At this point in the season, there isn’t all that much point in checking into the rankings of the various teams. There are some changes from before, and at three weeks into the season, we can see some early trends. For one thing, the Cavaliers are working their way to 10 wins in a row. Behind them, the Atlanta Hawks have been big surprises, ranked just last week at #8, but the NBA is starting to see their strength. The Lakers are next, of course, and then comes Phoenix and Orlando, completing the top 5. The Suns have been winning at a surprising level, considering the low number of big stars they have. And Orlando is starting to get into a rhythm, though they’re not quite there yet. It’s going to be a great year for all these teams unless something big changes for one of them. No one is too surprised at these rankings except for this or that team that they would have personally ranked lower. But it’s great to see the NBA back up and running!

LeBron James has suggested that the NBA should have its players stop wearing the number 23 in recognition of Michael Jordan. This came after Jordan showed up at his game last night in Miami, watching James and Dwayne Wade play against each other. Afterwards came James’ suggestion and it’s interesting to have such an idea coming out of him. He says he’s been thinking of it for awhile and will probably change his number next season in tribute. He hasn’t talked with the other 23s around the league, but he thinks that it’s at least a nice tribute to the player that influenced so many other players over the course of the last decade or so. It’s his example that they are all trying to live up to. Let see if this suggestion goes anywhere or if it was just a kind of niceness statement.

During a game this weekend, Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul got locked up with each other a couple of times under the basket. They also found themselves in a fighting position of sorts and there was tension the entire evening. When these two guys come together, when Boston and New Orleans go at it, there have often been fireworks with them. We hope that these teams are going to be able to keep these two stars moving forward. The Hornets are looking a little bit frustrated with their situation right now. They haven’t been winning the way they’re hoping to. The NBA will, however, be looking into the film of these two players battling under the basket and during the rest of the season. So we’ll see if they decide to give some sanctions later on.

The LA Clippers were looking to make a big run this year. They can still do it, because they have gotten a lot of great new players this year and they will have the kind of talent that could get them much closer. But their newest star, Blake Griffin, has a fracture of the kneecap, a stress fracture. And he also has some knee tendinitis. This means that he could miss as many as 20 games, which is nearly a quarter of the season, while he recovers. This isn’t good for a team that hasn’t yet played their first regular season game this year. Hopefully the team will be able to get things back in order as soon as he returns. The fans are starting to wonder if they have some kind of curse on them, or if it’s just a few moments of bad luck.

The main part of the 2009-10 season hasn’t started yet. This was, of course, planned this way and we’re definitely looking forward to it. But one of the things that I’m kind of disappointed about, still, is that we might not get to see our favorite referees on the court when the season opens on Tuesday. Joe Crawford, Tony Brown, Leroy Richardson. Where have all my refs gone?? They are still on lockout at least until later today. The possibility exists that they will be back in time. In fact, they signed a tentative deal with David Stern and others this week that might get ratified today. That would mean that our buddies will be in training camp over the weekend and then be ready to go next week. Hopefully this happens. I’m sure the temporary replacement referees are good, but these guys are stars!

Jerry Sloan has been one of the most respected coaches in the NBA for many years. He started his basketball career in Chicago as a player and he has been coaching in Utah for neigh on 20 years. He brought them to the brink of two championships and has taken them to several playoffs over the years. He is also well known as a good coach and very helpful for his players. But he’s also an old school kind of coach, very interested in basketball basics, with the right movements and all that kind of thing. He’s a talented coach, but he doesn’t like much to be recognized for it. He’d rather just go about his work without being very noticed by others. Anyway, you can read the entire Sloan profile for yourself and see what makes him such an interesting character.

This is a surprise to report this morning. The Rockets won a big game against the Toronto Raptors using a huge effort on the part of Shane Battier and Trevor Ariza to win 124-112. Battier scored 26 points and Ariza got 18, and the team as a whole got 13 3’s during the game. This was a tough game and it will be very interesting to see whether they will be able to keep this kind of effort going into the future. With the Rockets on the ropes already in this new season, it’s good to see that their new coach has been able to steady his crew and push them forwards to achieve something. Playing this way against the Raptors is one thing, but can they do it against their tough foes in the Western Conference?

When the Warriors took on the Suns this week in an interesting game, it wasn’t for sure that the team would win. In fact, the Suns have regularly beat the Warriors over the last few years, owing to a strong bench and some great starting players. But outdoors at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden yesterday, the Warriors’ bench players took over and they won by three points. Nicely done, Golden State. One of the big questions about this game was whether it would be similarly hampered as last season’s was. Last year was the first time they played this outdoor game, but it was cold and windy, changing a lot of the calculations that players have to make during the game. This year, it was 70 degrees and calm, so there were none of those problems again.

There are quite a few people talking about the newest possibility in the NBA: expansion into Europe. It reminds me of an old comedy skit where these two guys are planning to create a global baseball league. It would cost a lot of money and most of the people around the world don’t know how to play ball. But basketball has taken, on an international basis, better than baseball. David Stern has visions of European franchises for the NBA and could imagine that over the years. It will be interesting to see what they end up coming up with. He also imagines affiliate leagues on other continents in the more distant future. A world unified by the NBA would not necessarily be a bad thing. As long as we don’t have players acting dopey as well. If you have Ron Artest beating up people out on other continents, things could get a little complicated!

Luol Deng has returned with the Chicago Bulls in a game in London yesterday. He is happy to be back from his leg injuries and will be aiming to get himself back into full fitness for the next season. He has been one of the players that could make all the difference for this team, because they’ve been having so many injuries. Deng, however, gives them a big boost in size and in the center of the court. While the season ended a little bit sadly for the team last year, with a tough battle against the Celtics. But they came close to beating them. It was one of the teams that wasn’t expected to be losing in the first round, but the Bulls gave them a battle that they could hardly handle. This year, they hope that they will be able to hold their own against the Celtics, Cavs, Magic and others. It’s a tough conference, but Deng will give them a better chance.