls as evidenced by his average of at least a steal per game. The more Monroe becomes acclimated to the NBA game, the larger role he will play in the Pistons’ offense and he will truly blossom as a player, using the high basketball I.Q. and skill set he developed in John Thompson III’s Princeton offense at Georgetown.

1) Carmelo Anthony

Anthony has told the Nuggets that he has no intention of re-signing with the team, and while that news hardly came as a surprise to Denver GM Masai Ujiri, it might help to accelerate the process of finding a suitable trade partner. While the New Jersey Nets have the most interesting package of young talent to offer the Nuggets, the New York Knicks figure to have a say in the talks given the fact that New York is Anthony’s most desired destination. There have been rumors of contending teams being prepared to acquire Melo as a rental player for a championship run, but that seems unlikely. A team such as Dallas could make such a move, but they would run the risk of disturbing a winning team for a player that may only play half a season for them. The Knicks could offer young forwards Wilson Chandler and Anthony Randolph with Eddy Curry’s huge expiring deal thrown in to make the money right, while the Nets have supposedly put rookie forward Derrick Favors and standout guard Devin Harris on the table. The Nets have more to offer Denver (and higher draft picks), while the Knicks have more to offer Anthony. As the Nuggets get deeper in the NBA schedule, the more talks will heat up.

2) Richard Hamilton

The Pistons and their star guard seem destined for a split now that Hamilton has plainly expressed his distaste for Coach Jon Kuester and the organization of what is now a sub-.500 team in the NBA standings. Hamilton is stuck competing for playing time with fellow guards Rodney Stuckey, Ben Gordon and Will Bynum and has struggled to find his way as the offense no longer runs through him. A natural suitor for Rip would be Utah, who has long coveted a scoring 2-guard. Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan would appreciate Hamilton’s work ethic, high basketball I.Q., terrific shooting and championship credo. Hamilton himself would naturally be inspired by a change of scenery, especially a move to a contender. Utah could offer a package of C.J. Miles and former Piston Mehmet Okur and the team also has over $5 million in trade exceptions.

3) Andray Blatche

The young power forward has admitted that the trade rumors have troubled his mind, which is to be expected of a player who has spent his entire career in one city. Blatche is currently putting up good numbers for a bad team and a big man who scores could certainly be used by a large percentage of the league. The fifth year Syracuse native also has a favorable contract at $5 million per year. Cleveland, searching for any kind of frontcourt scoring assistance, has expressed interest. The Cavs would most likely offer a combination involving backup point guard Ramon Sessions (who would immediately fill the void left by Gilbert Arenas as Washington’s third guard), a small forward and draft picks.

4) Baron Davis

Davis’ contract is one of the worst in the league, given the point guard’s poor performance in his hometown and his apparent disillusionment with the profession of playing basketball in general. Still, when on his game B. Diddy is one of the NBA’s best players, as proven by his surreal run with Golden State three years ago. In the right situation Baron could revert to his explosive self and help a squad make a deep run in the playoffs. Davis’ placement on the market has been pushed by the play of rookie guard Eric Bledsoe, so it appears as if the Clippers would be searching for young players and cap space as compensation. As it stands now, few teams would be interested in acquiring an albatross contract such as Davis’, despite the prodigious talent he has displayed in the past. Rumors have swirled detailing a possible return to Charlotte for Diddy, but the rift between the guard and current Bobcat coach Paul Silas might be irreparable – even for Michael Jordan himself. The Bobcats would likely offer a combination of Matt Carroll and DeSagana Diop, but those contracts run three and two more years; hardly a relief for the Clips. A more logical trade would be for the Atlanta Hawks to ship Marvin Williams and Mike Bibby to Los Angeles. Atlanta would instantly streamline into a fast and athletic unit, improving defensively, while L.A. would escape from the daunting $13 million per year Davis is owed while acquiring a decent young starter in Williams and a proven veteran presence in Bibby.

The Toronto Raptors play host to the New York Knicks in a matinee performance Sunday afternoon at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors are hoping to improve on a mediocre home record, and move up from the bottom of the NBA standings. Toronto’s young squad will have a golden opportunity to build confidence while putting on a show for fans against the defensively-challenged Knicks.

The Raptors have played mostly to expectations so far this season, currently sporting a 6-11 record-good for third place in a weak Atlantic Division. The Knicks, meanwhile, have struggled with consistency and are once again one of the poorest defensive squads in the league, even after the blockbuster addition of Amare Stoudemire over the summer.

