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The Clippers are doing really well this year, and I was surprised with the Warriors. I really want the Jazz to make it into the Playoffs so they can get more experience.

I don't feel bad for Kobe at all. Dwight and Nash are the only players I like on that team. Kobe is such a ball hog. Like Magic Johnson said on Twitter: he needs to be more of a leader.

The Jazz, in my opinion, are kind of like the in the middle between good and bad. What I'm saying yes, they're not elite, however, they are not bad either. They have good inside presence with Millsap, Big Al, and Favors. And decent shooters with Marvin Williams and Randy Foye. I think they lack at the point guard position. Mo Williams is decent too but they're a lot of young, athletic PG's out there.

I think Utah will put up a good fight for a playoff spot, but I think their future is dubious unless they obtain a legitimate star. I mean, Al Jefferson is a solid offensive big man, but he's a borderline All-Star at best. Millsap is good, too, but a step below Jefferson. Other than those two, who really aren't that amazing to begin with, they don't have much to work with. I like how Gordon Hayward is improving his game season by season, but I highly doubt he'll be anymore than a decent 15 ppg scorer. I don't know much about the contract situation, but I think they should trade either Jefferson or Millsap for an All-Star caliber perimeter player. Promote Kanter to the starting center position, and allow Favors to flourish as a sixth man or something.

And Greg Oden, lol. Looks like he's planning a comeback, perhaps on the Heat. I mean, if they can get him cheap, it wouldn't be a bad move for the Heat, but I'm interested to see how he'll play if he does return. I mean, the guy was once touted as the next elite center, and that clearly did not pan out.

@Sauron's second post:

I do like Nash and Howard too. Although Howard is a drama queen of course. About Kobe, yes, he's not a true leader. He said his team was slow and old and I don't think a leader would say that. He might have tried to motivate his teammates but that led them in a different way. Kobe's more of an individual player not a team guy.

Kyrie Irving is blossoming into an elite point guard. I knew he would be good, perhaps All-Star level in his prime, but I definitely did not expect this. He's not athletically gifted, but he's one of the craftiest players in the league right now. All he needs to do now is become more of a facilitator rather than a scorer. Cleveland needs to start building around him now, because he won't be there for long if they can't win. First, they're going to need a quality big man to take some of the scoring load off him. Varejao is a solid player and all (and surprisingly making an All-Star case this season), but offensively, it doesn't seem like he can do much beyond catching the ball and laying it in.

Today marks the 7th anniversary of Kobe Bryant dropping 81 points on the Raptors. If Kobe can do that now, it would be nice for the Lakers. They need the little spark. They need something flashy. Although Kobe is putting up vintage Kobe stats, his shot percentage is not good at all. This year is pretty much over. They'll be lucky if they get the 8th playoff spot. The Jazz, Rockets, and Blazers are pretty much the competition for the spot right now.

Kyrie Irving needs better players around him. He's the along one that can consistently score. Dion Waiters is a decent guy and he'll still need some learning to do as a rookie. Also, I don't know but I just have that feeling in my stomach that the Cavs are going to get Pau Gasol. Don't know how that will work but remember Pau is not really an elite inside man. He's aging, suffering for injuries, maybe the Cavs don't need to give up much for him. Again, this is just a feeling. It likely won't happen though.

Update: New Orleans Hornets will officially change team name to New Orleans Pelicans next year. Here is their logo.

I don't understand the point of that....

Also, All-Star teams have been finalized. Anyone like what they see? It's fascinating how many first-timers there are on there: Noah, Harden, Irving, Holiday, George, Chandler. And there are also a few second-timers, too: Deng, Aldridge, Lee, Randolph...

We're slowly entering a new era of elite basketball players. Pretty soon, guys like Bryant, Duncan, and Garnett won't be on the All-Star teams anymore.

Pelicans doesn't even fit New Orleans. When you say it, it feels awkward. Oh have fun, Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson, and Anthony Davis.

@Ray: All of them are deserving. But I thought Jamal Crawford, J.R Smith, and Curry should have made that list. Curry has a lot of years left but without him the Warriors would be dead right now. Remember last year without Curry, and they had Ellis but it still didn't work out. Therefore they had a bad season. But this year, Curry is healthy for the most part and it's been helping them.

All of them are deserving. But I thought Jamal Crawford, J.R Smith, and Curry should have made that list.

Smith and Crawford have been really good off the bench this year Smith has some buzzer beaters on his sleeve and a few highlight plays. Crawford is a quick and good overall player. He can shoot the three and drive inside the land and score.

Kobe's starting to be a facilitator, taking fewer shots and passing more, and suddenly, the Lakers are winning again. Hmmmm...

Yeah, I thought Nash and Howard were the missing keys to the Lakers. Nash would distribute the ball well. Howard would play good inside defense and score inside as well. But no, it was just Kobe that needed to change his style of play. Not to mention Metta World Peace too. He's been doing really good lately for the Lakers. Racking up a decent amount of points every game. Earl Clark is showing effort too. This might be the beginning of their big run to get the 8th spot. But come playoff time, I'm not sure if they can beat an OKc team or Spurs team. It's still early though.

Yeah, I always expected the Lakers to make the playoffs, and if Kobe continues to be a facilitator, they have a good shoot. I think they can definitely get a better record than the Blazers. As for the Rockets, it's hard to say. They dropped seven straight not too long ago, and five of those games were against sub-.500 teams.

Right now, I'd say the top six in the West are pretty much locks. There may be some shifting around seed-wise among the Thunder, Spurs, and Clippers, as well as among the Grizzlies, Warriors, and Nuggets, but it looks like it'll be a battle between four teams (assuming this isn't a fluke on the Lakers' part) for the last two seeds.

Also, looking at the standings right now, I'm baffled by how Chicago has managed to wriggle its way into the top three of the Eastern Conference without their star point guard. I mean, they really don't have any legitimate stars beyond Rose. Deng is alright--sorta borderline All-Star level--and Noah, while a great rebounder and defender, isn't the greatest offensive player. I guess a lot of it is because they're an elite defensive team. Not sure how good Rose will be when he returns, but if he can provide any sort of meaningful contribution, even if he's not the same player he was before, the Bulls have a legitimate chance at the title.