WHO'S HALFWAY HOME IN THE NBA?

At around the halfway point of the NBA season, it's not too early to start speculating on who is going to wind up where. Who are the TRUE contenders for the NBA Championship as we look ahead?

Well, I have a hard time not thinking that the LOS ANGELES LAKERS will be sitting in the winner's circle by the time the NBA season ends. The Lakers, who are priced at +225 in the NBA odds to win the crown, would seem to be the most likely team to have a home court advantage throughout the playoffs. They are an impressive five games ahead of a very competitive pack in the Western Conference. Still, there is no team that is as much of a challenge for them as the Celtics, Cavs, Hawks and Magic are to each other in the East.

Ron Artest's arrival brought the Lakers the defensive presence they were looking for, and he seems to be fitting in well. At least he hasn't had a blowup yet. The Lakers are 21-3 when Pau Gasol is in the lineup, and his 17 or so points and double-digit rebounds are more than enough.

The problem for Phil Jackson is that center Andrew Bynum, who got off to a great start while Gasol was missing the first eleven games, just wasn't comfortable when he had to share the paint with Gasol. He started to put up some better numbers when Gasol was out for a number of games with a hamstring problem, but there has to be some concern as to whether the two can co-exist. When Bynum is disinterested or confused he is often very bad, and I know the Lakers have been contemplating a way to deal Bynum and get something in return.


One of the prominent names that has been mentioned is Chris Bosh, whose contract is expiring with Toronto. There may be some drawbacks to this, including the idea that Bosh is not a "hard" power forward, and would force Gasol to assume a position that is not his natural one (center). Yeah, Bynum provides more muscle, but I'm not so sure the Lakers wouldn't have enough toughness without him.

In last season's playoffs, Bynum was kept away from the action for the most part, even though he had gotten healthy. I just don't like the disappearing act he does sometimes. Bosh doesn't pull that act, and will score as much as you want, if you want him to.

Even if it isn't Bosh, I'm thinking the team will make some kind of a deal to bring better chemistry on board. I would not be the least bit surprised if, even after the trade deadline, they landed a cheap veteran to add a little depth.

Contrary to the popular opinion, I am not one who thinks the Lakers are terribly deep. However, even as they are, they are way too talented for the rest of the Western Conference. Even though there are eleven teams over the .500 mark, there aren't any serious challengers there with the possible exception of the Spurs.

SAN ANTONIO (+1400 to win the title at BetUS) can at least bring some championship experience to the table. They’ve made deals to bring additional scoring balance (with Richard Jefferson) and muscle in the middle (DaJuan Blair and Antonio McDyess).

The DENVER NUGGETS (+1200 to win the title) are an "almost" team, in that they can almost get to the point where they are genuine title contender. I just don't consider Carmelo Anthony to be a championship player, he’s much more of a "stats" guy, and since he dominates the ball when Chauncey Billups doesn't have it in his hands, that just doesn't bode well. As for the others, they all have nice records but I don't see them having a prayer of unseating the Lakers, so I'm not even going to spend any time discussing them.


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