HALF WAY HOME

Either this past weekend, or sometime during this week, most NBA teams play their 41st game of the season. The chaos of the preseason seems like forever ago as we're halfway through the season. Here are 10 thoughts on the season thus far:

• Fresh off of his performance last night, Blake Griffin, ROY, no questions asked. The man is an unbelievable athlete, who's jumping abilities make the upcoming, and otherwise lackluster, dunk contest a must see. You know, just in case he hits his head on the rafters at Staples or something. If calling for an alley-oop was an officially logged stat, Griffin would already crack the all time top ten. Basketball skills aside, he should just get the award for doing the impossible: making "fat" Baron Davis care about basketball again.
• Best team has to be the San Antonio Spurs. A team who's seen there win total steadily decrease for the past six seasons is on pace for 70 half way through this one. Myself included, most thought the Spurs were old and done, however they continue to go about their business and simply win basketball games.
• Worst team has to be the Cleveland Cavaliers, who haven't looked basketball worthy since the second game of the season. I realize Dan Gilbert's frustration after Lebron's off season antics, but to think this team is ready to contend for a title any time soon is insane. Way back in November, Charles Barkley made a comment that, "Byron Scott should get the coach of the year award now because the Cavs were somehow at 7 wins." Two months later, guess how many wins they have. If you said 8 and losers of 13 straight, you're a winner! Leading to ...
• Most disappointing moment of the season has to be the Cavs stink job at home against the visiting Heat in November. The hype was great. The fans were great. The "Lyin' King" shirts were great. The Cavs were awful. They found more time to joke around with Lebron then hit wide open jumpers and layups. This game was an absolute embarrassment to an otherwise proud fan base.
• Best moment would be George Karl returning to the Denver Nuggets, and getting his 1000th win. Cancer, no matter how life threatening, is a very difficult thing to deal with. To be able to recover and successfully return to his team was great inspiration.  (SIDENOTE: The Lakers finally getting rid of Sasha Vujacic was a close second.)
• Best story is the resurgence of New York basketball. When they missed out on Lebron and took Amare Stoudemire instead, you had to wonder if it would be enough. Amare has been a 30 PPG game spark plug though, along with an excellent supporting cast. They may not win the title this year, but its nice to have one of the greatest venues in sport rocking again. If they somehow manage to get Carmelo, look out.
• Worst stories to date are all of the devastating injuries. Greg Oden, done for the season again. Hard to call the man a bust simply because he's hardly played. Yao Ming may have to hang 'em up after a nagging foot injury wont subside. Perhaps worst of all, Brandon Roy, who just had double knee surgery. He's still young and talented, but nobody will want a speed guy with no speed and two bad knees in a few years.
• The best rumors are currently anything that has to do with Carmelo Anthony, mainly because the man will be traded. Unlike some of the other ones that are just laughable. Kobe washed up? The man is 32. Michael Jordan was still winning titles at 36. Chris Paul or Dwight Howard to the Lakers? Not this season at least. Ask me about that in June though.
• Here's my two cents on the Heat. I saw them play Boston in Miami a month into the season, and thought they looked awful. No chemistry, no depth, no tenacity. Boston let them slip back into the game the same way their first meeting went opening night and then the following sequence happened: Lebron James bricks two free throws, Lebron James 3 point attempt off the side of the backboard. I left that game with so much anticipation for them to play the Lakers, because of how soft they looked. We all know how that went. Obviously they've figured some things out since then, but there still not where they want to be. Especially with all that karma floating around, and all of "Miami Thrice" riding the bench with injuries in practice.
• MVP. It's usually the best player on the best team, but who has been better: Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobli. If it were me, I'd give the nod to Duncan. Ginobli wins games. He takes big shots and plays hard. But Duncan is the glue. 14 years in, and he is still Mr. Reliable, going about his business, and assuring his team a chance every night with his consistency. Still very tough to say though.

That makes ten. With some of the best West Coast/ East Coast parity in a while, the rest of the season should be as entertaining as ever. There are still lots of uncertainties that should pass the time until the playoffs start. In fact, the only sure thing to this point is Blake Griffin working on his ROY speech, and him winning that dunk contest.