Toronto has shown flashes of potential this year, but is definitely a few years and a couple major signings away from playoff contention. Andrea Bargnani is the only “marquee” name on the Raptors’ roster, and is averaging 20 points but only five rebounds per contest. The Raptors have struggled with generating consistent offence outside of Bargnani, and second-year shooting guard DeMar DeRozan has yet to put together a string of solid performances. Jose Calderon has shown the ability to score in bunches, but is much more comfortable playing as a pure point guard.

For New York, Stoudemire has managed to produce some statistically impressive games, but has struggled as the leader of the franchise. The power forward is averaging 24 points and almost nine boards per game, but the Knicks are just one game above .500 at this point in the season. Any hope that Stoudemire or new point guard Raymond Felton would bring more of a defensive identity to Mike D’Antoni’s club has been thrown out the window: the Knicks are fourth in the league in points per game, but 28^th in points allowed.

The key matchup on Sunday afternoon will be at the wing positions, as DeRozan and Sonny Weems will take turns trying to stop the offensively explosive tandem of Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler. The Knicks duo has the edge in offensive abilities, but Weems and DeRozan are athletic enough to rein them in. Raptors power forward Amir Johnson will likely get the starting nod from Head Coach Jay Triano as rebounding-machine Reggie Evans sits out with injury. Johnson is still fairly raw, but has shown much better defensive awareness and offensive competency this season. If he can play Stoudemire tough without getting in foul trouble, the Raptors have a definite shot to win the game.

Without a point guard capable of running the pick-and-roll to perfection on every possession, New York has been living and dying by the three-point shot this season. The Knicks attempt the second-most threes of any team in the NBA, but are ranked 22^nd in three-point conversions. When the Knicks get hot, they can put up some of the highest NBA scores in the league, and the Raptors will do all they can to avoid being on the losing end of those scores.

Even offshore NFL betting players know that you have to be deep to have a chance to go all the way, and while two of these teams were NBA finalists last year, the third team will hope their bench helps them improve towards a playoff spot.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers’ bench isn’t even what it could be right now as Andrew Bynum is out until Thanksgiving, which means Lamar Odom is starting. But when Odokm returns to the bench, the Lakers will have him in the second unit with Shannon Brown and Matt Barnes, and all three are good at both ends of the floor. Barnes and Ron Artest may form the most physical pair of wing defenders in the league.

New York Knicks

Yeah, strange, huh? The Knicks have the potential to have a fantastic bench because of Wilson Chandler, who we would lay money on to win the Sixth Man of the Year award. Chandler’s offensive skills would give him an edge on the second unit, while Ronny Turiaf adds beef and rebounding. If Toney Douglas and Bill Walker pan out, the Knicks are going to surprise a lot of people.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics have size coming off the bench with Jermaine O’Neal and Glen Davis, while Von Wafer and Nate Robinson are explosive scorers who will pressure the opposing backcourt for as long as they’re on the floor. They’re going to be needed as well as the Celtics try to pace themselves for a long season, but rest assured, those who bet sports should keep an eye out for Boston.

The latest news surrounding the ongoing drama that is Stephon Marbury and the New York Knicks is that the disgruntled point guard would join the defending champions from Boston, providing he gets bought out of his giant contract with the Knicks.

Remember this?

Yeah, it didn’t work out so well the first time in Minnesota. This reminds me of Randy Moss going to New England: a me-first player who was asked to put his ego aside for the team. It’s worked out well for the Patriots (except for that little game to end last season), but unless Marbury is willing to come off the bench to back up the ever-improving Rajon Rondo, this will blow up faster than, well, the Knicks. If this goes down, Boston’s NBA betting chances hinges on Marbury’s ability to integrate himself with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and not be a distraction to the rest of the team that has, you know, won a ring.

July 1, 2010 is not coming quickly enough for NBA general managers. Just look at this free-agent class that will on the market: LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudamire, Joe Johnson and Yao Ming lead the way, while veteran stars suck as Steve Nash, Shaquille O’Neal, Tracy McGrady, Michael Redd, Dirk Nowitzki, Manu Ginobili, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen could also be looking for work. Very exciting stuff.

My problem is that…..it’s 2008. Yes, the New York Knicks made some moves that was obviously a ploy to free cap space for 2010, and many other teams will be doing so (unless some GMs haven’t done their homework). And we all know that having a player like James on your team will boost your championship hopes, as well as your NBA betting odds. But the stars sound like they are getting tired of hearing the questions already, as James’ interview with Stephen A. Smith a couple nights ago showed. It’s going to be a long 19 months.

Oh, and this video is a 3-minute compilation of James’ work so far this season. Is it just me or is he looking more physically dominant that ever before? Like, “dunking on three people is just what I do” dominant.