If there was ever such a thing as an up-and-going team, it'd be the Portland Trailblazers. I still don't think the team has fulfilled its potential but this might be the last year it really has a chance to do so. Brandon Roy's arthritic knees aren't ever going to get better, Andre Miller and Marcus Camby aren't getting any younger, LaMarcus Aldridge is a poor man's Bosh and we've all seen what Bosh is like when the chips are down. And then there's Greg Oden who is officially the Y2K Sam Bowie (which means he'll have a few productive years somewhere else and then forced into retirement due to injuries.) I still think that this team could make a little noise in the playoffs but the bottom line is that they need to go somewhere fast because time is not on their side.

The Heat are getting hyped again even though they haven't really beaten anybody. The Bucks are a disappointment this year and they don't have any real tests until Wednesday against the Jazz and then near the end of the month when they face Dallas and the Lake Show.

Lost in all of the hype over the Heat is the struggles of Florida's other team. The Magic just lost to a Joe Johnson-less Hawks and have only like two quality wins so far this year. They are also running into a tough lineup with a road trip against Portland, Utah, LA Clips, and Nuggets and then Dallas and San Antonio leading up to their Christmas Day matchup against the Celtics. Orlando is a game and a half up on the Heat right now and I'd be surprised if that wasn't reversed (or even worse) by the time 2011 rolls around.

Amar'e Stoudemire has had his troubles in the NBA but he has to be up there in MVP talks right now. He's proving to be a leader in New York and has the Knicks playing their best basketball in ages. If Kelenna Azubuike can come back anywhere near full strength, he'll only make the Knicks a more dangerous team. Even without him, it looks like they are a fairly safe bet (if Amar'e can stay healthy) to make the playoffs.

If there's one negative in New York right now, it's that their supposed best trade prospect, Anthony Randolph, is back on the bench and last season's fruitless salary dump deal of Jared Jeffiries cost the team future draft picks. Danilo Gallinari also isn't establishing himself to be the star that D'Antoni and Donnie Walsh claimed he was. While many in the press are back on the Donnie Walsh bandwagon because of this year's turnaround and the pick of Landry Fields, let's not forget that this is a team that shot itself in the foot by grabbing The Rooster over Brook Lopez and Eric Gordon and draft Jordan Hill over Brandon Jennings.

The rumors of a Andre Iguodala trade are back but I really can't imagine that the Sixers are going to get anything close to fair value for him right now and the franchise can't just dump him for nothing. Unless someone actually offers up some young talent in return, they should wait to see how the labor discussions pan out before giving Iggy up for nada.

Obviously there will be some movement since the season is only about a quarter over but I'd love to lock in the 3 v. 6 matchups right now. In the West, you have Deron vs. CP3 and the Eastern Playoffs would feature David Stern's wet dream - Miami vs. New York. The rivalry renewed.

The Celtics are now the best team in the NBA and I love this squad more than any Celtics team in recent memory. With a lockout potentially wiping out 2011-12, this could be the last hurrah for Shaq and KG so I think we're going to see them leave it all out on the floor come playoff time. The Lakers are still a force to be reckoned with but I think the hunger and passion will be on Boston's side when they meet up in the Finals this time around.