By Guest Blogger, Kori Ellis

Each week during the NBA season there are some numbers that just grab you on the stat sheet. It might not necessarily be the highest scorer of the week, but rather something that is a little out of the ordinary.

Here are a few things that have stood out this week.

5 – Baron Davis had five blocks on Friday night against the Clippers. FIVE! I’m not sure that he’s had five other blocks in his life. Well … okay it’s not that drastic, but he has averaged 0.4 blocks a game in his NBA career.

19 – When you see 19 next to Jason Kidd’s name, you may assume that’s his assists. Not in this case, 34-year-old Kidd has 19 rebounds on Friday night against the Magic en route to his 89th triple-double of his career. I bet he would trade it for a victory as the New Jersey was pounded by Orlando 95-70.

20 – Reserve rookie Luis Scola of the Rockets was averaging less than four points a game heading into Friday night’s contest against the Spurs. After scoring 20 points on 10-for-11 shooting against San Antonio on Friday night, he followed it up with another 20 against the Suns on Saturday.

43 – Kevin Martin went wild against the Knicks on Friday, scoring 43 points on 11-for-21 from the field and 16-of-19 from the line. The 24-year-old Martin is second in the league in points per game (28.2) behind LeBron James.

Post from: NBA Obsessed

By Guest Blogger, Kori Ellis

With San Antonio, Dallas and Houston in the Southwest Division, everyone expected the division race would be a dogfight this season.

With the reigning champs and the Mavericks back with virtually the same rosters as last season, and Houston making some nice offseason additions in Luis Scola and Mike James, it’s hard to predict who will be on top at the end of the season.

But one other team has jumped into the fray in somewhat of a surprise. After being riddled with injuries last season, the New Orleans Hornets currently sit at 8-2, tied with San Antonio for the best record in the division and second best record in the league.

Who Have They Beat?

This season, the Hornets have defeated the Trail Blazers, Nuggets, Lakers, Nets, Grizzlies and Sixers twice by an average margin of more than 12 points.

Their two losses came at Portland, a 93-90 defeat on November 7th, and a 97-85 loss to the Spurs two nights later.

Who’s Hot?

David West and Chris Paul are leading the way for the Hornets. West is averaging over 20 points and nearly eight rebounds a game. Paul has been extremely impressive, tallying 19.5 points and 10.8 assists on nearly 51% shooting.

But it’s not a two-man show in New Orleans. Stojakovic is healthy and averaging over 13 points a night, despite struggling with his shot inside the arc. And Tyson Chandler is doing big things for the Hornets. The 25-year-old is averaging 11.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.5 shots a night.

As a team New Orleans is averaging nearly 100 points a game. If they can remain healthy and tighten up even more defensively, they could be right in the mix at season’s end.

Some Chris Paul love …

Post from: NBA Obsessed

Greg Oden says – Hey, what about me?

Last year Roy won the ROY, that is Brandon Roy won the Rookie of the Year award.

But Jorge Garbajose, the 6′ 9″ forward for the Raptors almost won the award. It took a broken leg in March to stop him.

This year there is a new crop of potential ROY winners. Here are the Top Ten impact rookies according to Marty Burns of SI.com.

1. Luis Scola, Rockets

He is a 6′ 9″ forward that at 27 years of age will find himself along side TMac and Yao. Luis won’t get the ball enough to win rookie of the year, but should make a big splash just the same.

2. Kevin Durant, Sonics

Your intrepid author has talked a lot about Kevin and he has to be the front runner for Rookie of the Year. His team is too weak to really do anything, but Kevin will have a heavy impact.

3. Al Horford, Hawks

Horford went to High School just down the road from me in the shadow of Michigan State University. Tom Izzo took Goran Suton instead of Al, although that may have been Al’s decision, who knows. Al’s father played in the pros. His name is Tito Horford. Al proved his worth with the Champion Florida Gators. Unfortunately the Hawks are not very good and they will need Al immediately.

4. Al Thornton, Clippers

With Elton Brand sidelined by an Achilles heel injury, this 6-8 power forward from Florida State should get an opportunity to play. So far he looks more than up to the task. As of Wednesday he was averaging 18.7 points (on 48.9 percent shooting) and 5.7 rebounds in 29.2 minutes per game. source

5. Juan Carlos Navarro, Grizzlies

La Bomba played for 5 years in Europe, was actually drafted in 2002, but this is his first year in the NFL. He is a 6′ 3″ guard from Spain.

6. Mike Conley, Grizzlies

Supposed to provide the zip to the Grizzlies offense, Mike was often the one Buckeye breaking down the defense to feed the hungry Oden. He could end up playing alongside La Bomba.

7. Marco Belinelli, Warriors

This guy had 37 points in a summer league game and now plays in the Warriors bizarre wide open offensive system. Marco is a 6′ 5″ guard from Italy

8. Joakim Noah, Bulls

Another Gator contributor found just the right team for his banging style where he should be able to complement Big Ben. Joakim’s 6′ 11″ frame will be needed on the Bulls.

9. Yi Jianlian, Bucks

The 6-11 Chinese phenom has the potential to make a big impact, especially since he’s probably really 22 or 23, as opposed to his listed age of 18. But he’s been up and down in preseason, and the Bucks already have Charlie Villanueva at the power forward position. With the Bucks seeking to return to the playoffs, the guess here is that Yi finds himself in the same limited role as Law. source

10. Acie Law, Hawks

Acie Law is being compared to Chris Paul and that is a complement to anyone, but the 6′ 3″ guard is caught up in a logjam at guard for the Hawks with a coach that has to win or be fired.

There they are the Top Ten Rookies according to Marty Burns at SI.com

A little closer to home for your intrepid author there may be dark horse in Rodney Stuckey of the Pistons, although he just broke his non-shooting hand and is out for 6 weeks. Rodney has shown the ability to score and finish plays.

Keep an eye on these guys as they are the future of the NBA.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Which rookie is your favorite?

Visit my companion blog on the NFL at Squibkick.com

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

More blogs about basketball.

Post from: NBA Obsessed